A favorite with students, Sellnow/Verderber's THE CHALLENGE OF EFFECTIVE SPEAKING IN A DIGITAL AGE, 18th Edition, equips you with the skills you need to become a confident public speaker in both in-person and virtual settings. Its signature six key Speech Plan Action Steps guide you step-by-step through topic selection, audience analysis and adaptation, effective research, organization (with an emphasis on outlining), a wide variety of presentational aids (including how to avoid succumbing to "death by PowerPoint"), and language and delivery. Online tools -- including videos of student speeches accompanied by critical assessment questions and a robust MindTap Speech digital learning solution -- further develop and strengthen your public speaking skills. Grounded in the latest research and best practices, this bestseller is an exceptional resource for creating and delivering speeches.

Rudolph F. Verderber is a Distinguished Teaching Professor of Communication Emeritus at the University of Cincinnati, and the former National Speaker's Association Professor of the Year. He is also one of the all-time bestselling communication studies authors. The strength of his basic texts lies in his ability to explain and exemplify concepts, theories and skills to introductory level students. His Cengage texts (Communicate!, The Challenge of Effective Speaking, COMM, and SPEAK) have a reputation for being student favorites due to their accessible presentation of theory and skills.