Welcome to the DCTC Library's Fundamentals of Public Speaking course guide. On these pages you will find library resources (both online and on our shelves), plus other reliable online resources.
Let's get started!
Abraham Lincoln famously said you shouldn't believe everything you read online. And 82% of all statistics are made up.
There's a lot of misinformation out there. Digital literacy expert Mike Caulfield developed the SIFT method to help students evaluate information and make better decisions about what sources to trust:
Stop
Investigate the source
Find better coverage
Trace claims, quotes, and media to the original context
Here are more guides to help you evaluate sources of information:
- Criteria for Evaluating Information (Otis College of Art and Design)
- Evaluating Information (Johns Hopkins University)
- Evaluating Resources (UC Berkeley)
- Evaluating Sources of Information (Purdue University)
- Online Verification Skills with Mike Caulfield (YouTube)
There are different styles for citing the sources you use in your assignments. Your instructor will let you know whether to use APA, MLA, or some other style. Here are some introductory guides to these styles from the Purdue and Excelsior Online Writing Labs:
- Purdue OWL: APA Formatting and Style Guide
- Excelsior OWL: APA Style
- Excelsior OWL: APA In-Text Citations
- Excelsior OWL: APA Side By Side
- Purdue OWL: MLA Formatting and Style Guide
- Excelsior OWL: MLA Style
- Excelsior OWL: MLA In-Text Citations
Our catalog and databases provide citations for the books, videos, and articles you find in them. Just look for a link that says Cite or Citation, then select the appropriate style. It's easy to copy and paste citations into your bibliography!
"Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the use, by paraphrase or direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgment. It also includes the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials."
This definition of plagiarism comes from page 1 of DCTC's Student Code of Conduct.
Citing your sources like this or in a bibliography is an essential part of the research process. It allows others to verify your information and gives credit to previous researchers and writers for their work.
The Center for Student Success offers tutoring to all DCTC students, including help with writing your paper and citing your sources. You can schedule an appointment by calling 651-423-8420 or visiting room 2-101.
Use our catalog, OneSearch, to find the books and videos on our shelves, plus ebooks and streaming videos.
The best way to begin your search is to enter one or two keywords on your topic. To narrow your results, use the Modify My Results options on the left side of the screen. You can also click on a relevant title and click on one of its subject headings to focus your search on that particular topic.
Please ask a librarian if you need help locating anything you find in our catalog.
If we don't have the book, video, or article you're looking for, you can request it via interlibrary loan (ILL) and it will come to you. It's easy! E-mail library@dctc.edu to let us know what you're looking for and we'll do the rest.
We have lots of books about public speaking in our collection. If you like to browse, most of these are shelved in the PN4121-PN4129 call number range. Ask a librarian if you need help finding anything.
Here are just a few of our books about public speaking:
If you learn easily from watching videos, check out How to Speak Effectively in Any Setting or The Art of Public Speaking: Lessons from the Greatest Speeches in History. Each DVD series from The Great Courses consists of half hour lectures and an accompanying guidebook. Lectures include How to Engage an Audience's Emotions, Using Body Language in Public Speaking, Making a Powerful Business Presentation, and Build a Logical Case.
How to Speak Effectively in Any Setting
Molly Bishop Shadel, 2021
Art of Public Speaking: Lessons from the Greatest Speeches in History
John R. Hale, 2010
Behind the circulation desk we have our Course Resources collection. These are books and videos that instructors have asked us to reserve for certain classes. You'll find a copy of A Speaker's Guidebook: Text and Reference on reserve for Fundamentals of Public Speaking. Books on reserve must be used in the Library, except with permission from your instructor to check them out overnight. Ask a librarian if you're looking for one of these.
A Speaker's Guidebook: Text and Reference, 8th ed.
Dan O'Hair, 2021
Films On Demand features Public Speaking, a three-part video series.
- Incorporating Research, Visual Aids, and Multimedia (30:40)
- Informative and Persuasive Speeches (35:17)
- Introductory and Impromptu Speeches (21:18)
There's also a three-part video series on Principles of Public Speaking.
- Audience and Listening Skills (33:57)
- Delivery (33:10)
- Planning a Speech (43:24)
Other videos include:
Points of View Reference Source features opinions on nearly 600 social issues, from 3D gun printing to zoos and circuses. For each topic, you'll find an overview and point and counterpoint opinion essays.
Basic Searching tutorial for Points of View Reference Source
Opposing Viewpoints features information and opinions on more than 400 social issues and current events. For each topic, you'll find viewpoint essays; reference information; full-text articles from magazines, academic journals, and newspapers; primary source documents; statistics; images; videos; audio; and trustworthy websites.
There are millions of full-text articles in our EBSCO, Gale, and ProQuest databases. The best way to begin your search is to enter one or two keywords on your topic. Each database is different, but there will be ways to limit and focus your results so that you find the most relevant and useful articles available.
Our EBSCO databases are an excellent place to start your search for magazine and journal articles.
Our Gale databases are another great place to find magazine and journal articles.
Search hundreds of U.S. newspapers, newswires, and news sites with ProQuest U.S. Newsstream.
Search and explore scholarly literature with Google Scholar. Some citations include links to full-text content.
Please visit the Library or e-mail library@dctc.edu if you have any questions about our online resources or if you'd like help finding articles on your topic.
Here are just a few of the ebooks about public speaking you'll find in our EBSCO eBook Collection:
Public Speaking to Win: The Original Formula to Speaking with Power
Dale Carnegie, 2018
Speak! Overcoming the Fear and Horror of Public Speaking
Dale Carnegie & Associates, 2021
Public Speaking for Authors, Creatives and Other Introverts, 2nd ed.
Joanna Penn, 2019
Own Any Occasion : Mastering the Art of Speaking and Presenting
Erik Palmer, 2017