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Of course, you’ll need to start practicing your public speaking skills to get through this class. But the skills you acquire by working your way through this book will also help you as you complete your degree and participate in additional educational opportunities throughout your life. Those later opportunities may include adult-
Many instructors also require students to deliver oral presentations on research projects and other coursework. Students with strong public speaking skills can share their findings more effectively than those with a limited background in presenting speeches. Think about students who have given oral presentations in your classes. Most likely you’ve noticed that those who give thoughtfully crafted and skillfully delivered presentations make a better impression on the instructor and the rest of the class. Equally important, the information they offer is probably more useful to listeners than information delivered by less skilled speakers.
To see an example of a speech in a course on Communication and Technology, try Video Activity 1.1, “Gender-Based Responses in Sports Chatrooms.”
As you approach graduation, your college may require you to deliver an oral presentation to show what you have learned. For example, engineering majors may need to explain their senior project to a panel of local construction managers, or business majors might have to pitch an idea for a product to a faculty committee. Colleges are increasingly requiring seniors to submit a portfolio of their work in order to assess student learning,8 often requiring a videotape of an oral presentation among other assignments.
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Public speaking skills also enhance your ability to participate in campus activities. If you belong to an organization or a club, team, sorority, or fraternity, you may want to speak out at a group meeting or represent your group before the student senate or other campus organizations. When you present an effective speech to these audiences, you boost your chances of achieving your goal—