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Public speaking often imposes a nerve-wracking atmosphere in the L2 classrooms. Consequently, an alternative to the anxiety-arousing activity by using advanced technology for pedagogy is urgent. Prior publications reported the use of virtual reality (VR) for training public speaking and alleviating students' public speaking anxiety (PSA). However, no latest review in this area has been published. This present study employed a systematic review to delineate the trends in the latest decade (between 2011 and 2023), synthesizing research outcomes, methodologies, loci, participants, treatment duration, and research focuses. This systematic review was based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Conceptual and theoretical studies were removed, yielding 16 studies with empirical data to be thoroughly examined. Most studies indicated the effectiveness of VR for teaching public speaking and reducing speech apprehension. Several gaps were disclosed, such as the inconsistency of the research findings regarding whether the short duration of VR exposure resulted in the statistically non-significant effects, the unequal distribution of research loci which were mostly reported from the US, the UK, and Europe, and the major focus on English as L1 instead of L2 public speaking training. The results of this review suggest that more pertinent studies in countries with EFL or L2 learning contexts and longer treatment duration be conducted and reported in the globally renowned English-language journals to verify the effectiveness of VR technology in treating PSA.

Persuasiveness in oral communication in English can be expressed with various vocal phonetic cues that may not be readily accessible to English second language (L2) learners whose native language may employ a different set of cues. With a goal to increase L2 learners' perceived spoken confidence and persuasiveness, and obtain empirical evidence for phonetic adjustments that native English speakers make to influence listeners, the current study explored the use of consonant prolongation in stressed syllable onsets for emphasis by native British English speakers and English L2 learners. The native speakers' durations of continuant consonants and voiceless stop consonant voice onset times (VOTs) in (1) neutrally-produced speech and (2) persuasively delivered motivational/shocking/emotional messages were compared to Latvian L2 English speakers' productions. The results revealed that in persuasive speech, the British speakers' consonantal durations, particularly those of continuants, got significantly longer relative to the vowels that followed them; for English L2 learners, the duration of consonants did not change as a factor of speech type. This is in line with our previous research with American English speakers and carries implications for L2 speech learning and teaching.

This article explores the nature of the construct underlying classroom-based English for academic purpose (EAP) oral presentation assessments, which are used, in part, to determine admission to programmes of study at UK universities. Through analysis of qualitative data (from questionnaires, interviews, rating discussions, and fieldnotes), the article highlights how, in EAP settings, there is a tendency for the rating criteria and EAP teacher assessors to sometimes focus too narrowly on particular spoken linguistic aspects of oral presentations. This is in spite of student assessees drawing on, and teacher assessors valuing, the multimodal communicative affordances available in oral presentation performances. To better avoid such construct underrepresentation, oral presentation tasks should be acknowledged and represented in rating scales, teacher assessor decision-making, and training in EAP contexts.

The use of peer-assisted learning/mentoring (PALM) and translanguaging (TRL) as inclusive learning strategies to support students' transition into Higher Education and enhance their wellbeing in the post-Covid era has not been widely explored. Lecturers express their deep concern about the mental health issues and lack of confidence an increasing number of learners have faced lately in the UK due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In terms of the present study, 80 undergraduate multilingual students were involved in PALM tasks during which they could use their first language through translanguaging and English, the target language, for one academic semester. The main goal was to ensure they had equal opportunities to develop their oral fluency while preparing group presentations. Paired T-tests were used to compare students' pre- to post-tests scores. In terms of this mixed-methods case study, the researcher also analyzed students' reflective reports and the anonymous feedback learners provided thematically to explore their attitudes. Findings indicated that these two approaches enabled students to improve their academic performance significantly although learners felt uneasy at the beginning. The combination of these two methods created a psychologically safe space as learners gradually developed a personal relationship with their peers. In response to the need for more information, as regards the use of PALM activities and TRL with multilingual learners, this study intends to contribute student voice since the inclusion of learner opinion has been minimal. Recommendations for the successful implementation of these two instructional approaches in undergraduate courses and suggestions for further research are provided.

