Public Speaking Handbook 5e
Steven A. Beebe and Susan J. Beebe
Chapter One:
Introduction to
Public Speaking
This multimedia product and its contents are protected under
copyright law. The following are prohibited by law:
• any public performance or display, including transmission of any
image over a network;
• preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in
whole or in part, of any images;
• any rental, lease, or lending of the program.
Learning Objectives
1.1 Compare and contrast public speaking and
conversation.
1.2 Explain why it is important to study public
speaking.
1.3 Sketch and explain a model that illustrates the
components and the process of communication.
1.4 Discuss in brief the history of public speaking.
What is Public Speaking?
LO 1.1 Compare and contrast public speaking and conversation.
Process of presenting a message to an
audience
Three differences between conversation
and public speaking
1. Public speaking is more prepared
2. Public speaking is more formal
3. Public speaking involves more clearly defined
roles for the speaker and the audience
Why Study Public Speaking?
LO 1.2 Explain why it is important to study public speaking.
Empowerment
Employment
Helps achieve your goals
Leaders are needed to inform
others
Gives you the “edge”
Leaders are needed to be
organized
Helps display confidence
Leaders are needed to hold
listeners’ attention
Helps express conviction
Top Skills Valued by Employers
Rank
Results of Survey
of Personnel
Directors
Results of Survey
of a College Career
Services
Department
Results of
Survey of
Prospective
Employers
Survey Results
Compiled from
Several Research
Studies
1
Spoken
communication
skills
Communication and
interpersonal skills
Communication
skills
Communication skills
2
Written
communication
skills
Intelligence
Honesty and
integrity
Analytical/research
skills
3
Listening ability
Enthusiasm
Teamwork
Technical skills
4
Enthusiasm
Flexibility
Interpersonal
skills
Flexibility/adaptability
5
Technical
competence
Leadership
Motivation/
initiative
Interpersonal skills
Public Speaking as a Communication
Process
LO 1.3 Sketch and explain a model that illustrates the components and the
process of communication.
Communication as Action
Elements of the communication process
Source
Message
Channels
Receiver
Noise
Fig. 1.1 A Model of Communication as
Action
Public Speaking as a
Communication Process
Communication as Interaction
Communication as more complex
Circular or interactive models
Added two new elements:
Feedback
Context
Fig. 1.2 An Interaction Model of
Communication
Public Speaking as a
Communication Process
Communication as Transaction
Do not label individual components
Communication as a simultaneous process
Send and receive messages concurrently
Fig. 1.3 A Transactive Model of
Communication
The Rich Heritage of Public Speaking
LO 1.4 Discuss in brief the history of public speaking.
Rhetoric
The use of words and symbols to achieve a goal
Use it to inform, persuade, or entertain
The Rich Heritage of Public Speaking
The Golden Age of Public Speaking
Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Age of
Political Oratory
Declamation
Elocution
The Rich Heritage of Public Speaking
The Technological Age of Public Speaking
Radio
Allows for vast audience reach
Television
Audiences see and hear speeches
Twenty-First Century
Adapt age-old public-speaking traditions
Live streaming videos
Empathize with the grief
The Rich Heritage of Public Speaking
Your Speeches in Today’s Age of Public Speaking
Electronic content influences how a message is
prepared and received
Primary process of developing and presenting
speeches has not changed
The Rich Heritage of Public Speaking
Five Classical Canons (Elements) of
Preparing and Presenting a Speech
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Invention
Arrangement
Style
Memory
Deliver