The Successful Speaker's Guide: Assess Your Strengths, Find Your Tools, and Enhance Your Confidence compiles original material and reading selections that help readers assess their own strengths and weaknesses as speakers, and uses specific tools to prepare the perfect speech for any occasion. Filled with expert guidance for speaking successfully in class, or in professional or social settings, the text focuses on practical tips and real-world applications.

Rooted in the belief that good communication skills are the secret to advancing in a career, working well in a team, negotiating, relating to customers, and building great relationships with colleagues, the fifteen chapters discuss every aspect of public speaking from tips for speech preparation to the psychology of audiences. The book also includes information on choosing a speech topic and determining the speech's purpose, using visual and sensory aids, overcoming speaker's anxiety, and incorporating research into a speech.

The Successful Speaker's Guide enables student-readers to decide what tools are available to support successful speaking and how they want to make use of these tools in ways that are comfortable and appropriate for the situation. It is an ideal text for public speaking or introductory communication courses.

Richard Bukoski earned his master's degree in adult and community education at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and has had a successful career as a TV and radio reporter, news anchor, news director, and professional public speaker. He is now a Ph.D. candidate in communications media and instructional technology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and an assistant professor at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College, where he heads the communications and media production programs. In addition, Professor Bukoski teaches public speaking and broadcast journalism at the University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown, where he also serves as chair of the media board for WUPJ-TV.