COMM 1020: Public Speaking

This 30-part series features some of history’s most influential addresses—and continues to have a profound impact on the study of speech. With this classic archive, students can watch as FDR declares war, Churchill attacks Hitler, Harry Truman announces the bombing of Japan, Lou Gehrig bids farewell to baseball, Martin Luther King Jr. relays his dream, Nixon resigns the presidency, Reagan pleads the Berlin Wall be torn down, and a young Barack Obama ignites a 2004 convention in a speech that would change the course of the country. In their entirety, these speeches breathe life and relevancy into our history and clearly demonstrate the power of speech. Each is accompanied by a biography and analysis of both the event and the speech itself.

A great speech can stir the soul and inspire a nation. This anthology gathers complete speeches and selected excerpts from memorable addresses by Martin Luther King, Mohandas Gandhi, Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Malcolm X, Ronald Reagan, Elie Wiesel, the Dalai Lama, César Chávez, and many others.

Nearly 300 speeches offer provocative themes, historic parallels, and memorable quotations: Socrates, Julius Caesar, St. Francis, Martin Luther, Napoleon, Victor Hugo, Mohandas K. Gandhi, Winston Churchill, Fulton J. Sheen, Barbara Jordan, Malcolm X, Ronald Reagan, Nelson Mandela, Earl of Spencer, and many others.

This book is also available in print.
Master the art of persuasion with lessons from the best speakers of our time. Throughout history, they have moved us. They have enlightened and inspired us. They are our nation's most influential speakers, gifted with the talent to change minds and hearts. What is the almost magical power they possess—and how can you harness it for yourself? The answers are here in this illuminating guide to unforgettable oratory.

What makes a great speech 'great'? The Art of Great Speeches uses insights from classical thinkers to reveal how great orators such as Barack Obama, Martin Luther King, the Kennedys, Al Gore, and others have persuaded their audiences so convincingly. Featuring excerpts of 70 of the world's greatest speeches in history and drama, this fascinating book breaks down the key elements of classical and modern oratory to reveal the rhetorical techniques that make them so memorable.

History comes alive through the voices of the great leaders and newsmakers and in the photos of the biggest events of the past 100 years. From Winston Churchill and John F. Kennedy to Martin Luther King, Jr. and General Douglas MacArthur, Words That Shook the World is a collection of history-shaping speeches by some of the world's most exceptional orators.

Contains more than 200 outstanding moments of oratory. This third edition is selected, arranged, and introduced by William Safire, who honed his skills as a presidential speechwriter. Covering speeches from Demosthenes to George W. Bush, this latest edition includes the words of Cromwell to the "Rump Parliament," Orson Welles eulogizing Darryl F. Zanuck, General George Patton exhorting his troops before D-Day, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaking on Bush v. Gore.

Prepared by an award-winning writer, this authoritative speech-writing guide covers every essential element of a great speech, including outlining and organizing, beginning with a bang, making use of action verbs and vivid nouns, and handling questions from the audience. Plus, the book includes excerpts from some of history's most memorable speeches—eloquent words to contemplate and emulate.