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Heather Best

SPCH 3320

Dr. McIntyre

March 8, 2017

What Role does Public Speaking Play in Creating Better Social Worlds

In this paper, I will discuss the role public speaking plays in creating

better social worlds. I will also talk about how class assignments have helped

me to acknowledge how to better articulate and critically think about my role

in creating better social worlds.

It is not an understatement to say that America is deeply divided in

terms of worldview, morals, and values at this time. It is probably not an

understatement to say that America has always been this way. Public

opinions, perspectives, and policy has always been hotly debated by differing

segments of the populations. Public controversies involve the choices we

must make as citizens; they affect the whole community, perhaps even the

nation or the world (J. Michael Hogan, 2014, p. 328). The problem is in

knowing which of the choices we must make are the right ones for the

community or nation.

Public Speaking is powerful in sharing and spreading ideas and

knowledge to those who might not have otherwise considered or been aware

of certain information. I often see fear or anger used to push the public

narrative. Weve been taught by media outlets, blogs, and online

communities about the people we should fear and the ones we should revile.
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However, this atmosphere of fear and anger does not carry within itself an

ethical way to present truth.

To create better social worlds, dialogue needs to happen with accurate

statistics and facts. The atmosphere should not be one that overloads your

emotions to sway you to a certain opinion. The inappropriate use of

inflammatory language to sway an audience should not be in every headline.

We have a responsibility to use our public platforms to work toward

reaching out to different demographics to create the best policies for the

most people. A public platform is a powerful position that enables a person to

persuade for good or for evil. Every day, new controversies arise over our

nations economic, social, and political problems and policies. As citizens, we

need to participate in public discussions of these important issues (J.

Michael Hogan, 2014, p. 329).

For example: My neighbor said she moved from Chicago to Florida

because of all the Syrian refugees that were resettled there. She is a

conservative woman with a kind heart, always babysitting and walking other

peoples pets for free. Some people would think she was hateful for her

attitude toward refugees. I think she has simply been getting her information

from fear-mongering news sites. I kindly told her that I volunteer with a

refugee resettlement organization. She seemed taken aback by the fact that

I would do that. I told her that I know Syrian families. They had escaped from

Syria when the war began. They had lost family members and had little

children they wanted to be out of danger.

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My neighbor then stated that she thought they took up too much of our

money that could go to our people here. I informed her that most refugees

are self-sufficient within six months of arriving, they have to pay back their

plane ticket over a period of time, and that they cant get aid unless they

enroll and stay in English courses.

She ended the conversation quickly after that. Maybe I didnt change

her mind that day, but I planted a seed that has the possibility of growing.

This is what creating better social worlds look like. It is dialogue and public

speaking that takes away the fear and the unknowns with knowledge. It

invites people to take a different look at things that they have always seen

one way. Its how I changed from being a die-hard conservative, Christian

Fundamentalist to a child of the worldby daring to look at ideas that were

forbidden, by seeking out other voices and listening, even if at first it made

me cringe. I was tired of living in fear, and thankfully, there were positive,

public role models to light a path for me. My social worldview has improved

dramatically because there was someone voicing another way.

In class, I think the Who Am I assignment and the Audience

Analysis assignment were great tools to help me evaluate what my own

values are and where I could be biased. It also helped to understand that my

perspective is going to be vastly different from other people. This

understanding needs to be applied accordingly. Thinking about who is going

to be in my audience should affect my presentation. People have different

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priorities and life issues that they want addressed. If they cant relate to my

material in some way, they are not going to take me seriously.

In conclusion, I have discussed the roles public speaking plays in

creating better social worlds. I have given examples and I have mentioned

several assignments that furthered this knowledge.

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References
J. Michael Hogan, P. H. (2014). Public Speaking and Civic Engagement. Upper Saddle

River: Pearson.