HCOM102 VOCABULARY
Visual Aid Advantages
*Clarity *Interest *Retention *Credibility *Persuasiveness
Simile
A comparison using "like" or "as" EX.1: "His appearance was like lightning and his clothes were white as snow."(Matthew 28:3) EX.2: As bold as brass. EX.3: As boring as watching paint dry.
Personification
A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes EX.1: Lightning danced across the sky. EX.2: The wind howled in the night.
post hoc reasoning
A logical fallacy that involves looking back at two events that occurred in chronological sequence and wrongly assuming that the first event caused the second. EX.1 : Our soccer team was losing until I bought new shoes. We have not lost a game since I got my lucky shoes! EX.2: I sneezed at the same time the power went off. My sneeze did something to make the power go off. EX.3: Kevin's dog scratched his leg, and that night he had a fever. Kevin concluded that his dog must have infected him with something.
Analogy
A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. EX.1: Life is Like a Race EX.2:Just as a Sword is the Weapon of a Warrior, a Pen is the Weapon of a Writer
non sequitur
A statement that does not follow logically from evidence EX.1: My refrigerator is acting up. I'd better read that book by Friday. EX.2: I read about a pitbull attack. My neighbor owns a pitbull. My life is in danger. EX.3: I don't make much money and I'm unhappy. Rich people must be happy.
motivated sequence
Alan H. Monroe's five-step plan for organizing a persuasive message: attention, need, satisfaction, visualization, and action EX.1: Safety harnesses sit on the floor when the worker is 25 feet above ground. Ventilation masks are used more to hold spare change than to keep people safe from dangerous fumes. EX.2: Ignoring safety rules caused 162 worker deaths in our province/state last year. I'm here to make sure that you aren't part of next year's statistic.
Using Visual Aids
Avoid distractions, do not obstruct audiences view, speak to audience - not the visual aid.
Persuasive Strategies
Intentional writing strategies that may be used to influence an audience. These methods may include appeals to emotions, ethics, and logic. EX.1: Claim-- I am going to try to convince you that chocolate is a healthy snack. EX.2: Appeal to Authority-- A recent study found that students who watch TV during the week don't do as well in school. EX.3: Appeal to Reason-- A Snickers bar has 280 calories and 30 grams of sugar. That's not very healthy. EX.4: Appeal to Emotion-- Your donation might just get this puppy off the street and into a good home. EX.5: Appeal to Trust-- Believe me! I've been there before. I'm just like you. EX.6: Plain Folks-- A politician says, "I'm going to clean out the barn!" EX.7: Bandwagon-- Nine out of ten people prefer our soap! EX.8: Rhetorical Question-- Who wouldn't like to earn more money? EX.9: Repetition-- Duty does not trump honesty. Duty does not trump common sense. And duty, my friends, does not trump morality.
hostile audience
Nothing is more antagonistic to the freedom of speech than a mob shouting a speaker into silence. EX.1: When Pres. Trump makes a speech, someone that hates him interrupts him. He's quiet and shocked about it but then the person thats shouting at him is escorted for doing that.
Narrative use
Presenters use narratives to support a point that was already made or to introduce a point that will soon be made; it can be combined with facts or statistics to make them even more compelling.
residues (residue reasoning)
Prove something by showing that all other possibilities are not possible. EX.1: She is not outside. She is not upstairs. She is not on the ground floor either. There can only be one conclusion: There is a cellar in this house and she is there.
Selective acceptance
The hypocrisy of progressives' critiques of conservative views and values belies their limited commitment to tolerance. EX.1: Universities like Yale, have a very low acceptance rate of 6.7%; so many people believe that they are extremely picky.
Maslow's hierarchy of needs
The needs that motivate human behavior. EX.1: Diana seems so secured and confident since she's finally dating. EX.2:With all these high achievements and volunteering duties that I've done in high school, colleges will want to pick me!
oral style vs written style
The written word appeals more to a contemplative, deliberative style. Speeches can also be precise and indeed they ought to be. But precision in oral communication comes only with a great deal of preparation and compression. EX.1: Oral: When Carly is presenting about why recycling is important, she captures the audience attention by wearing a T-shirt that shows the recycle symbol on it and speak casual or informal unto the audience about her topic, in other words shortening the information she wrote about her topic by summarizing it verbally so it is easier to follow what she is saying. Written: When Carly shows her written presentation about the importance of recycling, comparing to how she talks about it and the words written in her presentation, the words written, are more formal with complicated sentence structures, with rich and precise vocabulary usage; a lot more information than oral presentation.
Parallel Wording or Structure
Word patterns that are easy to anticipate, recognize, and they create rhythm EX.1:Ellen likes hiking, attending the rodeo, and taking afternoon naps EX.2:My best friend took me to a dance and a show. EX.3: My dog likes not only to play fetch, but also to chase cars.
