Any discussion of the dimensions of contemporary political campaigning would not be complete without some consideration of heckling; for heckling, or the questioning of a speaker while he is in the act of speaking, has become a salient element on the political scene. In attempting to diminish the heckler's impact, the speaker usually appeals to…

The public address of Afro-Americans currently relates mostly to their basic human rights as American citizens. Racism, either on an institutional or individual basis, permeates every facet of black life, and the public address and private communication of blacks focus largely on the experience of racism. Studies of public speaking by black…

Criticism and evaluation of classroom speeches in communication courses should be centered more on student oriented methods rather than on instructor evaluation alone. One approach is based on the use of seven-point differential scales, whereby students can provide immediate reactions to performances by their classmates. This method is of value to…

Developed as a quinmester unit for high schools on performance in argumentation and debate, this guide provides the teacher with teaching strategies for a study in which students refine their understanding of the principles of argumentation and debate through participation in classroom debate. The course includes the structuring of a variety of…

Personal satisfaction or enjoyment can be obtained from participation in the persuasive or informative processes of public discourse, partially because both are serious methods of attaining socially useful goals. The public speaker is challenged by the opportunity to raise his audience's level of information about a subject and to influence their…

Crowding theoretically causes increased situational stress which in turn intensifies the pressure upon an individual to conform to the leading stimulus. The specific question of whether listeners in a densely packed audience respond more favorably to a persuasive speech than listeners in a less crowded environment was investigated. One hundred and…

The contributions of Cicero and Quintilian, the two leading Roman rhetoricians, were based on their acceptance of the prior philosophical theories of Isocrates, which emphasized a cultural approach to rhetoric. Cicero and Quintilian, drawing from Isocrates, sought prospective orators who had a natural talent for eloquence and who could adopt a…

The essays collected here fall into five categories: responsibilities and ethics in speech communication, communication foundations and practice, creativity in speech communication, informative and persuasive speaking, and communication settings. These essays do not explain how to speak in public but rather deal with the purposes of speech, as…

THE RELATIONSHIPS OPERATING AMONG COMMUNICATOR CREDIBILITY, PERSUASIVELY INDUCED ATTITUDE CHANGE, AND SUBSEQUENT OVERT BEHAVIOR WERE IDENTIFIED AND ANALYZED. COMMUNICATOR CREDIBILITY WAS DEFINED AS THE EFFECT OF THE IMAGE OF A SPEAKER IN THE MINDS OF A LISTENING AUDIENCE PRIOR TO THE TIME OF UTTERANCE (ARNOLD, 1965). A TOTAL OF 734 COLLEGE…

Discusses the advantages of teaching students the language of public performance, focusing on drama but providing implications for the reading of poetry as well as for public speaking. (RL)

Focuses on the sources and character of West Indian public oratory, its style and efflorescence, giving special attention to the leading positions of Barbados and Jamaica. Despite the primary concern for public performance, much examination of more private traditions of discourse and the social realities that were their foundation, became the…

Examines the "Evagoras" from the perspective of contemporary narrative theory, inquiring into internal adjustments that the encomium underwent as epideitic rhetoric sought to play a role in state affairs. Claims uniqueness for the narrative structure of Isocrates's encomium: a combination of fictional narrative (quest for virtue) with…

Traces the errant root metaphors that nourish the "privatization" of morality. Defends a theory of public morality and examines an empirical study of race relations in America to illustrate and support this theory. Claims it is preferable to maintain a theory of public rhetoric that recognizes collective discourse as the source of an active public…

Male and female students prepared a short speech on a controversial topic and were told that the audience was either in favor or opposed to the speaker's message position. As hypothesized, females in the opposed audience condition were least inclined to deliver the speech. Implications for communication education are discussed. (PD)

This report contends that public events are effective ways for community colleges to provide a venue in which the burgeoning population of immigrant Americans may have a voice. The ten successful goals to successful public-event planning are: (1) determining goals; (2) selecting a date; (3) reserving facilities; (4) creating a student planning…