The Open Educational Resource College
Public Speaking Textbook
Chapter 1: The
Basics of Public
Speaking
Exploring Public Speaking, v. 4.1 (2020)
Chapter 1 Learning Objectives
• DEFINE PUBLIC SPEAKING, channel, feedback, noise, encode, decode,
symbol, denotative, and connotative;
• Explain WHAT DISTINGUISHES PUBLIC SPEAKING from other modes of
communication;
• List the ELEMENTS OF THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS;
• Explain the ORIGINS OF ANXIETY in public speaking;
• Apply some STRATEGIES FOR DEALING WITH PERSONAL ANXIETY about
public speaking;
• Discuss why public speaking is part of the curriculum at this college and
IMPORTANT IN PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL LIFE.
Outline Of Topics
• What IS public speaking?
• ANXIETY and Public Speaking
• Understanding the PROCESS of
Chapter 1 Public Speaking
• The VALUE of Public Speaking
Overview • GETTING STARTED in Public
Speaking
What Do You Think About When
You Think Of A Public Speaker?
• The US PRESIDENT delivering an address?
• A SALES REP seeking to persuade clients?
Think About It! • Your MINISTER, PRIEST OR RABBI?
• Your PROFESSOR?
• A dramatic COURTROOM scene?
• POLITICIANS debating before an election?
• A COMEDIAN doing stand up?
ALL of these represent public
speaking in different forms!
And, What About YOU?
• It is often REQUIRED for college degrees.
• You may have MIXED EMOTIONS about
taking this course.
Think About It! • You may already have SOME EXPERIENCE
from high school or other activities.
• This might be a course you just want to GET
THROUGH.
These are all COMMON!
What IS public speaking?
It is an ORGANIZED and INTENTIONAL means to INFORM, ENTERTAIN OR
PERSUADE a GROUP of five or more people through WORDS, PHYSICAL
DELIVERY and/or VISUAL/AUDIO AIDS.
What IS public speaking?
It is an ENLARGED CONVERSATION with a PURPOSE (Entertain, Inform,
Persuade) that is HIGHLY ORGANIZED and DEPENDENT
ON RESOURCES outside your own personal experience.
According to most studies, people’s
NUMBER ONE FEAR IS PUBLIC
SPEAKING. Number two is death. Death
is number two. Does that sound right?
This means to the average person, if you
go to a funeral, you’re better off in the
casket than doing the eulogy.
(Garber, 2018)
MOST PEOPLE DO NOT
Most People
SUFFER FROMDon't Suffer
From Glossophobia
GLOSSOPHOBIA
Anxiety:
That is, a SEVERE fear of public
speaking. Most people have anxiety
The
that is lower than a true phobia.
Anxiety Normally Comes
GOOD From...
• ALL OR NOTHING thinking
News! • OVERGENERALIZATION of
experiences
• "FORTUNE TELLING"
• FIXED MINDSET about our
intelligence, skills and learning
ability
• FEAR OR FAILURE and rejection
You Can Help Yourself By
Mentally Preparing
Anxiety:
FOCUS on the MESSAGE itself and
BE REALISTIC about your experience
MORE
and what's at stake.
You Can Also Physically
GOOD Prepare Beforehand
• EAT PROTEIN rather than food
News! with high sugar content
• SLEEP WELL the night before
• WEAR COMFORTABLE (but
appropriate!) CLOTHING
• Utilize STRETCHING techniques
Understanding The Context
Anxiety: Will Help
EVEN Know the VENUE, CIRCUMSTANCE
and AUDIENCE. ARRIVE EARLY!
MORE Be Well Prepared
GOOD • Do NOT procrastinate.
• PRACTICE will help.
News! • Remember you NEVER LOOK AS
NERVOUS AS YOU FEEL!
• Your AUDIENCE is rooting for you
to DO WELL.
• Use POWERFUL MOVEMENTS to
help you GAIN CONFIDENCE.
COMMUNICATION is
PROCESS that includes the
following
Channel People
Noise Context
PUBLIC
SPEAKING
Feedback Message
Outcome
There Are SENDERS
These are the people who start communication.
And There Are RECEIVERS
1: People
Those are the people communication is directed to.
But Then, They EXCHANGE ROLES
So, the sender becomes the receiver!
We Must Look At HISTORY
What happened between the sender and receivers
before the speech?
And Consider CULTURAL
2: Context
INFLUENCES
What is the racial, ethnic, religious and/or regional
influences on the speaking situation? Is the speech
taking place at a shrine or monument?
