Public speaking and Presentations

Capture the audience's attention.

A visiting professor at your college begins his speech with the following: "More than a third of children under the age of two use mobile media, according to a recently released report. Specifically, the study found that 38 percent of kids under age two have used tablets or smartphones." This is an example of which step in Monroe's Motivated Sequence?

An informative speech

Every speech a person gives has a specific purpose behind it. For example, Jill, a marketing analyst for a soft drink manufacturer, gave a keynote speech to her company in 2012 on the importance of Facebook in marketing to consumers aged seventeen to twenty-one years old. In 2014, Jill reassembled many of the same listeners from her 2012 speech to tell them that Facebook was seldom used by this demographic anymore, and she described how social media such as Instagram and Tumblr were the primary media the company now relied on to tactically reach young consumers. Which type of speech does this example best represent?

Connecting with the audience

Imagine that you are tasked with preparing a persuasive speech aimed at convincing your town to support a controversial tax increase that will fund the construction of a nuclear power plant. Considering that the audience is uneasy and fearful about the construction of the power plant and resistant to the proposed tax, which of the following strategies would be MOST effective for capturing an audience's attention?

They are unorganized.

In the public speaking context, which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a good story?

Jenny presents a preview of her topic and main points.

Jenny begins her speech about Disneyland by informing her audience that her speech will cover three main points: the rides at Disneyland, the history of Disneyland, and fun facts about the park. Which of the following BEST describes Jenny's strategy for capturing her audience's attention?

alter

Mr. Montag, the new principal at a local middle school, gives a briefing to staff, teachers, and parents to address some unfounded rumors about his past. In this scenario, Mr. Montag wishes to __________ his audience's factual beliefs.

Topical

Sullivan is going to be speaking about the different types of student loans that are available to his college classmates. What organization should the body of the speech follow?

Each element of the beginning of a speech is created to support the speaker-audience-topic connection.

There is one main goal when thinking about how to introduce your objectives. What is that goal?

Recency

Tom is preparing a presentation on the most effective techniques for tooth extraction for a dental health course. He decides to narrow his database search to include sources published in the past three years. As a result, he finds an interesting case study and several peer-reviewed articles. Which of the following qualities was Tom looking for in his sources?

true

Using the most recent sources, indicating a source's expertise and evaluating a source's objectivity are some effective ways to support your ideas and establish credibility. TRUE or FALSE?

A policy speech

Your university will be sponsoring a speech that addresses how every American citizen should be required to have a background check and undergo training before owning any type of firearm. What type of speech will this be?

He is inoculating against counterarguments.

A human resources representative from your company holds a town hall meeting to share news about a new insurance plan. In anticipation of objections from employees who are not happy about changing health care plans, he says, "I know that change can be very difficult. But this new plan was created with the specific needs of our employees in mind. Please be open to these changes." Which of the following strategies is he employing?

attitudes

A person's __________ refer to opinions about a specific object or person.

ethos

A presenter who genuinely shares parents' concerns about school safety will convey a strong sense of

inform

A presenter who provides only factual information from reliable sources aims to _______ the audience.

Pathos

A speaker uses photos of wounded veterans during a presentation that aims to raise money for the Wounded Warriors Project. Which of Aristotle's rhetorical strategies does the speaker use?

False

A speaker's attitude does not contribute to effective public speaking. TRUE or FALSE?

Aadi's narrowed topic should be understandable to her audience

Aadi wants to speak about the evolution of Geographic Analysis and Mapping to her introductory speech class. Her teacher is cautioning her about this topic. What do you think is the teacher's concern?

Inductive

An argument that builds upon specific examples to support a general claim utilizes which type of reasoning?

Chronological

Candace has been assigned to do a presentation on starting a community garden. She intends to give her audience a step-by-step guide to starting one within their own community. Which linear structure should she use?

True

Emotions such as anger, fear, grief, or guilt that many people associate with negative situations may be effective in some public speaking situations. TRUE or FALSE?

Using repetition and redundancy

Gawa is giving an informative speech on France. He previews his three main points to his audience in the introduction, then goes over each point in the body of the speech, and finally concludes his speech with a review of the three main points discussed. Which delivery strategy is BEST described in the above statement?

