Introduction

Principles of Public Speaking is a textbook focused on audience-centered communication, aiming to provide you with the concepts and skills necessary to effectively communicate in public. This is an Open Access, Creative Commons licensed textbook.  This book functions differently than a traditional print text, so we encourage you to take a moment to familiarize yourself with how it works.

The way to navigate through this book is by using the “Contents” drop-down menu on the left side of the textbook screen.  The text is divided into three sections – Speech Preparation, Speech Delivery, and Examples of Student Work.

Acknowledgements

This book was made possible by the Embracing Equity Through OER grant from the Tennessee Board of Regents and a collaborative effort of all team members at Middle Tennessee State University – Katie Gruber, Natalie Hoskins, Natonya Listach, and L’Oreal Stephens. 

Textbook Information

In addition to inclusion of original work by the author, the content of this book is adapted and remixed from four openly licensed materials, including Principles of Public Speaking by Lumen Learning, Stand up, Speak out – University of Minnesota Libraries, Speak Out, Call In: Public Speaking as Advocacy – University of Kansas Libraries, and Small Group Communication. We combined texts, however no significant alterations from the attributed sources have been made. We have also incorporated helpful sites such as the National Communication Association and our experience as instructors of Public Speaking for over 15 years.

This textbook as a whole is made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license, unless otherwise specifically noted. For questions or revisions related to this book, please contact Katie.Gruber@mtsu.edu.

Textbook Format & Adoption

In addition to the open web version, this textbook is available in alternative formats, including a downloadable PDF for electronic use or printing.

If you are an instructor planning on adopting or adapting this book for a course, please let us know so that we can provide you with supplemental instructor resources such as quizzes. Please contact Katie.Gruber@mtsu.edu for inquiries.

Recommended Reference

The following is a recommended reference in APA style for this book:

Gruber, K. G. (2022). Principles of public speaking. Pressbooks. https://mtsu.pressbooks.pub/principlesofpublicspeaking/