Public Speaking : Module 1

Laura has been assigned to write an essay explaining why critical thinking is important in public speaking. Which of the following statements should she delete from her essay?

"Critical thinking helps speakers learn how to support their claims with opinions."

You are speaking to a parent-teacher organization about the Internet. Which of the following topic sentences would best connect the audience to your message?

"Today, I am going to discuss the top ten Internet resources for students."

Jane has been asked to talk to a sorority about campus safety. Last week, a women's dormitory on campus was burglarized, and two women were assaulted. Which of the following introductory sentences would demonstrate effective audience analysis?

"When crime strikes in your own backyard, it's frightening. Today, I'm going to share six ways you can make yourselves and your house more secure."

Which of the following best represents the first linear model of communication?

A sender sends a message to a receiver.

For a presentation about environmentalism for an audience of graduate students in their mid-20s and early 30s, which of the following presentation aids would be least effective?

A series of posters that illustrate rising pollution levels with charts and graphs.

Which of the following is an example of state anxiety?

Although he gives weekly business presentations with ease, Anthony is so nervous about giving a toast at his best friend's wedding that he has already drafted five versions.

Assuming a speech goes well, a speaker should not be surprised by which of the following responses?

An African-American audience interjecting positive comments during the speech

Which of the following involves a judgment?

An opinion

One of the earliest scholars to write a book on rhetoric was __________.

Aristotle

____________________ is a type of ____________________ that involves discrimination or stereotypical attitudes based on socio-economic status.

Classism; exclusion

____________________ is credited with inventing the study of rhetoric.

Corax

_____________________ refers to a conclusion drawn from evidence.

Inference

____________________ communication offers the opportunity to share deep thoughts, feelings, and desires.

Interpersonal

All of the following are categories of communication except _____________________ communication.

Introperspective

Jim has big plans for his public speaking career and is preparing his first speech. Which of the following strategies would be least effective at helping him manage speaker anxiety?

Learning from his peers' public speaking experiences

Sergio, the valedictorian of his high school class, is preparing to give his graduation address. Which of the following would not help Sergio manage any speaker anxiety he may feel?

Looking over his audience members' heads

Which of the following is true of effective listening?

Low message intensity is an external barrier to effective listening.

In 1965, which of the following figures delivered a famous speech before Congress to request the passage of the Voting Rights Act?

Lyndon B. Johnson

Which of the following is not a principle of good ethics in public speaking?

Manipulating the audience only when necessary

Lane has been invited by the Women's Studies program to deliver the keynote speech at her alma mater's "Woman of the Year" ceremony. She wants to tailor her speech to the audience and the occasion. Which of the following is the least effective preparation technique Lane could use?

Reading a ten-year-old article about the ceremony

You ask a friend if she has seen the movie you watched last night. While you wait for her answer, you are engaging in ____________________ listening.

Responsive

During her last speech, Andrea suffered from situational anxiety. Which of the following situations would have most logically caused her this sort of anxiety?

She had to project charts and graphs from a friend's laptop when hers broke.

Which of the following questions does not deal with an issue of free speech?

Should carrying a concealed handgun be legal?

Thomas will be the featured speaker at a local high school's antidrug rally. Which of the following presentation plans best indicates that Thomas understands his audience members' needs and expectations?

Showing video clips from popular movies and celebrity interviews that deal with pop stars who died of drug overdoses

As part of an academic conference on colonialism, Jacqueline is presenting her research on the European settlement of the Americas. Which of the following is not a socio-psychological factor she should consider when preparing her speech?

The audience includes a group of scholars from major Mexican and American universities.

Stan has already analyzed his audience's demographics, and now he needs to summarize the socio-psychological issues relevant to his presentation on Shakespeare's tragedies. Which of the following should Stan not include in his summary?

The average age of audience members is 19.

Which of the following is not typically considered a cost of free speech in the U.S.?

The government must use resources to monitor hurtful speech.

Anna, a Norwegian exchange student at a U.S. university, gives a speech on welfare reform that sharply criticizes U.S. policy for relying on a misguided belief in individual responsibility. During the speech, she notices members of the audience frowning, muttering in disagreement, and shaking their heads. No one applauds or smiles when she finishes. Anna likely misjudged which aspect of her listeners?

