Finds that students with the highest level of public speaking anxiety showed the largest improvement in perceived competence and perception of audience pleasantness. Discusses the speaker's perception of the audience as a key factor in public speaking anxiety. (SR)

States that training in legal writing is vital to a lawyer's education and is required by the successful practitioner. Suggests that learning to write as a lawyer is part of the process that creates lawyers. Argues that rhetoric is only effective for the audience and occasion it was written for. (PA)

"Harper's Bazaar" (spelled "Bazar" before 1925) was designed for use by, as well as for, the instruction of women readers in the 19th century. In the early "Bazar," the didactic discourses of domesticity and reading sometimes intersected. Such was the case with two humorous pieces, "Mrs. Typeset's Diary"…

As the National Parliamentary Debate Association (NPDA) debate spreads across the country, as more schools and more students become involved in this type of debate, those involved in the activity need to take a step back and evaluate their progress, as well as plot their future. Coaches have a critical role as educators. NPDA needs clear…

This essay analyzes Kenneth Burke's speech ("Revolutionary Symbolism") to the 1935 Writers Congress, a congress intended to explore the relationship between politics and art, and controlled closely by the American Communist Party. The essay maintains that Burke was prepared to offer to the Communist Party and to all…

This paper considers the British thinker C.S. Lewis as a "forensic figure," defining "forensic" in the sense of public discussion and debate. The paper relates that, long before Lewis emerged as a public persuader, he learned to hold his own in private exchanges with William T. Kirkpatrick, his tutor from 1914-1917, and in…

Looks at the changes made in different versions of "Sara Crewe" (better known as "A Little Princess") over the past 110 years. Finds that in all versions that have been adapted in the intervening century, including the most recent film, Sara is different from Frances Burnett's original conceptions--and different in disturbing…

Cites the news story "lead," which tells immediately what the story is about, as necessary for "hooking" the reader. States that leads do not come that easily, but that they must deliver the news. Adds that a good lead should eliminate unnecessary words and select key words. Offers examples of good and bad leads. (PA)

Contends that the index at the back of a book is an important reader service. Discusses how and why to index, and how to make indexes interesting. Outlines programs, such as Filemaker and Adobe, which help the indexing process. (PM)

Suggests newspaper editors and television producers do not have much use for scholars or scholarship. Discusses ways major United States newspapers responded to the publication of the National Reading Panel's report. Suggest the relatively few stories published on the report was due to the fact that the message of the report was not new to…

Notes that the notion of authors consulting their audiences is an old one. Discusses how Homer, Ernest Hemingway, and James Joyce reworked their writing to suit the taste of their audiences. (RS)

Describe the Roman concepts of "decorum" and "ornatus." Analyzes a speech from Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," showing how these concepts advance plot, deepen character, and create expectations. Demonstrates how these concepts are useful in the criticism of American public address by applying them to Ronald Reagan's…

Addresses the following censorship issues: (1) whether a group has the right to impose its world view on another group; (2) whether artistic visions which attack any group's values should be permitted; and (3) the limits of artistic freedom and who defines those limits. Cites examples from various plays through the years. (PA)

Presents an author's frustrations with poor editing in the form of advice from an editor who has been edited. Discusses deciding what to change, grammar and style, and knowing the audience and the author. (RS)

Points out that understanding the buyer's perspective is critical to developing effective marketing materials. Discusses how to determine the buying concerns that are relevant to customers and products and how to organize good marketing writing. (SR)