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Fun historical fact: public speaking used to involve togas. Lots of togas. (Source)
What does a stand-up comedian have in common with the President of the United States?
That's not the setup for a hilarious joke—although we're guessing you could think up at least fifty punch lines. It's a real question. And the answer should be fairly obvious…given the subject of this course.
That's right: stand-up comedians and presidents are both masters of the art of public speaking.
In the first unit of this course, we'll cover the essential elements of public speaking and observe these elements in action through the lens of different public speaking situations, like a stand-up comedy gig or the State of the Union address.
Because we know you're planning to do at least one of those in your life, right?
(Okay, we know your answer to that last question is probably "no," so we'll also apply those essential elements to a much more common public speaking situation. We're nice like that.)
After that, we'll look into ethical issues every public speaker has to consider. That's right. As if talking in front of a bunch of people isn't hard enough—we're going to pile a bunch of moral responsibilities on top of that.
The last two lessons of this unit will give you a very quick, very basic introduction to the history of public speaking. Why bother with that? Because history provides us with a basis for understanding what public speaking is, what it's for, and how it's done well.
You'll read several short excerpts from ancient and medieval texts—but don't worry, everything you'll read has been translated into English. (And not that crazy "Whan that aprill with his shoures soote / The droghte of march hath perced to the roote " Middle English.)
In fact, the excerpts you'll read are 100% easy to understand. Which, for a course about communication, is a good thing.
Here's one big, important thing we want you to get from this unit: If mastering the art of public speaking is important to presidents, comedians, and even a whole bunch of ancient Greeks, then it's important to everyone.
Including you.
Summary
Summary
In public speaking, communication is a two-way street from speaker to audience and from audience to speaker.
An audience provides feedback to a speaker through verbal, nonverbal, and paralinguistic channels.
Speakers address two types of audience: the general (anyone listening) and the specific (who the speaker wants to reach).
Every speaking occasion brings with it a set of norms and expectations that a speaker should be aware of ahead of time.
The three basic purposes of a speech are to persuade, inform, or entertain (although often a speaker aims to do all three at once—the public speaking hat trick, if you will).
Public speakers must strive to deliver ethical speeches, which includes giving credit to outside sources. (Bottom line: Stealing = bad. Citing = good.)
Public speaking rests heavily on the foundation of rhetoric (persuasive speaking) that the Ancient Greeks first described.
Many historical concepts and trends in oratory have contributed to the further development of public speaking, such as a focus on ethics, purpose, and emphasis on beautiful language and delivery.
Objectives
Objectives
identify the transactional mode of communication.
identify the types of audience feedback and list several examples of each.
recognize the three basic elements of public speaking.
consider the three basic elements of public speaking in context.
recognize ethical principles of public speaking.
identify three types of plagiarism and how to avoid them.
identify important historical trends and figures in the history of public speaking, from Ancient Greek to the modern period.
explore rhetoric and understand how it applies to public speaking.
Study Questions
Study Questions
In what way does public speaking represent the transactional mode of communication rather than a linear model of communication?
What ways does an audience provide feedback to a speaker? What effect does this have on the speaker?
What is the difference between a general and a specific audience? What are some examples of both?
Why does persuasion have to do with public speaking?
Why are ethics an important thing for any public speaker to consider?
How has rhetoric and oratory (i.e., public speaking) changed since the Greek Classical period?
How do the conventions of public speaking today reflect the concepts of rhetoric and oratory throughout history?
What movements in public speaking throughout history are still present today?
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