Culture is a powerful force that may affect the reception and acceptance of communication. To determine if culture has an effect on perceived speaker effectiveness, students in one introductory speech communication class in a Florida university and a variety of courses in a university in the Bahamas, were given an 80-item questionnaire that was designed to assess the source of creditiblity of the "best imagined speaker" and to assess a variety of content and delivery variables deemed important to effective public speaking style. Further, data were compared across three cultural groups--Bahamian, Latin American, and Anglo. The primary conclusion drawn from the study was that the speaker perception scales need further refinement. The second conclusion was that Anglos and Latin Americans exhibit essentially the same expectations of a public speaker. There were no significant differences between the perceptions of the "best imagined speaker" of the Anglo and Latin American respondents. Regardless of culture, public speakers should attempt to be dynamic in their delivery and to develop some feeling of association and identification between themselves and their audience members. In addition, speakers should attempt to plan their speeches well, with a well-organized and easy-to-follow pattern of organization. (HOD)