speech chapter 2

Claire decided to take her public speaking class online because she thought it would be easier than having to stand in front of a live audience. When it was time to give her first speech, Claire set up the camera and right before she hit the record button, she felt a bit of anxiety. She took a deep breath and hit the record button. What did Claire's momentary anxiety likely boost to help her deliver her speech?

Adrenaline

When a speaker tailors their speech's information to listeners' needs, interests, and expectations, what speaking skill are they practicing?

Audience adaptation

Ashton is a financial advisor who has been contracted by the local school district to talk to high school seniors about saving money and preparing early for their eventual retirement. Ashton wants to share a lot of information with the students, but he realizes that they may not be thinking about retirement now because they are only 18 years old. What audience concern is driving Ashton's preparation for the speech?

Audience interest

It is speech day in Professor Roko's public speaking class. Before class begins, a student named Larry comes up to him and says, "Professor, I am freaking out about my speech today. I feel like everyone else is going to do so much better than me, and I really don't think I can sit through my classmates' speeches without comparing myself to them the entire time." Professor Roko recommends that Larry go first, to avoid the tendency to compare himself to other students before he gives his speech. What anxiety-management strategy is related to Professor Roko's recommendation?

Choose an appropriate time to speak.

Owen woke up in a bad mood on the morning of his speech day. He worried that he hadn't practiced enough, and he kept thinking, "I'm going to make a fool of myself." What was Owen experiencing?

Cognitive and emotional symptoms of anxiety

Darion decided to try to reduce his anxiety by replacing his anxiety-arousing negative self-talk with anxiety-reducing positive self-talk. What strategy was Darion using?

Cognitive restructuring

Jaymee is presenting their persuasive speech next week, and they are super scared. Jaymee keeps telling themself that they are going to be so scared standing in front of the class next week. What type of negative self-talk is Jaymee using?

Fear of becoming fearful

Kevin had a nightmare the night before he was scheduled to deliver his informative speech. In his dream, audience members threw tomatoes at him in the middle of his presentation. He woke up terrified that the same thing would happen in his class today. What strategy can Kevin employ to manage the anxiety caused by his nightmare?

Fear rationality

Peter works for his university's LGBTQ+ center, and he is giving his first safe-space training today. He is nervous about messing up the training, but instead of focusing on that nervousness, he remembers what he wants to tell the trainees. At the end of the training, two audience members tell him they can't believe it was his first training because he did such a good job. Which speech anxiety-management strategy did Peter employ?

Focus on sharing the message.

Alberto is afraid that he is going to deliver a bad speech next week when he presents to his university's alumni council. Alberto has a strong speech, but he is terrified of speaking in front of the alumni council. What is Alberto suffering from?

Glossophobia

If a speaker is feeling nervous about giving a speech, what goal should they keep in mind as they prepare to speak?

Manage the anxiety.

What should a speaker generally AVOID doing when practicing a speech?

Memorize every word of it.

Jeff is a junior associate at a large law firm in New York and the top graduate from his law school last year. The partners have asked him to practice an opening statement he plans to deliver in court next week at his first trial. Jeff keeps telling himself that there is no way he will impress the partners and they will likely fire him after he presents his statement to them. What is causing Jeff's speech anxiety?

Negative self-talk

Rajeev was recently elected as the student body president for his university. He is an outgoing, gregarious person who has a long history of delivering good campaign speeches. People do not know that he suffers from debilitating pre-speech anxiety that makes it hard for him to talk in formal speaking situations. What is likely causing his speech anxiety?

Skill level

During her first speech in a public speaking class, Theresa froze midway through her presentation and walked back to her seat. The next day, she went to her instructor's office hours, and they recommended that she work on recognizing and overcoming her fears by replacing negative thoughts with positive thoughts. What anxiety-management method is Theresa's instructor recommending she use?

Systematic desensitization

Ernesto is a public speaking instructor who recommends that his students gradually visualize and then engage in increasingly more frightening speaking events before actually delivering a speech. What anxiety-management method is Ernesto teaching?

Systematic desensitization

Yolanda is working as a public information officer for the office of the county sheriff. After a deputy-involved shooting caused a suspect's death, Yolanda was called to hold a press conference to update the public on what happened. Yolanda knows several news outlets and reporters will be in attendance, and she wants to be sure she is ready to answer the journalists' questions. Which speech action plan is she focusing on?

Understand your audience and adapt to it.

Norman is working on his first informative speech for his public speaking course. He read on a public speaking forum that speakers should "think about success" before a speech to do well. What anxiety-management method is related to the forum's recommendation?

Visualization

When Jerry organized his speech about rap music, he arranged the facts to first discuss the early years. He then showed how the music had changed all the way up to the present day. What type of organization did Jerry use in his speech?

chronological organization

Classical approaches to speech planning were audience centered, but scholars now recognize that effective speeches are speaker focused.

false

If you believe your audience has very little interest in your topic, you should focus on providing basic information they will need to better understand your speech.

false

Visualization helps the speaker reduce speaking anxieties by imagining that their audience isn't there.

false

Brayden is getting ready to speak in front of his city council next week. He wants to share his concerns about a proposed construction project that will close the street where he lives for two weeks. He wants to be sure the city council knows how inconvenient the project will be for Brayden and his family. What action step is Brayden focused on in his speech preparation?

goal

Shandel decided to give a persuasive speech on climate change, and she is thinking about how to best approach the topic. She spends four hours researching climate change and finding state-of-the-art studies on how to combat this global issue. Which canon of rhetoric is Shandel primarily focused on for her speech?

invention

Helga has completed her speaking outline. Now she is choosing the best visual aid to help her audience fully understand her topic. Her speech is on the process by which an internal combustion engine generates the power needed to move a car. Which presentational aid would be the best for Helga's speech?

models

Eliza is sitting in her advanced public speaking course, and the instructor is lecturing on how to create an effective speech plan. Class time is running short, and the last thing the instructor says before dismissing the class is, "remember, manuscripts will not serve you when you are preparing your speech." Which step in the effective speech plan was the instructor likely referring to at the end of class?

organization

Jane is practicing her persuasive speech on why members of the audience should take a CPR certification class. Her friend Adam is giving her feedback on the speech, and he tells her, "You did a great job explaining why we should get CPR certified, but I really was not drawn into the speech until the very end." What area of speech preparation should Jane focus on to improve her presentation?

structure

Ariel is putting the last touches on her speech, and she wants to be sure that the audience perceives everything she says as appropriate. She decides that she should change the phrase "It sucks to lose money" to "It is never fun to lose money" because the audience might be offended by her use of the word "sucks." Which canon of rhetoric is Ariel focused on with her decision to change her use of the word "sucks" in her speech?

style

A speech goal is a specific statement of what you want your audience to know, believe, or do.

true

When using communication orientation motivation (COM) methods, the speaker thinks of the speech as a "communication" rather than as a "performance."

true