
It’s About Them: Public Speaking in the 21st Century
Sara Kim, Ouachita Parish, Louisiana
Douglas Marshall, New Orleans, LS
June Pulliam, Baton Rouge, LS
Publisher: LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network
Language: English
Formats Available
Conditions of Use
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
CC BY-NC-SA
Reviews





The chapters cover appropriate subjects for this very complex skill. It is very clever organization; first and foremost identifying your audience and the importance of listening are addressed. Each chapter includes a list of key terms and there is... read more
The chapters cover appropriate subjects for this very complex skill. It is very clever organization; first and foremost identifying your audience and the importance of listening are addressed. Each chapter includes a list of key terms and there is a glossary at the end of the book.
The content is very-organized, logical, well-written, and unbiased. Several different references are utilized and in APA format.
The contributors of this text are in-touch with the process of making content current. Here is a list of changes that were stated in the 'Adaptations' section (including 'Old References were updated with current ones');
• Images were added and replaced to reflect a diverse and inclusive audience.
• Supplementary videos were added to some sections.
• H5P activities/multimedia were inserted into sections to reinforce concepts.
• The glossary section was expanded to include more vocabulary.
• Chapters were reordered
The content is very impressive, there are diagrams, images, and thought-provoking questions to facilitate understanding and engage the readers.
The format is consistent throughout the book. Each chapter shares a list of Learning Objectives and Key Terms. In addition, there are key points repeated from the content inserted into individual text boxes. It is a very clever approach to help the reader recall and focus on the main concepts.
The chapters are divided into subsections and labeled in the Table of Contents (at the beginning of the book). It is feasible to assign subsections as opposed to entire chapters to students.
The logical presentation of these topics is excellent. As shared previously, you begin by identifying your audience and learn listening skills, and then progress into researching your speech topic, building arguments, and organizing and outlining before studying the delivery of the speech.
The textbook links the Table of Contents to each chapter and subsection. The only recommendation would be linking the bold key terms in the context to the glossary (I realize this takes quite a bit of time to link each individual word).
There no overtly apparent grammatical errors. In addition, the textbook is written in understandable language, facilitating interpretation of the meaning of the content.
The contributors have made an intentional effort in this textbook to recognize and value diversity (in all aspects).
I think this book is more than a must-read for the dual-enrollment student (as intended); it is a powerful tool for the educator to improve their pedagogy. I can't speak for my peers, but I know for myself every class is a new adventure that requires innovative and effective communication to succeed in our role. Thank you for publishing this excellent resource.
Table of Contents
- Preface
- What is an Open Textbook?
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Chapter 1: Why Public Speaking Matters Today
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Chapter 2: Building Confidence
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Chapter 3: Audience Analysis
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Chapter 4: The Importance of Listening
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Chapter 5: Ethics
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Chapter 6: Researching Your Speech
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Chapter 7: Supporting Ideas and Building Arguments
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Chapter 8: Organizing and Outlining
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Chapter 9: Delivery
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Chapter 10: Introductions and Conclusions
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Chapter 11: Language
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Chapter 12: Presentation Aids
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Chapter 13 Informative Speaking
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Chapter 14: Persuasive Speaking
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Chapter 15: Special Occasion Speaking
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Chapter 16: Online Public Speaking
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About the Contributors
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Adaptations
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Glossary
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Appendix A: Checklist for Accessibility
Ancillary Material
About the Book
In addition to original material this book is an adaptation of Introduction to Speech Communication authored by Sarah E. Hollingsworth, Kathryn Weinland, Sasha Hanrahan, and Mary Walker with a CC BY-NC-SA license. Introduction to Speech Communication includes original work as well as adapted and remixed material from Exploring Public Speaking: 4th Edition licensed CC BY-NC-SA, Stand Up, Speak Out licensed CC BY-NC-SA, and Fundamentals of Public Speaking licensed CC BY.
It’s About Them: Public Speaking in the 21st Century also adapted a chapter from Speak Out, Call In: Public Speaking as Advocacy authored by Meggie Mapes that is licensed CC BY-NC-SA.
The information on “What is an Open Textbook?” is adapted from Introduction to Philosophy: Epistemology by Christina Hendricks with a CC-BY license. See the Adaptations section for specific changes.
This textbook was created as part of the Interactive OER for Dual Enrollment project, facilitated by LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network and funded by a $2 million Open Textbooks Pilot Program grant from the Department of Education. This project supports the extension of access to high-quality post-secondary opportunities to high school students across Louisiana and beyond. This project features a collaboration between educational systems in Louisiana, the library community, Pressbooks technology partner, and workforce representatives. It will enable and enhance the delivery of open educational resources (OER) and interactive quiz and assessment elements for priority dual enrollment courses in Louisiana and nationally. Developed OER course materials will be released under a license that permits their free use, reuse, modification and sharing with others.
The target audience for this project and this textbook are dual enrollment students. Dual enrollment is the opportunity for a student to be enrolled in high school and college at the same time. A dual enrollment student receives credit on both their high school and college transcripts for the same course
About the Contributors
Authors
Sara Kim (PhD) is an Assistant Professor of Communication at the University of Louisiana Monroe. Her research is in intercultural communication and online intergroup contact, and she is interested in examining communication strategies that can improve intergroup relationships, facilitate intercultural adjustment, and help individuals cope with life transitions. She teaches diverse communication classes such as intercultural communication, interpersonal communication, research methods, communication theory, and public speaking.
Douglas Marshall (PhD) is an Associate Professor of Communication Studies and Chair of the Department of Arts & Humanities at Southern University at New Orleans. After completing his Ph.D. in Rhetoric at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Douglas and his wife Kiley moved to New Orleans in the summer of 2013. Since that time he has volunteered for WWOZ, The Bywater Neighborhood Association, and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation. Doug has been granted two separate fellowships that support his research of New Orleans death rituals through the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Archive. He is also a member of the Krewe of the Rolling Elvi and sits on the organization’s board of directors. Douglas has research interests rooted in how we communicate about death and how music and performance plays a part in death ritual.
June Pulliam (PhD) is a Distinguished Instructor of English, Screen Arts, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, where she teaches technical and legal writing, as well as courses about horror film and fiction and Young Adult fiction. She is the author of several books on the horror genre and punk rock and is an expert in the field of zombie studies.