Public Speaking
Understand how to use your Audience Analysis to prepare content, adjust speech and be ethical.
Can help focus your content for the audience Be able to adapt the day of for the physical space and how responsive the audience is Having a couple scenarios planned ahead will help with this. Be! An! Ethical! Speaker! Put the audience first
Value of acknowledging the audience and how you can do it
Can influence how receptive they are to the ideas/messages you are giving Can influence how willing they will be to listening to the speech Establish through eye contact and thanking them for coming to hear the message Make sure that they know you've at least tried to personalize the speech for them
Know about multiple organizational patterns
Categorical/topical - speech format in which a speaker organizes the information into categories, which helps an audience understand a single topic Comparison/contrast - speech format in which a speaker selects two objects or ideas and demonstrates how they are similar or how they are different Spatial - speech format in which a speaker organizes information according to how things fit together in physical space (ex. Geographically or within the body) Chronological - speech format in which a speaker presents information in the order in which it occurred in time - whether backward or forward Biographical - speech format generally used when a speaker wants to describe a person's life Casual - speech format that is built upon two main points: cause and effect Problem-cause-solution - speech format in which a speaker discusses what a problem is, what the speaker believes is causing the problem, and then what the solution should be to correct the problem Psychological - speech format built on basic logic in which "a" leads to "b" and "b" leads to "c"
Know the different types of presentational aids and how to use them effectively.
Charts, graphs, representations, objects or models, people, and animals.
Aspects of clarity and controversial topics related to adapting your speech based on audience analysis
Clarity - avoid using argot (specialized vocabulary) Try not to exclude the audience in any way through your vocabulary - if you must use a specialized word then make sure to define it Controversial topics - don't shy away from them Treat your audience with respect and be sure to not call anyone out on their own opinions
Know types of media to use for presentational aids.
Computer-based Audiovisual Low-tech
Be able to explain what is "good delivery" specific to the following
Conversational style - a speaker's ability to sound expressive and be perceived by the audience as natural Eye contact - a speaker's ability to have visual contact with everyone in his or her audience Vocal variety - changes in volume, pitch, rate and pauses Physical manipulation - the use of the body to emphasize meanings or convey meanings during a speech Practicing - making sure that you identify your speech weaknesses in advance and work on them
Explain the value of speaking with credibility
Credibility - the perception that the speaker is honest, knowledgeable and rightly motivated The audience will receive a message better if they believe that there is no bad intent behind the speaker
Be able to distinguish between the four types of claims.
Definitional - persuasive claim about the denotation or classification of what something is X is (or is not) a Y because it has (or does not have) features A, B, or C Factual - persuasive claim arguing the truth or falsity of an assertion Policy - persuasive claim that describes the nature of a problem and advocates a solution Passive agreement - working to get the audience to agree with the message and the policy without asking them to do anything to enact the policy Gain immediate action - working to get the audience to start engaging in a specific behavior Value - persuasive claim advocating a judgment about something
Understand how to obtain and use demographic, psychographic and situational analysis's and why each is important.
Demographic information - age, gender, marital status, ethnicity, socioeconomic status Will help to inform the speaker of topics that will be well received by the audience Psychographic information - Preexisting notions about a topic and about you (beliefs, values, religions, life experiences) Work to not offend, exclude or trivialize the audience's beliefs and values Situational information - Audience size, occasion, voluntariness of audience and physical setting. Adapt the speech to the physical audience in order to reach them all in a personal and effective way Remember if the audience is there willingly or required to be there
Understand why listening is difficult
Different types of noise Physical noise; various sounds in an environment that interfere with a source's ability to hear (ex. Construction noise outside) Psychological noise; distractions to a speaker's message caused by a receiver's internal thoughts (ex. Personal problems) Physiological noise; distractions to a speaker's message caused by a listener's own body (ex. The room is cold and you focus more on that) Semantic noise; receiver experiences confusion over the meaning of a source's word choice Attention span People can only maintain focus for a limited amount of time Modern day audiences have lost the ability to sustain attention to a message Receiver biases Preconceived ideas that interfere with accurately understanding and remembering a message Can refer to biases with reference to the speaker and preconceived ideas or opinions about the topic or message Listening or receiver apprehension The fear that you might be unable to understand the message or process the information correctly or be able to adapt your thinking to include the new information coherently
Know and understand how to use the tools for gathering audience information and the benefits of each.