The beginning of any good speech is one that is thought-out, intentful and well-developed.

Narissa has created her speech. She has not developed the beginning because she is sure she will be fine as she is familiar with the topic and not nervous to present. What necessary element is Narissa forgetting about the beginning of a speech?

sales

Someone with excellent persuasive speaking skills would be best suited to which of the following career paths?

Attitude has nothing to do with delivering an effective speech.

All of the following statements are true except for which one?

Believing and reassuring yourself that you will succeed

Although Ben is incredibly nervous to give his speech, he continuously reminds himself that he will be successful when he stands in front of the audience. On the day of his speech, when he approaches his audience, he has this same positive and confident attitude. Ultimately, Ben's speech is successful, and his audience leaves thinking he is an expert on his topic and that he is a confident speaker. Which characteristic of a good attitude related to the public-speaking process is best described in Ben's situation?

Topical

An SGA president has to make a speech on the things he would like to accomplish within his term. Which linear structure would be most appropriate for his speech?

Deductive

An argument that begins with a general claim that supports a conclusion about a specific instance reflects which type of reasoning?

credibility, recent, relevant

Brandon begins to do research for his upcoming presentation on the history of basketball. The first source he finds is a book written by Michael Jordan about how the basketball legend has seen the game change over the past 30 years. Although it only covers the past 30 years of basketball, the author is a household name whose insights will add ___________ to the presentation. Next, Brandon is trying to decide between two magazine articles about the history of basketball: one published in 1989 and the other in 2014. Knowing that his sources should be __________ he chooses the article published in 2014. Finally, Brandon looks at the official NBA website for information. Although the website contains a lot of up-to-date statistics and articles on current players, he decides not to use it as a source because it is not __________enough for his presentation.

Capturing the audience's attention

Chema is going to begin his speech with the sound of a book closing and he will chant "hear ye, hear ye, hear ye". What element of an introduction is Chema using?

Attitude

Connor, the captain of his high school lacrosse team, wants his younger brother, Max, to join the lacrosse team. However, Max loves to play soccer and dislikes the sport of lacrosse. If Connor tries to persuade his brother that lacrosse players are much cooler than soccer players, he is attempting to change a specific __________.

further

Denise is preparing an informative speech to deliver to a group of nursing students at a local college. Because her audience already has a basic understanding of health issues, such as the causes of diabetes and stroke, her goal is to __________ factual beliefs about the causes and symptom of diabetes and stroke.

the basic speech components

Introduction, body, and conclusion are __________.

Informative

Josie is giving a presentation of studies on weight-loss methods to the staff at her nutritional therapy clinic to increase the staff's awareness and knowledge of various weight-loss methods. What kind of presentation is she giving?

Every outline ends with a complete list of references that cite the sources you used in your presentation as evidence or documentation.

Karen is preparing an outline for her presentation on the extinction of animals and she has titled it "Saving our Friends." She begins the outline stating that her speech will be her personal platform, but that it will include a great amount of facts and information. She begins arguing that "factors caused by humans have contributed to the elimination of the some of the world's most precious creatures." She made sure to label each section of her outline and include sub-points, to break the presentation down further. Her outline ends with the conclusion. Which one of these guidelines for creating an outline did Karen not follow?

While informative speaking does involve persuading your audience to believe a particular set of facts, the line between these types of presentations can be subtle.

Leesa has to deliver a persuasive speech. She understands that a persuasive speech has similar elements to an informative speech. Which of Leesa's understandings about the two types of speeches is accurate?

Primacy effect

Lilian is giving a speech on the need to improve global water quality. She begins by explaining that a lack of clean water in poor communities has led to an increase in disease. She follows this up by arguing that the rising cost of bottled water for middle-class families should be controlled. Which of the following principles is Lilian using to organize her points?

Circular ending

Natalia begins her speech with a story about a puppy who is being raised by an irresponsible breeder. She presents the body of her speech, and then she concludes by returning to the story about the puppy and letting her audience know that there is a happy ending: the puppy was adopted by Natalia herself, and the puppy is thriving. What term is used to reflect this type of conclusion?

