CMST 3060 Public Speaking Review

CMST 3060
Public Speaking Review

Perhaps James Burgh said it best, “...it is still of important advantage for all that part of youth, whose station places them within the reach a polite education, to be qualified to acquitting themselves with reputation, when called to speak in public. In parliament, at the bar, in the pulpit, at meetings of merchants, in committee.” (Gray) and, “...a competent address and readiness, not only in finding matter but in expressing and urging it effectively is what, I doubt not, many gentleman would willingly acquire at the expense of half his other improvements.”(Gray) Public speaking is an essential tool that all students, more specifically communication studies majors, must learn and become familiar with. Learning how to be an influential public speaker
can be the key difference to either succeeding or failing, in school, work, at home, and/or in your community. It is no surprise that public speaking would be a requirement for a communication studies major at LSU. There are a multitude of careers that a student pursuing a major in communication studies could aim for, it all depends on the person; however they are going to need public speaking in whichever career path they are aiming for. This course is designed to help build individuals’ personal and professional confidence, success, and understanding of public speaking. Through the development of confidence, success, and understanding, the student develops the ability to present information logically, advocate ideas in an open mindset of civic discourse, and critically distinguish among different opinions, all which represent necessary skills for personal and professional enrichment in the area of public communication. Through experiences within public speaking you develop a sense of self-worth and self-confidence that one might have not known they had to begin with. Developing an understanding of how crucial public speaking is vital to one who is studying communication studies. Understanding the art of persuasion and its connection with public speaking is of utmost importance when interpreting the public speaking course. Aristotle once said, “speech which fails to convey a plain meaning will fail to do just what speech has to do.”(Hostetler & Kahl) The concept of clarity is important in a persuasive speech because it is the orator’s responsibility to clarify for the audience the topic being advocated and what they need to do to take action. A persuasive speech should cover a controversial topic that a portion of the audience has a view different than the orator.
The goal of a persuasive speech is to modify the audiences’ beliefs, attitudes, and/or behavior by the use of quality evidence, reasoning, and ethical emotional appeals. Persuading others is particularly important in our everyday lives, often one is called on to convince, motivate, or persuade others to change their beliefs, take an action, or reconsider a decision. Many people pursue careers that giving persuasive speech is a critical part of gaining and continuing career success. Some individuals make careers out of public speaking, to various groups who pay to listen to them, such as, motivational speakers, authors or even pastors. Yearly, these speakers make millions of dollars from people who simply want to be motivated to do better in their every day lives. Nonetheless, persuading others is a challenging task in public speaking. By developing the skill to persuade effectively, he or she will see it as personally and professionally rewarding because it is not an easy thing that just anyone can
do. Informative speaking is one of the most common types of public speaking. Every day people give others information in an informal way, whether they realize it or not, for example showing a coworker how to count the money in the drawer. Information plays a vital role in our every day lives. The main goal of an informative speech is to share with the audience knowledge about a subject or teach them more about a subject they are already familiar with. There are a variety of different reasons to deliver an informative speech, such as sharing with classmates about expertise on traveling abroad, or a local community group might want to hear about a volunteer experience enjoyed over the summer. During the course of ones career and in their personal life, informative speaking will be used. Informative speeches provide people with knowledge, when other people share facts or circumstances associated with some sort of topic; our understanding or awareness is increased. Through an informative speech, our perceptions are shaped, by bringing how a person might see a certain subject and bringing it to light, or might influence what is seen as important by simply directing attention to the topic. Information helps us shape who we are, interpret experiences, and gives us meaning to situations. Informative speaking is used in a variety of occupations as well, doctors, teachers, or lawyers. Doctors often lecture about their certain areas of expertise to their medical students, other doctors, and patients; teachers address their students during lectures; lawyers give legal advice and inform people about the law. Informative speeches are a necessity to learn because they are a common part of multiple jobs and other every day activities. Learning how to speak effectively has become a key essential in today’s world.