Week 1 — Introduction to Public Speaking & the Communication Process

Why this matters

A shift-change briefing to nurses, an answer in a job interview, and an announcement at a neighborhood meeting all work only if listeners leave with the meaning you meant.

In plain language

Speaking to a group is something you already do, and this week gives you a way to see what is happening when it works and when it fails. You meet communication (the process of creating shared meaning between people) and a simple map of it, the six-element communication model (the six parts every exchange has: source, message, channel, receiver, noise, and feedback). You also learn what makes a speaker honest, and you learn about communication apprehension (the nervousness almost everyone feels before speaking), which is common and manageable. Last, you plan your first short speech, the icebreaker (a brief speech that introduces you to the class), and the rehearsal habit that will carry you through the whole term.

• This week: communication and public speaking, the six-element model, four kinds of noise, speaking ethics, nerves, and the icebreaker with its rehearsal loop.
• How they connect: this is the foundation; every later week builds on the six elements and the rehearsal loop.
• Where we're going next: Week 2, Listening & Audience Analysis, turns to the listener's side.

Focus

Why can a crisp, loud message still fail, and how do you speak honestly with nerves?

By the end of this module, you should be able to:

• [ ] label the six elements of a real message
• [ ] sort four kinds of noise
• [ ] plan an icebreaker in four keyword beats

To-do

Plan your week

1. Read Chapter 1 (about 40 minutes), then the lecture and slides.
2. Do the tutorial (60–90 minutes) and the practice set (about 20 minutes).
3. Do the Speech Workshop (about 90 minutes), the discussion, and the assignment.
4. Take the quiz.

This week's checkpoint: label the six elements of one message you heard this week and name its noise.

You've got this

Ask your instructor if a step snags.

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