Page 53 - Between One and Many The Art and Science of Public Speaking

Summary

There are many good reasons to study and practice public speaking. Among
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them are these:
To evaluate your understand-
ing of this chapter, visit our • Public speaking is an essential skill in the professional world.
Online Learning Center Web
site for quizzes and other • Communication in general and public speaking specifi cally can help
chapter study aids. empower you and help you empower others.
• Public speaking helps you with your other classes, including those in your
major.

• Public speaking skills help to make you a more effective force for change.
• Public speaking helps you become a better listener.
• Public speaking is a key to becoming an informed and active citizen.
• Public speaking helps you think more critically about the issues of the day.

As you move on to the next chapter, remember these important elements:

• Public speaking is a transaction between speaker and audience.
• This transaction is comprised of interdependent rather than independent
parts.

• These parts include (1) the rhetorical situation, (2) the speaker and the audi-
ence, (3) the message, (4) verbal and nonverbal symbols, (5) the channels
used, and (6) perceptions.

Check Your Understanding: Exercises and Activities

1. This chapter suggests that public speaking can empower you. How can
public speaking skills empower you to satisfy your most pressing personal
and professional needs? Write a short paper or give a brief speech explaining
your answer and giving examples.
2. How important are public speaking skills in the profession for which you
are preparing? If possible, interview either a practitioner of the profession
or a professor in the appropriate department about the ways public speaking
might be applicable in your fi eld. Give a brief (1- to 2-minute) presentation to
your classmates, or write a short paper about your fi ndings.
3. Attend a meeting of a local government agency, such as a city council, plan-
ning commission, or board of supervisors, or attend a student government
meeting on your campus. Chances are you will see several speakers present
their views in a public forum. Write a short paper about one of the speakers.
What impressed you most about the speaker, and what impressed you least?
How did the ability to speak help this person achieve his or her goals?

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