Author Description

Balancing theory and research with plentiful real-world examples, Confidence in Public Speaking, Eighth Edition, offers a clear, straightforward guide to preparing, organizing, and delivering effective public speeches and also shows students how to reduce anxiety and analyze an audience. The book accompanies GPN Media's Speaking With Confidence series, available on videocassettes or as a telecourse.Features:* Employs an incremental "building-blocks" approach to developing communication skills* Integrates new examples from recent student speeches* Covers the ethics of communication in nearly every chapter* Includes speeches by a wide diversity of speakers, including African Americans, Native Americans, old and young men and women, the visually challenged, and others* Each chapter offers brief, boxed "Reality Checks" that are designed to show public speaking's relevance outside the classroom* Stimulating graphics demonstrate concepts through drawings and models* End-of-chapter narratives summarize or illustrate the content of the chapter* Vocabulary, Application Exercises, and Application Assignments have been updated and offer practical applicationsNew to the Eighth Edition:* Two new themed boxes have been added to each chapter: "Celebrating Diversity" boxes feature examples from diverse cultural groups, while "On the Web" boxes provide lists of informative websites* Three chapters from the Sixth Edition, which were not included in the Seventh Edition, have been updated and restored in this new edition: "Speeches for Special Occasions," "Speech Criticism," and "Dynamics of Small Group Discussion"* Most chapters include one or more relevant principles from the NCA Credo on Ethics* The "Finding Information" chapter offers updated coverage on the use of Internet search engines* The "Presentational Aids" chapter features use of PowerPoint software* Additional questions have been added to the beginning of each chapter* A completely revamped and updated Student Study Guide and Instructor's Manual/Testing Program are also available