Public Speaking Quiz 1
Per Davidson, Wikipedia can be
"a quick and easy reference before heading into more scholarly depths"
Despite genuine concerns about the accuracy of articles contributed to Wikipedia, Duke University interdisciplinary studies and English professor Cathy Davidson defended Wikipedia as
"the single most inpressive collaboratiive intellectual tool produced at least since the Oxford English Dictionary"
In order to research speech topics effectively
(1) use the Internet for finding quality research (2) evaluatie Internet research and information (3) use libraries effectively (4) conducti interviews to generate your own relevant information
How to use supporting materials constructively
1) Competent use of Examples 2) Competent use of statistics 3) Competent use of testimony as supporting materials
How do you separate the high-quality information on the Internet from the hokum?
1) Consider the source, ie., medical information from the Mayo Clinic (credible) versus an anonymous source (not credible). Check and see if sources are cited in the article, and make quick check of them to see if they exist. 2) Consider source bias. Look for sites that have no vested interest, no products to sell, and no axe to grind. If the website ends in gov or edu, the website is sponsored and maintained by a governmental or an educational institution with a reputation to protect. If the website ends in .com it is a commercial site with varying levels of credibility. .org websites also have varying credibility depending on the reputation of the organization 3) Determine document currency Not everything on the Internet is recent. Look for current information. 4) Use fact-checking sites. The validity of many claims can be checked for accuracy at a number of sites.
Four Main Types of Examples used in speeches:
1) Hypothetical Examples: It could happen 2) Real Examples: It did happen 3) Brief Examples: Short and to the point Extended Examples: Telling a story
Internet Search Tips for narrowing your results
1) Use nouns, not articles, pronouns,, conjunctions, or prepositions 2) Use no more than six to eight keywords per query 3) Where possible, combine keywords into phrases by using quotation marks 4)Spell carefully 5) Avoid redundant terms 6) Check the "Help" function of a specific search engine 7) After checking 20 to 30 sites, try a different keyword search if you have not found what you are researching. BE SPECIFIC
The three primary questions your listeners are likely to ask and you need to answer during your speech are
1) What do you mean? 2) How do you know? 3) Why should we care?
Supporting materials accomplish four specific goals
1) to clarify points 2) to support claims 3) to gain interest 4) to create impact
Basic tips for using supporting materials effectively that apply to all types:
1)Choose interesting supporting materials 2)cite Sources completely 3)abbreviate repetitive source citations 4)combine types of supporting materials
Three chief forms of supporting materials
1)examples 2)statistics 3)testimony
Four primary reasons to use supporting materials generously in your speeches
1)to clarify points 2)support claims 3)gain interest and 4)create impact
In mid 2016 Google had
64% of the U.S. search Market Share
Gallup (http://www.gallup.com/home.aspx)
A classic, reliable survey organization that measures opinion on a wide range of topics, both national and international
rhetorical question
A question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer
Blogging Sites
BE VERY CHOOSY. They are not credible sources of information
How to Interview:
Be Prepared - have a plan including what you hope to find, whom you will interview and why and a specific meeting time and place arranged with the interviewee with prepared questions Act Appropriately - dress appropriately, be on time, stay focused, take careful notes, stay with in the time allotted, thank the person being interviewed, review your notes, write down clarifying notes Interview by email - be brief and concise, ask only a few well-phrased, precise questions. Proofread your email.
Famous Quotation Sites:The Wisdom of Others
Brainyquote (Http://www.brainyquote.com/) Bartlett's Familiar Quotations (http://www.bartlettsquotes.com) Your Dictionary (http://quotes.yourdictionary.com/)
Libraries
Bricks and Mortar Research Facilities
Student speakers often assume that no expert would want to be interviewed by just a student.
But most experts are college professors on your campus and can provide valuable information
Potentially useful blogging sites include
CNN Politics (http://www.cnn.com/politics Daily Kos (http://www.dailykos.com/) Huffington Post (www.huffingtonpost.com) Politico (www.politico.com) Real Clear Politics (http://realclearpolitics.com) Salon (http://www.salon.com) Slate (http://www.slate.com/)
Using Examples Effectively
Choose Carefully
The power of three:
Combine 1)Examples, 2)stats and 3)quotes
Google (http://www.google.com)
Created at Stanford University in June 1998 by students Sergey Brin and Larry Page
Name two metasearch engines used when you want to narrow your search to about a dozen sites
Dogpile (http://www.dogpile.com) Sputtr (http://www.sputtr.com/)
Popular Encyclopedias
Encyclopedia Britannica Collier's Encyclopedia World BOok Encyclopedia Encyclopedia Americanna
Librarian
Expert Navigator - there is no better single source of information on researching a speech topic. They are the experts on information location. Use them. He or she will guide you on your journey through the maze of information if you get stuck.)`
Yahoo (http://www.yahoo.com)
Formerly a major search leader, Yahoo fell on hard times in 2012. Had 12.7% of the U.S. market share at the end of 2015. Its popularity declined in 2016.
