Liberty University COMS 101 ch. 11-14

Four steps in organizing the speech's body

1. Select your main points 2. Support your main points 3. choose the best pattern for organizing your main points 4. create unity through connections

Ten common pitfalls of introductions

1. beginning with an apology 2. being too brief or too long 3. giving too much away 4. reading 5. relying on shock tactics 6. promising too much 7. Using unnecessary prefatory remarks 8. using long winded poems, quotations, and prose 9. becoming someone else 10. overusing some techniques

Ten common pitfalls of conclusions

1. don't use your conclusion to introduce a new topic 2. don't apologize 3. don't end abruptly 4. don't change the mood or tone 5. don't use the phrases "in summary" or "in conclusion," except when you are actually at the end of your speech. 6. Don't ask for questions. 7. don't ignore applause 8. don't forget to thank your audience and host 9. don't run away 10. don't read it

Five guidelines and suggestions for introductions

1. prepare after body of speech 2. make it easy to follow and be creative 3. practice and communicate high energy 4. engage audience nonverbally before you start 5. consider time constraints and mood

Ten techniques of introductions

1. startling facts/intriguing statements 2. dramatic story/build suspense 3. quotation and/or literature reference 4. humor 5. rhetorical question 6. illustrations, examples, and anecdotes 7. physically involve the audience 8. relate personal experience 9. use a visual or media aid 10. refer to the situation

Problem-solution organization

A common strategy, especially in persuasive speeches, is to present an audience with a problem and then examine one or more likely solutions

Thesis statement

A sentence that identifies the topic of your speech and the main ideas you will present

Specific purpose

A single phrase that defines precisely what is to be accomplished in a speech

Memorized delivery

A speaker memorizes the speech in its entirety and delivers it word for word from the script

Appearance

An effective speaker is aware of the norms and expectations for appearance as he or she moves from one culture to another. should be in harmony with your message, be clean and appropriately dressed and groom, avoid clothing that detracts from your message, avoid shirts that have writing on them

Step-by-step organization

Chronological patterns are used to describe the steps in a process

Note cards

Follow their instructions, and consider the following: • View your note cards as an extension of your arm, gesturing as you would without the note cards. • Cards should fit into your hand comfortably. • Generally, 4" x 6" cards are going to be easier to read than 3" x 5" cards. • Number your note cards so you are able to keep them in order as you write them, transport them, and use them when you deliver your speech. • Check to see that they are in sequence before speaking. • Never staple your note cards

Rhythm

It is the speech flow or pattern that is created in many ways, including variations in sentence length, the use of parallel structure, and the expression of images in groups of three.

Pauses

Moments of silence strategically used to enhance meaning.

Speech anxiety

Most public speakers become nervous when they anticipate the challenge of giving a formal presentation before a group of people (see page 304-5)

Topical organization

Organization determined by the speaker's discretion or by recency, primacy, or complexity.

Pronunciation

Saying words correctly

Rate

The speed at which a person speaks

Planning outline

also known as the full-content outline, includes most of the information you will present in your speech. It includes in full-sentence format every major thought, but not necessarily every word, that you plan to say in your speech. It requires you to show that you have done your research and that you have structured it, but it gives you the flexibility required in extemporaneous speaking

Legal pads

alternative to note cards when presenting a long and detailed presentation

Speaker's notes

an abbreviated key-word outline, lacking much of the detail of the planning outline. they function as a reminder of what you plan to say and the order in which you plan to say it. follow exactly the pattern of your planning outline, but in a condensed format.

Internal previews

are extended transitions that tell the audience, in general terms, what you will say next. these are frequently used in the body of the speech to outline in advance the details of a main point.

Main points

are roman numerals in an outline The major points developed in the body of a speech

Guidelines for language and style

be concrete complete your thoughts and sentences use the active voice and follow the rules of written english-most of the time use language to create a theme use language that fits your personality and position vary language techniques to engage listeners

Figures of speech

connect sentences by emphasizing the relationship among ideas and by repeating key sounds to establish a pleasing rhythm. Among the most popular figures of speech are anaphora, epistrophe, alliteration, and antithesis.

Similes

create images as they compare the characteristics of two different things using the words "like" or "as."

Clichés

expressions or ideas that have lost their originality or impact over time because of excessive use; according to communication professors Eugene Ehrlich and Gene R. Hawes (1984), are the "enemies of lively speech."

