Perceptions, Misconceptions, and Final Thoughts

The final section of the book looks to the future for the effective communicator. Here, traditional ideas about public speaking and the connection between the actor’s process and that of many others are revisited. Common apprehensions and misunderstandings about the art and science of public speaking are explored and hopefully dispelled in this chapter. A more specific look at how recent movements in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education have been adjusted to include the Arts and change the acronym to STEAM are also found in this chapter. Lastly, this chapter summarizes the book and encourages the reader to make their own choices about the kind of communicator they wish to be. In a return to the introduction, the concept of embracing the introvert is repeated here as support for the effective communicator in the challenges ahead.