The doctoral defense is an important step in the doctoral journey and an essential requirement for obtaining a doctoral degree. Past research on the doctoral defense has focused solely on national practices. In this work, I investigate the potential link between the doctoral defense format based on its major and minor elements and the perception of the defense by the student. For this purpose, I first reviewed the different defense formats used internationally to extract the different elements of the doctoral defense, and the literature on students' perceptions of the doctoral defense. Then, I carried out an international survey which received 297 responses, of which 204 were completed surveys which I used for the analysis in this article. I first analyzed the outcomes of the survey using qualitative and quantitative methods, and then cross-correlated the outcomes of defense format with the outcomes of student perception. From this analysis, I observed that the defense elements that positively impact the student's perception are: publication of the thesis before the defense, receiving committee feedback before the defense, knowing the recommendations of one or more committee member in advance, having the supervisor present in the audience or as part of the committee, using a dress code, and including a laudatio. The final conclusion of this work is threefold. The first conclusion is that the details of the defense format impact most the students' perception. The second conclusion is that doctoral students, on average, value the defense as a positive experience. The third conclusion is that the defense format cannot influence two important aspects of how a student perceives the defense: the student's inner life and experience during the defense, and the behavior of the committee members.

The doctoral defence is the oral examination of the doctoral thesis. While it is a major milestone for doctoral candidates, this event is often shrouded in mystery. In this article, I explore the doctoral defence from an international perspective. I have studied the format of the defence based on written testimonies as well as the literature on this topic. From this analysis, I distinguish four main elements of the defence format: (1) timing of the defence with respect to thesis publication, (2) number of steps in the defence, (3) public or private defence, and (4) the timeline of the defence itself. I then use these building blocks of the doctoral defence format to discuss differences and similarities between the formats, and finally to categorize defence formats used internationally by analysing the format of 26 countries, 24 of which use an oral defence format. The result is a deeper understanding of the defence format, which is valuable for candidates, committee members, supervisors, and administrators, and which can also serve the current discussions within the European Union on a standard format for the doctoral defence. Ultimately, understanding the defence format removes the mystery surrounding the defence.

Year-one chemistry students at two different institutions were asked to rate the importance of a series of discipline-specific, transferable and laboratory skills by responding to a series of Likert-type questions. The students at both institutions had studied similar curricula but had different levels of experience of the Context and Problem Based Learning (C/PBL) approach. Analysis of the responses to the questionnaire was conducted by determining the "Level of Importance" (reported as the percentage of students at each Institution rating each skills as "Important" or "Very Important"). Both cohorts assigned a very similar level of importance to all disciplinespecific and laboratory skills (i.e. under 10% difference). There were larger (>15%) differences between responses from the two institutions to statements on two transferable skills: Team-working Skills and Oral Presentation Skills, the cohort with exposure to C/PBL giving the higher level of importance in each case. This study has revealed some potentially important differences in the perceived level of importance chemistry students place on the development of oral presentation and team-working skills which may be related to the use of C/PBL in the early stages of degree programmes. The study has also shown that the level of importance students assign certain transferable skills (such as Problem Solving Skills) may be independent of exposure to C/PBL.

This is an edited transcript of the Caroline Benn Memorial Lecture, given by Ken Jones, at the request of the Socialist Education Association, in November 2020. The lecture situates Caroline's work in the context of the 'Long Revolution' of twentieth century Britain. The lecture discusses the meaning of that revolution for education; it charts the course of the right-wing reaction to it from 1976 onwards, and the growth of managerial cultures at the level of the school which have blocked its further development. The effects within education of the Black Lives Matter and the COVID pandemic have revived, in both practical and ideational ways, some of the themes of the Long Revolution. The lecture argues that this is a change of historical significance. The possibility of change as a collective democratic project has been reawakened.

The discourses around feedback and assessment within higher education are often proliferated as critical to student learning, and attention to student (dis)"satisfaction" is often high on the agenda. As academics spend extensive time and effort on the production of summative feedback, this paper draws on the initial findings from a small-scale study of the use of "Pecha Kucha" as a methodology for formative assessment within two undergraduate modules. The dominant themes suggest some disparity between staff and students regarding the "purpose" of formative assessment and the paper argues that "Pecha Kucha" can be used as a platform to develop assessment dialogues, with the subsequent development of a pedagogic literacy around feedback practices. Furthermore, the value of listening to different narratives from research studies, students and tutors supports the reframing of assessment as a supportive mechanism beyond the elicitation of "proof" of learning.