Their faith in individual responsibility, because it is a core belief of Americans

Exclusion disrupts the communication process.

True

If you experience a fear of speaking in public, your body may react to this fear as if you are being physically threatened.

True

In the United States, freedom of speech is guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution.

True

Political Correctness refers to a person's conscious avoidance of any potentially offensive language or behavior.

True

The Cold War, which ended in 1991, was largely a war fought with words.

True

Thinking becomes instinctive during episodes of speaker anxiety.

True

All of the following are forms of unprotected speech except

U.S. publishers' producing pornographic materials.

Which of the following speaking events does not violate the ethics of the public speaking situation?

Using specialized banking terms when discussing international currency investments

Roberta will be giving a speech on political corruption and electoral fraud to a group of ninth graders. Which of the following preparatory questions is least important for her audience analysis?

What is her expectation of the audience?

Megan experienced severe speaker anxiety during her first speech, and she is investigating the physical symptoms of her reaction. Which of the following conclusions from her research is false?

Your thought rate increases when you are anxious.

All of the following are examples of external interference except

a student missing a teacher's main point because she is worried that she may have left her car unlocked.

When Barbara Bush gave the commencement address at Wellesley College in 1990, she knew that she had not been the students' first choice for speaker. Mrs. Bush handled this potentially awkward situation by

acknowledging the situation in her speech and adapting to it accordingly.

To make a speech inclusive, do all of the following except

address your audience in an ethnocentric tone.

Audience analysis helps you ________________________________________.

appeal to audience members' ego or self interest choose an appropriate topic tailor your message to appeal to a particular element in the audience

Asking for comments about a speech and then using them to improve your speaking skills involves all of the following except

asking for only positive comments on your speech.

Cassandra received an unsolicited invitation in the mail to speak to a book club. She has given many such talks before, and she would like to give this one, but she does not know anyone in this club or the reason she has been invited. To understand the speaking situation better, Cassandra should do all of the following except

assume that this group will be just like the others she has addressed.

Demographic categories include the following except

attitudes

A variety of a spoken language specific to a particular region is known as a

dialect

Listening attentively to opposing views can do all of the following except

diminish your comprehension of an issue.

During a speech, your experience as a listener will be hindered if you

do not anticipate the speech topic.

Known for his inspiring speeches, Nelson Mandela is an example of a highly ____________________ and ____________________ speaker.

effective; ethical

The view that one's own beliefs, attitudes, and way of life are the norm is an example of

ethnocentrism

Communication is the continuous __________ of __________ to create __________.

exchange; information; meaning

If you do a great job emphasizing your main points in the body of a speech, you will not need to mention them in the introduction.

false

When tailoring a speech to a particular audience, always use inclusive pronouns.

false

All of the following are true of speaker anxiety except that

fear of public speaking is a physical phobia.

Kevin agreed to give a talk to the local Rotary Club and asked if he could volunteer at one of the group's charity events. Kevin hoped that by mingling with the Rotarians on their own turf, he could improve his talk by doing all of the following except

finding some investors among the group for his new business.

When evaluating a speaker, give the least amount of weight to the speaker's

gestures

All of the following are aspects of the speaking situation except

goal

Which of the following are possible demographic characteristics of an audience?

group affiliation values race

All of the following are external barriers to effective listening except

hunger.

Gene is applying for a grant to continue his research in molecular biology. Today he will speak to a group of sophisticated pharmaceutical and computer scientists about one of his recent discoveries. If he has analyzed his audience correctly, Gene should

illustrate his examples with technical, computer-generated presentation aids.

In public speaking, an _____________________ is usually a conclusion drawn from existing evidence.

inference

Listening for intonation is mostly a characteristic of ________________.

intensive listening

All of the following actions may be involved in extensive listening except

interruption.

All of the following are true of hearing except that it

involves assigning meaning to sound.

The mean is useful only if there is ____________________ variability in the ____________________.

little; scores

All of the following are ethical obligations of the speaker except

making certain that the tone of a speech fits the occasion.

The ____________________ refers to the statistical midpoint of a group of scores.

median

When analyzing the framework of a speech, you need not consider the speaker's

minor delivery flaws.

