This concise, practical textbook demonstrates the many ways in which culture influences the public speaking process in contemporary settings. International business, workforce diversity, cross-cultural healthcare, multicultural education, changing domestic demographics, and the growing global interdependencies of all nations have created an environment where public speakers must be aware of the role that culture plays in all communication contexts. Public Speaking in a Multicultural Society: The Essentials moves students from basic concepts to more detailed subjects, but avoids encyclopedic, in-depth treatment of many nonessential theoretical considerations. Every chapter offers a wide selection of domestic and international examples of cultural diversity in order to illustrate concepts. The examples are designed to increase student awareness of such current multicultural and international issues as AIDS, immigration, Iraq, Afghanistan, and family values, without advocating any specific positions. Features: * Contains material on how to adapt the various aspects of public speaking to a multicultural setting and addressing multicultural audiences * Offers comprehensive applied and theoretical coverage on how different cultures view and react to communication * Fuses theoretical and pedagogical practices with "real life" public speaking experiences * Provides practical suggestions for overcoming speech anxiety, and describes methods for improving critical listening skills * Includes a discussion of the ethical dimensions of public speaking * Discusses how to critically evaluate reference sources, with an emphasis on the Internet * Explores effective employment of visual aids, including electronic visual media and cutting-edge technologies that support and enhance public speaking * Integrates activities and exercises at the end of each chapter * Enhances student understanding with chapter summaries and discussion questions * Supplemented by a comprehensive Instructor's Manual/Testing Program that features learning goals, outlined chapter summaries, a test bank including essay questions, and a sample syllabus