Rudolph F. Verderber is a Distinguished Teaching Professor of Communication Emeritus at the University of Cincinnati, and the former National Speaker's Association Professor of the Year. He is also one of the all-time bestselling communication studies authors. The strength of his basic texts lies in his ability to explain and exemplify concepts, theories and skills to introductory level students. His Cengage texts (Communicate!, The Challenge of Effective Speaking, COMM, and SPEAK) have a reputation for being student favorites due to their accessible presentation of theory and skills. Kathleen S. Verderber is Associate Professor of Management Emeritus at Northern Kentucky University. She holds a Master of Arts in speech communication, an M.B.A., and a doctorate in organizational behavior from the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Verderber has consulted with various civic, professional and business organizations. She has published numerous articles in several journals and has presented papers at communication and management conferences. She is a coauthor of Communicate!, The Challenge of Effective Speaking in a Digital Age, COMM, and SPEAK, all with Cengage. She is also the author of Inter-Act: Interpersonal Communication, Concepts, Skills and Contexts with Oxford University Press. Deanna D. Sellnow, Ph.D., is a Luminary Research Professor of Strategic Communication in the Nicholson School of Communication at the University of Central Florida. Her research focuses on instructional communication as it occurs in conventional and nonconventional classrooms (and in risk and crisis contexts in particular). She also studies the persuasive power of popular culture, particularly in entertainment media (music, movies, television, advertisements). Published in regional, national and international journals, Dr. Sellnow is co-author of Communicate!, COMM, SPEAK, and The Challenge of Effective Speaking, all with Cengage. She also wrote The Rhetorical Power of Popular Culture: Considering Mediated Texts, with Sage. Dr. Sellnow is also the former editor of the Journal of Communication Pedagogy, Communication Teacher, and the Basic Communication Course Annual.

• Part I: ORIENTATION.1. Foundations of Public Speaking.2. Your First Speech.3. Listening.Part II: PRINCIPLES.4. Determining an Appropriate Speech Goal.5. Adapting to Audiences.6. Topic Development.7. Organizing the Speech Body.8. The Introduction and Conclusion.9. Presentational Aids.10. Language and Oral Style.11. Delivery.Part III: INFORMATIVE AND PERSUASIVE SPEAKING.12. Informative Speaking.13. Persuasive Messages.14. Persuasive Speaking.Part IV: ADAPTING TO OTHER OCCASIONS AND FORMATS.15. Ceremonial Speaking.16. Group Communication and Presentations.