Essential Elements of Public Speaking

Essential Elements of Public Speaking, 6th Edition, is an introductory textbook designed to help college and university students practice core public speaking skills. Authored by Joseph A. DeVito and published by Pearson, the volume organizes speech preparation and delivery around 10 distinct steps.

The text examines foundational communication principles, including speaker relationships with immediate and remote audiences, listening stages, and constructive speech criticism. Alongside this conceptual groundwork, the step-by-step framework guides students through selecting topics, organizing main points, and designing multimedia presentation aids.

To encourage reflection, the text incorporates Public Speaking Choice Point journal prompts and Ethical Choice Points throughout. The 2018 edition is also available with Pearson's Revel interactive learning environment.