Chapter 15: Speaking to Inform--- Public Speaking

In a speech on supervolcanoes, the speaker begins by providing a simple explanation of what supervolcanoes are and how they are formed. Which guidelines for effective informative speeches does this example illustrate?

Don't be too technical. Don't overestimate what the audience knows.

Which type of organizational pattern is the most common in speeches about processes?

Chronological

A speaker can add the words ______ to a speech in order to help relate the topic to the audience.

"you" or "your"

Which of the following best defines an event?

Something that happens.

The type of informative speech that explains an idea or belief is a speech about

a concept.

Which of the following are guidelines for effective informative speaking?

Personalize your ideas. Avoid abstractions. Avoid technical language.

What is the best way to personalize a subject?

Explain it with the help of a human example.

True or false: Speakers should be creative in designing visual aids but should not be creative in their use of language.

False.

When Joshua gave a speech on heart disease at school, he discussed his grandfather's death from the disease and mentioned a widely liked teacher who was struggling with the disease. By doing this, which speaking guidelines did Joshua follow successfully?

He personalized ideas. He related the topic to the audience.

Chris, a veteran, was invited to talk to middle-schoolers about the role of the Marines in Afghanistan, Chris used many acronyms, such as IED, AADS, MEDEVAC, and CBW. Based on this description, why was Chris not an effective informative speaker?

He was too technical.

In her speech on voting technology, Vanda asked audience members if they had made their voices heard in the last municipal election. What guideline for effective informative speaking did Vanda's question fulfill?

Relate the subject directly to the audience.

When Maria wanted to help her audience understand what she meant by "empowerment," she told a descriptive story about how she started her own business. What guidelines for effective informative speaking did Maria fulfill?

She tried to avoid overestimating audience knowledge. She described the abstract term "empowerment." She personalized her ideas.

When Gabriela explained to audience members the feeling of isolation, she had them imagine life on a deserted island with only animals to talk to. What guidelines for informative speaking did Gabriela follow by doing this?

She was creative. She avoided abstractions.

Which of the following should a speaker assume about his or her audience when giving an informative speech?

They know very little, if anything, about the subject.

Gary gave a speech at his university on how to use the student e-mail accounts. The type of informative speech he gave was a speech about

a process.

In relation to an informative speech, anything that has a visible, tangible, and stable form is

an object.

As a speaker, you must always relate the speech topic to the interests and concerns of the________________ .

audience, listener, listeners, audiences, crowd, people, or audience.

When giving a speech about an object, you should

choose a specific purpose that focuses on one aspect of the object.

Beliefs, theories, ideas, and principles are all examples of

concepts.

True or False: Overestimating an audience's knowledge of your topic is a bigger problem than underestimating it.

true.

In an informative speech on supervolcanoes, the speaker uses visual aids to compare the power of a supervolcano eruption to a famous volcanic eruption, Mt. Vesuvius. Which guideline for informative speeches does this illustrate?

Avoid abstraction.

What quality must a speaker have to achieve all the guidelines for effective informative speaking?

Creativity

When Conrad assumed that everyone in his audience would understand his reference to "digital zoom" and "medium-format digital" in his speech on photography, which guidelines for effective informative speaking did Conrad fail to follow?

Do not overestimate what the audience knows. Avoid overly technical language.

Marco gave an informative speech on a new technique for producing prosthetic limbs using 3-D printing. To illustrate the benefits in human terms, he described a patient who was able to compete in a marathon run despite having had one leg amputated. Which of the following guidelines for effective informative speaking does this scenario illustrate?

Personalize your ideas.

What organizational pattern would you use if you wanted to inform your audience about the three major sociological approaches?

Topical

Informative speeches about concepts are normally

more abstract than other types of speeches.

An informative speech about an event would have a topical organizational pattern unless the purpose is to explain the event's ______. In that case, it should have a chronological pattern.

history

Ana gave an informative speech to a driver's education class on how to parallel park a vehicle. Which of the following was most likely her goal?

To teach listeners to perform the process themselves

According to the guidelines for informative speaking, the language used in an informative speech should be

concrete. creative. personalized.

In order to give an interesting, engaging speech, you should not only follow the guidelines for informative speaking but also be ______ and use language imaginatively, descriptively, and clearly.

creative.