The Little Book: A Beginner's Guide to Finding Your Rhetorical Voice helps students communicate with confidence in their speaking and writing. The material facilitates self-discovery and critical thinking as students learn to assess the validity of their ideas and express themselves with clarity and integrity. Early chapters emphasize critical thinking as the basis for original rhetorical thought, provide tips for building sound arguments, and introduce the concepts of rhetoric and sophistry. Additional chapters address appropriate word choice, the importance of analyzing an audience, defining intent and purpose, and constructing logical claims supported by credible evidence. The second edition content reorganization and revision to enhance the clarity of the material, increase student engagement, update material, and expand upon key concepts. It features two new chapters, "Finding Your Rhetorical Voice," which was previously only a section within a chapter, and "Surveys and Scientific Studies: Some Caveats," which addresses the timely topics of fake news, scientific research, and critical thinking. The Little Book is an ideal resource for undergraduate courses in public speaking and professional writing.

Oral Communication: A Lecture Guide provides students with a comprehensive yet accessible guide to effective communication and public speaking. The texts help readers understand their role, as well as the role of their audience, during the communication process. With this new knowledge, students learn how to present concepts and share ideas with confidence and efficacy. The book begins by introducing students to the concept of communication, highlighting that communication is a complicated, shared process that is composed of many variables and elements. Proceeding chapters teach readers how to prepare for a public address, organize a presentation to achieve maximum audience understanding and impact, and strategically practice the delivery of a speech. Additional topics include the disadvantages of memorizing a speech word-for-word, the impact of nonverbal communication on an address, and the advantages and disadvantages of different types of speeches or presentations. The text closes with a chapter dedicated to presentational aids and how their correct use can maintain audience engagement and increase understanding. Oral Communication is ideal for undergraduate courses in public relations, broadcast and radio journalism, and communication studies.

Southerners love to talk food, quickly revealing likes and dislikes, regional preferences, and their own delicious stories. Because the topic often crosses lines of race, class, gender, and region, food supplies a common fuel to launch discussion. Consuming Identity sifts through the self-definitions, allegiances, and bonds made possible and strengthened through the theme of southern foodways. The book focuses on the role food plays in building identities, accounting for the messages food sends about who we are, how we see ourselves, and how we see others. While many volumes examine southern food, this one is the first to focus on food's rhetorical qualities and the effect that it can have on culture. The volume examines southern food stories that speak to the identity of the region, explain how food helps to build identities, and explore how it enables cultural exchange. Food acts rhetorically, with what we choose to eat and serve sending distinct messages. It also serves a vital identity-building function, factoring heavily into our memories, narratives, and understanding of who we are. Finally, because food and the tales surrounding it are so important to southerners, the rhetoric of food offers a significant and meaningful way to open up dialogue in the region. By sharing and celebrating both foodways and the food itself, southerners are able to revel in shared histories and traditions. In this way individuals find a common language despite the divisions of race and class that continue to plague the South. The rich subject of southern fare serves up a significant starting point for understanding the powerful rhetorical potential of all food.

Managing Nervousness as a Public Speaker provides students with the essential knowledge and tools required to not only understand their own nervousness, but to leverage it to improve their public speaking skills. The book begins by defining nervousness and anxiety, then exploring how speakers can effectively leverage anxiety to their benefit. Later chapters discuss the biology and psychology behind nervousness, as well as their various triggers and methods for overcoming them. The book also demonstrates how meditation, deep breathing, and mindfulness can help public speakers build confidence and calm nerves. Managing Nervousness as a Public Speaker is ideal for courses in public speaking, but as the material within the book is cross-disciplinary in nature, the text could be used within any course where public speaking is essential. The book can also be used by working professionals to further develop their public speaking skills.