Chapter 1

Which of the following are true of critical thinking skills practiced in a public speaking class?

-Critical thinking skills can help you listen more effectively. -Critical thinking skills can be applied to other disciplines. -Organizing speeches is related to critical thinking.

Which of the following are reasons why speakers must consider the cultural diversity of their audience?

-Different cultures attach different meanings to gestures. -Nonverbal signals differ from culture to culture and thus can make effective communication more challenging. -Language barriers can result in misunderstandings.

What are two aspects of an effectively communicated message?

-Effective messages match what the speaker intended to communicate. -Effective messages are communicated both verbally and nonverbally.

Select all of the items that are true of an effective public speaker.

-The speaker tries to avoid vocalized pauses, such as "um." -The speaker tries to anticipate listeners' questions. -The speaker tries to effectively organize the ideas to be presented.

Which of the following can be sources of interference in the communication process?

-being in an overheated warm room -traffic noise outside the speaking venue -listener anxiety

What are two ways most speakers can do to deal with normal nervousness when giving a speech?

-concentrating on sharing your ideas with your audience -recognizing that most nervousness is not usually visible

In the communication process, which of the following are types of feedback in public speaking?

-facial expressions -applause -body language

Which two actions common in everyday conversation would not be found in a public speech?

-incorporating slang -interjecting stock phrases

In the process of communication, which of the following are examples of a channel?

-internet -radio -television

Lucia is telling a new home owner about cellulose insulation when she sees a puzzled look on his face. She realizes he may not know the construction term she used, so she explains it. He then says, "I understand now." Which two public speaking and conversational skills does Lucia demonstrate in this encounter?

-responsiveness to the audience -tailoring the message to the audience

Which are elements of the speech communication process?

-speaker -interference -message -situation -listener -channel -feedback

In the process of communication, which are examples of listeners?

-the audience for a speech -someone whose friend is talking to them on the phone -a person who receives a communicated message

The oldest known handbook on effective speech was written 4,500 years ago in:

Egypt

True or false: Public speaking is no longer needed in this age of Internet communication.

False

Professor Charles is a knowledgeable instructor, but he speaks in a monotone and stands in one spot during his lectures. Students often nod off during lectures. Which statement about Professor Charles is most likely to be true?

He is not paying attention to feedback.

Gary takes his car to the mechanic because the car vibrates when he applies the brakes. When the mechanic asks him what's wrong with his car, Gary says, "Sometimes I drive too fast, so it may be my fault, but it does this thing, but not always. There's like a noise, but today there isn't. When I try to stop, well, it also rattles when I start the engine on a cold day. It's messed up." What basic skill useful in everyday conversation and public speaking is Gary lacking in this example?

Organizing his thoughts logically

Studies about public speaking confidence showed which of the following?

Significantly more people fear public speaking than fear dying.

How has technology made people part of a worldwide network?

Social media is used by people communicating across geographic barriers.

According to a study, students believed schools should provide public speaking instruction.

True

Which of the following describes the situation of a wedding speech?

a reception hall on a Saturday afternoon

Terrance is giving an outdoor speech when he sees people worriedly looking in the direction of dark clouds building on the horizon. He quickly decides how he can shorten his speech and assures the audience he'll wrap up well before it rains. What has Terrance done?

adapted to interference

The nervousness and anxiety you feel at the start of your speech is a normal consequence of your body's production of:

adrenaline

In the process of communication, effective public speakers should usually do all of the following except:

answer questions during the speech

The process of identifying weaknesses in other people's speeches to prevent you from having the same weaknesses is one element of:

critical thinking

In highly specialized technical fields, such as engineering and mathematics:

employers rank very highly the ability to communicate

Alivia is speaking to a groups of leaders from her company about manufacturing processes. Lynda suggests that she look into some methods used in Chinese factories, but Alivia says, "No, they don't really understand how to make a profit over there like we do." What is Alivia displaying?

etnocentrism

During a lecture, the teacher briefly shows her class a picture of a red-tailed hawk, and she asks them to tell her what they saw. One says it was a hawk, another says it was a bird of prey, and a third simply says it was a large bird. The variety of descriptions would be a result of the students' different:

frames of reference

The study of the process of public speaking originated:

in many locations thousands of years ago

Jeron has a terrible headache. Because of this, he completely misses the teacher's homework instructions. Which element impeded the communication process for Jeron?

internal interference

The nervousness you feel before giving a speech:

is similar to the nervousness felt by others performing publicly.

The person who receives information during a speech is known as the

listener

Which element of the speech communication process does the speaker have the most control over?

message

Critical thinking is important because the structure of your speech:

mirrors the structure of your thinking

Facial expressions and tone of voice are examples of the _____ message.

nonverbal

Misha, an international sales representative for exercise products, has spoken to audiences across the globe about his company's products. He is returning to the United States to promote the products. When he speaks to audiences in the United States, what should Misha do?

recognize cultural diversity in the audience

With what or whom does the process of communication begin?

speaker

Janice is attending an off-campus event featuring a well-known political figure. Toward the end of the speech, the microphone goes out, and Janice cannot hear the speaker's last comments. According to the communication model, which element caused a failure in the communication process?

the channel

In the process of communication, what is the channel?

the means by which the message is communicated.

To deal with stage fright:

turn the fear into positive excitement