Sherry Devereaux Ferguson is Professor and Graduate Program Director for the Communication Department at the University of Ottawa.

Public Speaking: Building Competency in Stages is an introduction to public speaking a course that is found in nearly every 2 and 4 year college/university in the country. It is generally the first course students take in Communication and many other disciplines require that their majors take this course - consequently the enrollments are huge. As the titles implies Ferguson takes an incremental approach to the topic and most importantly she feels strongly about getting students throuh many chapters of theory and advice before getting to the different types of speeches that students do - informative persuassive special occasion and small group. Ferguson brings the genres up front and teaches the concepts incrementally as the pertain to the genre. She also has an overview chapters very early that serves as a comprehensive introduction to the basics of speaking - a very sensible pedagogical element missing from most books. in addition the book will offer greater emphasis on audience analysis and rhetorical criticism which gives her book a distinctive and sophisticated feel.

Each chapter ends with a Conclusion and Questions for Discussion.

1. Public Speaking in the Age of Accountability: A Critical Model I. The Roots of Critical Society II. Trends in the Environment A. Increasing Activism in the Political Sphere B. Increasing Activism in the Economic Sphere C. Increasing Activism in the Legal Sphere D. Increasing Diversity in the Cultural Environment E. Changes in Technological Environments F. Changes in Social Environments G. Changes in Rhetorical Conventions III. A Critical Model for Public Speaking A. Speaker B. Message C. Channel D. Environment E. Receiver F. Noise G. Feedback H. Impact and Criteria for Judging Speech

2. Communication Apprehensiveness: Learning to Cope with Anxiety I. Causes of Communication Apprehension II. Situational Anxiety and Public Speaking III. Coping Strategies A. Before the Speech B. During the Speech C. After the Speech

3. Listening with a Purpose: Exercises in Perception and Listening I. Purposeful Listening II. How Listeners Process Information A. Nature of Perception B. Influence of Listening Frames on Message Reception C. How Listeners Respond D. Influence of Setting on Message Reception III. Reciprocal Responsibilities of Listeners and Speakers A. Giving Nonverbal Feedback B. Giving Verbal Feedback

4. Acquiring the Basic Skills: The Speech of Introduction I. Step 1: Getting Started A. Choosing a Theme B. Deciding upon a Purpose C. Framing a Thesis Statement II. Step 2: Getting Organized A. Identifying and Ordering Major Points B. Developing an Outline C. Writing a Preview Statement III. Step 3: Writing the Introduction A. Immediacy Techniques B. References to the Novel C. Suspense and Shock Techniques D. Linguistic Strategies E. Activity Drama and Conflict F. Humor G. Gimmicks IV. Step 4: Developing the Body of the Speech V. Step 5: Connecting Your Thoughts A. Transitions B. Signposts C. Internal Summaries VI. Step 6: Closing with a Memorable Thought VII. Step 7: Practicing and Delivering the Speech A. Using Note Cards B. Practicing and Timing the Speech C. Using Visual Aids

5. Researching Analyzing and Adapting to Your Audience: The Speech of Welcome I. Researching and Analyzing Your Audience A. Creating a Demographic Profile B. Creating a Psychographic Profile C. Creating a Personality Profile II. Researching and Analyzing Your Speaking Environment III. Adapting to Your Audience A. Choosing a Topic and Approach B. Framing a Realistic Purpose C. Recognizing Your Audience D. Adapting to the Situation VI. Words of Caution

6. Putting Principles of Delivery into Practice: The One-Point Speech I. Preparing One-Point Speeches II. Choosing Mode of Delivery A. Extemporaneous Speaking B. Impromptu Speaking C. Memorizing the Speech D. Manuscript Speaking E. Speaking from a Teleprompter III. Building Credibility Through Delivery A. Composure B. Dynamism C. Trustworthiness D. Sociability E. Status