Understanding Public Speaking

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.

The volume will be a key reference for aspiring civil servants, lawyers, business and corporate professionals, and politicians. It will be of great interest to scholars of linguistics, and political and business communication.