Presents evidence of a correspondence between the political perspective a speaker advocates and the types of rhetorical strategies the speaker employs. The rhetoric of radicals, liberals, and conservatives indicates that the political ideas these three groups of speakers share are reflected in consistent stylistic and argumentative strategies.…

Assessed the effects of two types of communicative cues on perceptions of dominance. Subjects viewed stimulus tapes of controlled conversations and rated each speaker. Results indicated that vocal participation contributed to perceptions of dominance more than open-ended or closed-ended questions. (Author/RC)

Analyzes Jimmy Carter's success in the 1976 presidential primaries in terms of his rhetorical style based on Max Weber's concept of charisma and Ernest Bormann's theory of fantasy and rhetorical vision. The combination of Carter's charismatic message and the country's social fantasies produced his election. (JMF)

Describes a successful program that used a step-by-step approach for teaching research and presentation skills to gifted sixth-grade students. Steps included developing a preliminary outline, exploring various sources, organizing information, using higher-level thinking skills, creating a rubric for evaluating presentations, providing handouts,…

Discusses the development of rhetorical analyses of political addresses from antiquity to modern times. Focuses on "epideictic address," i.e., addresses by representative persons. Rhetorical and discourse analytical approaches are used to analyze parts of Dutch Queen Beatrix' speech to the Israeli Parliament. Discusses the hybrid…

Tested public speaking anxiety of university students at the beginning and end of the semester. Treated one group with skills training, visualization, and Communication-Orientation therapy; another received skills training and visualization; another received only skills training; fourth group served as control. Found that the 2 groups receiving…

Uses critical pedagogy to provide theoretical inspiration for generating ideas about teaching communication courses. Presents a framework for a public speaking course premised on a recognition of teachers and students as holistically situated, multidimensional subjects who bring different experiences to the classroom. Discusses social hierarchies…

Describes arousal styles during speaking on the basis of mean heart rates among a group of university students. Examines individual differences in heart rate responses during public speaking and accounts for these differences in terms of particular explanatory variables. Distinguishes four styles of speaking: the confrontation style; inflexible…

The ability to persuade others is an essential skill for board members and other public education advocates. To get the message across, board members should choose exciting material; use a key-word outline; use movement, posture, and space appropriately; make eye contact with members of the audience; and show urgency of tone and speaking manner.…

Performs a Burkean analysis of Russell H. Conwell's once famous speech, "Acres of Diamonds." Reveals that Conwell's success relied upon a masterful transformation of pentadic ratios, in the medium of the "true-life" success story. Illustrates this narrative's power in altering an audience's perception of its role in a greater…

Examines cultural and personal values constraints on apologia through a case study of Governor Ray Blanton's apologia. Applies Bitzer's concept of functional communication and extends Jamieson's concept of the constraint of antecedent genre upon the rhetorical situation, examining of the impact of a speaker's antecedent rhetorical style upon later…

Examines Ronald Reagan's 1987 State of the Union Address as a quest story that reaffirms his vision of America's endless search for freedom in a persuasive, archetypal pattern that produces a common vision of the future through the mythic appeals of the past. (RAE)

Offers a plan for teaching the strategies and procedures of preparing oral presentations over two class sessions, using a combination of lectures, videos, discussions, self-assessments, simulations, and peer evaluations. (SR)

Finds that quality of public speaking students' speech performance correlated positively with cumulative grade point average, total preparation time, time spent preparing a visual aid, number of rehearsals for an audience, time rehearsing silently, time rehearsing out loud, number of rehearsals out loud, research outside the library, and…