Art of Public Speaking

Lucas: The Art of Public Speaking, 8/e PREFACE If it is true, as Walter Pater said, that “a book, like a person, has its fortunes,” then fortune has indeed smiled upon The Art of Public Speaking. As the book enters its eighth edition, I am deeply appreciative of the students and teachers who have made it the leading work on its subject at colleges and universities across the United States. In preparing this edition, I have retained what readers have identified as the main strengths of previous editions. The book continues to be informed by classical and contemporary theories of rhetoric but does not present theory for its own sake. Keeping a steady eye on the practical skills of public speaking, it offers full coverage of all major aspects of speech preparation and presentation. Throughout The Art of Public Speaking I have followed David Hume’s advice that one “who would teach eloquence must do it chiefly by examples.” Whenever possible, I have tried to show the principles of public speaking in action in addition to describing them. Thus you will find in the book a large number of narratives and extracts from speeches--set off from the text in a contrasting typeface. There are also many speech outlines and sample speeches. All these are provided so students can see how to formulate specific purpose statements, how to analyze and adapt to audiences, how to organize ideas and construct outlines, how to assess evidence and reasoning, how to use language effectively, and so forth. Because the immediate task facing students is to present speeches in the classroom, I have relied heavily on examples that relate directly to students’ classroom needs and experiences. The speech classroom, however, is a training ground where students develop skills that will serve them throughout life. Therefore, I have also included a large number of illustrations drawn from the kinds of speaking experiences students will face after they graduate--in their careers and