Bing (www.bing.com)
Launched in 2009 as an upgrade of Microsoft's previous search enginge. had 21.6% of the U.S. market
A comprehensive list of search engines can be found at the
Library of Congress website
Mode
Most frequent statistic. the most frequent score in the distribution of all scores.
It is imperative that you
NOT MISQUOTE OR INACCUATELY PARAPHRASE EITHER AN EXPERT OR AN EYEWITNESS SUPPORTING YOUR CLAIMS
Survey Sites
Pew Research Center (http://www.pewresearch.org/) Gallup (http://www.gallup.com/home.aspx)
Databases: Computerized Collections of Credible Information
ProQuest - (http://www.proquest.com) this database makes thousands of periodicals and newspapers available for research Social Sciendce Research Network (http://www.ssrn.com/en) SSRN consists of two parts, an abstract database of 650,000 scholarly papers and an Electronic Paper Collection of almost 600,000 downloadable full-text documents LexisNexis Academic (http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/Inacademic?) provides full-text acccess to thousands of magazine articles, newspapers, legaldocuments and transcripts of tv programs
United States Census Bureau
Provides abundant statistical information on political, social, and economic elements relevant to life in the US
USA.gov (www.usa.gov)
Provides primary access to a broad source of U.S. government information on the INternet
Interviewing
Questioning Experts
The Internet: Online Research
Search Engines Directories Metasearch Engines Virtual Libraries
Fact checking sites
Snopes (www.snopes.com) PolitiFact (www.politifact.com) The Fact Checker (www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov) MayoClinic (MayoClinic .com) American Cancer Society (cancer.org) American Heart Association (Americanheart.org) American Diabetes Association (diabetes.org) The New York Times (www.nytimes.com Cnn (www.cnn.com)
Extended Examples:
Sometimes a story is so profound and so moving that only a detailed, extended example can do it justice.
Other useful general refernce works
Stastical Abstracts of the United States, World Almanac, Monthly Labor Review, FBI Uniform Crime Report, Vital Statistics of the United States, Facts on File, The Guiness Book of World Records, and Who's Who in America
Three principal types of testimony
Testimony of experts - most commonly used Testimonies of eye witnesses Testimony of non-experts
Popular Newspapers
The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, The Wall Street Journal - minute by minute information on breaking news and an archive of past articles on topics
jayde (http://www.jayde.com/)
Topics include advertising, marketing, aerospace, automotive, energy, health, law, telecommunications, and transportation.
Government Sites for gaining access to government documents and publications
United States Census Bureau USA.gov
How to use statistics effectively
Use accurate statistics accurately: No distorting Make statistics concrete: Meaningful numbers Make statistical comparisons: Gaining perspective Stack Statistics: a particularly effective stategy to create impact, especially statistics that also show comparisons. Use Credible Sources: Build Believability EVERY TIME YOU USE A STATISTIC YOU CITE A CREDIBLE SOURCE FOR THAT STATISTIC unless that statistici is common knowledge.
Points to remember when using examples
Use relevant examples: stay on point Choose Vivid Examples: Create images - examples work best when they are vivid Use Representative Examples: Reflect what is accurate Stack Examples: When one is not enough
Virtual Library
a search tool that combines internet technology and standard library techniques for cataloguing and appraising information
Ancedote
a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person
Brief Examples
a specific case referred to in passing to illustrate a point
Real Examples
actual occurrences. Real examples can sometimes profoundly move an audience. Real examples have immediacy and genuiness that hypothetical examples typically lack
Directory
an Internet tool through which people edit indexes of Web pages that match, or lik=nk witgh, keywords typed in a search window.
