Dakota Horn
Publications
Here is a sampling of Dakota's research and publications.
Exploring Communication Anxiety and Apprehension: Research, Pedagogy and Practice
COMING 2026
Principles of Public Speaking
Now in its 21st edition, this introductory public speaking textbook encourages the reader to see public speaking as a way to build community in today’s diverse world.
Within a framework that emphasizes speaker responsibility, listening, and cultural awareness, this classic book uses examples from college, the workplace, and political and social communication to make the study of public speaking relevant, contemporary, and exciting. Balancing skills and theory, new author Dakota Horn provides expanded coverage of speaking anxiety and understanding and delivering digital presentations along with two new chapters on culture and diversity and diversifying speeches. Each chapter also contains in-class applied activities to support students' learning.
This textbook is ideal for general courses on public speaking as well as specialized programs in business, management, political communication, and public affairs.
Exploring Speech Anxiety: Managing our Nerves to Share our Stories
The literature supports three simple ways to effectively manage speech anxiety in the public speaking course: 1) acknowledge the reality of speech anxiety, its variability, and its effect on students, 2) reframe what we regard as “good public speaking” in a way that is more nuanced, story-focused, and authentic for all presenters, opportunities, and audiences while rejecting the ”one size fits all” approach, and 3) empower all students with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities to develop their own authentic communication style that is genuine to their truth, culture, and lived experiences.
The Use of Humor and Storytelling Skills as a Best Practice in Demonstrating Communication Proficiency
This chapter provides a review of benefits of using humor and storytelling for communication instructors, trainers, and consultants. The chapter reviews why these two instructional variables are crucial to establishing communication proficiency. Humor and storytelling have a long list of potential benefits to help with engagement, participation, retention, demonstrating relevance, and other potential positive outcomes. This chapter discusses these connections and the essential nature of these two training elements.
Being the punch line: Using self-disparaging humor to connect with the audience
A humorous approach to teaching with humor.
Accessibility in computer-mediated business training
A thorough review of how to incorporate accessibility practices while designing training.
Exploring Speech Anxiety: Managing our Nerves to Share our Stories
This provides a quick and applied case study dealing with social media communication in relationships.
Civic Engagement Embedded in the Introductory Communication Course
This article is an exploration of a current practice implementing civic engagement in the general education curriculum. At the university examined in this article, all students complete a civic engagement requirement in the oral communication course. The authors provide justification for why institutional initiatives are not enough to accomplish the goals of civic engagement but must be embedded in a particular course, assignment, and learning outcome. The article uses the personal perspective of the General Education Assessment Coordinator, Director of the Oral Communication course, and a student who completed the assignment to share the successes of this practice.