Home - COMM 100 - Fundamentals of Speech - LibGuides at Millersville University of Pennsylvania

Recommended Resources for Persuasive Speech

Use "CQ Researcher" & "Points of View" to find research about traditionally controversial topics.

Newspapers may be best for more recent controversial topics.

CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window
Get in-depth, non-biased reports on today's important issues. Each lengthy report covers a single topic, and includes a bibliography.
Points of View This link opens in a new window
Contains materials from all viewpoints, including more than 1,300 main essays, leading political magazines from both sides of the political aisle, newspapers, radio & TV news transcripts, primary source documents and reference books.
US Newsstream This link opens in a new window
US Newsstream searches current US news content, and archives back into the 1980s. Features top newspapers, wires, broadcast transcripts, blogs, and news sites in full-text format. US Newsstream provides key national and regional news sources from the U.S. and includes exclusive and preferred access to top titles, including The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Newsday, and Chicago Tribune.

The Conversation
"The Conversation is an independent, nonprofit source of expert news and views, from the academic and research community, written for the public. Access to independent, high-quality, authenticated, explanatory journalism underpins a functioning democracy." -- from the website
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Their goal is better understanding of current affairs and complex issues, enabling an opportunity for better quality of public discourse and conversations.

Monroe's Motivated Sequence

Monroe's Motivated Sequence from Lumen Learning's Public Speaking Module
Explains the use of Monroe’s motivated sequence to motivate listeners

eBooks You May Find Useful as You Prepare Your Speeches

All eBooks listed below are freely available electronically through the library.

Understanding Public Speaking by Braj Mohan
ISBN: 9780367222734
Publication Date: 2019-05-08
Public speaking is a much coveted yet difficult art. This book illustrates the use of various linguistic devices and persuasive strategies with examples from the speeches of powerful orators in history. It systematically draws on the various approaches to public speaking and persuasive discourse to present new insights and techniques. The volume: Critically examines strategies of persuasive oratory. Draws on extensive investigation of a corpus of famous public speeches in history. Focuses on the needs of those who want to brush up their public speaking skills.
Public Speaking and Presentations Demystified by Melody Templeton
ISBN: 9780071601214
Publication Date: 2010-01-04
eBook
The information presented in this book takes the confusion out of preparing for and delivering speeches and presentations. Public Speaking and Presentations Demystified walks you step-by-step through the fundamentals of the subject and provides you with techniques for effective speaking, avoiding common errors, and overcoming stage fright. With these skills, you will feel confident in business and social situations when you find yourself in the spotlight.
Get to the Point! by Joel Schwartzberg
ISBN: 9781523094110
Publication Date: 2017-10-16
Every time you communicate, you’re trying to do something, change something, or move someone to action. You’re trying to make a point. But the only way to make a point is to have a point. And the surprising truth is, very few communicators know their points or even understand what a point is, rendering them pointless. A real point is a proposition of value. It’s a contention you can propose, argue, illustrate, and prove. In this concise and practical book, you’ll learn to identify your point, strengthen it, stick to it, and sell it.
Policy Debate by Shawn F. Briscoe
ISBN: 9780809335589
Publication Date: 2016-12-06
"Policy Debate" introduces educators, coaches, and students at the high school and college levels to the concepts at the foundation of policy debate, also known as cross-examination debate, and uses conceptual analysis and real-world examples to help students engage in competitive debates and deploy winning strategies. The book addresses all aspects of policy debate, including stock issues, judging paradigms and effective engagement with judges, the responsibilities of both affirmative and negative teams, and the evaluation of policy proposals through the use of disadvantages, counterplans, and critical argumentation. In addition, Better establish credibility, improve cross-examination skills, and understand the specialized notetaking method called flowing.
Own Any Occasion by Erik Palmer
ISBN: 9781562866853
Publication Date: 2017-10-07
Great speaking does not come easy. But even the wallflowers among us can't avoid speaking forever. In Own Any Occasion, speaker and educator Erik Palmer taps into his vast experience to simplify the process of extraordinary speaking, whether you're giving a wedding toast or preparing for a one-on-one sales call. His approach is equal parts preparation and delivery: Never speak unless you have something worth saying, and never let a poor performance diminish a good message. In 11 steps, Palmer shows readers how to craft the perfect message and captivate audiences with exceptional delivery, no matter the circumstance.

Getting Citations & References Right

Use these websites for your in-text citations and your reference list.

APA has updated to the 7th edition & many websites still provide examples in 6th edition style. Check with your professor about citation requirements.

APA Style - American Psychological Association Website
The style and grammar guidelines pages present information about APA Style as described in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition. Their guidance is very practical and easy to understand.
APA Style from University of Maryland Global Campus Library
Please keep in mind that these examples illustrate 6th edition. APA has recently released a 7th edition which your professors might require.
MLA Style from University of Maryland Global Campus Library
Citing Images - Ensuring copyright compliance
Answers questions on how to write a copyright statement for an image used in a paper or presentation. This post is a from the APA Style Blog. This is a blog run by the APA.

Images Statment

All icons used in this guide are from the Noun Project. Icons from the Noun Project site are free to use as long as you provide proper attribution. I pay for a professional account and as such am not required to include attributions on the individual images. If you would like to use images from the Noun Project follow this link to their website.

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COMM 100 - Fundamentals of Speech: Home

Recommended General Databases

Use these databases as a starting point for your speech research. Their holdings are broad, which means many topics can be found in these databases.