Internal summaries

follow a main point and act as reminders. are especially useful if you are trying to clarify or emphasize what you have just said,

Signals

how the speaker can draw people back to your message at critical points

Chronological organization

information is focused on relationships in time. Events are presented in the order in which they occur.

Gestures

involve using your arms and hands to illustrate, emphasize, or provide a visual experience that accompanies your thoughts

Equality pattern

involves giving equal time to each point. this means that you will spend approximately the same time on each point as you deliver your speech

Impromptu speaking

involves little to no preparation time. this means using no notes or just a few. In your lifetime, there may be many occasions when you are asked to speak briefly without any advanced notice

Progressive pattern

involves using your least important point first and your most important point last.

Strongest point pattern

involves using your most important point first and your least important point last

Manuscript delivery

involves writing your speech out word for word and then reading it. may be considered in formal occasions when the speech is distributed beforehand or if it is archived. Many presidential speeches are this

alliteration

is the repetition of the initial consonant or initial sounds in series of words.

Sub-points

labeled with letters and numbers in an outline Information that is used to support the main points of a speech.

Language pitfalls

long and unnecessary words lack of content, masking meaning, or using euphemisms jargon, slang, profanity exaggeration and cliches phrases that communicate uncertainty

Non-fluencies

meaningless words that interrupt the flow of our speech. We may use them unintentionally, but we need to work consciously to avoid them. are also known as filled pauses or vocal fillers. While pauses can work for you, these can distract your listeners. this includes: "you know," "uh," "um," "so," and "okay."

Extemporaneous speaking

method of delivery that involves using carefully prepared notes to guide the presentation.

Physical movement

move naturally tie your movements to your use of visual aids be prepared

extemporaneous speaker

one who relies on notes rather than a written manuscript.

Articulation

refers to the production of sound and how precisely we form our words.

Pitch

refers to your vocal range or key, the highness or lowness of your voice produced by the tightening and loosening of your vocal folds.

Word order

relates to the order in which ideas should be arranged in a sentence.

The primacy/recency effect

sheds light on the importance of effective speech beginnings and endings. According to this theory, we tend to recall more vividly the beginning and ending, and less so the middle, of an event.

Metaphors

state that something is something else. through these we can understand and experience one idea in terms of another.

Exaggeration

statements made to impress, not aiming for accuracy.

Functions of conclusions

summarize important information, motivate listeners, and create a sense of closure.

Profanity

swearing; cursing; is the most obvious offender

Concluding techniques

thanking as transition call to action use a dramatic illustration close with a quotation conclude with a metaphor that broadens the meaning of your speech conclude with humor encourage thought with a rhetorical question refer to your introduction

Eye contact

the connection you form with listeners through your gaze A form of nonverbal communication that occurs when two people look at one another for a few seconds

Volume

the loudness of your voice is controlled by how forcefully air is expelled through the trachea onto the vocal folds. this exhalation is controlled by the contraction of the abdominal muscles. the more forcefully you use these muscles to exhale, the greater the force of the air, and the louder your voice

epistrophe

the repetition of a word or expression at the end of phrases, clauses, or sentences.

anaphora

the repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences.

Spatial organization

the sequence of ideas moves from one physical point to another

Jargon

the technical terminology unique to a special activity or group

antithesis

the use of contrast, within a parallel grammatical structure, to make a rhetorical point.

Transitions

the verbal bridges between ideas. they are words, phrases, or sentences that tell your audience how ideas relate. they are critical because they clarify the direction of your speech by giving your audience a means to follow your organization

Cause-and-effect organization

to arrange your main points into causes and effects.

Emphasis

to draw attention to a specific word or phrase. It involves stressing certain words or phrases. It can add weight to what you say, and make a particular word or phrase more noticeable or prominent. An emotion can be highlighted through the use of this

Past-present-future organization

type of chronological order that is used to explain something in the past, then the present, then in the future

Guidelines for effective use of humor

use humor only if you can be funny laugh at yourself, not at others understated anecdotes can be effective find humor in your own experiences avoid being NOT funy

Slang

vernacular; an informal, often short-lived kind of language used in place of standard words; Terms like "ain't," and "you guys"

Functions of introductions

• Focus attention on the topic and speaker • Provide a motive for your audience to care about your speech • Enhance your credibility as a speaker • Preview your message and organization

Quintillian's formula for speech effectiveness

• Focus attention on the topic and speaker • Provide a motive for your audience to care about your speech • Enhance your credibility as a speaker • Preview your message and organization