Chapter One

Challenges and Choices

in Public Speaking

Chapter One

Why Public Speaking?Benefits of Public SpeakingPublic Speaking and the

Communication ProcessPublic Speech and Pluralistic

VoicesChallenges and Choices of Public

Speaking*

Why Public Speaking?

An Enduring LegacyReasons for Public

SpeechPublic Speaking as a

Form of Communication*

Why Public Speaking:

An Enduring Legacy

476 B.C.- Corax, Sicilian teacher offered lessons in rhetoric.

427-347 B.C.- Plato, Greek philosopher, viewed rhetoric as a means of seeking truth.

384-322 B.C.- Aristotle, philosopher and student of Plato, viewed rhetoric as the art of persuasion. Wrote the textbook, Rhetoric.*

Why Public Speaking:

An Enduring Legacy

18th-19th Centuries- colonists delivered speeches in the quest for independence.

21st Centurypublic speaking remains an indispensable vehicle for expressing ideas.*

Why Public Speaking:

Reasons for Public Speech

3 Main Functions:to informto persuadeto celebrate or commemorate special occasions*

Why Public Speaking:

Public Speaking as a Form of Communication

Dyadic Communication communication

between two people, as in conversation.

Small Group Communication a small number of people

who can see and speak directly with each other, as in a business meeting.

Mass Communication communication

between a speaker and a large audience of unknown people, as in television.

Public Speaking a speaker delivers a

message with a specific purpose to an audience of people who are present at the delivery of a speech.*

Why Public Speaking:

Public Speaking as a Form of Communication

Similarities between Public Speaking and Other Forms of Communication sensitivity to the

listeners

Differences between Public Speaking and Other Forms of Communication listener feedback level of

preparation degree of

formality*

Benefits of Public Speaking

Becoming a more knowledgeable person

Honing critical thinking and listening skills

Enhancing your career as a studentAccomplishing professional and

personal goalsExploring and sharing values*

Benefits of Public Speaking:

Becoming a More Knowledgeable Person

A good speech is a blend of form and content Basic speech form

introductionbody conclusion

contenttopic of the speech*

Benefits of Public Speaking:

Honing Critical Thinking and Listening Skills

Public Speaking training sharpens your ability to reason or think critically learning to make claims and then

presenting evidence and reasoning that logically support them*

Benefits of Public Speaking:

Enhancing Your Career as a Student

Preparing speeches involves numerous skills that you can use in other courses research organization creative thinking*

Benefits of Public Speaking:

Accomplishing Professional and Personal Goals

Professional Goals people at work use public speaking to convey

information, to persuade and motivate others, and even to celebrate their special skills.

skill in public speaking tops the list of sought after skills by many organizations.

Personal Goals public speaking offers a way to communicate

your personal concerns to others.*

What Skills Employers Want in College Graduates:

Oral CommunicationInterpersonalAnalyticalTeamworkFlexibilityComputerProficiency in Field of StudyWritten CommunicationLeadershipWork Experience*

Benefits of Public Speaking:

Exploring and Sharing Values

Public speaking enables you to express values and explore those of others in a civil dialog, regardless of whether or not the audience shares your viewpoint.*

Public Speaking and the Communication Process

Communication is an interactive process in which people exchange and interpret messages with one another. Elements of Communication Special Speaker Considerations*

Public Speaking and the Communication Process:

Elements of Communication

Source - person who creates a message encoding - physical

process of delivering a message

Message - content of the communication process; thoughts and ideas

Receiver - recipient of the source’s message decoding - the process

of interpreting the speaker’s message

Channel - the medium through which the speaker sends a message noise - the interference

that serves as a barrier to communication*

Public Speaking and the Communication Process:

Elements of Communication

Shared Meaning mutual understanding of a message

between speaker and audience*

Public Speaking and the Communication Process:

Special Speaker Considerations

Other Factors: Self-concept - strengths and limitations Audience - taking audience perspective Context - influences on the speaker Speech Goals - clear focus Outcome - accomplishing what you set

out to do*

Public Speech and Pluralistic Voices

Public Speaking offers an opportunity to recognize and appreciate diversity in all its forms.

Pluralistic character is reflected in people of various ethnic groups, age groups, persons of different sexual orientations, persons with disabilities, and in religious diversity*

Public Speech and Pluralistic Voices

Ethnocentrism the belief that

the ways of one’s own culture are superior to those of other cultures*

Challenges and Choices of Public Speaking

Challenges - simulating tasks or problems

Choices - options or alternatives for solving tasks or problems Challenges and Choices of Speech in

Democracy Making a Difference*

Challenges and Choices of Public Speaking:

Speech in a Democracy

As members of a democratic society, we have the right to speak freely

We have the equally important responsibility to speak responsibly*

Challenges and Choices of Public Speaking:

Making a Difference

Ordinary citizens can and do accomplish a great deal through the power of public speaking*