This comprehensive, mainstream text for the introductory course presents clear and accessible explanations of the hows and whys of public speaking. The authors' thoughtful integration of cultural diversity, ethics, and gender issues empowers students to become responsible and effective public speakers. In addition, by offering a balance of theory and skills development, the text provides instructors with the flexibility they need to teach this performance course.</p>

An innovative, cost-effective looseleaf format enables students to arrange their text to match the instructor's syllabus and to incorporate classroom handouts and speech evaluations into the course material. In addition to adding flexibility, the new format saves students up to 25 percent off the cost of a traditional textbook.

The Interconnections.LearnMore feature connects the student with sources of additional information on the Internet. In addition, Chapter 5 offers guidelines for the evaluation of Internet research to help students assess the quality of what they find. It also presents a research plan in which the Internet might play a substantial role, and provides a carefully selected master list of web sites for Internet research.

Ethics Alert! boxes highlight ethical concerns as they arise in the context of topics, emphasizing for students the importance of ethics in public speaking.

Blank Note Pages occur within the text to encourage students to take notes while reading or during lectures. In addition, wider margins give students extra room to annotate the material.

Speaker's Notes, brief internal summaries placed several times throughout each chapter, reinforce learning of key principles.

Annotated sample speeches highlight important concepts and illustrate the uses of self-introductory, informative, persuasive, and ceremonial speeches.