Speak for Yourself: A Guide to Oral Communications and Public Speaking

Speak for Yourself was created as a handbook for Oral Communications students at Community College of Rhode Island. The authors were particularly mindful of the diverse student body including English language learners, students who have returned to school after a long break, and students who are under-prepared for college. The book aims to give advice for both oral communications situations and public speaking. The book’s target audience often lacks voice in the world, and the text addresses typical situations including working in groups and meetings where people need to speak up and be empowered. Other goals were to keep the text affordable, user friendly and not intimidating.

Speak for Yourself also addresses traditional public speaking situations. The text provides strategies for reducing nervousness and delivering messages effectively by maintaining an audience-centered approach. Preparation and a focus on the message rather than the speaker are emphasized throughout. Several rhetorical styles are presented, including examples of successful speeches which include the speaker’s process, outlines, and notecards. Researching topics effectively and citing sources both verbally and in writing are included in the text.

This text is meant to serve as a helpful reference for Oral Communications students. It is not an exhaustive study of oration. The emphasis is on practicing public speaking by giving a number of speeches to the rest of class as well as other, less familiar audiences (debates with a varied audience are often held) rather than studying a text. Students hone the craft of speaking for themselves through practice in both public speaking and typical oral communications situations. By giving students the opportunity to practice oration and providing feedback from both professors and classmates/audience members, students should gain confidence while strengthening their ideas and their voices. Speak for Yourself aims to contribute to those goals.