LibGuides: Introduction to Public Speaking: Getting Started on Your Speech

Public Speaking

The resources on this guide were prepared to help students taking the class: COMX 111: Introduction to Public Speaking

Image attribution: By Charlie Llewellin from Austin, USA (Conan O'Brien) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Electronic Resource and Assessment Librarian

Nathan Sonnenschein

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Subjects: Art, Biography, Business, Citation Styles, Communication & Media Studies, Grants, Math, Music, Psychology

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Need help choosing a topic for your speech?

Explore some of the resources below:

Opposing Viewpoints in Context
One-stop source for information on today's hottest social issues. Sign into this database with your NetID & password.
Congressional Quarterly Researcher
In-depth coverage of the most important issues of the day. Reports written by experienced journalists, footnoted, and fact-checked.

ProCon.org
A variety of controversial issues are explored from a non-partisan perspective.
TED Talks
Popular website for viewing short public talks on a variety of topics.

Watch this short video for tips on how to brainstorm a topic!

Now that you have selected a topic, it's time to think about your search strategy.

Understand Your Assignment:

Make sure you understand your assignment. What is the purpose of the speech? How long does the speech need to be? What sources can you use? How many sources do you need? Are there any date restrictions on the sources that you use?

Finding Sources:

Where should you look for sources? The Library's Power Search simultaneously searches all the library's databases for books, articles, videos, government documents & more:

Or you can search individual databases by subject. Searching individual databases can allow for a more focused search than searching all of the databases simultaneously.

IMPORTANT: Sign-in with your NetID & Password if you are off-campus. Just watch for the prompt to sign in.

Keyword Searching

After selecting a topic, develop a list of terms to use while searching for information. Watch this brief video to learn more:

Now that you have your topic and list of keywords to search, use this list of popular library databases to find information for your speech. The library's databases have thousands of academic journal articles relevant to your assignment.

Click the Power Search image below to search all of the library databases simultaneously for books (print & electronic), articles, media, government documents, and more:

Or search individual databases such as these:

Academic Search Complete
Comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database.
Business Source Complete
Popular, easy-to-use database used for finding information on business-related topics.
Communication & Mass Media Complete
Comprehensive database for research in areas related to communication and mass media. 1980–present. Full-text.
Environment Complete
Focuses in the areas of agriculture, ecosystem ecology, energy, renewable energy sources, natural resources, marine & freshwater science, geography, pollution & waste management, and more.
Educator's Reference Complete
Comprehensive collection of periodical and reference content supporting the education field.

Click here for a complete list of the library's databases by subject.

Need to find some demographic or statistical information for your speech? The resource below the arrow has links to sites offering all types of demographic data and/or stats, including city, county, state, census, United States, International, and by topic.

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When evaluating the sources you selected for your project, there are many things to consider. Refer back to your assignment to make sure you have the required types and number of sources. Watch this 2 minute video from Western University to learn how to evaluate your sources.

Use this table to review the concepts from the video:

Criteria	Questions to Ask
Currency	When was the source written & published? Has the information been updated recently? Is currency pertinent to your research?
Relevance	Does the source cover your speech topic comprehensively or only cover one aspect? To what extent does the source answer your research question? Is the source considered popular or scholarly? Is the terminology and language used easy to understand? Does the source meet the requirements of your speech assignment?
Authority	Who is the author (person, company, or organization)? Does the source provide any info that leads you to believe that the author is credible or an expert on the topic? Can you describe the author's background (experience, education, knowledge)? Does the author provide citations? Do you think they are reputable?
Accuracy	Can facts or statistics be verified through another source? Based on your knowledge, does the information seem accurate? Does it match info found in other sources? Are there spelling or grammatical errors?
Purpose	What is the purpose or motive for the source (educational, commercial, entertainment, promotional, etc)? Who is the intended audience? Is the author pretending to be objective, but really trying to persuade, promote, or sell something? Does the source seem biased?