This paper evaluates 'brand me' presentations as a method for developing employability-related self-confidence (ERSC). Measurements of ERSC were taken at three points in time from a sample of 105 full-time business and law students at a UK university. These were analysed alongside student feedback, assessment artefacts, and semi-structured interviews with students and lecturers. Findings indicate that ERSC increases over time, skills are learnt, and new behaviours are developed. We contribute to sustainable graduate employability literature by empirically demonstrating theoretically proposed links between career management learning and ERSC. Furthermore, we show that self-confidence may be a situated behaviour, rather than a fixed trait, which generates practical suggestions for career management teaching. We join the teaching excellence debate by demonstrating a method to measure learning gain in higher education. We also add to research methods knowledge by adapting an evaluation framework from the Human Resource Development field for use in this context.

The use of group-based, task-oriented, peer interaction formats in classroom and public L2 speaking tests has grown in recent years. However, these assessments have received comparatively little attention when compared to other formats such as the oral proficiency interview (OPI). In order to better understand the local exigencies of this group-based, peer interaction format, the current paper, using a Conversation Analytic (CA) methodology, explores the mechanisms through which consequences are brought about in such highly task-oriented, collaborative discourse. In doing so, I report on examinees' use of directives to shape the emerging interactional agenda and so negotiate deontic rights relative to their co-participants. There is a focus, in particular, on the turn design and sequential placement of these directives and, from this, it is shown how different linguistic formats correlate to a propensity for recipients to either endorse (that is, enact) or circumvent (ignore, challenge) the interactional agenda imposed by said directive. Finally, this paper discusses some of the implications these findings have in terms of learner and assessor training.

We evaluate feedback methods for oral presentations used in training non-quantitative research skills (literature review and various associated tasks). Training is provided through a credit-bearing module taught to MSc students of banking, economics and finance in the UK. Monitoring oral presentations and providing "best practice" feedback is very resource-intensive. Do we withdraw oral presentations from the module, because best feedback practice is prohibitively expensive in a world of limited resources, or choose a second-best alternative? To what extent might the latter compromise intended learning outcomes? We used the same provision of video feedback for all students but used two verbal feedback regimes. For one regime, we decreased the amount of verbal feedback and increased the number of presentations. The impact was measured by academic outcome, rating scales and questionnaire. Overall satisfaction with the module was very high for both feedback regimes, and there were no statistically significant differences between regimes, suggesting that less resource-intensive methods need not compromise learning outcomes.

Following the devastating result of the May 2015 general election in the UK, the Institute for the Art and Practice of Dissent at Home organised "Compassion is dissent: Manifesto Slam." It put out an open call for participants, asking them to bring a three-minute manifesto as means of admission to the event. Here, the Institute showcases three manifestos and also presents the manifesto developed in response to a commission from the Live Art Development Agency for "Through the Looking Glass" Art Festival in St Helens in 2015.

This case study critically evaluates benefits and challenges of a form of assessment included in a final year undergraduate Religious Studies Open University module, which combines a written essay task with a digital audio recording of a short oral presentation. Based on the analysis of student and tutor feedback and sample assignments, this study critically examines how teaching and learning practices linked to this novel form of assessment have been iteratively developed in light of the project findings over a period of two years. It concludes that while this form of assessment poses a number of challenges, it can create valuable opportunities for the development of transferable twenty-first-century graduate employability skills as well as deep, effective learning experiences, particularly-- though not exclusively--in distance learning settings.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of using summative peer assessment to develop enterprise skills within higher education. Design/methodology/approach: An empirical investigation analysing students own perceptions of the peer assessment process to evaluate its impact. Findings: Participating students indicate that peer assessment aided the achievement of an enterprise learning outcome relating to persuading and influencing. They also report developing skills that will be useful for the workplace, and identify additional learning benefits. Qualitative feedback suggests some discomfort with the inherent non-traditional instructor-learner relationship. Research limitations/implications: Acknowledging the limitations of using students' own perceptions, the narrow focus on one course and the singular experience of summative peer assessment this investigation highlights the need for additional research into the impact of pedagogies where "teachers" deliver more of a facilitation role. Practical implications: The study reinforces the need for educators to invest time and effort in explaining the processes and issues involved with peer assessment. It highlights the contribution that creative industries' educators might be able to make to the wider development of enterprise skills across higher education disciplines. Originality/value: The study contributes to two important but under-explored areas of educational research: the development of enterprise skills outside the business school and the use of peer assessment within enterprise education. It provides a case study for non-traditional assessment and identifies a key challenge associated with the emergent pedagogical approach of heutagogy.

