Public Speaking

Determine which of the following statements is an example of ineffective criticism. "I think people can follow your argument better if you pause before introducing each main point." "Try to narrow your focus a bit, as the second half of your speech had too many tangential points." "You used a lot of hand gestures, and I feel that they may have distracted the audience at times." "The concepts you discussed seem to be too complicated for you. I think you're out of your depth."

"The concepts you discussed seem to be too complicated for you. I think you're out of your depth."

Which of the following statements is an example of constructive criticism? "I don't agree that budget cuts are necessary, so he should drop that argument if he gives the speech again." "The speaker should make eye contact with the crowd whenever he arrives at one of his main points." "The speaker has a droning voice, and any speech he gives will be a complete bore." "The speaker was dull. She should try to be more lively and energetic."

"The speaker should make eye contact with the crowd whenever he arrives at one of his main points."

Select the example that represents the receiving stage of the listening process. A college student turns down the volume on his radio in order to hear his roommate's question about course selection. A psychologist points out that a patient's story about her parents is similar to one she had shared weeks ago. A town council member concludes that her constituent is upset about the new beach parking regulations. An office worker determines that an argument between her coworkers is about overtime pay.

A college student turns down the volume on his radio in order to hear his roommate's question about course selection.

Which of the following scenarios does NOT represent an example of someone using an effective practice of public speaking? A union leader preparing a speech researches how many audience members are nearing retirement age. A father delivering a toast at a wedding uses exaggerated gestures and a variety of comical accents. A grad student delivering a presentation removes several minor points from her speech after thinking about time constraints. A councilwoman raises her voice after noticing people in the back of the room moving closer to hear her.

A father delivering a toast at a wedding uses exaggerated gestures and a variety of comical accents.

Select the description of a speaker whose purpose is to inform. A man preparing to speak at his brother's wedding tries to recall anecdotes in which his brother acted foolishly at a young age. The new head of a town council wants the citizens gathered at an assembly to invest more money in the area's public schools. The emcee at a fundraiser wants to take up time between presenters. A guest lecturer at a university wants students to understand the sequence of events that led up to a foreign war.

A guest lecturer at a university wants students to understand the sequence of events that led up to a foreign war.

Which of the following concepts from a speech about infrastructure spending best represents the thesis of the speech? A lack of infrastructure spending results in increased risk for motorists and pedestrians. Unmaintained bridges make people walking across them feel unsafe. In the last two years, the number of potholes on main roads has increased by 30%. The only solution is to increase infrastructure spending in our small towns.

A lack of infrastructure spending results in increased risk for motorists and pedestrians.

Which of the following is an example of a persuasive speech? A politician explains to his constituents why raising taxes could lead to infrastructure improvements. An elementary-school teacher gives a lecture about how the digestive system works. A pastor tells his congregation about the life of the grandmother who has just passed away. A principal tells the graduation audience about all of the hard work done by the valedictorian.

A politician explains to his constituents why raising taxes could lead to infrastructure improvements.

Which of the following scenarios does NOT describe a person engaged in a degree of active listening? A businessman gives a speech promoting corporate synergy, using arguments akin to those his boss once used in a speech. A student struggles to remember a teacher's description of photosynthesis when taking a science test. A pastor tells his congregation a parable another pastor once told him, but changes some of the details to make it more relevant. A man repeats his doctor's advice word for word when telling his family about his new diet.

A student struggles to remember a teacher's description of photosynthesis when taking a science test.

Which of the following scenarios represents planning for the physical context of a speech? A woman adds a number of pro-police statements when giving a political speech in a town in the midst of a crime wave. A woman decides not to mention the historical significance of the location in which she delivers a speech. A man about to give a speech on trade laws assumes that his audience will have the same level of knowledge about them as he does. A man wears a suit to the board meeting that he is planning to speak at.

A woman decides not to mention the historical significance of the location in which she delivers a speech.

