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Step 6: Organize Your Speech Materials 233

And here is the most important thing; all this contrib- Here the speaker brings credibility into serious question.
utes to making China’s economy grow. China has China has more than 1 billion people and is almost the size
almost 1 billion people and they live in an area smaller of the entire United States—only about 20,000 square
than the state of Texas. miles smaller. A simple glance at an Almanac or a 3- min-
ute Internet search would have provided accurate infor-
mation and would not have detracted from the speaker’s
credibility as these incorrect statements do. Further, the
speaker needs to explain the path or logic going from the
weak dollar to China’s economy. Where is the connection?
And what does this mean to the audience’s concerns?
cOnclusiOn
In summary, as I demonstrated, when the dollar goes Using the word summary is not a bad idea; it’s a clear signal
down, lots of other things happen—like the price of oil that the speaker is going to recap what was just said. How-
and China’s economy. ever, this summary is far too brief. This speech needed a
more detailed summary, perhaps itemizing the three or four
things that happen when the value of the dollar goes down.
I got most of my information from my Economics 101 This type of source citation is certainly not enough. And of
course—it’s a good course; you should take it. Oh, and course, we wonder, where did the other information come
from a New York Times article—I don’t have the date. from? And, whether Economics 101 is or is not a good
course has nothing to do with the consequences of the
falling dollar. An effective informative speech must be
based on several varied and reliable sources with citations
to these sources interwoven throughout the speech.

Messages in the Media Wrap Up
Watching political talk shows in terms of the principles of public speaking can be quite instructive. Inevitably
you will see the use of effective and the use of ineffective techniques, arguments, and evidence. Use the
principles discussed in this chapter to evaluate the speeches you hear on such shows.

Summary of Concepts and Skills Study and Review materials for this chapter are
at MyCommunicationLab

Listen to the Audio Chapter Summary 2. Effective public speaking will yield a variety of personal,
at MyCommunicationLab social, academic, and professional benefits.
This chapter explained the nature of public speaking and de- 3. Apprehension can be managed by gaining experience, thinking
scribed the first six steps involved in preparing an effective positively, being realistic, seeing public speaking as conversa-
public speech. tion, focusing on your listeners, stressing similarity, projecting
confidence, preparing and practicing thoroughly, moving
The Nature of Public Speaking about and breathing deeply, and avoiding using chemicals as
tension relievers (unless prescribed by a physician).
1. In public speaking a speaker addresses a relatively large au- 4. Public speaking takes place within a cultural context, and
dience with a relatively continuous discourse, usually in a that context must be taken into consideration in preparing
face-to-face situation. and delivering speeches.