Page 23 - Between One and Many The Art and Science of Public Speaking
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xxii                  Preface



                                        reasons for becoming a good public speaker, with specifi c examples of people
                                        with whom students can identify, who use public speaking in their daily lives.
                                        We also introduce a model of public speaking and preview the remainder of the
                                        book. Chapter 2 provides an overview of the skills needed by public speakers
                                        and allows instructors to assign speeches early without having to assign chapters
                                        out of order. Topic selection and writing purpose statements have been incorpo-
                                        rated into this chapter to provide an early foundation for students in preparing
                                        their fi rst speeches. Chapter 3 provides students with the tools they need to cope
                                        with the nearly universal experience of speech anxiety. Chapter 4 deals with
                                        ethical speaking and listening, with a special emphasis on avoiding plagiarism.
                                          Part Two makes explicit the idea that focusing on the transaction between
                                        speaker and audience is key to success in public speaking. Chapter 5 presents a
                                        thorough treatment of listening, with a focus on listening to public speeches, and
                                        incorporating guidelines for providing constructive feedback. Chapter 6 pro-
                                        vides the tools for analyzing the cultural, demographic, and individual diversity
                                        of audience members. In addition, we offer practical suggestions for adapting
                                        speeches to audiences once the analysis has been completed.
                                          Part Three is about putting theory into practice. Chapter 7 covers researching
                                        the speech. In recognition of the fact that most students already use the Inter-
                                        net, but often without applying critical standards to the information they fi nd,
                                        we have focused on the skills needed to distinguish reliable from unreliable
                                        Internet sources. Chapter 8 is devoted to supporting speeches with reasoning
                                        as well as evidence and introduces the Toulmin model of reasoning. Chapter 9
                                        treats organization from an audience-focused perspective. We include a variety
                                        of traditional organizational patterns, such as alphabetical, categorical, causal,
                                        time, spatial, Monroe’s motivated-sequence, extended narrative, problem–
                                        solution, comparative advantage, and stock issues. We also discuss organic pat-
                                        terns such as the star, wave, and spiral. Material related to transitional statements
                                        is also located in this chapter. Chapter 10 addresses language use, with particular
                                        attention to adapting language to diverse audiences. We suggest ways to choose
                                        language that is inclusive rather than exclusive, nonsexist rather than sexist, and
                                        thoughtful rather than stereotypic. We also offer techniques for enhancing the
                                        effective use of language. Chapter 11 deals with delivery skills, again focusing on
                                        audience adaptation. This chapter provides both a strong theoretical foundation
                                        based in nonverbal communication research and solid, practical advice for the
                                        public speaker. Chapter 12 presents a comprehensive discussion of visual, audio,
                                        and audiovisual media that can be adapted to the audience and occasion to en-
                                        hance most public speeches. Our discussion of PowerPoint has been updated for
                                        this edition, with an emphasis on using it to enhance, rather than take the place
                                        of, public speaking. Speech Coach online has a PowerPoint tutorial that will en-
                                        able students to learn the best practices in an interactive fashion.
                                          Part Four addresses the most common contexts for public speaking that stu-
                                        dents are likely to face in the classroom and in their lives after college. Chapter 13
                                        on informative speaking stresses audience adaptation, particularly in terms of di-
                                        verse learning styles. Practical applications of learning theories are discussed in
                                        relation to speeches that explain, instruct, demonstrate, and describe. Chapter 14
                                        on persuasive speaking has been signifi cantly revised. Chapter 15 provides a
                                        detailed treatment of critical thinking, with a special focus on recognizing and
                                        responding to fallacies of reasoning. Finally, Chapter 16 provides a discussion of
                                        speaking throughout the student’s lifetime. It includes guidelines for speeches of
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