Direct observation - watching people's nonverbal contact with each other and what issues they find important Interviews and surveys - can help gather a large amount of information about people in a short amount of time Focus group - small group of people who give feedback about their perceptions
Be able to discuss aspects of different types of support.
Facts and statistics Definitions - making sure that everyone is on the same page when talking about possibly vague topics Lexical definition - "dictionary" definition that specifically states how a word is used within a specific language Persuasive definition - definition designed to persuade an audience into thinking in a specific manner about the word or term Stipulative definition - definition given to a word or term the first time that word or term is coined by someone Theoretical definition - definition used to describe all parts related to a particular type idea or object Examples - a specific situation, problem, or story designed to help illustrate a principle, method, or phenomenon Positive example - form of example used to clarify or clearly illustrate a principle, method or phenomenon Negative example - form of example used to illustrate how people should not behave Nonexample - form of example used to explain what something is not Best example - form of example used to explain the best way someone should behave within a specific context Narratives - an illustrative story or extended example with a clear beginning, middle and end Informative narrative - type of narrative used to provide information or explanations about a speaker's topic Persuasive narrative - type of narrative used to persuade people to accept or reject a specific attitude, value, belief or behavior Entertaining narrative - type of narrative designed purely to delight an audience and transport them from their daily concerns Testimony - expert opinion or direct accounts of witnesses to provide support Expert testimony - account relating the attitudes, values, beliefs, and behaviors of someone who is recognized as an expert on a given topic Eyewitness testimony - account given by someone who has direct contact with the phenomenon of your speech topic Analogies - figure of speech that compares two ideas or objects, showing how they are similar in some way Figurative analogy - comparison between two ideas or objects from two different classes Literal analogy - comparison between two objects or ideas that clearly belong to the same class
Know about citing sources:
Importance Enables readers to see where the information comes from Not citing information is plagiarism Styles Those components or features of a literary composition or oral presentation that have to do with the form of expression rather than the content expressed APA - commonly used by social scientists MLA - commonly used in the humanities Ethical use of sources. Avoid plagiarism Avoid academic fraud Don't mislead your audience Give author credentials Use primary research ethically How to cite in the speech- direct quote versus paraphrasing Set up the citation, give the citation, explain the citation Direct quote - citing the actual words from a source with no changes Paraphrase - taking the central idea or theme from another speaker or author and adapting it in one's own words How to avoid plagiarism and academic fraud. Do your own work and use your own words Allow yourself enough time to research the assignment Keep careful track of your sources Take careful notes Assemble your thoughts and make it clear who is speaking If you use an idea, a quotation, paraphrase or summery, then credit the source Learn how to cite sources correctly both in the body of your paper and in your list of works cited Quote accurately and sparingly Paraphrase carefully Do not patch write (patch speak) Summarize, don't auto-summarize Do not rework another student's paper or buy paper mill papers
Explain the difference between the four methods of speech delivery
Impromptu speaking - the presentation of a short message without advance preparation Take a moment to collect your thoughts and plan the main point you want to make Thank the person for inviting you to speak Deliver your message, making your points as briefly as you can while still covering it adequately and at a pace your listeners can follow Thank the person again for the opportunity to speak Stop talking Extemporaneous speaking - the presentation of a carefully planned and rehearsed speech using brief notes, spoken in a conversational manner Manuscript speaking - the word-for-word iteration of a written message Memorized speaking - the rote recitation of a memorized message
Understand the what, how and why behind the four reasons presentational aids are essential in public speaking.
Improving audience understanding Interpretations of the same thing can differ - using presentational aids will help clarify or emphasize a point Aiding retention and recall Using a presentational aid to increase the audience's chances of remembering your speech Most people learn visually Adding variety and interest Enhancing a speaker's credibility You want well executed presentational aids Must be clear, clean, uncluttered, organized and large enough for the audience to see and interpret
Explain what are "main points" and how you narrow down your main points.
