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Unit 12
Public Speaking
In-Class Reading
Why Study Public Speaking?
1 Today, beyond the relative security of the college or university classroom, nearly 7,000 speakers will <1> stand in front of American audiences and deliver speeches. And during those same twenty-four hours, people will make more than 30 million business presentations. These speakers will express and elaborate their ideas, champion their causes, and promote their products or services. Those who are successful will make sales, obtain support, and educate and entertain their listeners. Many will also enhance their reputations as effective speakers. To achieve these goals, each will be using the skills, principles, and arts of public speaking.
2 Consider, too, that somewhere on a college campus right now is the student who will one day deliver an inaugural address after being sworn in as President of the United States; the student who will appear on national television to accept the Tony Award <2> for Best Actress, or the Academy Award <3> for Best Director; and the student who will present breakthrough medical research findings to a national conference of doctors and medical technicians, or whose words will announce the passage of important legislation.
3 Studying and practicing public speaking benefits you personally, professionally and publicly.
Personal Benefits of Studying Public Speaking
4 First, mastering public speaking can help you acquire skills important to your success in college. According to a recent Carnegie <4> Foundation report,
"To succeed in college, undergraduates should be able to write and speak with clarity, and to read and listen with comprehension. Language and thought are inextricably connected, and as undergraduates develop their linguistic skills, they improve the quality of their thinking and become intellectually and socially empowered."
5 Second, public speaking can help you become more knowledgeable. There is a saying that we learn:
10 percent of what we read,
20 percent of what we hear,
30 percent of what we see, and
70 percent of what we speak.
6 Consider for a moment two different ways of studying lecture notes for an exam. One method is to read and reread your notes silently. An alternative is more active and makes you a sender of messages. You stand in your room, put your lecture notes on your dresser, and deliver the lecture out loud, pretending you are the instructor explaining the material to the class. Which method do you think promotes better understanding and retention of the course material? You will not be surprised to learn that it's the second method.
7 Speaking is an active process. You discover ideas, shape them into a message, and deliver that message using your voice and body. The act of speaking is a crucial test of your thinking skills. As the British author E. M. Forster <5> observed, "How do I know what I think until I've seen what I've said?" The process of developing and delivering an idea clarifies it and helps make it uniquely your own.
Professional Benefits of Studying Public Speaking
8 Studying communication, and specifically public speaking, is important to you not only personally but also professionally. In fact, numerous studies document <6> a strong relationship between communication competence and career success. Effective speaking skills enhance your chances of first securing employment and then advancing in your career. John Hafer and C.C. Hoth surveyed thirty-seven companies, asking them to rate the characteristics they considered most important when hiring an employee. Out of twenty-six total characteristics, oral communication skills ranked first.
9 More recently, three speech and business professors collected 428 responses from personnel managers in business organizations to determine the "factors most important in helping graduating college students obtain employment". Oral communication skills ranked first and listening second. The researchers concluded:
"From the results of this study, it appears that the skills most valued in the contemporary job market are communication skills. The skills of oral communication (both interpersonal and public), listening, written communication, and the trait of enthusiasm are seen as the most important. It would appear to follow that university officials wishing to be of the greatest help to their graduates in finding employment should make sure that basic competencies in oral and written communication are developed. Courses in listening, interpersonal, and public communication would form the basis of meeting the oral communication competencies."
10 Once you are hired, your speaking skills continue to work for you, becoming your ticket to career success and advancement. Researchers Roger Mosvick and Robert Nelson found that managers and technical professionals spend approximately twice as much time speaking and listening as they do reading and writing. A survey of 500 executives found that speaking skills " rated second only to job knowledge as important factors in a businessperson's success". That same study also showed that effective communication helped improve company productivity and understanding among employees. Oral communication and public speaking clearly play a critical role in your professional life.
Public Benefits of Studying Public Speaking
11 Finally, public speaking can help you play your role as a member of society. As the German writer Thomas Mann <7> noted, "Speech is civilization itself. The word, even the most contradictory word, preserves contact-it is silence which isolates." Public speaking is an important part of creating a society of informed and active citizens.
