Public Speaking (8th Edition) (MySpeechLab Series)
by Michael Osborn, Suzanne Osborn, Randall Osborn
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Book Summary Information
Author: Michael Osborn, Randall Osborn, Suzanne OsbornEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2008-01-06
ISBN: 020558456X
Number of pages: 544
Publisher: Allyn & Bacon
Book Reviews of Public Speaking (8th Edition) (MySpeechLab Series)
Book Review: Authors suggest avoiding stereotypes but they employ them themselves
Summary: 2 Stars
This is a letter I wrote to the authors (to which they responded but I won't post it there b/c of copyright):
--------------------------------------
Dear Drs. Michael and Suzanne Osborn:
As a student in my first public speaking class, I felt I was benefiting from this textbook and classroom activities. I read about ways to maintain one's credibility through thorough research and avoiding using stereotypes, which impedes the audience's ability to listen critically. Imagine my surprise then, when I came across pages 135-137, where some web sites are listed as resources to understand ethnic/racial/cultural diversity. Under the heading for "Asian American," I couldn't help but notice that the sites are Asian but seem to have little to do with the Asian American experience. I checked out these websites to be sure not to judge prematurely, but sure enough, these sites are all based in Asia! Surely there are plenty of resources for those who truly identify themselves as Asian Americans? It is insulting to me that one would equate the Asian experience with that of the Asian American one. Similarly misguided sites are listed under "European American." Again, those sites seem more to have to do with Europeans than actual European Americans. Perhaps you should have advised those working on this text to check their own stereotypes at the door. I was disappointed yet again when I read page 157, where you raised as an example of questions students might ask during topic briefings, "Why do Asian students often excel in mathematics?" Though I understand people often raise questions like these, it wouldn't hurt to have addressed the racist nature of this sample question. I find any comment based on racial stereotyping racist, be the comment intended to be positive or not.
The above reminded me of yet an earlier example based on stereotypes. Where you discuss emotional reactions to words on page 87, you introduced a hypothetical case of one listener incensed over the speaker's use of the word "girls" to refer to women. In this case, it turns out the speaker goes on to say that "a program aimed at promoting more females is in effect," which seems to somehow suggest that it makes it all better. Though you probably did not intend for the women in the hypothetical case to be promoted without their own merit, it still sounds rather like the program in question encourages the promotion of someone based more on their sex to fill a quota than on merit, which I find intrinsically sexist.
These awkward examples in the book only worked to distract me from critically reading the text, not to mention making me seriously question this book as a credible resource. I highly suggest you rethink these examples for your next edition of what could otherwise be a useful tool for those embarking on their first public speaking courses.
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