Public Speaking Notes

Public Speaking: Empowerment and Vital Life Skill

Public speaking offers empowerment and satisfaction and is a vital life skill for career development. It provides a professional edge, especially in oral communication, both in person and in virtual workplaces.

Employers prioritize communication skills:
- Verbal communication skills are ranked fourth in importance.
- Written communication skills are ranked fifth.

Skills Developed in Speech Preparation

Preparing speeches enhances numerous skills needed in other courses:

Research
Audience analysis
Organization of ideas
Supporting claims
Persuasion techniques
Vocal and body control
Cross-curricular presentation skills

It also enables engagement in public conversations on social concerns such as climate change, immigration reform, and gun violence.

Opportunity to research meaningful topics
Consideration of alternate viewpoints
Ability to choose a course of action

Historical Roots: Rhetoric and Oratory

The practice of giving speeches, known as rhetoric or oratory, flourished in Athens in the fifth century BCE. Athenians spoke skillfully in public squares (Agora) about public policy issues.

Roman Orators:
- Divided the speech process into five parts (canons of rhetoric):
  - Invention: Discovering new evidence and arguments.
  - Arrangement: Organizing evidence effectively.
  - Style: Using appropriate language.
  - Memory: Practicing the speech.
  - Delivery: Using effective behaviors.

These canons continue to be taught in modern public speaking books.

Essential Skills for Public Speaking

Developing public speaking skills involves:

Understanding audience interests and attitudes.
Adjusting to the audience, topic, and occasion.
Conducting research, using credible evidence, and creating effective transitions.
Employing persuasive appeals.
Using familiar words, complete sentences, and repetition for emphasis.
Adopting an interactive and inclusive language style to engage the audience.

Categories and Elements of Human Communication

Public speaking is one of four categories of human communication (DDAC):

Dyadic Communication (DDAC): Two people.
Small Group Communication: A small number of people.
Mass Communication: Communication between a large audience.
Public Speaking

Elements of a communication event:

Source: Creates a message (encoding - converting thoughts into words).
Receiver: Interprets the message (decoding).
Message: Content of the communication process.
Channel: The medium through which the message is sent.
Feedback: Audience response.
Noise: Interference with the message.
Shared Meaning: Mutual understanding of the message between speaker and audience.