COMS 101 Ch. 4.2

Strategies to Get the Audience's Attention

- illustration - rhetorical question - fact/statistic - quote - humorous story - historical/recent events - personal experience

Organization Patterns for Main Ideas

- logical organization - chronological organization - topical organization - spatial organization - cause-and-effect organization - problem-and-solution organization

Suggestions for Developing a Delivery Outline

- use single words/short words when poss. - include intro & conclusion in abbreviated form - include supporting material & signposts - don't include your purpose statement - use standard outline form

Organizing Supporting Material

- using same organizational pattern as the one for the main ideas - according to the principle of recency (most convincing last), primacy (most convincing first), or complexity (simple --> complex) - according to the principle of specificity - arrangement from "soft" to "hard" evidence

Which fundamental principle of communication does a preparation outline fulfill?

1st principle: becoming increasingly aware of his/her communication

You need at least ____ subdivisions for each point of your preparation outline.

2

T/F: Most speakers will use a combination of verbal and nonverbal transitions to help them move from one idea to the next throughout their presentations.

TRUE.

Preparation Outline

a fairly detailed outline of the central idea, main ideas, and supporting material and may also include the specific purpose, introduction, and conclusion

Topical Organization

an arbitrary arrangement of main ideas that are fairly equal in importance - used when main ideas are natural divisions of your central idea

Spatial Organization

arranging items according to their location, position, or direction - good for presentations that rely on descriptions

Chronological Organization

based on sequential order, according to when each step or event occurred or should occur

Hard Evidence

factual examples and statistics

Final Summaries

final opportunities to hear and remember your main ideas in your conclusion - audience's last exposure to main ideas

Logical Organization

has 3 major divisions - intro (catches audience's attention), body (presents the main content), conclusion (summarizes the main ideas and provides memorable closure)

Soft Evidence

hypothetical illustrations, descriptions, explanations, definitions, analogies, & opinions

Conclusion & It's 4 Functions

leaves an equally important final impression four functions: 1. summarize the presentation 2. reemphasize the main idea in a memorable way 3. motivate the audience to respond 4. provide closure

Nonverbal Transitions

might take the form of facial expressions, pauses, changes in vocal pitch/speaking rate, or movements

Organization According to Complexity

moving from simple ideas and processes to more complex ones

Internal Summaries

occur within and throughout a presentation and recap what has been said so far in the presentation - ensure that audience keeps the main ideas firmly in mind as you move to the next idea

Internal Previews

presented at various points throughout a presentation - introduce & outline ideas that will be developed as the presentation progresses

Cause-and-Effect Organization

refers to two related patterns: identifying a situation and then discussing the resulting effects (cause - effect) and presenting a situation and then exploring its causes (effect - cause)

How do you decide which organizational pattern to use?

return to your specific purpose

Introduction & It's 5 Functions

should convince your audience to listen to you. must perform five functions: 1. get the audience's attention 2. introduce the topic 3. give the audience reason to listen 4. establish your credibility 5. preview your main ideas

Delivery Outline

should provide all the notes you will need to make your presentation as you have planned, without being so detailed that you will be tempted to read it rather than speak to your audience - serves as speaking notes; includes delivery cues

Transition

signals to an audience that a speaker is moving from one idea to the next

Preview

statement of what is to come - help audience to remember & anticipate the main ideas - move smoothly between paragraphs

Principle of Recency

suggests that audiences remember best what they hear last

Principle of Primacy

suggests that you discuss your most convincing or least controversial idea first

Principle of Specificity

suggests that you offer your specific information and follow it by your general explanation or make your general explanation first and then support it with your specific illustrations

What is the best way to introduce the topic of your speech?

to include a statement of your central idea in your introduction

Standard Outline Format

uses numbered and lettered headings and subheadings, lets you become more aware of the exact relationships among various main ideas, sub-points, and supporting material in your presentation

Initial Preview

usually presented in conjunction with the central idea

Signposts

verbal organizational cues for listeners

Verbal Transitions

words/phrases that show relationships between ideas in your presentation - enumeration (first, second, third) - synonyms/pronouns that refer to earlier key words/ideas (they) - words/phrases that show relationships between ideas (therefore, however, in summary)

Problem-and-Solution Organization

you want to explore how to best solve the problem or to advocate a particular solution