Many controversial subjects characterize geography in the 21st century. Issues such as climate change, sustainability and social exclusion generate much discussion and often involve clear differences in opinion of how they might be addressed. Higher education is an important space for critical engagement with challenging issues. Preparing for and participating in debates enables students to develop critical thinking skills, alongside a variety of oral presentation and discussion skills. This paper reflects on the potential for teaching through debate in geography. The arguments are illustrated through a debate about whether asylum seekers should be allowed to work in the UK. (Contains 4 tables, 1 figure, and 1 note.)

In this paper, we employ cultural sociology and Braj Kachru's model of World Englishes as theoretical and analytical tools for considering English as a form of capital necessary for widely disseminating research findings from local networks of practice to the greater science education research community. We present a brief analysis of recent authorship in top-tier science journals to demonstrate the salience of English language dominance as an issue in our field and we share narrative reflections from 11 international science education researchers offering perspectives from the field about the challenges faced by researchers in local and global contexts. Using an interpretive research stance, we discuss these narrative reflections to illuminate the role of personal and collective responsibility of individuals, organizations and institutions within local social networks of practice to recognize the relationship between capital, power, and equitable participation within a global science education research community. We conclude by discussing some existing structures within local networks of practice that relegate some members of the community to peripheral participatory roles in the global community and we suggest new structures to support individuals to more equitably contribute to the production of knowledge in the field of science education in ways that benefit not only individuals, but also the global science education community. (Contains 2 figures and 3 tables.)

Discusses why many girls relative to boys experience difficulties when required to speak in formal, public, or unfamiliar contexts. While girls are recognized as good at using collaborative talk in small groups, the public voice is valorized in the world outside school. Reviews current debate in Britain on underachieving boys in light of the discrepancy between what constitutes success in school, and what constitutes success in the adult world. (Author/VWL)

Clementine Rees Brown reports on this year's BOC, which featured a dental nursing programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the communication style used by officials in public media to announce the decisions taken and the necessary measures in relation to the restriction of the spread of Covid-19. Two case studies with Bulgaria and the United Kingdom will be observed illustrating two different kinds of rhetoric and outlining the cultural differences from the perspective of Hofstede's cultural dimension theory. In Bulgaria, the announcements used in public speaking to the people about the pandemic measures were focused on provoking an emotional response from the negative spectrum such as instigating fear and panic. In the UK, the Government's statements were appealing to the positives of compassion, national pride, and constructive action with everyone's involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the importance of communication skills, the high incidence of communication apprehension felt amongst accounting students is concerning. Much research has investigated apprehension towards oral communication and has confirmed public speaking as the mode which raises the greatest fear amongst students. Despite widespread evidence of this apprehension, little research has considered the explanations of students for these feelings. This study provides confirmatory evidence of levels of apprehension towards presenting felt by new first year undergraduate accounting students attending a British university. It then seeks to establish possible reasons for the apprehension by considering student reflections of presenting. Three groups, identified as those who are apprehensive, those who are confident and those who have overcome apprehension, reveal differing explanations for levels of apprehension experienced. The study provides a unique insight into reasons that students feel apprehension towards presenting. Further studies in other settings would provide greater insights into this important area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the collection of articles authored by occupational therapist Ann Wilcock about her work. Topics mentioned include her definition of the concepts of occupation and health, the impact of Wilcock's work on research published between 1993 and 2007, and the views of people with severe mental health conditions participating in an Occupation Matters Programme.