The ____________________ refers to the number that occurs most often in a group of scores.

mode

To better understand a speaking situation, one must explore the speech's time, place, and

occasion

Veronica has been asked to introduce a colleague at an English symposium at her university. In her speech, Veronica says, "I've known Dr. Jones for years, I respect her work very much, and I'm sure she also respects my work, since two of her articles build upon my earlier research on William Faulkner's short stories. I′m sure Dr. Jones will find my next book on Faulkner useful as well." Veronica has violated the ethical obligations of the

occasion.

To make it easier for your audience to listen, do all of the following except

offer at least five main points.

Compared to the rate at which people think, the rate at which they listen is approximately

one-fourth to one-fifth as fast.

Effective delivery involves all of the following except

planning your physical gestures in advance.

All of the following are true of speaker anxiety except that

positive self-imaging does little to improve performance.

When Professor Smith lectures to a large undergraduate biology class, he is engaging in ______________________ communication.

public

The person sitting beside you in class sneezes, and you automatically turn your head toward him. This is an example of ____________________ listening.

reactive

To get the most out of your experience as a listener, avoid ___________________ listening.

reactive

Use all of the information you can discover about the speaking situation when preparing your ____________________ of the speech.

rehearsal

The study of language used to communicate or persuade is known as ________________.

rhetoric

While on his way to class, Carlos hears a group of students debating the issue of tuition hikes to support the building of a new computer facility. He stops for a moment, listens only to those speakers who support the proposal, and then heads to his public speaking class. This is an example of

selective listening

All of the following are visible ways a speaker and audience members may differ except

sexual orientation

During World War II, both the Allied and Axis powers used propaganda to

shape public support of the war.

When Gregory suggests to the ten members of his book club that they read the newest novel by his favorite author, he is engaging in _____________________ communication.

small group

Effective organization is an ethical obligation of the _______________.

speaker

Attaching a characteristic to an entire racial group is an example of a racial

stereotype

All of the following are components of responsible listening except

taking out note-taking material once the speaker says something interesting.

In the Renaissance, it was considered ideal to have three main points in a speech because of the Roman Catholic doctrine of

the Trinity

To find common ground with an audience of antismoking advocates, you should address a universal value such as

the importance of good health

All of the following are forms of protected speech except

the revelation of classified information regarding U.S. troop locations.

For a speech to a local civic organization, Jodie should consider all of the following demographic information except that

the speech will be held at the local high school auditorium.

One way that conversations differ from public speaking situations is that in conversations the communicators are equal.

true

To appear competent as a speaker, you must show that you understand your audience and connect your listeners to your goal.

true

Language that reflects an irrational fear of foreign people and things is called

xenophobic

Throat constriction associated with speaker anxiety can be relieved by

yawning

Which of the following is sometimes an unexpected result of censorship?

Victims of hate speech are censored.

Joan is giving a speech to a group of college freshmen about preparing their tax returns. She begins by saying, "Most of you will be filing tax returns for the first time this year. By following a few simple tips, you can make the process easier on yourself and your pocketbook. We'll discuss suggestions from experts on the tax code, and I'll tell you how to maximize exemptions, maximize deductions, and avoid an audit."

clarifying her terms

Richard Nixon best utilized his public speaking skills during which of the following historical events?

The Watergate scandal (1974)

When preparing a speech, you should consider the diversity of the audience by doing all of the following except

assuming that different cultural expectations do not matter.

__________ information includes categories such as race, gender, socio-economic status, and level of education.

demographic

During the Great Depression, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivered a series of speeches called

Fireside chats

You have invited Dr. Stock, a pediatrician, to give a speech to a group of expectant mothers about the importance of proper diet and exercise. You know that the majority of the audience speaks English, but women from China and Mexico will also be there. The doctor has had little time to analyze the audience, so he calls you for help. Which of the following would you recommend to ensure that he creates an inclusive environment?

Offer a multilingual transcript of the speech

Denotation concerns the values or emotions bound up with a word.

False

During a speech, audience members do not really have any ethical obligations During a speech, audience members do not really have any ethical obligations.

