CHAPTER 1 The Practice of Public Speaking

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CHAPTER 1The Practice of Public Speaking
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Educational Benefits

• Oral presentations are common classroom
  assignments across the disciplines.
• Organization skills are applicable to most other
  courses.
• Critical thinking skills are used in most
  assignments across the disciplines.
• Listening skills are important for all classes.
• Research indicates a correlation between GPA and
  communication competence (Rubin, 1988).
• When getting to know people in a social setting,
  research states that communication competence
  affects physical attractiveness (Duran Kelly,
  1988).

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Professional Benefits

• Success in a job interview depends on your
  ability to sell your abilities with a clear,
  organized, and articulate manner (Floyd, 2014).
• Employers seek communication skills, team work
  skills, and interpersonal abilities. Its the
  number one skills sought. (Hansen Hansen, 2007
  Young, 2003 Koncz, 2008 NACE, 2010)
• In Engineering, speaking skills were important to
  72 of employers surveyed (Darling Dannels,
  2003)

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• A survey of more than 400 employers identified
  communication skills as the top skills
  employers seek in job applicants and is rated
  above technical competence, work experience, or
  academic background (Job Outlook 2004, National
  Association of Colleges and Employers).
• In a survey of 500 U.S. businesses, more than 90
  of personnel officials state that communication
  skills are needed for success in the 21st century
  (Peterson, 1997).

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Personal Benefits

• Good communication skills can lead to greater
  confidence and satisfaction in life
• Good communication skills can enable you to
  express your values and explore the values of
  others
• Good communication skills can sharpen your
  ability to reason and think critically
• Good communication skills can improve
  relationships.
• Good communication skills can affect you present
  yourself in social settings.
• Effective communication is a major contributor of
  marital satisfaction (Kirchler, 1988).

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Why Study Communication? cont.

• Physical needs
• Fredrick II, emperor of Germany from 1196 to 1250
  illustrated the importance of communication (Ross
  and McLaughlin)
• Five people are isolated and remain alone in a
  locked room (Schachter, 1959)
• John McCain talked about 6 years of solitary
  confinement (McCain)
• Russian Experiment to Mars? Locked away for 520
  days?
• http//news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7966731.stm
• http//www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/06/02/russ
  ia-mars-experiment-travel.html?refrss
• http//news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8150385.stm

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Why Study Communication? cont.

• Physical needs
• People who lack strong relationships have 2-3
  times the risk of early death. (Duck, 1992)
• Divorced, separated, widowed people are 5-10
  times more likely to be hospitalized for mental
  illness (Duck, 1992)
• Social isolation similar to cigarette smoking,
  obesity, lack of exercise, and diet??????
• People who are socially isolated are 4 times more
  likely to get the common cold (Cohen, Doyle,
  Skoner, Rabin, Gwaltney, 1997)
• (as well as The Journal of the American Medical
  Association)

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Definition of Communication

• What examples come to mind when you think of the
  term communication?
• Adler and Rodmans definition of communication
  The process of creating meaning through symbolic
  interaction.
• Verderber, Verderber, and Sellnows definition of
  communication The process of creating or
  sharing meaning in informal conversations, group
  interaction, or public speaking.
• My definition of communication
• The process of creating and/or sharing
  intentional and/or unintentional meaning through
  nonverbal and verbal messages in informal
  conversation, group interaction, or public
  speaking.

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In the community

• Being an Engaged Citizen

• Public issues require citizens to make decisions
  or take actions.
• Change occurs when people speak up and work
  together to solve societal problems.
• Community Service? Discuss your past experiences.

Students from the Asian Student Association clean
up trash from the local beach.
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Communication Settings/ Communication Contexts

• Qualitative vs. Quantitative
• Intrapersonal communication
• Interpersonal communication (dyadic?)
• Small group communication
• Public communication
• Mass communication

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Comparing public speaking to other types of
communication contexts

• You must speak to other people.
• You must think about your listeners and their
  needs.
• You must be understood when you speak.
• You must be responsible about what you say and
  how you speak.
• You have less opportunity for a response or
  feedback from your listeners.
• You are responsible for more of the message
  content.
• You must pay closer attention to nonverbal cues
  and use a formal voice.

• SIMILARITIES

• DIFFERENCES

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The Elements of the Communication process

• Participants (Speakers / Source)
• Encoder
• Decoder
• Message
• messages are created (encoded and decoded) by
  symbols to which meaning is assigned.
• Context / Situation
• Physical context, social context, historical
  context, psychological context, cultural context
• Channel
• Interference (Noise)
• Physical noise, Psychological noise, Semantic
  noise
• Feedback

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The Communication Process (the transactional
model of communication)
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Cultural Sensitivity

• Culture language, beliefs, values, norms,
  behaviors, and objects that are shared by a group
  of people
• Speakers recognize the values, behaviors, and
  artifacts that are important to the cultural
  group to which they are speaking.
• A culturally sensitive speaker avoids making
  ethnocentric remarks and addresses cultural
  differences with respect.