Business Communication for Success - Chapter 5

Toulmin's Three-Part Rhetorical Strategy

1. Claim: Your statement of belief or truth It is important to spay or neuter your pet. 2. Data: Your supporting reasons for the claim Millions of unwanted pets are euthanized annually. 3. Warrant: You create the connection between the claim and the supporting reasons Pets that are spayed or neutered do not reproduce, preventing the production of unwanted animals.

eight ways to help listeners learn

1. Limit the Number of Details 2. Focus on Clear Main Points 3. Pace Yourself Carefully 4. Speak with Concern for Clarity 5. Use Restatement and Repetition 6. Provide Visual Reinforcement 7. Include Time for Questions 8. Look for Ways to Involve Listeners Actively Assess Learning, If Possible

8 fallacies

1. Red Herring: Any diversion intended to distract attention from the main issue, particularly by relating the issue to a common fear. ex: It's not just about the death penalty; it's about the victims and their rights. You wouldn't want to be a victim, but if you were, you'd want justice. 2. Straw Man: A weak argument set up to be easily refuted, distracting attention from stronger arguments ex: What if we released criminals who commit murder after just a few years of rehabilitation? Think of how unsafe our streets would be then! 3. Begging the Question: Claiming the truth of the very matter in question, as if it were already an obvious conclusion. ex: We know that they will be released and unleashed on society to repeat their crimes again and again. 4. Circular Argument: The proposition is used to prove itself. Assumes the very thing it aims to prove. Related to begging the question. ex: Once a killer, always a killer. 5. Ad Populum: Appeals to a common belief of some people, often prejudicial, and states everyone holds this belief. Also called the Bandwagon Fallacy, as people "jump on the bandwagon" of a perceived popular view. ex: Most people would prefer to get rid of a few "bad apples" and keep our streets safe. 6. Ad Hominem: "Argument against the man" instead of against his message. Stating that someone's argument is wrong solely because of something about the person rather than about the argument itself. ex: Our representative is a drunk and philanderer. How can we trust him on the issues of safety and family? 7. Non Sequitur: "It does not follow." The conclusion does not follow from the premises. They are not related. ex: Since the liberal antiwar demonstrations of the 1960s, we've seen an increase in convicts who got let off death row. 8. Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc: "After this, therefore because of this," also called a coincidental correlation. It tries to establish a cause-and-effect relationship where only a correlation exists. ex: Violent death rates went down once they started publicizing executions.

17 organizing principles for a speech

1. Time (Chronological): Structuring your speech by time shows a series of events or steps in a process, which typically has a beginning, middle, and end. 2. Comparison: Structuring your speech by comparison focuses on the similarities and/or differences between points or concepts. 3. Contrast: Structure your speech by using contrasting points highlights the differences between items and concepts. 4. Cause and Effect: Structuring your speech by cause and effect establishes a relationship between two events or situations, making the connection clear. 5. Problem and Solution Structuring your speech by problem and solution means you state the problem and detail how it was solved. This approach is effective for persuasive speeches. 6. Classification (Categorical) Structuring your speech by classification establishes categories. 7. Biographical: Structuring your speech by biography means examining specific people as they relate to the central topic. 8. Space (Spatial): Structuring your speech by space involves the parts of something and how they fit to form the whole. 9. Ascending and Descending: Structuring your speech by ascending or descending order involves focusing on quantity and quality. One good story (quality) leads to the larger picture, or the reverse. 10. Psychological (Monroe's Motivated Sequence): Structuring your speech on the psychological aspects of the audience involves focusing on their inherent needs and wants. The speaker calls attention to a need, then focuses on the satisfaction of the need, visualization of the solution, and ends with a proposed or historical action. This is useful for a persuasive speech. 11. Elimination Structuring your speech using the process of elimination involves outlining all the possibilities. 12. Ceremonial: Events, Ceremonies, or Celebrations 13. Awards: Structure your speech by focusing on the following Thank everyone for coming together. Discuss the history and importance of the award. Give a brief biography of the person who will receive the award (often nonspecific to keep people guessing and to build suspense). Announce the name of the award recipient. Present the award (present award with left hand, shake with right). 14. Toast: Weddings or Similar Gatherings Structure your speech by focusing on the following: Thank everyone for coming together. Discuss the importance of the event (wedding). Mention the relationship of the couple to the audience or the speaker to the person being celebrated. Add one short sentence. 15. Speaker Introductions: Structure your speech by focusing on the following: Thank everyone for coming together. Provide a brief biography of the person who will speak or establish their credibility. Discuss the speaker and his or her topic. Announce the name of the speaker, and possibly once their speech has concluded. Transition to the next item or thank everyone for participating. 16. After-Dinner Speech Structure your speech by focusing on the following: Thank everyone for coming together. Provide a fun or humorous attention statement. Discuss the topic in a light-hearted manner with connected stories, anecdotes, or even a joke or two. Connect the humor to the topic of importance Thank everyone for participating. 17. Oral Interpretation: Structure your speech by focusing on the following: Draw attention to the piece of literature. Explain its significance, context, and background. Interpret the manuscript for the audience. Conclude with key points from the reading. Reiterate the main point of the piece of literature.

organizing principle

A core assumption around which everything else is arranged.

media interview

A discussion involving questions and answers for the purpose of broadcast or publication.

elevator speech

A presentation that persuades the listener in less than thirty seconds.

Gatekeeping

A process of determining what news, information, or entertainment will reach a mass audience.

