Chapter 1: Introduction to Public Speaking Concepts

Power of Public Speaking

Way of making ideas public

Importance for career

Significance of public speaking skills in professional development

Importance for civic engagement

Role of public speaking in participating in community and civic activities

Similarities between Public Speaking & Conversation

Organize thoughts logically, tailor message to audience, tell stories for maximum impact, adapt to feedback

Differences between Public Speaking & Conversation

Public speaking is more highly structured, uses more formal language, and has different methods of delivery

Stage Fright

Anxiety over prospect of speaking in front of audience

Reducing Speech Anxiety

Acquire experience, prepare, prepare, prepare, think positively

More on Reducing Speech Anxiety

Use power of visualization, know most nervousness is not visible, don't expect perfection

Positive Nervousness

Controlled nervousness that energizes speaker for presentation

Visualization

Picturing oneself giving successful presentation

Critical Thinking

Focused, organized thinking involving relationships among ideas, soundness of evidence, differences between fact & opinion

Speech Communication Process

Includes speaker, message, channel, listener, feedback, interference, situation

Frame of Reference

Sum of person's knowledge, experience, goals, values, attitudes; everything filtered through listener's frame of reference

Ethnocentrism

Believing one's group or culture is superior to all other groups or cultures

Avoiding Ethnocentrism

Respect listeners' cultural values, adapt messages to expectations, imagine oneself in place of listeners, be alert to feedback