UPDATED SUMMER 2024

Cover: A Speaker's Guidebook, 8th Edition by Dan O'Hair; Rob Stewart; Hannah Rubenstein

A Speaker's Guidebook

Eighth Edition  ©2022 Dan O'Hair; Rob Stewart; Hannah Rubenstein Formats: Achieve, E-book, Print

Authors

  • Headshot of Dan O'Hair

    Dan O'Hair

    Dan O’Hair is professor of communication in the Department of Communication at the University of Kentucky. He is past presidential professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Oklahoma and past president of the National Communication Association. He is coauthor or co-editor of 24 communication texts and scholarly volumes and has published more than ninety research articles and chapters in dozens of communication, psychology, and health journals and books. He is a frequent presenter at national and international communication conferences and is on the editorial boards of various journals.


  • Headshot of Rob Stewart

    Rob Stewart

    Rob Stewart is the Senior Vice Provost and professor of communication studies at Texas Tech University. He is coauthor of A Speakers Guidebook, and five editions of A Pocket Guide to Public Speaking, and has published more than 30 articles and book chapters.


  • Headshot of Hannah Rubenstein

    Hannah Rubenstein

    Hannah Rubenstein is a writer, editor, and part-time college instructor who has used her academic training in communication (MA, Fairfield University) to guide her collaborations on A Pocket Guide to Public Speaking, A Speakers Guidebook, Public Speaking: Challenges and Choices, and other successful college texts. She heads her own communication firm, Hedgehog Productions, and teaches the basic public speaking course at University of Bridgeport and other Connecticut colleges.

Table of Contents

Getting Started with Confidence
1. Becoming a Public Speaker
2. Giving It a Try: Preparing Your First Speech

Public Speaking Basics
3. Managing Speech Anxiety
4. Listeners and Speakers
5. Ethical Public Speaking

Audience Analysis and Topic Selection
6. Analyzing the Audience
7. Selecting a Topic and Purpose

Supporting the Speech
8. Developing Supporting Materials
9. Finding Credible Print and Online Materials
10. Citing Sources in Your Speech

Organizing and Outlining
11. Organizing the Body of the Speech
12. Types of Organizational Arrangements
13. Outlining the Speech

Introductions, Conclusions, and Language
14. Developing the Introduction
15. Developing the Conclusion
16. Using Language to Style the Speech

Vocal and Nonverbal Delivery
17. Methods of Delivery
18. The Voice in Delivery
19. The Body in Delivery

Presentation Aids
20. Speaking with Presentation Aids
21. Designing Presentation Aids
22. Using Presentation Software

Forms of Speeches
23. The Informative Speech
24. Principles of Persuasive Speaking
25. Developing Arguments for the Persuasive Speech
26. Organizing the Persuasive Speech
27. Special Occasion Speeches

Speaking Beyond the Speech Classroom
28. Preparing Online Presentations
29. Communicating in Groups
30. Business and Professional Presentations
31. Presentations in Other College Courses

Sample Speeches
Sample Annotated Persuasive Speech
Sample Visually Annotated Introductory Speech
Sample Visually Annotated Informative Speech

Reference and Research Appendices
A. Chicago Documentation
B. APA Documentation
C. Glossary

Online Appendices
D
. Question-and-Answer Sessions
E. Preparing for TV and Radio Communication
F. MLA Documentation
G. CBE/CSE Documentation
H. IEEE Documentation

Notes
Acknowledgements
Index

Product Updates

To maintain it’s well-known currency, you’ll find new and updated content throughout, including:

  • New part openers with key tips for each group of chapters. These relate to videos in Achieve that preview content. There are also guiding questions to focus students on the material they are about to read.
  • New Speaker’s Review feature. These sections review the most important information within each chapter through thought-provoking questions directly related to the material.
  • Revised chapters on theory and the practice of persuasion will help drive home how to effectively build a persuasive speech.

More inclusive approach to linguistic diversity. The authors partnered with two expert reviewers to strengthen the text on being more inclusive of the diversity of dialects, accents, and backgrounds of speakers.

Eighth edition includes 12 full-text sample speeches, nine of which were written by students. Five of the brand-new full-length speeches from real students have been professionally filmed and added to Achieve, and they also appear as annotated sample speeches within the text. These make perfect learning models for the classroom, while the professional speeches, from notable men and women, will inspire. Students will hear from civil rights icon John Lewis, Parkland student X González, and more.

Now available with Achieve! The Achieve courseware for A Speaker’s Guidebook sets the standard for driving student learning in your public speaking course with powerful learning content, engaging activities, and actionable insights and analytics. Achieve brings together an interactive e-textbook, speech videos, LearningCurve adaptive quizzing and other assessments, learning activities, and extensive instructor resources–all within a new, enhanced technology platform carefully built over the past five years

Achieve for A Speaker’s Guidebook contains coverage on online speaking in an Achieve module in addition to what’s in the printed text. It  provides more guidance for students as they navigate this speaking context, and a Speechography, a collection of suggested professional speeches from important current events.

The most complete speech handbook for successful speeches in person, online, or in any setting.

OHair, Rubenstein, and Stewart’s acclaimed guide is the market leading handbook of its kind, offering the content and resources students need to overcome the fundamental challenges of public speaking. Its tabbed, spiral-binding format makes it easy to find the trusted speech advice on a full range of topics and situations.

The updated new edition addresses the most pressing needs of todays students—from presenting online to diversity and inclusion—making it the most complete speech handbook available. With new research, an entire chapter dedicated to online presentations, and new student speech videos, it provides the best support for navigating the accelerated shift to digital communication. In addition, the authors partnered with two expert reviewers on linguistic diversity, creating a more inclusive text where culture is an asset in the teaching, learning, and practice of communication.

Now available with Achieve! The Achieve courseware for A Speaker’s Guidebook sets the standard for driving student learning in your public speaking course with powerful learning content, engaging activities, and actionable insights and analytics. Achieve brings together an interactive e-textbook, speech videos, LearningCurve adaptive quizzing and other assessments, learning activities, and extensive instructor resources–all within a new, enhanced technology platform carefully built over the past five years

Success Stories

Here are a few examples of how Achieve has helped instructors like you improve student preparedness, enhance their sense of belonging, and achieve course goals they set for themselves.

Prof. Kiandra Johnson, Spelman College

See how the resources in Achieve help you engage students before, during, and after class.

Prof. Jennifer Duncan

Use diagnostics in Achieve for a snapshot into cognitive and non-cognitive factors that may impact your students’ preparedness.

Prof. Ryan Elsenpeter

Here’s why educators who use Achieve would recommend it to their peers.

Looking for instructor resources like Test Banks, Lecture Slides, and Clicker Questions? Request access to Achieve to explore the full suite of instructor resources.

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Test Bank for A Speaker's Guidebook (Online Only)

Dan O'Hair; Rob Stewart; Hannah Rubenstein | Eighth Edition | ©2022 | ISBN:9781319326579

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Instructor's Resource Manual for A Speaker's Guidebook (Online Only)

Dan O'Hair; Rob Stewart; Hannah Rubenstein | Eighth Edition | ©2022 | ISBN:9781319326555
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Lecture Slides for A Speaker's Guidebook (Online Only)

Dan O'Hair; Rob Stewart; Hannah Rubenstein | Eighth Edition | ©2022 | ISBN:9781319326562
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