33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Say what?, April 20, 2004
This review is from: The Art of Public Speaking with Free Student APS CDs 3.0, PowerWeb, and Topic Finder (Paperback)
Students who use Lucas' book are presented not simply with an excellent text for preparation and delivery of speeches, but also with a website full of information, examples and tips. While this is intended for a classroom setting (the teacher's edition comes with a lot of supplements to help enhance the learning experience for the students), those who want to learn about the mechanics and processes of public speaking on their own would not be ill served by using this text.
There are some signature features that make this a very good text for students, both independent and classroom based. The internet connection is but one, not only the website associated with the book, but also tips on using the vast resources of the internet wisely and efficiently. There is a strong coverage of ethics, to help students avoid the problems of plagiarism (intentional and inadvertent), as well as how to listen properly (without attaching personal agenda or false meaning to interpretation). The book is very visually interesting, with colourful pages, pictures, charts, and examples of things that might be used to make speeches more interesting. The text is written with the student in mind - it is not a book by experts for experts, and thus keeps the language at a basic level without sacrificing clarity.
The book itself is organised into broad sections: Speaking and Listening; Getting Started; Organising and Outlining; Speech Presentation; and finally Varieties of Public Speaking. There are few things that inspire more fear in many people than the prospect of having to deliver a public speech - the first chapter deals with some of this anxiety issue, as well as helping the students to understand the role of the listener (a role that most of us assume far more often than we realise). The sections on Speech Preparation cover the range from selecting the idea, understanding the audience and doing research to organising the speech from beginning to end in a logical, meaningful, and interesting manner.
While the section on preparation might be consider by many to be the most important, the section on speech delivery is perhaps the most vital, for a good speech poorly delivered will likely not have much impact, whereas a poor speech delivered with great power can often have great influence. This section deals with issues of language, delivery, body language, personal presentation, as well as the use of visual aids (when they are and are not appropriate).
There are different types of speeches, and these are covered in the final section. Speeches can be used to inform (like lectures), to persuade (much of political speech is like this, as are sermons), or in special occasions such as introducing people, presenting awards, accepting honours, or speeches of commemoration and memorial. There is also a section on small-group speaking - most people don't attribute the idea of `giving a speech' to speaking in board rooms, committees, etc., but this requires a special kind of rhetorical skill.
Overall, this is an excellent text for coming to understand the art of public speaking from beginning to end.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Awesome Tool for Students in Public Speaking!, July 29, 2005
This review is from: The Art of Public Speaking with Free Student APS CDs 3.0, PowerWeb, and Topic Finder (Paperback)
Stephen E. Lucas' book was not only helpful in preparing me to deliver speeches of the utmost college level of thinking, but it also had great tools with the interactive cd's with videos of sample speeches and tips on how to make public speaking work for you.
I admit: I was terrified of public speaking, but after taking the class and using Lucas' book, it has helped prepare me for a world full of public speaking and new found confidence in doing it!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Art of Public Speaking, May 25, 2007
This review is from: The Art of Public Speaking with Free Student APS CDs 3.0, PowerWeb, and Topic Finder (Paperback)
The book I received was an older edition(7th instead of 9th) and did not have all the CD's with it. I returned it in disgust and found the 2007 edition with all materials intact for a LOWER price at my college bookstore. To top it all off, Amazon tried to charge me for shipping the book BOTH ways. They featured the wrong book on their site. My advice: if you want the right book, don't trust Amazon's description. Search by the ISBN
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