One of the major problems facing the profession of speech communication is the need for an increased concern with teaching the "basics" involved in listening carefully and speaking clearly and with vigor. Speech communication educators must take great care in defining the basics of discourse; they should teach the mechanics of grammar and syntax in context, teach a concern for the primacy of substance and ideas, and stress the need for clarity and precision of language. A second problem is the need to demonstrate a concern for clarity and precision in public discourse. Two current abuses of the public language are "doublespeak," an inaccurate use of language, and "psychobabble," an imprecise use of terms denoting psychological states. A third major problem is the need for an increased concern with the value-laden aspects of discourse. Many public figures have spoken with intensity and direction in confronting value-laden choices, among them Adlai Stevenson, Margaret Chase Smith, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Martin Luther King. (GW) *