PRODUCTIVE SPEECH COMMUNICATION
FOR BUSINESS AND THE PROFESSIONS
by JAMES N. HOLM SR, and JAMES N. HOLM, JR.
Rev. edition, 495 pages, $27.95
ISBN 978-0-89641-149-4
This book is designed for courses in business and professional
speech communication. It orients the student to the place and
importance of effective speech communication in business, industry,
and the professions; develops an understanding of the basic process
of communication; considers the importance of good listening and
outlines the various kinds of listening; and describes and provides
specific methods and strategies for the four specific communicative
situations in which the business or professional person will be
involved, namely, interpersonal speaking (person-to-person), interviewing,
group situations (conferences and meetings), and public speaking.
It is written directly to the student with ample illustrative
material, and organization is clear to facilitate the assignment
of certain topics or segments to best follow individual course
structures. The material is a blend of the authors' experiences
as university teachers and as consultants in business and industry.
As such, it combines sound academic theory with the pragmatic
approach of the business world.
Contents
PART ONE: THE CONTEXT
Chapter
1: SPEECH COMMUNICATION IN BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY
Today's Industrial Society Compels Improved Communication
Communication Generates Organization
Effective Speech Is Vital to the Total Communication Pattern of
an Enterprise
Chapter
2: COMMUNICATION: PROCESS AND ORGANIZATIONAL FLOW
The Communication Process Is a Joint Dynamic Interaction of Four
Elements
Obstacles Developed in the Communicative Process Impede or Prevent
Mutual Understanding
The Communication Process Is Part of an Organization Matrix
Seven Principles Offer Guides to Better Speaking
Chapter
3: THE PEOPLE WITH WHOM YOU COMMUNICATE
The Study of Behavior Is Based on Certain Assumptions and Principles
The elements of Behavior Provide a Basis for Understanding People
Effective Communication Must Take Account of Individual Differences
PART TWO:
THE PERSON
Chapter
4: THE RESPONSIBLE COMMUNICATOR
Begin with Honest Self-Appraisal
Avoid the Pitfall of a Hollow Image
You Must Satisfactorily Resolve Five Problems
Freedom Affords Opportunity for Excellence: Excellence Makes Freedom
Significant
The Responsible Communicator Seeks Excellence as a Person
Chapter
5: LISTENING FOR COMMUNICATION
The Listener Shares Responsibility for Productive Communication
Listening Is a Selective Mental-Emotional Activity
By Observing Guide-Lines You Can Improve Listening
Practice in Putting the Listening Guide-Lines to Work Will Improve
Your Communication
PART THREE:
INTERACTING WITH PEOPLE
Chapter
6: PERSON-TO-PERSON SPEAKING—INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS
The Open and Closed Self. Interpersonal Motivation
Non-Verbal Expression
Good Interpersonal Relations Are Needed
Good Interpersonal Relationships Can Be Cultivated by Practice
Chapter
7: PERSON-TO-PERSON SPEAKING—LANGUAGE
Language is a Complex System of Symbols through which We Relate
to Things, People and Ideas
Language Critically Influences Human Behavior
Follow the Principle that Words Don't Mean, but People Do
Chapter
8: INTERVIEWING
An Interview Is a Planned and Purposive Conversation
There are Many Kinds of Interviews
An Interview Seeks a Definite Goal
Plan the Interview Carefully
The Interview Will Be Structured or Organized.
Interviews Must Often Be Followed Up
Chapter
9: CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS
A Conference Is an Opportunity for People to Think Creatively
Together
The Conference Method Organizes the Interactions of People Thinking
Together
A Meeting Is an Occasion for Presenting Prepared Messages
All Conferences and Meetings Should Be Carefully Planned
PART FOUR:
SPEAKING TO GROUPS
Chapter
10: THE WHY OF PUBLIC SPEAKING
Public Speaking Is Planned Conversations with a Group of Listeners
Good Public Speaking Is Vital in a Variety of Business, Professional,
and Industrial Situations
Your Listeners Have Rights: You Have Obligations
Your Talk Must Seek a Chosen Response from Your Listeners
Chapter
11: PLANNING YOUR TALK
Choose a Subject that Will Provide You with a Significant Message
and Prepare to Be Master of that Subject
Understand the People You Will Be Talking to and the Circumstances
of the Meeting
Write Down a Statement of Your Exact Purpose
Explore and Analyze Your Subject to Decide What Should Be Said
Write Down Your Central Idea
Chapter
12: ARRANGING YOUR TALK
The Persuasive Pattern Affords a Psychologically Functional Speech
Arrangement
Each Phase of the Persuasive Pattern Advances You Toward Your
Goal
The Order in which You Build a Talk Is Not the Order in which
You Give It
Make an Outline of All Key Ideas in the Order of Presentation
Chapter
13: DEVELOPING YOUR TALK
Establish Credibility and Create Good Will through What You Say
Choose Appropriate Supporting Detail
Organize Each Speech Unit to Suit the Listeners' Attitudes
Make Your Language Sparkle
Make Clear the Sequence and Relationship of Your Ideas
You May Use Speech-Unit Methods in All Speaking Situations
Chapter
14: PRESENTING YOUR TALK
Put Yourself in the Right Frame of Mind
Use the Most Suitable Method of Presentation
What the Audience Sees Should Be Part of Your Message
The Farthest Person Visible Should Hear and Understand You Easily
Make Any Question Period an lntegral Part of Your Presentation
SUGGESTED
READINGS
INDEX
About
the Author
Dr.
James N. Holm has been an instructor at either the secondary
or college level for over forty years. He received his B.S. in
Education from Kent State University, a Ph.M. from the University
of Wisconsin, and Ph.D. from Case-Western Reserve University.
He began his teaching in the Ohio public schools, followed by
two years at Montana State University. He returned to Kent State
in 1939 where he taught until 1973. In addition to his academic
career, Dr. Holm has been a consultant and teacher for the B.F.
Goodrich Company, the Firestone Tire & Rubber Company, Ohio
Bell Telephone Company, Standard Oil of Ohio, Ernst & Ernst,
and the Terex Division of General Motors. He is listed in Who's
Who in the Midwest (1952), Who's Who in American Education (1968),
and Directory of American Scholars (1969). He was also named Outstanding
Teacher by the Ohio Speech Communication Association in 1971 and
has authored five books and 14 periodical articles. James N. Holm,
Jr. is an instructor in the department of English at the University
of Michigan—Flint.