Publication Date

1983

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Scantlen, Anthony J.

Degree Name

M.A. (Master of Arts)

Legacy Department

Department of Journalism

LCSH

Communication in management; Public speaking

Abstract

The goal of this study was to determine the effects of an experimental speaker training program through the use of appropriate experimental research procedures. The hypothesis was: Speakers will be perceived to communicate a more effective message to their audience after they have experienced the alternative speaker training program. A group of eight business communicators were selected randomly and then assigned to either an experimental or a control group, with each group containing four subjects. The four experimental subjects received speaker training from the alternative program while the four control subjects received no speaker training. After speaker training of the experimental subjects was completed, all eight subjects were then instructed to prepare a five- minute "presentation" on a given topic. Presentations were videotaped for evaluation. Two separate groups of judges rated the subjects without knowing the subjects' status as experimental or control. Differences between the two groups were evaluated through the appropriate statistical tests. The findings of this study were significant in all but one of the evaluative categories used. In that category, no significant difference was found in favor of the experimental group. Otherwise, findings from both sets of judges supported this study's hypothesis. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that speakers who underwent the alternative speaker training program were perceived to communicate a more effective message to their audience.

Comments

Bibliography: pages 81-84.

Extent

vii, 145 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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