Unit 9: Public Speaking

^{This overview is adapted from Chapter 12: Public Speaking by Terri Johnson (2024) which is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license. In this revised version, we have added and removed content, inserted images, and reworded information to suit this course}.

Overview

In this unit, we focus on key strategies for effective public speaking so you can succeed in future presentations and in your professional career.

When choosing a topic, it is important to be honest about your intentions. It’s not always easy to draw a clear line between informative and persuasive speeches. Good information often has a persuasive effect, and effective persuasion depends on solid information. All communication involves some level of persuasion—you’re always trying to get people to listen to and believe you. Because informative and persuasive speeches overlap, it’s important to think carefully about your goals when selecting a topic. Speaking ethically means respecting your audience’s intelligence. If you use an informative speech to secretly push a persuasive agenda, your audience will likely pick up on it—and it may come across as dishonest.

A good speech gives accurate information, communicates it clearly, and keeps the audience interested. These three goals—accuracy, clarity, and interest—are key to being an effective speaker. If your information is inaccurate, incomplete, or unclear, your audience won’t benefit much from it. Given that no topic can be covered completely, it is very important to narrow your focus. With a well-defined topic and purpose, you can provide a complete and accurate picture without being misleading.

Accuracy also means making sure your information is up-to-date. Even if you know a lot about your topic or wrote a paper on it in high school, you need to verify the information before presenting it. For instance, technology changes quickly, so facts that were true a year ago may already be outdated. Even historical topics, like the causes of climate change, require updated research because new discoveries and interpretations are always emerging. No matter the topic, double-check your sources to ensure your information is reliable and current.

Clarity is also essential for effective public speaking. Your audience needs to easily understand your ideas. This requires logical organization and clear word choices. Don’t assume that what makes sense to you will automatically make sense to your audience. Take the time to explain your ideas in detail, and practice your speech in front of friends or classmates who can tell you if something is unclear.

Finally, your speech should be interesting. Your audience will benefit most if they stay engaged, and that’s unlikely to happen if they’re bored. To capture their interest, consider what will resonate with them. For example, if you worked as a veterinary assistant and learned about canine parasites, you might find that topic fascinating. But will your audience? To make it interesting, you could highlight how some parasites affect humans, showing a connection that grabs their attention. Finding ways to relate your topic to your audience’s interests is key to keeping them engaged.

Topics

Unit 9 contains the following topics:

• Topic 1: Audience Analysis
• Topic 2: Topic Selection, Purpose, and Thesis
• Topic 3: Research
• Topic 4: Speech Organization
• Topic 5: Presenting

There are 5 topics in Unit 9. Together, these sections will help you to complete the quiz and assignment for this unit.

Learning Outcomes

When you have completed this unit, you should be able to do the following:

1. Explain the importance of accuracy, clarity, and listener interest in public speaking.
2. Define four delivery styles.
3. Discuss why public speaking is important.
4. Identify strategies for audience analysis.
5. Identify types of research and evidence.
6. Apply ethical use of information.
7. Identify a variety of speech patterns to organizing a speech.
8. Understand how to include presentational aids in your speech.
9. Identify strategies for delivery.
10. Understand how to outline a speech.

Activities and Graded Assessments

Activities

Graded Quizzes and Assignments

At the end of the unit, please open your Moodle course and complete the following assessment(s):

• Quiz 9 (3%)

Media Attributions

Stem List (2019, May 16). Audience in a conference [Photograph]. Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/audience-in-a-conference-EVgsAbL51Rk