As Well as RELATIONSHIPS and PHYSICAL
ENVIRONMENT
How do the sender and receiver know each other and in what
kind of hierarchy? Where is the speech taking place?
Messages Can Be Informal And
Spontaneous
That's what happens in a conversation.
Or They Can Be Formal, Intentional And
3: Message
Planned
That's a speech.
But The Message Is What Is Being
Conveyed
What is the content? What does the speaker want to
say and have the receiver remember?
A CHANNEL Is How a MESSAGE Gets
From The SENDER To The RECEIVER.
Just like a boat needs a channel to get through, so
does a sender to get their message across!
It Can Be FACE-TO-FACE And
IMMEDIATE As Opposed To
4: Channel
MEDIATED (Through A Computer Or
Face-to-face
Phone) adds to urgency, immediacy and the
"linear" nature of the communication.
It Can Be VERBAL Or NONVERBAL
Both have an impact on communication.
Feedback Is How A RECEIVER
RESPONDS To The Sender
It is used to evaluate the effectiveness and decide next steps
in the interaction.
5: Feedback
It Can Be VERBAL
So, the receiver can actually say something. In this
case, that means it's also intentional.
Or It Can Be NONVERBAL
The receiver can provide intentional OR unintentional
nonverbal feedback.
NOISE Is Anything That INTERFERES
With THE MESSAGE. It Can Be
Contextual.
Something in the room or environment can interrupt the
message.
It Can Be PHYSICAL
There could be real noise like fire alarms or phones
beeping or even talking.
6: Noise
Or It Can Be PSYCHOLOGICAL
This includes stressors, anxieties, past experiences,
etc.
OUTCOMES Are The RESULTS
Did your audience learn something or find your argument of
interest?
7: Outcomes
OUTCOMES Could Be INTERNAL Or
EXTERNAL
Will your audience think about what you said or might
they actually go and DO something?
They Can Also Be LONG- OR SHORT-
TERM
Will your audience remember this long after your
speech has ended?
Putting it All Together, It Looks Like This:
Terms
• ENCODE: the process of the sender putting his/her
thoughts and feelings into words or other symbols
• DECODE: the process of the listener or receiver
understanding the words and symbols of a
message and making meaning of them
Think About It! • SYMBOL: a word, icon, picture, object, or number
that is used to stand for or represent a concept,
thing, or experience
• DENOTATIVE: the objective or literal meaning
shared by most people using the word
• CONNOTATIVE: the subjective or personal
meaning the word evokes in people together or
individually
Three Models Of Communication
LINEAR/ INTERACTIVE TRANSACTIONAL
LikeTRANSMISSIONAL
BOWLING where the speaker Like PING PONG where Like CHARADES where there is
does not expect interaction or communication goes back and back and forth, give and take.
immediate feedback. forth.
Helps Build DESIRED COMMUNICATION SKILLS
For The Workplace
What is the
VALUE of Will Give A SOLID FOUNDATION For Other Classes
Where Presentations Are Expected
Studying
Public A Background In Public Speaking Will Also Help
With The Following PERSONAL SKILLS:
Speaking? • Honing CRITICAL THINKING AND LISTENING skills
• Gaining CONFIDENCE AND OVERCOMING FEARS
• Finding your VOICE
• INFLUENCING your world
• Making NEW FRIENDS
TIMING Is Everything
Comply with ALL TIME LIMITS.
Public Speaking Requires
MUSCLE MEMORY
Just like perfecting a free throw or a kick, public
SPEAKING REQUIRES PRACTICE.
To Get Started:
It Involves a CONTENT and
RELATIONSHIP dimension
Remember These
Remember to build TRUST, RESPECT, and
CREDIBILITY.
Principles
EMULATE Don’t IMITATE
LEARN from those who do well, but don’t try to BE
them.
BUILD on STRENGTHS
Address any weaknesses.
Remember THE POWER of a
Remember These
STORY
Stories help CREATE EMOTIONS and that will Additional Starting
help your audience remember.
Principles
More To Consider
• Investigate some OTHER COMMUNICATION
MODELS on the Internet. What do they have in
common? How are they different? Which ones
seem to explain communication best to you?
• Who are some PUBLIC SPEAKERS YOU ADMIRE?
Think About It! Why?
• When this class is over, WHAT SPECIFIC SKILLS DO
YOU WANT TO DEVELOP as a communicator?
• What behavior done by public speakers “drives
you nuts,” that is, CREATES “NOISE” for you in
listening to them?
• When you experience communication anxiety,
WHAT HAPPENS IN YOUR BODY AND MIND?
Please message your
instructor with any
questions!
THAT CONCLUDES CHAPTER 1!