Public Speaking Chapter 7
Primary Source
The original collector and interpreter of information or data
Vertical Search Engine
A Web site that indexes World Wide Web information in a specific field
Analogy
A comparison
Figurative Analogy
A comparison between two essentially dissimilar things that share some common feature on which the comparison depends
Literal Analogy
A comparison between two similar things
Extended Illustration
A detailed example
Preliminary Bibliography
A list of potential resources to be used in the preparation of a speech
Variety
A mix of illustrations, opinions, definitions, and statistics is much more interesting and convincing than the exclusive use of any one type of supporting material.
Explanation
A statement that makes clear how something is done or why it exists in its present form or existed in its past form
Operational Definition
A statement that shows how something works or what it does
Illustration
A story or anecdote that provides an example of an idea, issue, or problem a speaker is discussing
Description
A word picture of something
Boolean Search
An advanced Web-searching technique that allows a user to narrow a subject or key word search by adding various requirements
Hypothetical Illustration
An example that might happen but that has not actually occured
Secondary Source
An individual, organization, or publication that reports information or data gathered by another entity
Expert Testimony
An opinion offered by someone who is an authority on a subject
Literary Quotation
An opinion or description by a writer who speaks in a memorable and often poetic way -- use sparingly
Lay Testimony
An opinion or description offered by a nonexpert who has firsthand experience
Brief Illustration
An unelaborated example, often only a sentence or two long
Humor
Audiences usually appreciate a touch humor in an example or opinion. Only if your audience is unlikely to understand the humor or if your speech is on a very somber and serious topic is humor not appropriate
Magnitude
Bigger is better. Larger numbers, more convincing statistics. More support from experts, more credible
Domain
Category in which a Web site is located on the Internet, indicated by the last three letters of the site's URL
Concreteness
If you need to discuss abstract ideas, explain them with concrete example and specific statistics
A statement about what a term means or how it is applied in a specific instance
Is constructed by both placing a term in the general class to which it belongs and differentiating it from all other members of that class.
Statistics
Numerical Data that summarize facts or samples
Opinions
Statements expressing an individual's attitudes, beliefs, or values
Online Databases
Subscription-based electronic resources that may offer access to abstracts and/ or the full text of entries, as well as bibliographic data
Proximity
The best supporting material is whatever is the most relevant to your listeners, or the closest to home. If you can demonstrate how an incident could affect audience members themselves, that illustration will have far greater impact than a more remote one.
World Wide Web
The primary information-delivery system on the Internet
Suitability
Your final decision about whether to use a certain piece of supporting material will depend on its suitability to you, your speech, the occasion, and -- as we continue to stress throughout the book-- your audience. For example, you would probably use more statistics in a speech to a group of scientists than an after-luncheon talk to the local Rotary Club