1.4 The Gist: Chapter Summary
What Is Public Speaking?
Public speaking can be traced back to early civilizations. Ancient Greeks like Aristotle and Demosthenes were well known as orators, or highly skilled public speakers.
The contemporary tradition of public speaking is captured by such popular events as TED Talks.
Very skilled public speakers share certain characteristics, such as being able to tell compelling stories and being able to move listeners to action.
Public speaking is more planned and structured than conversation, but the two forms of communication share certain characteristics.
Good speeches employ critical thinking in both preparing and presenting the speech.
The Communication Process: How It Works
Communication is generally thought of as a process that involves at least two participants—the sender and the receiver.
Any form of communication involves seven elements: the speaker, message, channel, listener, feedback, interference, and context.
Why Public Speaking Is Relevant: Personal, College, and Career Success!
We spend much of our time trying to inform or persuade someone else of something in public settings. Learning to do it well now will increase your opportunities for success later.
Stanford researcher Carol Dweck has dedicated her career to understanding intelligence, and her studies show that how individuals perceive their intelligence affects their success. She has found that a growth mindset is one element of success in college.
Every day, no matter which career you choose, you’ll be making a case to someone about something, and the better your communication skills, the more successful you’ll be.
Key Terms
argument: The reasons you provide to persuade others that an idea is right or wrong or true or false.
conversation: The spoken exchange of thoughts, opinions, and feelings, typically with one other person or a few people.
critical thinking: The ability to analyze and evaluate an issue objectively.
Demosthenes: A Greek statesman and orator of ancient Athens widely known for his powers of persuasion as a public speaker.
orator: A skilled and eloquent public speaker.
public speaking: Involves communicating to a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner for a specific purpose.
Socratic method: A form of cooperative argumentative dialogue between individuals, based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and draw out ideas and underlying assumptions.
transcript: Word-for-word written record of spoken words.
Insight → Action
When you visualize yourself giving your first speech, what do you see in your mind’s eye? Actually draw a quick image of yourself and give the image a nickname. What does doing this tell you about the attitudes and values you’re bringing with you to this class?
Read “The Gist” summary of this chapter aloud. Of all the information contained in this chapter, which section will help you the most to give your first speech?
When it comes to public speaking, what is your mindset? Is it “fixed” or “growth”? What makes you think so?
Make a list of all the reasons why your first speech will be a success, and what you’re likely to learn from your instructor and classmates. Be honest—and optimistic!
What do you most look forward to in this public speaking course, and what do you see as your greatest challenge?