Principles and Types of Speech Communication

This highly esteemed introduction to public speaking offers comprehensive yet streamlined coverage of speech processes, preparation, channels and types. The new edition covers the theoretical as well as the practical aspects of public speaking. Hallmarks include a commitment to cultural sensitivity, with concrete advice for students on how they can speak effectively in a culturally diverse society, and a commitment to providing the most up-do-date research in the field.

A Note to Students and Teachers Principles and Types of Speech Communication has been a mainstay in the basic speech course, a celebrated leader in communication studies, for over half a century because it not only follows but also sets educational standards in this field. Longevity comes from adaptability to varied conditions. This book always has looked both backward and forward: backward to the timeless principles of speech that are central to the Euro-American cultural experience since the ancient Greeks, and forward to the latest research and the leading challenges of today and tomorrow. The fourteenth edition of this book follows in that tradition. The overarching goal of this revision is to strengthen those features that have made Principles and Types of Speech Communication a pre-eminent book within the field: a commitment to cultural sensitivity with concrete advice to students on how they can talk effectively in a culturally diverse society, and a commitment to the best research base of any basic book in the field. As such, the text retains core concepts which have been its trademark (e.g., Monroe's Motivated Sequence) and leads the field with respect to bringing the best research in both humanistic and social science traditions to bear on the principles and practices of public communication. At the same time, the language of the text continues to be accessible to the entering college undergraduate. Conceptually complex ideas are introduced in a way that makes them both understandable and applicable to the act of speaking in public settings. Furthermore, it is written for students who are computer-literate and who often rely more on Internet sources than paper library sources for their speech materials. Developing competent communicators with a sophisticated understanding of public communication is the ultimate goal. Presenting a text that instructors will be proud to use as an exemplar of the best the field has to offer is the means to achieve that goal. HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS REVISION Some have criticized current public speaking textbooks for "dumbing down" content to such an extent as to lose credibility. This text moves in the opposite direction. With a commitment to clarity in the presentation of concepts as the underlying principle, we introduce materials that are at the cutting edge of scholarship within the discipline, and illustrate their connection to the practice of communicating in public settings. As will be noted below, a new chapter focusing on the importance of communicating in a culturally diverse society, with specific advice on how to accommodate difference, is a key feature of this revision. Beyond a commitment to illustrating how one communicates in a culturally diverse society, this revision introduces research on such topics as performance theory and its role in oral presentations and devotes specific attention to assessing the credibility of information obtained via the World Wide Web. The issue of assessment leads directly into another pervasive feature of this revision - a commitment to illustrating critical thinking skills, and their use in preparing for and critiquing public discourse. Thus, this revision highlights four specific achievements in differentiating this text from its predecessor and from others in the field: 1. A pervasive connection to culture studies as it assists in approaching and analyzing public discourse in a culturally diverse society. There is a specific new chapter devoted to the issue of how one uses cultural information in making specific choices in language, arguments, etc. While other texts have focused, as does this text, on illustrations throughout the chapters, we have developed the connection between culture and public speaking as a means of introducing students to the importance of attending to cultural differences. We offer specific strategies for unifying diverse audiences without losing a sense of who you are as the speaker. Beyond that, we have expanded the use of diverse examples from people of color - to further illustrate the issues of concern, as well as to indicate the style of reasoning/speaking. For example, to our knowledge, we are the first text to make extensive use of contemporary Native American speakers as exemplars. The audience analysis chapter and the informative and persuasive speaking chapters draw on the strategies noted in the new cultural life chapter. Recognizing that ideas and their acceptance are culture-bound is a major thrust of this revision. 2. A pervasive attention to the role of new technologies in communicating (from critically assessing web-based resources to using Powerpoint in presentations). While the World Wide Web is a fantastic resource for students with easy access, it also is a highly problematic information source with respect to information accuracy. Sites are established to promote specific points of view, and students need to be aware of the potential for bias and inaccuracy in assessing web-based information. We focus on this issue in the information gathering chapter, and raise it again in the context of gaining an understanding of audiences through the use of the World Wide Web. The use of PowerPoint is discussed in the chapter on visual communication - strategies for making powerpoint more than a convenient outline of content are reviewed; the goal is to enhance the presentation's ability to convey ideas, not simply to impress the audience with one's technical skill. In addition, there is a separate booklet on the use of PowerPoint that provides further instruction on how to use it as an outlining tool and as an aid in presentations. 3. A thoroughgoing introduction of scholarship bearing on public communication, including but not limited to performance theory as it affects orality, culture studies, and persuasion theory. This text has a long and well established reputation for the currency of its research base. In this edition, as already noted, we introduce a special chapter that takes advantage of recent research in culture studies. We also add new information drawn from performance theory in relation to physical presence in speaking (the rhetoric of the body). Other additions include: Recent advances in motivational psychology (we are the only text to introduce more recent research on motivation, such as that drawn from McClelland); The concept of "collective memory" or "collective desire" as a resource in audience analysis and its role in ceremonial speaking; The role of fantasy theme analysis as it contributes to research on audiences; A renewed and updated emphasis on how public language (in the guise of political correctness debates, etc.) functions.