Although Maurice was initially nervous about delivering a speech in front of coworkers at his new job, he prepared effectively, and his speech was a success. Afterward, several of Maurice's coworkers introduced themselves and offered to meet with him later to further discuss his ideas. By taking advantage of a public-speaking opportunity, Maurice managed to improve his __________. A. professional network B. self-esteem C. personal satisfaction D. critical thinking

A. professional network

Select the scenario that best represents culture acting as a barrier to communication. Harriet noticed a number of eye rolls from the male members of the audience when she reached the point in her speech concerning inappropriate office behavior. Allan felt that the visiting professor's unusual speech pattern and use of basic vocabulary made his speech sound condescending. Ryan found it strange that there were no male athletes presenting at a conference for sports memorabilia collectors. Rosa struggled to understand the video-conferencing software she was expected to use for an upcoming business presentation.

Allan felt that the visiting professor's unusual speech pattern and use of basic vocabulary made his speech sound condescending.

Julie is a member of the sales team for a software company. As part of her job, Julie travels to promotional events sponsored by the company in order to make presentations centered around a new tablet computer. These events attract a wide variety of people, and Julie often finds herself changing her prepared speech based on the audience she expects to encounter. Julie emphasizes different features of the tablet based on the audience she encounters. Which of the following actions demonstrates Julie's taking an audience's age into account when making her presentation? A. Julie lists the ways in which families can use the tablet in order to plan events and excursions. B. Julie demonstrates how the tablet's text size and icons can be made larger for those who do not see well. C. Julie reveals that the tablet comes with apps dedicated to fantasy sports and athlete profiles. D. Julie shows off the advanced language features of the tablet, which allow messages to be displayed in dozens of languages.

B. Julie demonstrates how the tablet's text size and icons can be made larger for those who do not see well.

Which of the following descriptions represents an example of environmental context creating a communication barrier during a speech? A A new school principal struggles to keep students interested, as he is used to tailoring speeches to older audiences. B An unexpectedly large number of women in the conference room distracts a man making a budget proposal. C A political candidate fails to keep his tone solemn during a speech after learning that he has won an election. D The lack of air conditioning in an auditorium forces a speaker to speed up his speech and rush past a few key points.

D The lack of air conditioning in an auditorium forces a speaker to speed up his speech and rush past a few key points.

Determine which speech topic is best suited for an informative speech. A. A filmmaker explains to an audience why he needs funding to finish his documentary. B. A store manager talks to her staff about why the new schedule they will institute next week is an improvement over the old one. C. A man describes his parents' relationship during a celebration for their wedding anniversary. D. A politician describes the recent budget cuts to his constituents.

D. A politician describes the recent budget cuts to his constituents

Which of the following scenarios represents an example of a speaker behaving unethically? During a speech at a political rally, a politician invents an anecdote about meeting supporters who claimed to benefit from his policies. A woman preparing for a speech at a school researches the economic background of the students' families. A woman leading a drug-therapy group describes her past experiences with addiction. A man at a tech conference admits that he has been paid a small sum to speak there.

During a speech at a political rally, a politician invents an anecdote about meeting supporters who claimed to benefit from his policies.

Which of the following historical figures believed that locating truth was instrumental for the performance of communication? Cicero Francis Bacon Aristotle St. Augustine

Francis Bacon

Nikki is a financial advisor who routinely speaks to large groups about the importance of saving, investing, and financial planning. Her speeches are targeted at college savings, retirement plans, and tax relief for families with school-aged children. Today she is speaking at an inner-city union meeting. Which of the following descriptions represents a cultural barrier of communication for Nikki's speech? Nikki kept her voice relatively low despite speaking in a large auditorium with noisy air conditioning. Nikki planned to use visual aids but experienced problems with the equipment. Nikki used language implying audience members brought in low incomes, leaving many of them irritated. Nikki made exaggerated hand gestures and took long pauses throughout her speech.

Nikki used language implying audience members brought in low incomes, leaving many of them irritated.

