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Speech and Oral Communication: Websites

A guide to topic selection & information sources for speech and oral communication.

Recommended Web Sites

Here are a few suggested websites that have good information on public speaking.

Public Speaking Tips
Toastmasters International
Gifts of Speech: Womens' Speeches From Around the World
Hundreds of speeches delivered from 1848 to 2001.
American Rhetoric
Featuring a growing collection of text, audio, and video versions of over 5,000 speeches.

40 Speeches in 2 Minutes

Statistical Data

Here are a few suggested websites that present a large number of statistical studies to help bolster your arguments and presentations.

Center for Disease Control: Data and Statistics
U. S. Health Statistics
Roper Center for Public Opinion
one of the world's leading archives of social science data, specializing in data from surveys of public opinion
Statistical Abstract of the United States
The authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States.

Evaluating Web Sites

Asking these questions will help you to determine whether the resources you find are credible and reliable.

Who created the page? Does the person or organization have the appropriate credentials?
Why was this site created? What is the purpose of the site? For example, is it sponsored by a company that has a financial interest in the topic?
When was the page created and/or last updated? How current is the information?
Does the author cite trustworthy sources? How does the author support their argument?

Learn more about evaluating websites from Cornell University; or print out our handy tipsheet.