I have used this book for a speech class and I have found it to be very adequate. Although at times the examples and some of the explanations seemed to be a bit over simplistic and somewhat irrelevant, most of the book was very concise and well written. If you're looking for a book that covers the basics of public speech including outlining, research and other major topics this is a good book for you. If your looking for a book that delves deeply into the underbelly of public speaking then you would be better off with another book.