COM 1010 - Essentials of Public Address: Home

Step 1: Get attention

Whether through humor, a shocking statistic or a story, grab the audience's attention. 

Step 2: Develop a sense of urgency

Make a statement, communicate a need, and provide further evidence. 

Step 3: Satisfy the Need/Want

Come right out and say what you're advocating for. How does this action address the problem stated in step 2? Use external evidence to support your proposal. Address counter arguments. 

Step 4: Visualize the Results

Paint a picture of how much better life could be for the audience if they agree with your argument. 

Step 5: Call to Action

Tell the audience how to address the issue - encourage a buyer to make a purchase, a voter to call their senator, etc. 

A scholarly article, sometimes referred to as a peer-reviewed article, is one that's been written by a scholar in the field. Its intended audience is other scholars in the area and it is intended to share research about a topic. When it is peer-reviewed, other scholars and experts in the field review the article and make recommendations before it is published.

Finding the right level of research is an important first step. Consider whether your topic is too broad (you're getting too many results or they're not relevant enough to your topic) or too narrow (you're finding too few results). 

Use these handouts to help you narrow or broaden your topic and identify keywords:

People write for many different reasons - to inform, entertain, persuade, mislead, satirize, describe, etc. and the quality of the information can depend on the reason it was written or shared. Information changes as new facts, data, and knowledge comes to light. In an academic assignment, it is important to use information that is reliable, accurate, objective, and up-to-date. You will need to evaluate each source you locate, to determine if it is something that will support or contradict your thesis and/or topic. You will look at more sources than you need, and that is okay, and encouraged! The more sources you read, the more informed you are about the topic and can pick the best resources for your assignment.

Below is a list of videos, eBooks, and websites that can help you evaluate information and sources.

Encyclopedias can be a great place to start this research. Use these resources to get topic ideas or for background information.