COMM 1100 - Chapter 15

What are three guidelines for effective informative speaking?

1. Avoid technical language. 2. Personalize your ideas. 3. Avoid abstractions.

In a speech on supervolcanoes, the speaker begins by providing a simple explanation of what supervolcanoes are and how they are formed. Which two guidelines for effective informative speeches does this example illustrate?

1. Don't be too technical. 2. Don't overestimate what the audience knows.

When Joshua gave a speech on heart disease at school, he discussed his grandfather's death from the disease and mentioned a widely liked teacher who was struggling with the disease. By doing this, which two speaking guidelines did Joshua follow successfully?

1. He personalized ideas. 2. He related the topic to the audience.

Kristen tried to tell her audience of inexperienced computer users how to design their own webpage. She used computer terminology but did not clearly define those terms. What two guidelines for effective informative speaking did Kristen not follow?

1. She used language that was too technical for a general audience. 2.She overestimated how much the audience knew about computer programming.

When Gabriela explained to audience members the feeling of isolation, she had them imagine life on a deserted island with only animals to talk to. What two guidelines for informative speaking did Gabriela follow by doing this?

1. She was creative. 2. She avoided abstractions.

What three guidelines should a speaker pay special attention in a speech about a concept?

1. defining terms clearly 2. avoiding technical language 3. using examples and comparisons

Which three actions are important in preparing an informative speech about a process?

1. having concise organization 2. making each step clear 3. including a chart or other visual aid

Jun wanted to give an effective informative speech about rock climbing to an audience that was unfamiliar with the activity. In order to avoid abstractions, he should consider doing what three things?

1. use a comparison to an experience listeners could relate to 2. use concrete language to describe details 3. contrast the danger of the sport to other sports

When giving an informative speech on a subject that is highly technical, which strategy should be used?

Assume that the audience knows nothing about the subject and use very simple language throughout the speech.

During her speech on diabetes, Tomia discussed many facts about its causes and how to treat it. However, she forgot to give real-world examples of people who live with diabetes and didn't mention that her mother was recently diagnosed with the disease. What guideline to effective informative speaking did she not follow?

Personalize your ideas.

Marco gave an informative speech on a new technique for producing prosthetic limbs using 3-D printing. To illustrate the benefits in human terms, he described a patient who was able to compete in a marathon run despite having had one leg amputated. Which guideline for effective informative speaking does this scenario illustrate?

Personalize your ideas.

In concluding her speech on supervolcanoes, Hattie says, "In this speech, I have tried to inform you about the sleeping giants beneath our feet. Right now, magma is dripping ever so slowly into giant chambers in the earth. One day, perhaps thousands of years from now, another supervolcano will explode again, changing our world forever." What guideline for informative speeches does this segment best illustrate?

Relate the subject directly to the audience.

In her speech on voting technology, Vanda asked audience members if they had made their voices heard in the last municipal election. What guideline for effective informative speaking did Vanda's question fulfill?

Relate the subject directly to the audience.

Overestimating an audience's knowledge of your topic is a bigger problem than underestimating it.

True

The type of informative speech that explains an idea or belief is a speech about a or an:

concept

In order to give an interesting, engaging speech, you should not only follow the guidelines for informative speaking but also be _________ and use language imaginatively, descriptively, and clearly.

creative

What quality must a speaker have to achieve all the guidelines for effective informative speaking?

creativity

An informative speech about an event would have a topical organizational pattern unless the purpose is to explain the event's _________. In that case, it should have a chronological pattern.

history

Donna gave a speech on her company's founder. The type of informative speech she gave was a speech about a or an:

object

In relation to an informative speech, anything that has a visible, tangible, and stable form is a or an:

object

Which of the following best defines an event?

something that happens

Which topic would be appropriate for a speech about a process?

starting a campfire

A speaker must avoid using language that is too ________ so that the audience can understand the message.

technical

Which of the following would be a topic for an informative speech about an object?

the Grand Canyon

What organizational pattern would you use if you wanted to inform your audience about the three major sociological approaches?

topical

In which scenario is it acceptable to use technical language in an informative speech?

when the audience specializes in the subject