Main points - the series of key ideas that you develop to help your audience understand your specific purpose The process of taking smaller chunks of information and putting them together with like chunks to create more fully developed, larger chunks of information
Be able to discuss the tips related to preparing the presentational aid.
Make sure they are accessible for every audience member Aesthetically pleasing Always have a backup plan
Know each of the three common organizational patterns for Persuasive Speaking and the steps within each.
Monroe's Motivated Sequence Attention - getting attention Need - showing need; describing the problem Satisfaction - satisfying the need; presenting the solution Visualization - visualizing the results Action - requesting audience action or approval Problem-Cause-Solution Comparative Advantages Compare items side-by-side to show why one is more advantageous than the other
Know and understand how to differentiate between academic and non-academic resources.
Nonacademic Popular press information To be read by the general public Written at an 6th to 8th grade level Academic Smart people make sure that it is accurate and correct
Differences between listening styles
People-oriented Interested in the speaker Listen to the speaker and are more interesting in how the speaker thinks and how they feel about their message Action-oriented Interested in what the speaker wants Wants to know what needs to be done and might not care for the reasons behind the task Content-oriented Interested in the message itself Want to know if the message makes sense, what it means and if its accurate Time-oriented Message that gets to the point Want the message to be given in a timely manner and will get impatient if it gets long
Be able to define persuasion and why it matters.
Persuasion - the process an individual goes through attempting to get another person to behave in a manner or embrace a point of view related to values, attitudes, or beliefs that he or she would not have done otherwise The sheer number of persuasive communications has grown exponentially Persuasive messages travel faster than ever before Persuasion has become institutionalized Persuasive communications has become more subtle and devious Persuasive communication is more complex than ever before
Understand how to use support and how to create arguments.
Premise - a statement that is designed to provide support or evidence Conclusion - statement that can be clearly drawn from the provided premises A premise and conclusion set up your argument for you to present more support to make it factually correct Forms of speech support Quotations Direct quotations - repeating the exact wording of another speaker or writer within a speech Use a direct quote if the original author's words are witty, engaging, distinct, or particularly vivid If you want to highlight a specific expert and their expertise within your speech If you are going to specifically analyze something that is said within a quotation Keep quotations to a minimum Keep quotations short Paraphrases - taking the central idea or theme from another speaker or author and adapting it in one's own words Paraphrase when you can say it more concisely than the original speaker or author Paraphrase when the exact wording from the original speaker or author won't improve your audience's understanding of the support Paraphrase when you want to adapt an example, analogy, or narrative by another speaker or author to make its relevance more evident Paraphrase information that is not likely to be questioned by your audience Summary - an encapsulation or condensation of the entire text from another speaker or author Summarize when you need another speaker or author's complete argument to understand the argument within your speech Summarize when explaining possible counterarguments to the one posed within your speech Summarize when you need to cite a number of different sources effectively and efficiently to support a specific argument Numerical support - the use of numbers, data, or statistics within a speech to support a point Clearly state the numbers used and where they came from Make sure you explain what the numbers mean and how you think they should be interpreted Pictographic support - photographic, diagrammatic, or other visual representation of an object or process Use when it would be easier and shorter than orally explaining an object or process When you really want to emphasize the importance of the support Make sure it is aesthetically pleasing Should be easy to understand, and should take less time to use than words alone Make sure everyone in the audience can see the support
Understand the difference between primary research and secondary research.
Primary research - research carried out to discover or revise facts, theories, and applications that is reported by the person conducting the research Secondary research - research carried out to discover or revise facts, theories and applications that is reported by someone not involved in conducting the actual research Ex. Reporting on what someone else has already discovered
Know how to use notecards effectively, the purpose, key tips, and actual use.
Purpose Using a full manuscript to get through the delivery might lead the audience to believe you don't know your speech There is too much temptation to just read from the whole script Well-prepared notecards look more graceful and don't show as much nervousness Cards look better than paper Key tips Include only key words Hold your notes naturally Prepare notecards to trigger recall Write in large letters
Explain what research is and why it is useful.