Metaphor
a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable. EX.1:"Spending too much time with him is worse than swimming in a sea of sharks." EX.2: "The curtain of night fell upon us."
maxim
a general truth or rule of conduct; a short saying EX.1: It's better to be safe than sorry. EX.2:You can't teach an old dog new tricks. EX.3:We promise according to our hopes, and perform according to our fears.
selective listening
a listening style in which the receiver responds only to messages that interest him or her EX.1:, If a parent tells their child: "Clean up your room and you'll get an ice cream cone." It may seem the child only heard they were getting ice cream.
problem-solution order
a method of organizing persuasive speeches in which the first main point deals with the existence of a problem and the second main point presents a solution to the problem EX.1:"We buried my cousin last summer. He was 32 when he hanged himself from a closet coat rack in the throes of alcoholism, the fourth of my blood relatives to die prematurely from this deadly disease. If America issued drinking licenses, those four men—including my father, who died at 54 of liver failure—might be alive today." (Mike Brake, "Needed: A License to Drink." Newsweek, March 13, 1994) EX.2: "America is suffering from overwork. Too many of us are too busy, trying to squeeze more into each day while having less to show for it. Although our growing time crunch is often portrayed as a personal dilemma, it is, in fact, a major social problem that has reached crisis proportions over the past twenty years." (Barbara Brandt, Whole Life Economics: Revaluing Daily Life. New Society, 1995) EX.3: "The modern-day apartment dweller is faced with a most annoying problem: paper-thin walls and sound-amplifying ceilings. To live with this problem is to live with the invasion of privacy. There is nothing more distracting than to hear your neighbors' every function. Although the source of the noise cannot be eliminated, the problem can be solved." (Maria B. Dunn, "One Man's Ceiling Is Another Man's Floor: The Problem of Noise")
Emotional appeals
a method of persuasion that's designed to create an emotional response.;Pathos EX.1: If the theme is Keeping Your Home, focus on the positives of doing so, or how to achieve this. Give them useful suggestions or advice. On the other hand, you can link the risk of losing homes to excess debt or poor budgeting. Then show them how to avoid such situations. EX.2:As with compassion, charities are very good at evoking this. 'Why wouldn't you contribute when it's only $1 a day to help feed a starving child'. Along with strong visual imagery, use voice and body language to convey feelings of remorse over the event or situation you're discussing.
Elaborative Likelihood Model (ELM)
a model that predicts responses to persuasive messages by distinguishing between the central and the peripheral routes to persuasion EX.1: Clickbates on Youtube that usually shows half-naked women to catch the viewrs' eye.
reasoning by analogy
a sequence of thought that compares similar things or circumstances to draw a conclusion EX.1: *Being pregnant and driving with a passenger are alike in that they both involve doing something for someone else. *No driver should be legally obligated to carry a passenger against his/her will. *[Therefore] No woman who is pregnant should be legally obliged to carry the pregnancy to term against her will.
malapropism
a word humorously misused EX.1: Mrs. Malaprop said, "Illiterate him quite from your memory" (obliterate) and "She's as headstrong as an allegory" (alligator) EX.2:Rainy weather can be hard on the sciences. (sinuses) EX.3: Unfortunately, my affluence over my niece is very small. (influence)
lay testimony
an opinion or description offered by a nonexpert who has firsthand experience EX.1: My son suffers from grand mal epilepsy according to his doctor, and [your name] actions are almost the same as my son's. He has what appears to be seizures, falls down, bites his tongue, loses consciousness, and loses control of his bladder. When he recovers, after 25 minutes or so, he appears to be in a daze and has trouble speaking. He sleeps for a couple of hours and then appears to be all right. I have seen this happen maybe a dozen times in the last two years. EX.2: From what I have seen since my husband came home from the hospital, he appears to be in almost constant pain. He is up and down all night, groans in his sleep, and never appears to be comfortable. His doctor told him to take up to four pain tablets a day, but he never takes less than six. Then he takes a dozen or so aspirin on top of that. He has lost his appetite and 15 pounds. Our social life is nonexistent. He doesn't drive anymore, or even ride in a car when he doesn't have to, since he says it hurts too much. I do all the grocery shopping and do the yard work because I'm convinced he hurts too bad to do it. He always did those things before he was hurt. We don't go to church anymore because he says he can't sit still that long.
Reflexivity
analyzing and critically considering our own role in, and effect on, our research EX.1: eventually interviewed 14 women although, because of their changing circumstances, I was not in the end able to interview all of the women during all of the three years. I interviewed the women four times during the period of their degrees...
reasoning by cause
arguments that claim one event or factor produces an effect EX.1: Drinking a six-pack of beer and driving causes you to get arrested for DUI (Driving Under the Influence) EX.2: Taking college classes will result in a college degree. EX.3: I didn't buy my girlfriend flowers, and that caused our breakup.
Ethos
beliefs or character of a group EX.1:"Our expertise in roofing contracting is evidenced, not only by our 100 years in the business and our staff of qualified technicians, but in the decades of satisfied customers who have come to expect nothing but the best. EX.2: "Doctors all over the world recommend this type of treatment."
Visual aid types
business presentations are graphs and charts, which are visual representations of data and their relationships to other data.
