Public Speaking The ACA Open Knowledge Online Guide

This E-textbook on public speaking is sponsored by the American Communication Association and is made possible through the voluntary work of many of its members. The book is free to all. Individuals, instructors, and students can download modules (think chapters) and convert them to hard copies as needed. The duplication and distribution of copies only requires the usual documentation giving recognition to the source.

The first edition of this E-textbook on public speaking includes seven modules. The launching of this text is just a start. With feedback from our readership these modules will be revised and updated. Within the next few months, new modules will be added.

Why publish an E-textbook? The main reason is that E-publishing is far less expensive—dramatically so. There are currently three basic ways to deliver content. The first is the traditional way; that is, to print multiple copies, store them in a warehouse, and then transport them to a bookstore where they are stored once more until sold—or returned. The second, and most expensive way, also starts with printed copies, but then these materials are processed yet again so that they can be placed on the Internet. The third way—the method adopted for this textbook—is to bypass the printing press altogether and go directly to the Internet. The Internet way requires the production of only one copy which can be stored and transmitted to any computer on earth, as needed, and at virtually no cost.

Let's take a look at just one example of how expensive it is to deliver content via a traditional textbook. At the University of Nevada, Reno, the book selected for the basic course in communication sells at our campus bookstore for $92 (an amount that exceeds a full-day's income for many of our working students). Ten sections of this class, with 25 students per section, are offered each semester. If all 250 students buy a new book at $92 each they will pay $23,000 per semester or $46,000 per year . . . not counting summer school.

Used books sell for $65. But even if all 250 students per semester are able to buy a used book, the cost would be $16,250 per semester and $32,500 per academic year. New editions usually come out every third year or so. When this occurs all students must bear the cost of a new book. And, of course, a new edition precludes the ability of students to sell an older one (planned obsolescence is very profitable for book companies, but very expensive for students).

The Internet also provides the least expensive way to revise a book. For example, when revising a print text, 90% of the material often remains the same. Nevertheless, the entire book needs to be reproduced in order to include the changes that apply to only 10% of the content. In contrast, revisions of an E-text need only address the desired changes; all other materials remain the same.

E-textbooks—such as this one—can be produced with volunteers and made available for free. However, other E-texts can also be produced and made available for a small fee. Importantly, even "for profit" E-books can be sold for far less than traditional ones. Most could be sold for as little as five to ten dollars while still providing a reasonable profit for authors and publishers. Hands down, the Internet way is the inexpensive way to deliver both original and revised content. And, that's the main reason why digital textbooks will soon dominate over traditional ones.

But there are other advantages in delivering content via the Internet. For example, E-texts can be far more flexible in the kinds of information provided. Traditional textbooks are based on the "one book fits most" philosophy. Accordingly, what gets published in traditional textbooks is the information that most instructors expect to see. The content of traditional texts gravitates toward the mean and that's why they tend to be carbon copies of each other. Under the best of circumstances instructors will usually find that some of the information in traditional texts does not pertain to their particular goals, while more useful information is not available. In contrast, E-content can address a wide variety of interests. Materials that are irrelevant to a particular audience can be ignored; materials that are useful can be downloaded. If an E-text addresses enough topics, an instructor will likely find most of what is needed for a particular class.

E-textbooks are also flexible in the ways in which information is presented; for example, they can include audio-visual content as well as links to other relevant materials. As authors become more familiar with these opportunities they will reinvent the ways in which textbooks are constructed.

Digital content is also attractive to those who hold strong ecological values. A considerable amount of energy and materials are consumed in the production of print content, and, these processes inevitably result in a considerable amount of pollution. Consider the hydrocarbons put into the atmosphere through the annual production and distribution of thousands and thousands of traditional textbooks. How many out-of-date textbooks now reside in landfills? Even if the paper in an obsolete textbook can be reused the required processes are expensive.

Finally, the digital way of producing content has a special appeal to those who believe that useful information should be available to all. The opportunity to provide free educational materials to anyone who has access to a computer has been a major motivation factor for the numerous individuals who have contributed to this E-textbook.

As these and other advantages of E-publishing become increasingly apparent, it is likely that the consuming public will be making larger and larger demands for the Internet option. Some demands will come from scholars who want free or inexpensive access to the professional books and journals required in their teaching and research. Some demands will come from students who are punished unnecessarily by the very high cost of traditional textbooks. Demand will also come from some of us who believe that anyone, anywhere, regardless of their economic status, should have free—or at least very low-fee—access to all knowledge. It's likely that the authors and publishers who respond to these demands will survive and thrive. Those who don't won't.

James L. Owen, Ph.D.
Reno, Nevada
August 15, 2008