Public Speaking Essentials: A Comprehensive Guide

Posted on Aug 16, 2024 in Language

Chapter 7: Researching Your Speech

1. Research Resources and Evaluation Criteria

If you have personal experience or above-average knowledge about a topic, you can use yourself as a resource. Most of the time, however, you will need outside information, which you can get in the library, on the internet, or by interviewing people with specialized information.

Criteria for Evaluating Research Materials:

• Authorship
• Sponsorship
• Recency

2. Guidelines for Taking Research Notes

• Start early
• Make a preliminary bibliography
• Take plenty of notes
• Record notes in a consistent format
• Make a separate entry for each note

3. Benefits and Stages of Interviewing

The outcome of most interviews is decided by how well the interviewer prepares.

Three Stages of Interviewing:

• Before the Interview: Prepare questions and research the interviewee.
• During the Interview: Be polite, listen attentively, and ask follow-up questions.
• After the Interview: Review notes and transcribe the interview.

Chapter 8: Supporting Your Ideas

4. The Importance of Supporting Materials

Supporting materials bolster the speaker’s point of view.

5. Three Major Forms of Support

Examples, statistics, and testimony help clarify, reinforce, and personalize ideas. To be most effective, they should be vivid and richly textured.

6. Tips for Using Supporting Materials

• Use examples to clarify, reinforce, and personalize ideas.
• Use statistics to quantify ideas (use sparingly).
• Use testimony to lend credibility and impact to your ideas.

7. Guidelines for Quoting and Paraphrasing

Quoting or paraphrasing expert and peer testimony can give your ideas greater strength and impact.

Chapter 10: Introductions and Conclusions

8. Objectives of a Speech Introduction

Besides gaining attention, a speech introduction should:

• Relate the topic to the audience
• State the importance of your topic
• Arouse the curiosity of the audience

Methods to Gain Attention:

• Startle or question the audience
• Arouse their curiosity
• Begin with a quotation or a story

9. Tips for Preparing the Introduction

1. Keep it brief (10-20% of your speech).
2. Look for introductory materials during research.
3. Be creative and experiment with different openings.
4. Finalize the introduction after preparing the body.
5. Practice the introduction thoroughly.
6. Don’t start talking too soon; establish eye contact and smile.

10. Objectives of a Speech Conclusion

• Signal the end of the speech.
• Reinforce the central idea.

Techniques to Reinforce the Central Idea:

• Summarize the speech
• End with a quotation
• Make a dramatic statement
• Refer to the introduction

Chapter 11: Outlining Your Speech

11. Importance and Purpose of Outlining

Outlines ensure that ideas are organized, thoughts flow logically, and the speech structure is coherent.

12. Guidelines for Outlining

• State the specific purpose.
• Identify the central idea.
• Label the introduction, body, and conclusion.
• Use a consistent pattern of symbolization and indentation.
• State main points and subpoints in full sentences.
• Label transitions, internal summaries, and internal previews.
• Attach a bibliography.
• Give your speech a title.

13. Preparation vs. Speaking Outlines

The speaking outline should be legible, follow the same visual framework as the preparation outline, and include cues for delivery.

Chapter 12: Using Language

14. Denotative vs. Connotative Language

Denotative Meaning: Precise, literal, and objective dictionary definition.

Connotative Meaning: Suggested by associations or emotions triggered by a word or phrase.

15. Using Language Accurately

Use a thesaurus to find the most appropriate words.

16. Using Language Clearly

• Use familiar words.
• Choose concrete words.
• Eliminate clutter.

17. Using Vivid Language

Metaphor: An implicit comparison between two different things that have something in common.

Simile: An explicit comparison, using “like” or “as,” between two different things that have something in common.

Chapter 13: Delivery

19. Methods of Speech Delivery

1. Reading verbatim from a manuscript
2. Reciting a memorized text
3. Speaking impromptu
4. Speaking extemporaneously (using notes or a speaking outline)

20. Guidelines for Verbal Delivery

• Control volume, pitch, rate, pauses, and vocal variety.
• Pay attention to pronunciation, articulation, and dialect.

21. Guidelines for Nonverbal Delivery

Use your voice and body to convey the message effectively without distracting the audience.

Information from Lecture

22. Informative vs. Persuasive Speaking

Informative speaking is objective, while persuasive speaking aims to convince the audience to agree with the speaker’s viewpoint.

Chapter 16: Persuasive Speaking

23. Challenges of Persuasive Speaking

Persuasive speaking is more challenging than informative speaking because it requires a deeper understanding of the audience and their beliefs.

24. Principles of Persuasion and Audience Analysis

Understanding the audience’s attitudes, values, and beliefs is crucial for effective persuasion.

25. Types of Persuasive Speeches and Organizational Patterns

• Question of Fact: Speeches that seek to establish the truth or falsity of a statement.
• Question of Value: Speeches that argue the worth, rightness, or morality of an idea or action.
• Question of Policy: Speeches that advocate for a specific course of action.

Chapter 17: Methods of Persuasion

26. Ethos, Logos, and Pathos

Ethos: Speaker credibility and character.

Logos: Logical appeal based on evidence and reasoning.

Pathos: Emotional appeal that connects with the audience’s feelings.

27. Four Reasons Listeners are Persuaded

1. Speaker credibility (ethos)
2. Evidence (logos)
3. Reasoning (logos)
4. Emotional connection (pathos)

28. Four Basic Methods of Reasoning

The four methods of reasoning are based on evidence, credibility, logic, and emotional examples.

29. Fallacies to Avoid

• Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc (False Cause): Assuming that because one event follows another, the first event caused the second.
• Non Sequitur: An illogical conclusion that does not follow from the premises.
• Hasty Generalization: Jumping to a conclusion based on insufficient evidence.
• Oversimplification: Assuming an event has only one cause when multiple causes are probable.
• Invalid Analogy: Comparing two things that are not essentially alike.
• Red Herring: Introducing an irrelevant issue to divert attention from the actual subject.
• Ad Hominem: Attacking the person rather than addressing the real issue.
• Either-Or: Forcing a choice between two alternatives when more than two exist.
• Bandwagon: Assuming something is good or correct because it is popular.
• Slippery Slope: Assuming the first step will inevitably lead to undesirable consequences.
• Appeal to Tradition: Assuming something old is automatically better than something new.