12 A democratic society is shaped, in part, by the eloquence of its leaders:
Franklin Roosevelt <8>, who rallied a nation during the Great Depression by declaring, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself";
John F. Kennedy <9>, who urged citizen involvement, exhorting us to "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country";
Martin Luther King, Jr. <10>, who challenged us to dream of a day when people will be judged not "by the color of their skin but by the content of their character".
13 But a democratic society is also shaped by the quiet eloquence of everyday citizens:
The police officer who informs residents of a crime-plagued area how to set up a neighborhood watch program <11>;
the social worker who addresses the city council and secures funding for a safe house for abused and runaway children <12>;
the elementary school teacher who speaks to civic clubs, generating support for a meals-on-wheels <13> program for elderly citizens confined to their homes.
14 In each of these instances, the speaker used the power of the spoken word to address a need and solicit an appropriate audience response.
(1038 words)
Time taken: _______ minutes
Proper Names
Carnegie
（男子名）卡内基
E. M. Forster
（男子名）E. M. 福斯特
Franklin Roosevelt
（男子名）富兰克林.罗斯福
C. C. Hoth
（男子名）C. C. 霍斯
John F. Kennedy
（男子名）约翰.F.肯尼迪
John Hafer
（男子名）约翰.哈弗尔
Roger Mosvick
（男子名）罗杰.莫斯维克
Robert Nelson
（男子名）罗伯特.纳尔逊
Thomas Mann
（男子名）托马斯.曼
New Words
competency
n. competence 能力
contradictory *
adj. opposing or conflicting 矛盾的，对立的
e.g. I ) The witnesses gave two completely contradictory accounts.
II) Customs officials have made a series of contradictory statements about the equipment.
democratic
adj. based on the idea that everyone should have equal rights and should be involved in making important decisions 民主的
e.g. Education is the basis of a democratic society.
dresser
n.
1) (AmE) a piece of furniture with drawers for storing clothes, sometimes with a mirror on top 带镜衣柜；梳妆台
2) (BrE) a large piece of furniture with open shelves for storing plates, dishes, etc. 餐柜
eloquence *
n. the quality of forceful or persuasive expressiveness 流利的口才
e.g. I) The lecturer's eloquence was appreciated by his audience.
II) She was renowned for her eloquence and beauty.
empower *
v. give someone more control over their own life or situation 使能够
e.g. Science empowers man to control natural forces more effectively.
exhort
v. (formal) try very hard to persuade someone to do something 规劝，告诫
e.g. I ) The general exhorted his troops to prepare for the battle.
II) As prime minister, he would do much more than exhort schools to do better.
inaugural
adj. of or relating to an inauguration 就职的
e.g. In her inaugural address to the nation, she spoke of the 70 million people of Irish descent (血统) living around the world.
inextricably
adv. (formal) inseparably; in a way that cannot be considered separately 分不开地
e.g. Social and economic factors are inextricably linked.
interpersonal
adj. involving relations between people 人与人之间的，人际关系的
e.g. Harmonious interpersonal relationships are very important in creating a good working atmosphere.
linguistic
adj. related to language, words, or linguistics 语言的，语言学的
e.g. I'm particularly interested in the linguistic development of young children.
rally
v. bring people together to support an idea, a political party, etc. 召集，团结
e.g. We need to rally local support for our proposals.
n. a large public meeting that is held in order to show support for something such as a political party 群众集会
e.g. About three thousand people held a rally to mark international human rights day.
retention
n.
1) the ability to keep something in one's memory 记忆（力）
e.g. powers of retention
2) the act of keeping something 保持，保留
e.g. Committee members voted for the retention of the existing voting system.
runaway
adj. [only before noun] having run away from home 逃跑的，离家出走的
e.g. The runaway teenager tried to get a job in the city.
solicit
v. ask someone for money, help, or information 请求，恳求
e.g. Anne solicited help from her doctor.
Phrases and Expressions
in part
partly or to some extent 部分地，在某种程度上
e.g. The accident was, in part at least, the fault of the driver.
out loud
in such a way that people can hear 大声地，响亮地
e.g. He read the newspaper article out loud.
swear in
admit to office or service by administering an oath 使宣誓就职
e.g. I) The Chief Justice swore in the President.
II) William Clinton was sworn in as the 42nd President of the United States of America.
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