Public Address

In its simplest form, public address is the process of giving a speech or presentation to an audience, but the scholarly definition of public address places it as an area of emphasis within the field of communication studies. Academics in the discipline classify public address as, “The study of speakers and speeches, including the historical and social context of platforms, campaigns, and movements” (“What Is Communication?”). Moreover, the National Communication Association, which “advances Communication as the discipline that studies all forms, modes, media, and consequences of communication through humanistic, social scientific, and aesthetic inquiry” (“Resources for Media”), lists public address as one of 48 divisions that comprise the contemporary field of study. The mission statement for the Public Address Division in National Communication Association is ...