Research - scholarly investigation into a topic in order to discover, revise, or report facts, theories and applications Its helpful in discovering new information, finding answers and can lead to new ideas or activities
Discuss the three steps of an effective conclusion and why they are essential
Restate the thesis - helps to emphasize that main idea of a speech Review of main points - the more you talk about them the more likely the audience is to remember them Concluding device - the final thought you want to leave with your audience End with a challenge End with quote End with a summary End by visualizing the future End with an appeal for action End with inspiration End with advice End by proposing a solution End with a question End with a reference to audience Be able to distinguish between the Miller's ten concluding devices. (see above)
Know how to evaluate if you have enough support.
Reverse outline - tool used to determine the adequacy of support by starting with a speaker's conclusion and logically working backward through the speech to determine if the support provided is appropriate and comprehensive
Understand set-up, execution, and analysis.
Setup- a sentence of phrase in which you explain to your audience where the information you are using comes from Execution - the speaker delivers a quotation, paraphrase, or summary; provides numerical support; or shows pictographic support Analysis - the speaker explains to the audience how they should interpret the support provided Summarize the support in your own words Specifically tell your audience how the support relates to the argument Draw a sensible conclusion based on your support
Explain the benefits of a strong conclusion
Signals the end of a speech Aids the audience's memory of your speech Serial position effect - the notion that when items are presented in a linear fashion people remember the items at the beginning and the end of a list
Know the different theories of persuasion
Social Judgement Theory & the latitudes of judgments Muzafer Sherif and Carl Hovland created this to attempt to determine what types of communicative messages and under what conditions communicated messages will lead to a change in someone's behavior Latitude of rejection - range of acceptable behaviors or thoughts individuals will reject Latitude of noncommitment - range of behaviors or thoughts individuals will have no strong opinion for Latitude of acceptance - range of behaviors or thoughts individuals will accept The discrepancy between the speaker's viewpoint and that of the audience will influence how well the audience will be persuaded (think bell curve) Cognitive Dissonance Theory An aversive motivational state that occurs when an individual entertains two or more contradictory attitudes, values, beliefs, or behaviors simultaneously Needs 3 major parts: aversive consequences, freedom of choice and insufficient external justification Aversive consequences - need to be strong punishment for not changing one's viewpoint Freedom of choice - no manipulation; the change will only work for a short amount of time if they feel as if they were manipulated into a choice External justification - the process of identifying reasons outside of one's own control to support one's behavior, beliefs and attitudes Less likely to work than internal justification; or working to make oneself look better Elaboration Likelihood Model Receivers should think about the arguments being made rather than paying attention to nonargument related aspects of the speech
Understand aspects of the physical setting when speaking
Speaking in small or large physical spaces; Speaking Outdoors; Using a microphone; Audience Size
Audience analysis
The process of gathering information about people in your audience so that you can understand their needs, expectations, beliefs, values, attitudes, and likely opinions Why it is essential
Explain and define the term "support"
The range of strategies a public speaker can use to develop the central idea and specific purposes by providing corroborating evidence Helps to create a better and more believable speech
Know the reasons why we use support.
To clarify content To add credibility Characteristics to look for: accuracy, authority, currency and objectivity To add vividness - the speaker's ability to present information in a striking, exciting manner
Understand how to keep your speech
Transition - a phrase or sentence that indicates that a speaker is moving from one main point to another main point Internal preview - a phrase or sentence that gives an audience an idea of what is to come within a section of a speech Internal summary - a phrase or sentence that reaffirms to an audience the information that was just delivered within the speech Signpost - a guide a speaker gives the audience to help them keep up with the content of a speech
Know various ways to develop your main points
Uniting them - see if all of the main points fit together Keeping them separate - see if they overlap too much Balancing them - spend an equal amount of time on each main point Creating a parallel structure - structure them so that they all sound alike Maintaining logical flow - is the order of the main points make sense
Four benefits of listening
You become a better student You become a better friend People will perceive you as intelligent and perceptive Good listening can help your public speaking