Eyewitness Testimony
an account given by people of an event they have witnessed. you had to be there
Using supporting materials is
an audience-centered process
Pew Research Center (http://www.pewresearch.org/)
an excellent source for surveys of public oinion about a multitude of topics
Search Engine
an internet tool that computer generates indexes of web pages that match, or link with, keywords typed in a search window
Research interviews
are sometimes a very productive resource for your speeches
Supporting materials
are the examples, statistics and testimony used to bolster a speaker's viewpoint
Principle purposes of examples
are to improve understanding and to support points made in your speeches
Virtual libraries provide fewer websites and a narrower focus
but the information has been carefully screened so it is more credible.
Experts can often guide your search
by telling you where to search and what to avoid
Virtual libraries are usually associated with
colleges, universities, or organizations with strong reputations in information dissemination
Mean :
commonly referred to as the arithmetic average, determined by adding the values of all items and dividing ;the sum by the total number of items.
Use Statistics
competently
Quote or paraphrase accurately:
consider context.
When quoting someone's testimony, do not
crop the quotation so it takes on a different meaning than communicated in context
Testimony
derived from the Latin word for witness, is a firsthand account of events or the conclusions offered publicly by experts on a topic.
Hypothetical Example
describes an imaginary situation, one that is concocted to make a point, illustrate an idea, or identify a general principle. As long as the hypothetical example is consistent with known facts, it will be believap=ble
The Reader's Guide is Reader's Guide Abstracts and Full Test.
faster to use, and it includes full text articles from more than 100 periodicals.
Choose interesting supporting materials
for counteracting boredom
Never underestimate the imporatnce of picking your examples
for maximum clarity, accuracy and impact
Measure of Central Tendency
how scores cluster so you can get a sense of what is typically occurring. You can use three main statistics: mean, median, mode
Two of the more popular virtual libraries
ipl2 (www.ipl.org/) Formerly Internet Public Library WWW Virtual Library (http://vlib.org)
Median
it is the center divide. it is in the middle
Problems with wikipedia
it takes contributions from almost anyone willing to make entries. Information can be unreliable, even wrong.
Library Catalogues: Computer Versions
lists books according to author, title and subject. You can do a keyword search and search to see if a book is available or checked out.
Statistics
measures of what is true or factual expressed in numbers
Cite Sources completely
no vague references. Include 1) the name of the source 2) qualifications of the source 3) specific publication or media citation where the evidence can be found 4) relevant date of the publication
Testimony of nonexperts
ordinary folks adding color to events.
Search engines are more likely than directories to provide
overly broad, OFTEN IRRELEVANT SITES
Periodicals:
popular information sources
College Libraries
provide "one-stop shopping" for information on speech topics. (Take the college library tour)
The Reader's GUide to Periodical Literature
provides current listings for articles in hundreds of popular magazines in the U.S. The computer version of The Reader's Guide is Reader's Guide Abstracts and Full Text.
Testimony of Experts
relying on those in the know
The Internet is a rich source of
rumor, gossip and hoaxes so you should exercise extreme caution when using it for serious, credible research.
Metasearch Engines
sends your keyword request to several search engines at once. They work best when your request is a relatively obscure one, not a general interest topic.
Examkples
specific instances of a general category of objects, ideas, people, places, actions, experiences or phenomena
Encyclopedias
standard references in libraries used for researching a wide variety of topics solicited from scholars in the appropriate fields, and their contributions are subject to peer review for accuracy
Libraries (Bricks-and-Mortar Research Facilities)
still house books, documents, and reference works that cannot be found on the Internet.
Newspapers:
still one of the richest sources of information on current topics
A well-chosen statistic can
support claims, show trends, correct false assumptions, validate hypotheses and contradict myths.
Use Qualified Sources: Credibility matters
testimony from non-experts and eyewitnesses can be highly unreliable. Non-experts should not be quoted on topics that require technical knowledge or carefuul study.
The important difference between a search engine and a directory is
that a directory has a person trained in library or information sciences choosing rospective sites based on the quality of the site.
Wikipedia:
the most widely used general reference source on the Internet
Typically, you use a direct quotation when
the statement is short
The Internet can be a phenomenal resource for finding igh-quality information, but
there is also great potential for spreading misinformation
dmoz (http://www.dmoz.org/)
this includes a range of topics, such as arts, business, health, computers, science, recreation, and sports
Editing quotations to change the meaning of the speaker's intended message is
unethical
Paraphrasing is appropriate
when a direct quotation is not worded in an interesting way, such as in government documents.
When you cite testimony to support your speech you have to decide
whether to quote exactly or merelhy paraphrase
