Week 1 — Readings & Resources · Introduction to Public Speaking & the Communication Process

Course: Public Speaking — Fundamentals of Oral Communication (COMM 1) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Marchetti
Objective covered: Objective 1 — Apply the communication process model and the principles of ethical speaking, and use evidence-based strategies to manage communication apprehension.

How to use this page

Everything here is a link to an external resource — open it in your browser, the same way you'd open a YouTube link. Nothing needs to be downloaded, and there's nothing to buy.

This week's load is deliberately light: 2 short videos + 2 short readings, grouped by the ideas from the lecture, plus one optional deep-dive. Watch or read one item per group and you're ready for the quiz; do all of them and you'll be very comfortable. Total time is roughly 40–50 minutes if you do everything, far less if you pick one per group.

Order that matches the lecture: ① how communication works & why speaking matters → ② ethical speaking → ③ managing the nerves.

A habit to start now: these resources are made by skilled communicators. As you watch, don't just absorb — notice the moves: how do they open, where do they slow down, what makes you keep listening? You're learning the craft by watching it.

① How Communication Works & Why Public Speaking Matters

Maps to Lecture Segments 2–3. Communication is a transactional process (source → message → channel → receiver → feedback, fighting noise, inside a context), and the skill of speaking is worth building because it's useful nearly everywhere.

Reading — "Why Public Speaking Matters Today" (Stand up, Speak out, Ch. 1)
🔗 https://socialsci.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Communication/Public_Speaking/Stand_up_Speak_out_-_The_Practice_and_Ethics_of_Public_Speaking/01%3A_Why_Public_Speaking_Matters_Today
Why it's assigned: a clear, free, plain-language tour of what communication is, the parts of the process, and why this skill pays off in school, work, and life — exactly the foundation we built on the board. Read online, no account needed.
⏱ ~12 min

Video — "How to speak so that people want to listen" (Julian Treasure, TED 2013)
🔗 https://www.ted.com/talks/julian_treasure_how_to_speak_so_that_people_want_to_listen
Why it earns the click: one of the most-watched talks on speaking ever. Watch it twice — once for the content (what makes speaking land), and once to study the speaker (how he opens, paces, and uses his voice). That double-watch is the listening skill this whole course builds.
⏱ ~10 min

② Ethical Speaking

Maps to Lecture Segment 4. A speaker holds an audience's trust; ethical speaking means honesty, preparation, crediting sources, and — critically — never fabricating evidence (the exact thing an AI will hand you).

Reading — "Ethics Matters: Understanding the Ethics of Public Speaking" (Stand up, Speak out, Ch. 2)
🔗 https://socialsci.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Communication/Public_Speaking/Stand_up_Speak_out_-_The_Practice_and_Ethics_of_Public_Speaking/02%3A_Ethics_Matters-_Understanding_the_Ethics_of_Public_Speaking
Why it's assigned: lays out the speaker's ethical obligations and the forms of plagiarism (global, patchwork, incremental) we named in class. As you read, connect it to our rule for this course: cite your sources out loud, and never put an unverified quote or statistic into a speech.
⏱ ~12 min

Named factually in class: professional communicators point to the National Communication Association's Credo for Ethical Communication as a standard statement of these principles. (We reference it by name; you don't need to read it for the quiz.)

③ Managing the Nerves (Communication Apprehension)

Maps to Lecture Segments 5–6. Speech anxiety is normal, it's the fight-or-flight response, and it's manageable — even useful — with preparation, reframing, and a few simple techniques.

Video — "The science of stage fright (and how to overcome it)" (TED-Ed, Mikael Cho)
🔗 https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-science-of-stage-fright-and-how-to-overcome-it-mikael-cho
Why it earns the click: a ~4-minute animated explainer of exactly what we covered — why your body floods with adrenaline when all eyes turn to you, and concrete tricks (preparation, reframing, focusing outward) to ride it instead of fighting it. The perfect companion to Segment 5.
⏱ ~4 min

Optional deep-dive (free online)

• "Speaking Confidently" (Stand up, Speak out, Ch. 3). A fuller treatment of communication apprehension — its types (trait, context, audience, situational), its physical symptoms, the myths people believe about it, and a longer menu of strategies for managing it. Worth it if the nerves are your biggest worry.
  🔗 https://socialsci.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Communication/Public_Speaking/Stand_up_Speak_out_-_The_Practice_and_Ethics_of_Public_Speaking/03%3A_Speaking_Confidently

Pick-one quick path (≈16 min total)

In a hurry? Do exactly these two and you'll be ready for the quiz:
1. Read "Why Public Speaking Matters Today" (group ①) and skim "Ethics Matters" (group ②).
2. Watch "The science of stage fright" (group ③).

Heads-up (links rot): these point to outside sites that occasionally move or rename pages. If a link ever fails, tell Prof. Marchetti and use the Stand up, Speak out table of contents or a search for the title in the meantime.