False

It is appropriate to stay for part of a speech and leave in the middle if you cannot stay for the entire thing.

False

Marta is preparing to deliver a presentation on the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda at a literature symposium in Dallas. Upon arrival, she learns that her audience is mainly Hispanic, though it includes some whites and African-Americans. Marta knows nothing else about them except that they are all scholars or graduate students. Which of the following introductory sentences would best avoid ethnocentric assumptions?

"I am going to read three poems by Pablo Neruda in Spanish and then in English translation, and I hope to share with each of you the author's impressive use of metaphor."

An example of ineffective feedback is

"I don't think you did a good job of arguing your points."

If you were offering a speaker constructive criticism, you might begin by saying

"I found your use of transitions extremely helpful."

John, a member of a militant student group, plans to protest U.S. involvement in the World Bank. John is well known to local authorities, so he wants to be mindful of engaging only in protected speech. Which of the following statements should he avoid?

"I urge each of you to track down your congressional representatives, confront them, and use any means necessary to make them put a stop to this economic aggression."

Hilda, a German professor of world history, is to speak about her experiences in Germany during World War II. Her audience will include U.S. veterans, Holocaust survivors, college students, and a group of elderly German citizens. Which of the following statements will establish an inclusive environment for her audience?

"Some of you are here tonight because you fought in the war. Others experienced the Holocaust firsthand. Still others saw their country torn apart by the tyranny of a megalomaniacal leader. What have we learned from this tragic episode in human history, and how can we use our knowledge to create a better future for the generation represented by the college students in attendance this evening?"

Speakers who regularly make comments that exclude large portions of their audience risk being saddled with

"credibility baggage."

This student of Plato, through his work with Alexander the Great, developed the first systematic analysis of speechmaking.

Aristotle

Jerome is to give a speech to his European studies class about traveling abroad. He has consulted a number of different studies from scholarly journals and formulated a central idea statement: "I believe traveling abroad is an excellent way to learn, experience other cultures, and relax." Jerome may need to examine this statement in light of which issue of critical thinking?

Clarifying his meaning by using denotation

Communication is the exchange of information to create language.

False

Countries throughout the world share a universal definition of hate speech.

False

Joan has given a successful first speech. Which of the following is not true of the importance of this experience?

Since her first speech was strong, her speaking ability will now not need to be improved.

You have been asked to deliver a slide presentation and speech to your business class. Your nervousness at never having used a slide projector before is a form of ____________________ anxiety.

Situational

Which of the following is an example of adhering to the ethical obligations of context?

Speaking loudly enough for all audience members to hear

Forms of speech that are generally protected may come to be considered unprotected conduct if they interfere with a person's ability to lead his or her daily life. Which of the following is an example of speech that has crossed the line and become illegal conduct?

Standing outside a movie star's house for hours at a time and proclaiming your love for them over a loudspeaker

Ramsey gets sick the morning he is supposed to deliver a speech in his communication class. The student speeches in his class are so tightly scheduled that the only way he can make up the assignment is to give the speech to a section of the course that meets at night. As he begins giving his speech, "Where to Party in This Town," he notices that his audience contains almost all older students who are probably taking night classes because they work during the day. Ramsey gamely continues with his speech, but he can tell that his audience has no interest in the topic. By not considering that the class would contain mostly older students, Ramsey wound up being guilty of inadvertent

ageism.

James is introducing the keynote speaker at a business symposium. Those present include the CEOs from many companies James has applied to for a job. Although usually comfortable giving speeches, James is especially nervous today and may be suffering from ____________________ anxiety.

audience

When William experiences speaker anxiety, all of the following are true except that his

blood flows from his extremities to his stomach, causing butterflies.

Audience analysis is not intended to help you

convince your audience that you are more of an authority than you really are.

Race, nationality, ethnicity, age, and gender are examples of ____________________ categories.

cultural

Sean, an American exchange student in South Korea, is pleasantly surprised to find that many Koreans speak English, but he is so distracted by their extreme reluctance to make eye contact that he sometimes finds it difficult to converse with them. When Sean later learns that Koreans consider direct eye contact impolite and overly bold, he manages to overcome this ____________________ barrier to effective listening. cultural

cultural