The paper focuses on phonetic characteristics of public speaking in British English representing political discourse. Public speaking, especially by professional public speakers - leading State figures intends not only at providing essential information but also at convincing the audience of certain standpoints and affecting it emotionally. Accordingly public speeches require adequate phonetic means to achieve the effect; they pertain both to segmental and supra-segmental levels of speech, including intonation. The aim of the present analysis is to register ways by which a State figure attains the impression of prominence within the framework of publicistic style of intonation, mostly the use of nuclear tones, pausation and realizing function words as stressed segments. The material of the analysis includes a speech by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Cameron on life chances in the UK (t = 41' 23''), delivered on 11 January 2016. What contributes considerably to the expressive potential of the style is a regular usage of one of the falling tones in non-final tone units, a relatively high percentage of high falling tones, the use of a special rise, variation of the pause length, prominent function words, segmentation of an utterance into tone units of different length according to the interpretation of the piece of information, and the speaker's voice timbre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medical leadership and management (MLM) skills are essential in preventing failings of healthcare; it is unknown how these attitudes can be developed during undergraduate medical education. This paper aims to quantify interest in MLM and recommends preferred methods of teaching and assessment at UK medical schools. Two questionnaires were developed, one sent to all UK medical school faculties, to assess executed and planned curriculum changes, and the other sent to medical students nationally to assess their preferences for teaching and assessment. Forty-eight percent of UK medical schools and 260 individual student responses were recorded. Student responses represented 60% of UK medical schools. 65% of schools valued or highly valued the importance of teaching MLM topics, compared with 93.2% of students. Students' favoured teaching methods were seminars or lectures (89.4%) and audit and quality improvement (QI) projects (77.8%). Medical schools preferred portfolio entries (55%) and presentations (35%) as assessment methods, whilst simulation exercises (76%) and audit reports (61%) were preferred by students. Preferred methods encompass experiential learning or simulation and a greater emphasis should be placed on encouraging student audit and QI projects. The curriculum changes necessary could be achieved via further integration into future editions ofTomorrow’s Doctors. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article focuses on the lack of public speaking skills of members of the lower classes in England during the early modern period. Topics mentioned include the historical description of "plebeian inarticulacy," the social injustice regarding oratory, and the consequences of inarticulacy over plebeians' relations with their superiors.

While there is an acknowledgement in apology research that political apologies are highly mediated, the process of mediation itself has lacked scrutiny. This article suggests that the idea of reconstruction helps to understand how apologies are mediated and evaluated. David Cameron's apology for Bloody Sunday is examined to see how he constructs four aspects of apology: social actors, consequences, categorization, and reasons. The reconstruction of those aspects by British, Unionist, and Nationalist press along with reconstructions made by soldiers in an online forum are considered. Data analysis was informed by thematic analysis and discourse analysis which helped to explore key aspects of reconstruction and how elements of Cameron's apology are altered in subsequent mediated forms of the apology. These mediated reconstructions of the apology allowed their authors to evaluate the apology in different ways. Thus, in this article, it is suggested that the evaluation of the apology by different groups is preceded by a reconstruction of it in accordance with rhetorical goals. This illuminates the process of mediation and helps to understand divergent responses to political apologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reflects on her experience transitioning from a vocal and drama educator to assisting adults and business professionals with vocal development and public speaking. She discusses business professionals' main areas of concern, such as volume of voice, clarity of delivery, and monotone voices, describes the development of her "Loud & Clear" vocal coaching workshop, and offers suggestions for those looking to brand themselves and begin a vocal coaching business.

The final assessment for all psychology courses in the department of interdisciplinary studies, MMU Cheshire programmes, in the past 10 years has been a presentation of project work at an undergraduate conference. It is argued that this acts as an ‘authentic’ assessment method which helps prepare students for future experiences. Alumni who commented on their experience of the assessment noted an increased confidence in their presentation skills, communication skills, pride in their research, and a sense of professionalism. In general it was viewed retrospectively as a valuable learning experience and social event. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The death of New Labour was announced very publicly in the autumn of 2010; its muse, or alter ego, the Third Way, on the other hand, seemed to have slipped away unnoticed. This article takes the form of an obituary of the Third Way - a partial biography and retrospective assessment of its provenance, influences and significance - which can also serve as an introduction to the Third Way in Britain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article references the paper published by the journal in 2015 on the association between day of admission and mortality, which health secretary Jeremy Hunt apparently used in his House of Commons speech on July 16, 2015, claiming that 6,000 people die yearly because of lack of a proper seven day service in hospitals. Topics discussed include where the 6,000 figure came from, whether the Department of Health (DH) commissioned the new analysis, and whether data were shared with the DH.

