Chapter 1 & 4

adrenaline

The adrenaline creates those physical symptoms that exaggerate everything you are experiencing. Presenting with confidence has a learning curve, just like many other skills we want to improve

filtered frame rate

Everything a speaker says is filtered through a listener's frame of reference—the total of his or her knowledge, experience, goals, values, and attitudes.

Feedback

Feedback is a cue to the speaker to modify or regulate what is being said. Feedback can take the form of verbal or non-verbal responses to an in-person speech, or verbal responses which are electronically captured for large or remote audiences.

Interference

Interference is anything that impedes the communication of a message. When you talk on the telephone, sometimes there is static, or wires get crossed so that two different conversations are going on at once. That is a kind of interference.

channel

The channel is the means by which a message is communicated. When you pick up the phone to call a friend, the telephone is the channel. Public speakers may use one or more of several channels, each of which will affect the message received by the audience.

listener

The listener is the person who receives the communicated message. Without a listener, there is no communication. When you talk to a friend on the phone, you have one listener. In public speaking, you will have many listeners

Introduction

There are a number of possible assignments for the first speech. One is a speech of self-introduction that provides insight into the speaker's background, personality, beliefs, or goals. In other cases, students are asked to introduce a classmate, rather than themselves. Some instructors require yet a different kind of speech. Make sure you understand exactly what your instructor requires.

stage fright

anxiety over the prospect of giving a speech in front of an audience

positive nervousness

trying to eliminate every trace of stage fright, you should aim at transforming it from a negative force into what one expert calls positive nervousness

message

your speech is your message. Your audience, the receiver, may send you a message in response to your message in the form of feedback. Messages consist of both verbal and non-verbal elements. Your words and how you deliver them equally make up the balance of your message.

transition

(n.) a change from one state or condition to another

extemporaneous speech

A carefully prepared and rehearsed speech that is presented from a brief set of notes.

body

After getting the audience's attention and revealing your topic, you are ready to move into the body of your speech. In some speeches, the body seems to organize itself. If you are telling a story about a significant experience in your life, you will relate the events chronologically, in the order they occurred

Ethnocentrism

Ethnocentrism is the belief that our own group or culture—whatever it may be—is superior to all other groups or cultures.

visualization

Mental imaging in which speakers vividly picture themselves giving a successful presentation.

situation

The situation is the time and place in which speech communication occurs. Conversation always takes place in a certain situation. Sometimes the situation helps—as when you propose marriage over an intimate candlelight dinner. Other times it may hurt—as when you try to speak words of love in competition with blaring music. When you have to talk wit

ice breaker speech

Usually a brief, simple presentation, the first assignment is often called an ice breaker speech because it is designed to "break the ice" by getting students up in front of the class as soon as possible. This is an important step because much of the anxiety associated with public speaking comes from lack of experience giving speeches. Once you have broken the ice by giving a speech, you will feel less anxious and will have taken the first step on the road to confidence.

conclusion

When you finish discussing your final point, you will be ready to move into your conclusion. You need to accomplish two tasks in this part of the speech: let the audience know you are about to finish and reinforce your central idea. If possible, end on a dramatic, clever, or thought-provoking note. For example, when talking about his "secret" in the speech mentioned earlier, the student devoted the body of his presentation to explaining his experiences in Thailand and how they opened his eyes to the universality of human experience. Then, in his conclusion, he wrapped up by saying:

chronological order

a method of speech organization in which the main points follow a time pattern

speaker

a person who delivers a speech or oration. synonyms: public speaker, rhetorician, speechifier, speechmaker

eye contact

direct visual contact with the eyes of another person

critical thinking

it's a matter of logic—of being able to spot weaknesses in other people's arguments and to avoid them in your own. It also involves related skills such as distinguishing fact from opinion, judging the credibility of statements, and assessing the soundness of evidence.

gestures

motions of a speaker's hands or arms during a speech

topical order

subdivides the speech topic into its natural, logical, or conventional parts.