Public Speaking Exam 2: Key Concepts and Strategies

1. Citing Sources: Why It Matters

• Avoid accusations of plagiarism
• Boost your credibility
• Give your audience access to more information

2. Benefits of Visual Aids

• Increase listener understanding
• Improve memory and recall
• Help audience organize information
• Increase persuasive impact

3. Types of Visual Aids

Real people, objects, models, photographs, graphs, charts, drawings, maps, handouts, videos, DVDs, PowerPoint, computer-generated graphics, music.

4. Informative Speech Material

Examples, statistics, testimony, facts, analogies, descriptions, definitions, explanations.

5. Introducing Visual Aids: 4 Steps

Introduce it, present it, interpret it, conclude it.

6. Types of Examples

• Specific instances: Brief examples to explain a point.
• Extended examples: Longer, more detailed, short stories.
• Hypothetical examples: Describe imaginary situations.

7. Persuasion Defined

An attempt to change or reinforce attitudes, beliefs, values, and/or behavior.

8. The Power of a Proposition

States exactly what you want the audience to do, support, or believe.

9. Evidence in Persuasive Speeches

Examples, statistics, testimony, facts, analogies, descriptions, definitions, explanations.

10. Persuasive Fallacies to Avoid

• Hasty generalization: Jumping to conclusions without evidence.
• Post hoc ergo propter hoc: Assuming causation based on sequence.
• Slippery slope: Predicting a chain of negative events.
• Red herring: Distracting from the main issue.
• False division: Limiting choices to only two options.
• Argument ad hominem: Resorting to personal attacks.
• Bandwagon theory: Appealing to popularity.
• Appeal to tradition: Arguing for the status quo.

11. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Helps gain audience attention and involvement.

12. One-Sided vs. Two-Sided Speeches

• One-sided: Presents only the speaker’s ideas; effective for less educated or agreeable audiences.
• Two-sided: Considers all sides; effective for educated or disagreeing audiences.

13. Fear Appeal Effectiveness

Audience must believe in your credibility, the reality of the threat, and the effectiveness of your solution.

14. Ethos, Pathos, Logos

• Ethos: Credibility of the source.
• Pathos: Appeals to emotions.
• Logos: Appeals to logic.

15. Extemporaneous Delivery

Conversational, sounds like a natural discussion.

16. Paralinguistic Cues

Nonverbal elements of voice: pitch, volume, rate, pauses, articulation, pronunciation, dialect, grammar.

17. Vocal Fillers

Avoid using sounds or words to fill pauses.

18. Assertion-Reason-Evidence (ARE)

Assertion = Your basic answer to the question

Reason = why you believe your answer is true

Evidence = Proof of your information

Summary = Summarize your A-R-E

Transition = Transition into the next R or E