"Know What I'm Saying...?!?" Basics of Speech Communication

The eighth edition of Know What I’m Saying: Basics of Speech Communication was revised to adapt to shifts in the classroom and online education in this post-Covid era. This textbook/workbook offers learners of all generations, styles, and preferences a higher-education learning tool that guides students through basic communication theory and public speaking development.

Know What I’m Saying: Basics of Speech Communication:

• Includes examples of informative, tribute, and persuasive speeches. Also, the APA annotated bibliography, and the Keyword delivery outline. 
• Vital speechwriting skills are presented in theory and supported by practice assignments designed to assess learning prior to writing speeches. 
• Discussion Prompts called Show Your Understanding focuses on key skills and challenges students to show comprehension via application. Answers can be shared in small groups or classroom discussion to help lock in deeper learning through critical and reflective thought. 
• Each practice assignment, discussion prompt, and self-assessment questionnaire align with Bloom’s Taxonomy. 
• Appendix A offers six speech assignment packets that includes, instructions, a grading rubric, two peer critique forms, and a self-performance assessment questionnaire—every tool required for instructors and students to journey through an introductory speech course.

Feedback from instructors that currently use the text have commented on how user friendly it is, especially for new speech teachers or adjunct faculty. At the end of each semester, students are asked for feedback on the textbook/workbook's ease of use. The over-whelming consensus is a thumbs up. Example student feedback, "I love the book, it is easy to understand. The guidelines help me understand how to format new skills and the example speeches are really helpful." 

Know What I’m Saying: Basics of Speech Communication is an interactive textbook/workbook with perforated pages for easy removal. Appendix-A consists of six of the most commonly assigned speech assignments; informative, tribute, demonstration, and persuasion. Each speech type includes instructions, a grading rubric, two peer critique forms, and a self-performance reflection questionnaire all designed to assess student growth.  

How do we know whether students are learning? The answer is to isolate and practice each speechwriting skills well before presentations begin. Thus, practice assignments are included in most chapters; such assignments include structuring “oral source citations” and formatting an “APA bibliography.” Students who enroll in speech classes are accustomed to using intext citations and MLA format as learned in previous writing courses. Historically, communication courses have used the APA format. 

Lastly, Chapter Seven guides learners through four steps to speechwriting, a process that begins by building a frame using the standard preparation outline template (included). The frame includes four sections; a brainstorming section that leads to the development of a declarative central idea statement, followed by the introduction, body, and conclusion. Completing the brainstorming sections helps students avoid writer's block. Next, students are guided through the development of each of the last three sections of the frame by following guidelines using critical and creative thinking. When the guidelines are followed as suggested, each section flows smoothly from thought to thought and is audience centered.