• Emphasis on Rhetorical Tradition—The principles of rhetoric are connected with the practice of public speaking throughout the textbook. This begins in the first chapter, which is devoted to an introduction to classical rhetorical theory, and continues as students are shown how these ideas apply to speech today.
• Spotlighting Theorists—Each chapter introduces students to the life and ideas of particular theorists whose work contributes to how public speaking is taught today.
• End of Chapter Questions—Each chapter ends with discussion questions designed to get students to question and think about the ideas presented and the ways they construct speeches and consume messages.
• Annotated Student Speeches—The appendix includes two sample student speeches: a persuasive speech and an informative speech. These speeches have been annotated by the authors to highlight key features and points.
• Speaking of Civic Engagement—These opportunities for reflection appear in the context of chapter narratives and help provide readers with a moment external to the text that highlights how speakers use rhetoric to engage their audiences.
• Thinking Critically—Often, material in textbook chapters raise questions not covered in the text itself, and in many cases those questions do not have one specific answer. With this fourth edition we sought to incorporate some of those questions into the text to help readers and students think beyond the material provided and connect ideas in ways that further their understanding of speech.
• New chapter, Civility, detailing what civility means in relation to politeness, courtesy, and respect, and examining how civility interacts with self-expression and communication with others
• Updated speeches on current topics
• Enhanced and more extensive examples
• New content on inclusive language and community engagement 

Instructor Resources

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• Lecture Notes and Test banks
• PowerPoint Slides
• Speech Outlines