Exposition versus Interpretation

A public exhibition or display, often expressing a complex topic in a way that makes the relationships and content clear vs adapting the information to communicate a message, perspective, or agenda.

culture

A set of beliefs and understandings a society has about the world, its place in it, and the various activities used to celebrate and reinforce those beliefs.

thesis statement

A short, specific sentence capturing the central idea of your speech.

Accepting an Award

Acceptance: Say "thank you." Relevance: Indicate where credit is due, what the award means to you, and how it relates to the awarding organization or your community. Acknowledgment: Show your honor with dignity and respect as you say "thank you" again and exit the stage.

three main factors to consider when choosing a topic

Appeal- Involves the attractive power of arousing a sympathetic, stimulated response from the audience. Appropriateness- Involves a topic that is especially suitable or compatible with your audience's interest, expectations, norms, or customs. Ability- Involves the natural aptitude or acquired proficiency to be able to perform.

Presentation Components and Their Functions

Attention Statement: Raise interest and motivate the listener Introduction: Communicate a point and common ground Body: Address key points Conclusion: Summarize key points Residual Message: Communicate central theme, moral of story, or main point

Nonjudgmentalism

Being open-minded; willing to examine diverse perspectives.

four characteristics of effective sound bites

Clear and concise Use vivid, dynamic language Easy to repeat Memorable

speaker introduction

Establishes the speaker's credibility, motivates audience interest, and says what the speaker could not say.

Toasts

Formal expressions of goodwill, appreciation, or calls for group attention to an issue or person in a public setting, often followed by synchronous consumption of beverages.

GASCAP/T Strategies

G: Generalization A: Analogy - Two situations, things or ideas are alike in observable ways and will tend to be alike in many other ways S: Sign - Statistics, facts or cases indicate Argument by Claim Example Evaluation C: Cause - If two conditions always appear together, they are causally related. A: Authority - What a credible source indicates is probably true. P: Principle - An accepted or proper truth T: Testimony - Personal experience

meeting

Group communication in action around a defined agenda, at a set time, for an established duration.

rhetorical situation

Involves three elements: 1) the set of expectations inherent in the context, 2) the audience, and 3) the purpose of your speech or presentation.

co-languages

Language systems that exist and interact with dominant language but are nonetheless distinct from it.

relevant

Means that the information applies, relates, or has significance to the listener.

Emotional resistance

Occurs when the audience gets tired, often to the point of rejection, of hearing messages that attempt to elicit an emotional response.

5 stages of a telephone conversation

Opening Feedforward Business Feedback Closing

master of ceremonies

Person designated to conduct a ritual gathering.

Framing

Placing an imaginary set of boundaries, much like a frame around a picture or a window, around a story, of what is included and omitted, influencing the story itself.

presenting an award

Preparation: Verify the recipient's name, the correct title of the award, and details about the recipient. Focus: Keep the focus on the honoree, not on yourself or the awards committee. Surprise Approach: Build suspense by listing the winner's accomplishments from general to more and more specific; end by disclosing a unique accomplishment that identifies the winner, and finally announcing his or her name. Direct Approach: Announce the award winner and follow with a list of his or her accomplishments. Exit: Step aside and let the honoree have the spotlight.

Interest

Qualities that arouse attention, stimulate curiosity​, or move an individual to a more excited state of mind.

Novelty

Quality of being new, unusual, or unfamiliar.

6 principles of persuasion

Reciprocity - The mutual expectation for the exchange of value or service. Scarcity - The perception of inadequate supply or a limited resource. Authority - involves referencing experts and expertise Commitment and consistency - honoring one's word to bear at the moment of purchase Consensus - the tendency of the individual to follow the lead of the group or peers. Liking - the perception of safety and belonging in communication.

mutuality

Searching for common ground and understanding with the audience.

agenda setting

Selecting what the audience will see and hear and in what order.

Parts of an Elevator Speech

Speech Component: Adapted to Elevator Speech Attention Statement: Hook + information about you Introduction: What you offer Body: Benefits; what's in it for the listener Conclusion: Example that sums it up Residual Message: Call for action

3 parts of evidence

Supportive Relevant Effective

cognate strategies

Ways of framing, expressing and representing a message to an audience. 1) Tone - the manner of expression 2) Emphasis - stress of importance 3) Engagement - eye contact, etc 4) Clarity - strategies that help the receiver to decode the message 5) Conciseness - he property of being concise, succinctness. 6) Arrangement - Order; the organization of visual (and verbal) elements. 7) Credibility - Qualities, capabilities, or power to elicit from the audience belief in one's character. 8) Expectation - Anticipation of the norms, roles and outcomes of the speaker and the speech. 9) Reference - Attention to the source and way you present your information.

point of view

Your perception of an idea or concept from your previous experience and understanding.

Call to Action goals

adoption - Persuading the audience to take on a new way of thinking or adopt a new idea. discontinuance - Persuading the audience to stop doing something that they have been doing. deterrence - Persuading audience not to start something if they haven't already started. continuance - Persuading the audience to continue doing what they have been doing.

presentation to inform

an explanation, a report, a description a demonstration of how to do something.

Sound bites

brief statements that zero in on the point of a larger or longer message.

Quotes

emorable sayings extracted from written or verbal messages.

Importance

involves perceptions of worth, value, and usefulness.

Reciprocity

mutual exchange

Roasts

public proclamations that honor someone by ridiculing or criticizing them.

Slogans

simple, memorable linguistic devices linked to a brand

five functions of speaking to persuade

stimulate, convince, call to action, increase consideration, and develop tolerance of alternate perspectives.

Informative speech

type of presentation to illustrate, explain, describe, and instruct the audience on topics and processes.