Orlando should push for small, incremental increases to club dues.

Orlando will be speaking to the members of his swim club in hopes of gaining support for his proposal to increase member dues. He is convinced that any proposal to increase dues will be unpopular. Which of the following persuasive strategies would be most beneficial to Orlando in this scenario?

Tie-in to the introduction

Renee begins her persuasive speech on the benefits of medical identification bracelets by sharing news about a woman who was taken by ambulance to the hospital, but was not wearing a medical identification bracelet. As Renee concludes her speech, she refers back to the story she shared in her introduction, explaining to her audience that if the woman was wearing a medical identification bracelet, her chances of survival would have greatly improved. Which of the following strategies is Renee employing in her conclusion?

Instructional presentations are specifically designed to provide listeners with some in-depth knowledge on a particular topic.

Sally is going to give an instructional presentation. Her thoughts about an instructional presentation are below. Which one of her thoughts is accurate?

The textbook

Students within a university have a class on the relationship between fast food and obesity. For this lecture, the professor first directs students to the textbook. Further into the class, he shows them a documentary on the harmful effects of fast food and then passes around some photos of extremely obese individuals. At the end of the class, he gives the students a handout, showing a poll conducted to show how many nights a week the average person eats fast food. Which piece of learning material would NOT be considered a sensory aid?

What will the acoustics, lighting and even room temperature, be like?

Tasha has an important presentation on budgeting that she is preparing for. She knows she will be speaking at 2 p.m. in a small lecture hall that seats about 50 students. She has approximately 15 minutes for her presentation. What question didn't she ask that will contribute to an effective presentation?

False

The main goal of a presentation is to impress the audience. True or False?

fail to cite sources properly

Verbal plagiarism is similar to written plagiarism in that they both _____________ .

Informative speaking involves teaching people.

Which of the following BEST describes informative speaking?

Policy speech

Which of the following is an example of a persuasive presentation?

Confronting

Which of the following items is NOT a common speaking goal?

Julie has 10 PowerPoint slides for a 5 minute presentation.

Which of the following serves as an example of how media can be detrimental to a presentation?

A longitudinal report by the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation of 10,000 households

Which of the following sources would offer the MOST credible information to include in a presentation on limiting food waste in Chicago?

"Technology and social media have brought power back to the people."

Which of the following statements is NOT an effective verbal citation?

Personal opinion

Which one of the following items is NOT an effective way to conclude an informative presentation?

Use of PowerPoint®

Which one of the following items is NOT typically a feature of an entertaining speech?

Robert's outline contains short phrases.

Which one of these statements is reflective of an abbreviated outline?

The thesis

Which part of an outline would contain the argument that factories can be harmful to pregnant women?

Fear appeal

You attend a presentation that discusses the relationship between sun exposure and skin cancer. The speaker, a well-known dermatologist, not only describes several extreme cases of skin cancer, but also shows numerous graphic slides of patients who have died from skin cancer. This speaker is employing which of the following methods of persuasion?

Propose a solution that satisfies the problem.

"I see that your solution will work" is an ideal audience response for which step of Monroe's Motivated Sequence?

Post hoc ergo propter hoc

"It rained the morning of the race, and I won! The rain must have caused me to run faster." Which type of fallacy is the speaker of this quote committing?

deductive

"Obtuse angles are greater than 90 degrees. This angle is greater than 90 degrees, so it is an obtuse angle." Which type of reasoning is the speaker of this quote using?

deductive

"All cats are sneaky. Mittens is a cat. Therefore, Mittens must be sneaky." What kind of reasoning is represented by these statements?

To persuade Americans that there was a new era in the United States and a new frontier where all Americans could unite together with their country

"And so, my fellow Americans: Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: Ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." This speech was delivered in January 1961 as John F. Kennedy took the oath of office as the 35th president of the United States. Which of the following BEST represents the purpose of this speech?

Inductive

"Every spring, Christine develops a runny nose and itchy eyes. Christine suffers from seasonal allergies." Which type of reasoning is the speaker of this quote using?