Author Description

From the Back Cover For today's busy student, we've created a new line of highly portable books at affordable prices. Each title in the Books à la Carte Plus program features the exact same content from our traditional textbook in a convenient notebook-ready, loose-leaf version — allowing students to take only what they need to class. As an added bonus, each Books à la Carte Plus edition is accompanied by an access code to all of the resources found in one of our best-selling multimedia products. Best of all? Our Books à la Carte Plus titles cost less than a used textbook! With a popular and distinctive emphasis on the ethical contract between speaker and listener and on the value of critiquing speeches to improve one's own skills, readers learn how to think critically as they choose speech topics, conduct research, organize content, select language, manage nervousness, and deliver speeches. “Theory into Practice” and “Try This,” features help readers understand and apply concepts and strategies of public communication to enhance their speaking competence. Speech writing and preparation, speech delivery, Internet research, ethics, critical thinking, speech criticism, listening, using presentation aids, speaking with confidence, analyzing your audience, and speaking in a group. Anyone interested in public speaking or who is required to speak in public for his/her job.