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

Summer 2025 Updates

Achieve features six new full-length student speech videos, including four persuasive speeches and two informative speeches. These are included both as standalone videos and as part of video activities with assessment, encouraging students to think critically about the components of a successful presentation as they view engaging examples of authentic speeches.

Achieve now includes GoReact Advanced, an upgraded version of the GoReact video assessment tool with new AI-driven features that enhance student speech practice:

• The AI Assistant provides personalized, category-specific feedback to help guide students at any stage of their speech preparation.
• Automated analytics offer insights on pacing, filler words, and pauses—helping students identify areas for improvement.
• Auto-generated, time-stamped transcripts make it easy for students to review their speech.

Winter 2024 Updates

• Empowering ethical and responsible AI usage. Three new student activities in Achieve give students a hands-on understanding of artificial intelligence, focusing on responsible, ethical usage while showcasing how AI can elevate speech assignments. These are complemented by an instructor guide packed with insights on AI's ethical implications, strategies for crafting course policies, and creative classroom activities to bring AI into the conversation.
• Building essential skills for success. Achieve includes three foundational skills activities designed to help students master the skills they need for academic and professional success, including note-taking, time management, and using a syllabus.

8th Edition Updates (2022)

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.