1.1 Public Speaking in the Twenty-First Century
Lana Iapicco and Marie Torres
1.1 Public Speaking in the Twenty-First Century
Public speaking is the art and practice of crafting and delivering a message to an audience. Effective public speaking requires three key components:
- A clear understanding of your audience and communication goals
- Thoughtful selection of content and strategies that will engage listeners
- Skillful delivery of your message
Successful speakers recognize that preparation is essential. They plan, organize, practice, and revise their material to create a compelling and coherent presentation. This book introduces the foundational principles of public speaking and guides you through the process of developing and delivering your own presentations.
In an age dominated by television, social media, streaming platforms, and the internet, you might wonder whether people still give speeches. The answer is yes. Public speaking remains important across professions, including business, education, health care, engineering, public service, and the military. Although speakers address different audiences and purposes, effective presentations continue to rely on common principles of organization, audience awareness, evidence, and delivery.
Digital and social media have not eliminated public speaking. Instead, they have expanded its reach. Speakers can now address audiences through webinars, livestreams, recorded presentations, video-sharing platforms, podcasts, and social networks. Presentations that once reached only the people physically present in a room can now be distributed to viewers throughout the world.
Technology has therefore allowed public speakers to connect with audiences that were previously inaccessible, a point also identified in the adapted source through its citation to Singh (2020). TED, which originally referred to Technology, Entertainment, and Design, provides a familiar example. TED and independently organized TEDx events feature brief presentations that can reach audiences far beyond the original event.
Public speaking is a skill you are likely to use in many settings. You may deliver a formal speech, lead a workplace presentation, participate in a meeting, explain an idea to a group, advocate for a cause, or speak through digital media. In this chapter, we examine why public speaking matters and explore communication models that help explain how the process works.
Licenses and Attribution
CC Licensed Content, Original
Speech Communication was created by Lana Iapicco and Marie Torres. Independently created original and AI-assisted content developed specifically for this book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
This educational material includes content generated or revised with the assistance of large language models. Lana Iapicco and Marie Torres reviewed, edited, and take responsibility for the final published content.
CC Licensed Content, Previously Shared
Public Speaking in the Twenty-First Century
“1.1 Public Speaking in the Twenty-First Century” by Douglas Marshall, James Yeargain, June Pulliam, Sara Kim, and Victoria VanNest, published in It’s About Them: Public Speaking in the 21st Century by LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network, was adapted for this section.
The source material is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. The material was revised, reorganized, updated, condensed, and supplemented with original and AI-assisted content for this edition.
Adapted portions derived from this source, including revisions to those portions, are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Independently created portions developed specifically for Speech Communication are licensed under the book’s Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
CC Licensed Image
Instructor Engaging with Students in a Classroom
Image from “1.1 Public Speaking in the Twenty-First Century” in It’s About Them: Public Speaking in the 21st Century by LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network.
License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Changes: The image was resized, and its alternative text and caption were revised for this edition. The source chapter does not identify a separate creator or license for the image.
Other Content Included
Technology and the Expanding Reach of Public Speaking
The adapted LOUIS chapter cites Singh (2020) in support of the statement that technology allows speakers to reach audiences that were previously inaccessible. Complete publication information for the Singh source is not provided in the source chapter. The underlying source is not included under the Creative Commons licenses applied to Speech Communication.
Digital and Social Media in Public Speaking
Arora, A. (2025, January 17). The impact of digital and social media on public speaking. SketchBubble.
This source informed the discussion of how digital and social media have expanded the platforms, formats, and potential audiences available to public speakers. The article remains subject to the rights and terms of its author and publisher and is not included under the Creative Commons licenses applied to this book.
Technology’s Influence on Public Speaking
IceBreakSpeech. (n.d.). From radio to social media: The influence of technology on public speaking.
This source informed the discussion of how communication technology has changed the ways speeches are delivered, recorded, distributed, and experienced. The article remains subject to the rights and terms of its publisher and is not included under the Creative Commons licenses applied to this book.
Public Speaking in the Twenty-First Century
Kim, S., Marshall, D., Pulliam, J., VanNest, V., & Yeargain, J. (n.d.). Public speaking in the twenty-first century. Social Sci LibreTexts.
This resource reproduces or adapts material addressing the continued importance of public speaking in contemporary professional and digital environments. Its inclusion here acknowledges its role as a source consulted during development. LibreTexts content remains subject to the license and attribution information displayed on the applicable page.
TED and TEDx Presentations
TED and TEDx are referenced as examples of contemporary public speaking distributed through digital media. TED names, logos, videos, trademarks, and presentation content remain the property of TED Conferences, LLC, participating speakers, and other applicable rights holders. These materials are not included under the Creative Commons licenses applied to this section.
Third-Party References and Links
Linked articles, webpages, scholarly publications, trademarks, examples, and other third-party materials referenced in this section remain the property of their respective authors, publishers, organizations, and copyright holders. Their inclusion as citations, links, examples, or intellectual foundations does not place the underlying materials under the Creative Commons licenses applied to Speech Communication.
Unless a separate license is specifically identified, third-party content may not be copied, redistributed, or adapted independently of the permissions provided by its copyright holder or applicable law.
