Mastering Public Speaking: The Handbook

Mastering Public Speaking: The Handbook

George L. Grice, Radford University

John F. Skinner, San Antonio College

This reference-style handbook equips students with a firm grounding in the “hows” and “whys” of public speaking by providing an ideal balance of theory and skills while placing important emphasis on critiquing, ethics, and critical thinking.

The handbook format offers tabbed sections that include a quick overview to the chapters within the section, key terms at the end of each chapter with page references, and a glossary at the end of the book with the definition of key terms.

While retaining the basic content of the Sixth Edition of Mastering Public Speaking, thehandbook presents only the material essential to learning the basics of public speaking. Students learn how to think critically as they choose speech topics, conduct research, organize content, select language, manage nervousness, and deliver speeches.

Features:

• Strong coverage of ethics throughout, including a full chapter on ethics (Chapter 2), “Ethical Decisions” boxes, and in-chapter discussions of ethical issues, stress to students the importance of being ethical speakers and listeners.
• Emphasis on speech criticism, including step-by-step instruction on speech criticism, discussion of reacting to criticism and using feedback constructively, and annotated speeches illustrating how two students constructed their informative and persuasive speeches (Chapter 15 and Chapter 17).
• In-text discussions of specific critical thinking skills incorporated throughout the text appear early in the chapters to reinforce how critical thinking relates to each topic at hand.

An adaptation of Mastering Public Speaking 6e, this handbook provides the reader with a 2-color, less costly alternative to the 4-color book in a reference format, enabling quick and easy access to information. This book equips the reader with a firm grounding in the “hows” and “whys” of public speaking by providing an ideal balance of theory and skills while placing important emphasis on critiquing, ethics, and critical thinking.