Ch11: Organizing Your Speech

In his speech on varying explanations of how the earth came into existence, Eduardo begins with opinions, moves to inferences, and uses scientific facts in support of his last point. What principle of supporting material organization is Eduardo reflecting in his speech?

"soft" to "hard" evidence

Mandy's "save the whales" speech was very effective because she started off with some stories about whales, then she moved into facts, statistics, and sources. Which principle of support material organization did Mandy effectively use in her speech?

"soft" to "hard" evidence

Native speakers from XXXX tend to make their points indirectly, expecting audiences to determine the main ideas by analyzing the themes and messages of stories shared by the speaker.

Asia

True/False: In a speech organized in a cause-effect pattern, the cause must be covered first.

False

True/False: Most cultures tend to organize and process information in a linear pattern.

False

True/False: Speeches on how to do something or how to make something are usually organized spatially.

False

True/False: The patterns of organization listed in your text refer to the arrangement of your subpoints.

False

Jason says in his speech: "Drug abuse in America's cities is on the rise every day. About 20% more elementary school kids get hooked on narcotics today than in the 1960's. So, we can easily see that we've got a big problem. Now let's talk about what we can do about it." What is Jason's error here?

Jason failed to cite the source of his supporting material.

True/False: Before organizing your main points, it is wise to review the logical divisions, reasons, or series of steps you identified when you narrowed your topic.

True

True/False: Specificity means that you can organize your supporting material either from general to specific, or from specific to general.

True

True/False: Stating a problem and then discussing its causes pertains most directly to the problem-solution pattern of arranging points.

True

True/False: The principle of recency means that an audience will best remember your last supporting point.

True

True/False: Using note cards to record supporting materials, then rearranging these cards, is described by your textbook as an efficient method of planning your speech.

True

True/False: Using visuals as aids to verbal signposts will improve your audience's ability to follow your speech.

True

The pattern of speech organization used in a speech topic that progresses in order of time is

a chronological pattern.

"An article in the January, 2002 issue of Newsweek about the failure of Enron asserts, 'Many of Enron's 20,000 employees lost their retirement savings when the company collapsed...By contrast, chairman Ken Lay made $205 million in stock option profits in the past four years alone....'" This is an example of

a citation of supporting material.

In a speech, Aisha says: "You should now understand the three most-recommended methods for improving your ability to recall people's names: the repetition method, the word-association method, and the visual imagery method. I hope you will put these methods into practice and you will remember my name the next time you see me in the hall." What device is Aisha making use of in her speech?

a final summary

A planned pause in a speech may be used as

a nonverbal signpost.

In Katarina's speech about competitive ice-skating, she tells the audience in the introduction that she is going to discuss the history of the sport, some of the recent judging changes, and the outlook for the future of the sport. What type of signpost is Katarina demonstrating?

a preview

Telling your audience your main ideas before you begin to develop your speech is a

a preview.

A speech organizational pattern which goes one step beyond cause and effect to discuss ways to alter, fix, or correct an effect is termed

a problem-solution pattern.

Bianca began her speech with a vivid description of the typical waiting area in an emergency room of a public hospital. After completing the description, she began to discuss why emergency rooms have come to represent a critical problem within the health care system. What organizational pattern can you detect in Bianca's speech?

cause-effect

Deanna makes the claim in her persuasive speech that unregulated car emissions in major urban areas worldwide contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer, which contributes to global warming. Which type of organizational pattern is reflected in this example?

cause-effect

For his informative speech, Javier wants to trace the development of strained relations between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Army. Which organizational pattern lends itself best to this topic?

chronological

When explaining the progress of molecular discoveries, Guilherme began by discussing Mendel's 1866 studies about inheritance of biological traits in peas, ending with recent information about the human genome project. Which pattern of organization would best suit Guilherme's speech?

chronological

After speakers have organized their main points, what is the next step?

dividing main points into sub points

One way to signpost your speech is to enumerate your main ideas. This means that you

identify the ideas with numbers.

When you state a main idea, cite the source, present the material, and then explain how the material supports the main idea, you are

integrating supporting materials smoothly.

Throughout Clay's speech on the environment, he reviewed and re-emphasized points previously discussed in his first point before he moved onto his next point. What is the textbook term for this technique?

internal summary

The main reason to use previews, summaries, and signposts in a speech is to

keep your audience on track with your speech.

A change in facial expression, a pause, an altered vocal pitch or speaking rate, or a movement all may indicate a

nonverbal transition.

A speech topic that presents an issue that needs resolving can effectively be organized as

problem-solution.

Janine organized her three statistics on organ transplants according to their significance. She saved her "clincher" point about how easy it is to indicate your willingness to donate by signing the back of your driver's license for the last point before her conclusion. What pattern of supporting material did Janine demonstrate in this speech?

recency

When you save the most important material for last, you are using the principle of

recency

Transitions, previews, and summaries are all examples of

signposts

Hypothetical illustrations, description, and opinions are considered to be

soft evidence.

If your speech topic concerns something that occupies physical space, the organizational pattern may be

spatial

In her presentation to the school board about plans for the new physical fitness facility, Ms. Anderson described the various workout areas, gyms, locker rooms, and physical therapy facilities. Which organizational pattern was Ms. Anderson using in her presentation?

spatial

For your persuasive speech supporting assisted suicide, you decide to first provide a definition of the term and talk generally about the current status of the problem. Then you will bring up individual incidences in which assisted suicides have prevented needless suffering in the victim, while the family member who assisted has been imprisoned. Which strategy of support material organization is this plan reflecting?

specificity

The method a speaker uses to arrange her or his main ideas is termed

the organizational pattern.

Cate describes first how hunger is a worldwide problem; she then explains that there is a hunger problem in the U.S.; then she describes a family suffering in her hometown. What aspect of supporting material organization is Cate employing here?

the specificity principle

If you want to inform an audience about three risky behaviors related to contracting HIV, which organizational pattern would work best?

topical

When your central idea naturally divides into various areas to be supported, the organizational pattern is

topical