4. A focus on meetings and conferences as typical settings for public presentations. While a business and professional communication course may offer more extended discussion of these issues, not all students will have the opportunity to avail themselves of this experience. Hence, we have reworked materials in earlier editions so as to focus attention on the kinds of experiences that will occur as you enter the workplace. Guidelines for speaking at meetings and conferences also continues the practical, applied focus of this text. Highlighting keynote addresses and after-dinner speaking also provides students with an understanding of the role of these kinds of "special occasion" addresses. KEY STRENGTHS OF THE TEXT In addition to the focus on what is new, Principles and Types of Speech Communication has earned its reputation because of traditional strengths, and we have been sure to retain those characteristics here. The following are key ingredients of a continuing commitment to a textbook that offers a clear and useable blend of theory and performance skills: 1. Connecting theory to practice. Although known for its solid grounding in rhetorical and communication research, this book maintains its focus on the actual experience itself: creating and presenting an effective public speech. For example, in keeping with the increased emphasis on oral communication skills - skills needed to both prepare and deliver effective speeches, we have continued the "How To" boxes. Each of these boxes contains specific advice on how the concepts discussed can be used in a specific illustration, thereby putting theory into practice. The continued use of "Communication Research Dateline" boxes also underscores the dual focus on grounded knowledge and practical advice to speakers. 2. Focus on both speechmaking in society and student presentations in classrooms. This book has an obligation to compel communication studies' students to reflect seriously upon the electronic revolution and its implication for responsible dialogue between and among citizens. Throughout the text we utilize examples and illustrations that focus attention on contemporary political, economic, religious, and social issues. We ask students to analyze these issues in a manner that will help them construct arguments and appeals that reflect their own beliefs and resonate with their audience's beliefs, desires, and needs. Simultaneously, we recognize that as a reader, you are seeking to survive and grow in your own environment - the college communication classroom. Thus, you'll find many of our examples, illustrations, and sample speeches drawn from campus life as well as from student speakers. This book not only asks you to assess your skills where you are, but also to look ahead to the experience of building community through communication after your college years. 3. A continued commitment to critical thinking. The chapter on argumentation focuses attention on the use of fallacies, both in terms of their "illogicality," and in terms of their potential as rhetorically effective arguments (e.g., the controversy over Clinton's "lie" reduces to an attack on personal character that may well be persuasive and appropriate, even though it is an ad hominem - to the person instead of the issue-attack). Critical thinking is not only about assessing arguments for logicality or validity. It also implies a close attention to language choices in front of a diverse audience, and to choices about how one organizes a presentation. Throughout the text, we highlight the importance of thinking about rhetorical choices that one may make in addressing specific audiences - the engagement of ideas and audiences is a matter of choice: it does matter what one says, and how one says it in most circumstances. The "how to" boxes noted above are one means of focusing attention on choices. The illustrations drawn from current political and social discourse - how public discourse choices (such as the "failed apology" from Clinton) affect future rhetorical choices also presents public speaking as it influences public affairs. 4. A continued commitment to the importance of ethics. Our "Ethical Moments" boxes were among the most positively received features of previous editions. In this edition we have included discussions of plagiarism, sexism, the ethics of credibility and hyperemotionalism, ghost writing, and statistical sleight-of-hand. Public speaking involves moral decisions, both in terms of the choices one makes to "tell the truth" about what one knows, as well as to say what one believes in ethically responsible ways. Audiences tire quickly of speakers whose veracity is founded on technical understandings, as the controversy over whether and in what sense Clinton engaged in a "lie" or perjured himself would suggest. 5. Streamlined coverage for today's public speaking classroom. Without losing sight of what has made this text a valuable part of the communication field since its introduction in 1935, we have made several structural changes in this new edition: The chapter on "Getting Started" now follows the introductory chapter so that students can more quickly move to the practical matter of "what do I do next?" Instructors will find it easier to provide an overview of the basics as a precursor to the first speaking assignment. The strategies for gaining and maintaining attention have been integrated with the specific advice on building introductions and conclusions. We have integrated "motivational appeals" into those chapters where their use is a priority - in the informative and persuasive speaking chapters. This will allow instructors to highlight those appeals most likely to be effective as they focus attention on strategies for informing and persuading audiences. We also have tightened the "ceremonial" chapter and moved the "speech to entertain" to a new chapter focusing on speaking at meetings and conferences. This allows us to highlight the use of the "keynote" and "after dinner" speech in a more appropriate context.

6. Continued pedagogical support.

Both teachers and students need to be well supported in the educational process. Principles and Types of Speech Communication, fourteenth edition, continues to be a leader in pedagogical support. Each chapter closes with a clear summary and a list of the key terms used in the chapter. These will be helpful in recalling concepts and building a vocabulary with which to discuss public communication events. Among those ancillaries offered for instructors are multiple videos on topics such as speaker apprehension and audience analysis and a guide on how to use them; an Instructor's Manual that includes elements covered in the previous edition's Speaker's Resource Book as well as tips for teaching; bibliographies; chapter reviews for lecturing; and additional tested exercises. Overall, we know that this edition of the most popular public-speaking textbook of the twentieth century has merged traditional and innovative features to keep it at the forefront of communication studies. It is based on a speech skills tradition, which assures educators that course outcomes can be tested in concrete ways, and yet it lives and breathes the liberal arts tradition, which makes the basic speech course but an introduction to the world of communication studies-to the scientific, theoretical, historical, and critical study of public communication and social life. What we seek through this revision is nothing less than the most refined, sophisticated research-driven, application oriented textbook available on the market. We are convinced that you will find Principles and Types of Speech Communication to be a solid yet malleable teaching and learning instrument.