This article presents a discussion of the journalist and activist Ida B. Wells, focusing on her travel to Great Britain in the 1890s. Wells undertook the trip in order to speak publicly on the lynchings which were common in the southern U.S. at that time. Quotes from her articles and books recounting her travels and views are included. The ways in which her work and words defied social stereotypes of the time are analyzed. Well's pleasure at being treated courteously by white British people is noted. Some background information is provided in terms of her experiences in the U.S. as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses some aspects of Edmund Burke's practical rationale for publishing parliamentary oratory in Great Britain. The reason why Burke issued certain parliamentary speeches as separate publications was examined, and its explanation was also discussed. The author notes that separate publication was necessary for the parliamentary speeches that Burke issued to work their proper effect in parliament, and beyond.

The article discusses British Marxist historian Eric J. Hobsbawm's rhetorical style in debates concerning the labour movement in Great Britain. The rhetoric of realistic Marxism introduced by Hobsbawm to the debates concerning labour movement is stated to constitute a significant part of the rhetorical strategy countering the arguments of the members of the Left. It is stated that Hobsbawm's rhetorical style included vivid, plausible metaphors. His rhetoric of realistic Marxism prepared the ground for the policies of British Prime Minister Tony Blair for the British Labour Party.

• The aim of this study was to evaluate the educational value and impact upon staff of critical care lecturer practitioners • Data were collected through three staff focus groups ( n = 21) and a questionnaire completed by 70 members of trust or university staff • A majority of respondents felt that the lecturer practitioner roles had considerable effect upon adult critical care services • Six main categories of findings were derived from analysis and integration of both focus group and questionnaire data – development of knowledge; staff support; being a teacher; developing and maintaining the workforce; role improvement plus removal of the lecturer practitioner role • Many of these findings concur with the limited quantity of evaluative literature on the lecturer practitioner role • The authors produced a report recommending continued funding for existing lecturer practitioner posts; introduction of more lecturer practitioner posts should be considered, and further role evaluation should be conducted at both a local and national level [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the control of development in a local authority in the United Kingdom asking whether public participation in planning meetings alters outcomes. Describes how the present system in the United Kingdom is 'plan-led' but development is subject to the control of politicians; Recent developments to open up local decision making to greater citizen involvement.

Examines how features of authentic talk can be deployed in political broadcasting by analyzing a Party Election broadcast from Great Britain. Uses of authenticity in an election broadcast; Relationship between language and the public sphere; Genres of politics; Focus on discourse ethics; Clustering of discourse markers.

Amongst the writing spawned by parliamentary debate as an intercollegiate forensics activity, there has been a dearth of material relating to foreign parliamentary debating. The writer notes the emergence of international parliamentary debating and, specifically, parliamentary debate's British roots. The writer provides an examination of the ways that U.S. debating in general, and parliamentary debating in particular, might benefit from aspects of the British experience. In addition, a brief overview is given of both the structure and style of British debating and of the organizational apparatus which supports it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis of sentence lengths in the inaugural speeches of US presidents and the annual speeches of UK party leaders is carried out. Transcripts of the speeches are used, rather than the oral production. It is discovered that the average sentence length in these speeches decreases linearly with time, with the slope of 0.13 ± 0.03 words/year. It is shown that among the analyzed distributions (log-normal, folded and half normal, Weibull, generalized Pareto, Rayleigh) the Weibull is the best distribution for describing sentence length. These two results can be considered a consequence of the principle of least effort. The connection of this principle with the well-known principles of maximum and minimum entropy production is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores some aspects of public speaking in the mediated public sphere by examining the verbal tributes offered by the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, by the Queen and by Earl Spencer in the aftermath of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. It considers some of the linguistic properties of these three public utterances, but focuses mainly on the ways in which they were assessed by members of 'the public', in order to explore possible changes to the discursive character of the public sphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provides some insights into the history of electioneering in Great Britain in 1964 citing the importance of local public meetings and public speaking engagements by politicians. Use of television as a medium for political campaigns by politicians and political parties; Nature and significance of the television campaign; Indications of politics and publicity.

Evaluates some of the commonly held notions about British debates. History of university debating unions; Background on the union of the Oxford University; Rules of debating; Qualities of the British university debater.

Focuses on the role of public speaking in the early years of the British Labour Party. Background and reputation of the party; Importance of speech in the political sector; Organization and growth of the party's speaking program; Obstacles faced by speakers of the political party.