Pamela is required to deliver a presentation in front of her philosophy class, but she is having trouble choosing a topic. Because her class has covered a lot of material and there are so many possible options, Pamela is intimidated by the thought of having to pick one. She remembers that brainstorming helped her determine the focus of a project for another class. Which of the following examples demonstrates Pamela's brainstorming to determine a topic for her presentation? Pamela thinks about the time limit for the presentation and looks for a topic with a narrow focus. Pamela looks over her class notes to see which topic she is most familiar with. Pamela debates which topic in philosophy she would most like to learn more about. Pamela writes down as many topic ideas as she can think of on a sheet of paper.

Pamela writes down as many topic ideas as she can think of on a sheet of paper.

Select the example that represents a speaker soliciting information about his audience. The mayor writes a speech that stresses how much people opposing a new stadium have in common with those who support it. The mayor brings up more reasons why a new stadium will be good for the economy after he notices looks of skepticism in the audience. In the speech that he prepares, the mayor makes sure to include reasons why people from all different socioeconomic brackets will benefit from a new stadium. The mayor sends out questionnaires to measure people's enthusiasm for a new stadium and to understand why they would or would not support it.

The mayor sends out questionnaires to measure people's enthusiasm for a new stadium and to understand why they would or would not support it.

Christopher works in Boston, and his boss works at the law firm's New York office. Christopher's boss runs weekly staff meetings for the human resources department in Boston through online video-conferencing software. Christopher and his colleagues can see his boss in his New York office, and he can see them in the conference room. His boss begins each meeting with a presentation of indicators related to recruitment, employee retention, and wellness across the four different branches of the firm. Which of the following represents the channel that Christopher and his colleagues use to communicate? The law firm that has multiple offices The conference room where everyone is gathered The online video-conferencing software The presentation of recruitment-related indicators

The online video-conferencing software

Sophie was shopping when she spotted a crowd in the park across the street. She crossed over and saw a semicircle of people gathered around a young man. He was passionately talking about his experience at the community health clinic. He explained that the city was threatening to pull the budget from the clinic but if enough residents protested, the city would reconsider. At the end of the speech, most of the audience, many of whom had been to the clinic before, signed his petition. Sophie was surprised by how effectively the street speech called attention to the issue. Select the statement below that best explains why the young man's speech was so effective. The crowd appreciated that the speaker made consistent eye contact. The speaker's vocal delivery made it easy for his audience to follow his argument. The speaker targeted the right audience with a clear and focused message. The speaker clearly rehearsed his speech several times beforehand.

The speaker targeted the right audience with a clear and focused message.

A speaker at Tom's church is making a presentation on his past mission to Africa and his work with a large charity organization. He relates stories about and displays pictures of his trip through various African nations. He is trying to raise $300,000 for his next trip back, and the amount catches Tom's attention. He becomes skeptical that such a large amount would be needed and starts listening for more details about the proposed trip. Which of Tom's reactions to the speaker reflects the evaluating stage of the listening process? The speaker's description of the diseases he saw and how the money he raises goes to help eliminate these issues sticks with Tom. He even brings it up later that week when his boss at work mentions a recent news story on the process of sending medicines to third world countries. Tom raises his hand and asks the speaker to describe the problems he encountered while touring some of the poorer areas of Africa. Tom understands that mission trips are expensive, but the description of what the speaker says he will do in Africa doesn't seem to necessitate spending that much money. Tom nods his head while the speaker reviews his main reasons for seeking $300,000, to indicate that he's following along.

Tom understands that mission trips are expensive, but the description of what the speaker says he will do in Africa doesn't seem to necessitate spending that much money.

Scott is attending a conference focusing on the intersection of architecture and technology. A famous architect is giving a presentation at the conference, and Scott is eager to hear it. During the presentation, a number of crowd members seated near Scott cheer and clap loudly every time the architect makes a point. He finds their behavior annoying and begins to focus on their reactions to see if they will calm down. After the presentation, Scott cannot remember much of what the architect said. Scott suffered from __________, which negatively affected his ability to listen to the architect's speech. low concentration lack of prioritization confirmation bias poor judgment

low concentration