Visual aid disadvantages
can reduce eye contact, and shouldn't distract to much from the speech
types of visual aids
charts, graphs, representations, objects and models, people
Individual examples
defined as single, separate or belonging to one person EX.1: Barak Obama, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Britney Spears
purposeful ambiguity
fallacy of ambiguity, is a word, phrase, or statement which contains more than one meaning. EX.1: "Do you believe in clubs for young people?" someone asked W.C. Fields. "Only when kindness fails," he replied. (The Linguistic Analysis of Jokes, 2004). EX.2: Well, I've certainly never tasted chicken cooked that way before! Was the chicken good or bad? EX.3: Marcy gave a bath to her daughter wearing a pink tutu. Was Marcy wearing the tutu? Or was her daughter? EX.4: Call me a taxi. Is the speaker asking someone to hail them a taxi or to be called a taxi?
Comparison-Contrast Order
information arranged to show similarities and differences between the items. EX.1:compare reading a book to reading with an e-reader.
reasoning by testimony (authority)
information or an opinion expressed by someone other than the speaker; expert v lay, quoted v paraphrased EX.1: Police Chief Walters said that the local burglary rate was unacceptably high. EX.2: Richard Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist and perhaps the foremost expert in the field, says that evolution is true. Therefore, it's true.
support materials
information that explains, elaborates, or validates your speech topic
Hypothetical examples
is a fictional example that can be used when a speaker is explaining a complicated topic that makes the most sense when it is put into more realistic or relatable terms. EX.1: A presenter may use a brief example in a presentation on politics in explaining the Electoral College. Since many people are familiar with how the Electoral College works, the presenter may just mention that the Electoral College is based on population and a brief example of how it is used to determine an election.
ignoring the question fallacy
missing the point, is the informal fallacy of presenting an argument that may or may not be logically valid and sound, but (whose conclusion) fails to address the issue in question. EX.1: Daryl: Answer honestly, do you think if we were born and raised in Iran, by Iranian parents, we would still be Christian, or would we be Muslim? Ross: I think those of us raised in a place where Christianity is taught are fortunate. Daryl: I agree, but do you think if we were born and raised in Iran, by Iranian parents, we would still be Christian, or would we be Muslim? Ross: Your faith is weak -- you need to pray to God to make it stronger. Daryl: I guess you're right. What was I thinking? EX.2: Molly: It is 3:00 in the morning, you are drunk, covered in lipstick, and your shirt is on backward! Would you care to explain yourself? Rick: I was out with the guys. Molly: And the lipstick? Rick: You look wonderful tonight, honey! Molly: (softening) You think so? I got my hair cut today!
Weakening Commitment
moving hostile audience members away from previous convictions
reasoning by sign
occurs when the presence of one thing indicates the presence of another EX.1: When the fire alarm is going off in the kitchen, something is burning.
Social Judgment Theory (SJT)
perception and evaluation of an idea by comparing it with current attitudes
Inducing a specific action
persuade people to take action EX.1: She fell in the water and was shivering for awhile, maybe she needs to be warmed?
rhetorical proof
proof established through interaction between the speaker and the listeners; provides support for a conclusion but not assurance that it is true; Ethos, Logos, and Pathos EX.1: Ethos--"As a doctor, I am qualified to tell you that this course of treatment will likely generate the best results." Logos-- "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury: we have not only the fingerprints, the lack of an alibi, a clear motive, and an expressed desire to commit the robbery... We also have video of the suspect breaking in. The case could not be more open and shut." Pathos--"There's no price that can be placed on peace of mind. Our advanced security systems will protect the well-being of your family so that you can sleep soundly at night."
strengthening commitment
reinforcing views of receptive audience members
heuristic shortcuts
simple, efficient rules which people often use to form judgments and make decisions. They are mental shortcuts that usually involve focusing on one aspect of a complex problem and ignoring others. EX.1:when trying to decide if you should drive or ride the bus to work, you might suddenly remember that there is road construction along the standard bus route. You quickly realize that this might slow the bus and cause you to be late for work, so instead, you simply leave a little earlier and drive to work on an alternate route.
Jargon
special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand. EX.1: Bang for the buck - A term that means, to get the most for your money EX.2: Code Eight - Term that means officer needs help immediately EX.3: LOL - Laugh out loud
identification
the process by which children incorporate their parents' values into their developing superegos EX.1: Some boys that grows up around women will eventually have a feminine personality and might transform into a girl.
Reasoning
the process of drawing a conclusion on the basis of evidence EX.1: Tanuj is older than Eina. Chetan is older than Tanuj. Eina is older than Chetan. This means that Eina is the youngest out of the two. EX.2: Edward plays basketball for Epsom High School. Therefore, Edward must be over six feet tall.
reasoning by example
using several specific instances that are related to each other to draw an overall conclusion about them EX.1: Cause--- I became a good driver after taking driver's education. Thus--- My experiences are generalizable to those of others Conclusion--- Taking a driver's education class will make you a better driver.
ad hominem fallacy
when speakers attack the person making the argument and not the argument itself EX.1: Attacking someone's own sexual orientation in arguing about the right of LGBT individuals to marry - "The only reason you could possibly be in favor of this is because you are not being honest about your own sexuality." EX.2:A politician degrading another politician during a political campaign when asked about a specific policy - "Well, I think we need to look at the other candidate's failures regarding this topic."
