Public Speaking Basics - Paperback

by Michael A. Griffin (Author)

This textbook provides concise information, classroom exercises, homework assignments, and speeches to enable college students to master public speaking. There is an emphasis on creating effective thesis sentences, motivational appeals, introductions and conclusions, outlines, and supporting information. The text includes sample speeches for each speaking assignment along with pertinent speech evaluation forms. Chapter topics include speech anxiety, delivery, subject selection and audience analysis, thesis sentences, motivational appeals, organizing and outlining, introduction and conclusion methods, supporting information, presentational aids, effective listening, Standard American English sounds, and creating various informative, persuasive, and special occasion speeches. A sample course syllabus is provided, as well as a test study guide. In this revised edition, some of the chapter exercises have been revamped, some sample speech outlines updated, some of the explanations clarified, and a new special occasion speech has been included.

Author Biography

Michael A. Griffin, EdD, is associate professor of communications at the University of Guam where he has instructed communication courses since 1988. He has taught college-level public speaking for twenty-five years, including at several colleges in the San Francisco area. He has judged high school speaking contests for over twenty years. He is a member of the International Society for General Semantics.