Public Speaking, Chapter 1 - 6

Extemporaneous speech

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

Attitude

a frame of mind in favor of or opposed to a person, policy, belief, institution, etc

Adrenaline

a hormone released into the bloodstream in response to physical or mental stress

Brainstorming

a method of generating ideas for speech topics by free association of words and ideas

Topical order

a method of speech organization in which the main points divide the topic into logical and consistent subtopics

Chronological order

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

Central idea

a one-sentence statement that sums up or encapsulates the major ideas of a speech

Specific purpose

a single infinitive phrase that states precisely what a speaker hopes to accomplish in his or her speech

Icebreaker

a speech early in the term designed to get students speaking in front of the class as soon as possible

Transition

a word or phrase that indicates when a speaker has finished one thought and it moving on to another

Key-word outline

an outline that briefly notes a speaker's main points and supporting evidence in rough outline form

Stage fright

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

Situational audience analysis

audience analysis that focuses on situational factors such as the size of the audience, the physical setting for the speech, and the disposition of the audience toward the topic, the speaker, and the occasion

Positive nervousness

controlled nervousness that helps energize a speaker for his or her presentation

Stereotyping

creating an oversimplified image of a particular group of people, usually by assuming that all members of the group are alike

Eye contact

direct visual contact with the eyes of another person

Incremental plagiarism

failing to give credit for particular parts of a speech that are borrowed from other people

Critical thinking

focused, organized thinking about such things as the logical relationships among ideas, the soundness of evidence, and the differences between fact and opinion

Active listening

giving undivided attention to a speaker in a genuine effort to understand the speaker's point of view

Audience - centeredness

keeping the audience foremore in mind at every step of speech preparation and presentation

Appreciative listening

listening for pleasure or enjoyment

Critical listening

listening to evaluate a message for purposes of accepting or rejecting it

Empathetic listening

listening to provide emotional support for a speaker

Comprehensive listening

listening to understand the message of a speaker

Visualization

mental imaging in which a speaker vividly pictures himself or herself giving a successful presentation

Gestures

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

Listening

paying close attention to, and making sense of, what we hear

Plagiarism

presenting another person's language or ideas as one's own

Open-ended questions

questions that allow respondents to answer however they want - What is your opinion on the insanity plea?

Fixed-alternative questions

questions that offer a fixed choice between two or more alternatives - Do you know what the insanity plea is?

Scale questions

questions that required responses at fixed intervals along a scale of answers - How often do you believe the insanity plea is used in US court cases?

Ethical Decisions

sound ethical decisions involve weighing a potential course of action against a set of ethical standards or guidelines

Global plagiarism

stealing a speech entirely from a single source and passing it off as one's own

Patchwork plagiarism

stealing ideas or language from two or three sources and passing them off as one's own

Ethnocentrism

the belief that one's own group or culture is superior to all other groups or cultures

Ethics

the branch of philosophy that deals with issues of right and wrong in human affairs

General purpose

the broad goal of a speech

Spare "brain time"

the difference between the rate at which most people talk (120 to 150 words a minute) and the rate at which the brain can process language (400 to 800 words a minute)

Conclusion

the final section of a speech

Bill of Rights

the first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution

Body

the main section of a speech

Main points

the major points developed in the body of a speech

Channel

the means by which a message is communicated

Feedback

the messages, usually nonverbal, sent from a listener to a speaker Interference - anything that impedes the communication of a message. Interference can be external or internal to listeners

Introduction

the opening section of a speech

Speaker

the person who is presenting an oral message to a listener

Listener

the person who receives the speaker's message

Topic

the subject of a speech

Frame of reference

the sum of a person's knowledge, experience, goals, values, and attitudes. No two people can have exactly the same one of these.

Egocentrism

the tendency of people to be concerned above all with their own values, beliefs, and well-being

Situation

the time and place in which speech communication occurs

Name-calling

the use of language to defame, demean, or degrade individuals or groups

Hearing

the vibration of sound waves on the eardrums and the firing of electrochemical impulses in the brain

Paraphrase

to restate or summarize an author's ideas in one's own words

Residual message

what a speaker wants the audience to remember after it has forgotten everything else in a speech

Message

whatever a speaker communicates to someone else