Why Should You Include Verbal Citations in Your Speech?
- Build Your Speaking Credibility: Verbal citations demonstrate that your information is supported by reliable sources, strengthening your credibility.
- Avoid Plagiarism: Acknowledging sources helps avoid plagiarism by crediting the original authors.
- Build Trust with Your Audience Members: Audience members are more likely to trust your message when they know your information comes from reputable sources.
- Demonstrate Professionalism: Using verbal citations shows that you have done your research and prepared for your presentation, which reflects professionalism.
How to Write Verbal Citations
- Author’s Name: State the author's name or the organization responsible for the information. Examples of organizations include the National Institute of Health and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Title of the Source or Author’s Credentials: State the book’s title or the article's name. If you gathered a peer or expert testimony through an interview, briefly summarize the author’s experience with the topic. Examples include mentioning the author’s educational or work background.
- Date: State the date of publication. If the source does not have a publication date, state the date you accessed the source.
Examples of Verbal Citations
- Book: According to Adler and co-authors in Understanding Human Communication...
- Journal Article: A journal article published by Jillian Kinzie and George Kuh in Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning in 2017 states…
- Website: The Occupational Employment and Wages for Information Security Analysts by the Bureau of Labor Statistics published in May 2023 indicates…
Final Reminders for Adding Verbal Citations
- Be Concise: To prevent information overload for your audience members, include essential information, such as the author’s name, title of the source, and year of publication.
- Use a Variety of Sources: Use various sources to strengthen your speaking credibility and adapt to the audience’s learning styles.
- Practice: Practice delivering your verbal citations with your speech to sound natural and confident. Remember to state your citations in the body of the speech and introduction (if applicable).