A Simple Guide To Effective Speech

Intrapersonal communication
communication with oneself

Communication
the process of sharing information by using symbols to send and receive messages

Specific Words
identify the items within a category. Example: Blue Jay

Sensory Words
words that appeal to one or more of the five senses. They create a vivid picture.

Communication Process
Message - consists of the ideas and feelings that make up the content of communication
Sender - the person who gives the message
Receiver - the person who gets the message
Feedback - a return message. A key to effective communication. Can be verbal or nonverbal

Critical listening
not only comprehending what is being said, but also testing the strength of the ideas

Five areas of critical listening
Identifying the Speaker's Goal - identifying the goal allows a listener to analyze how well the goal was achieved.
Goal - the purpose the speaker has for giving the speech
Identifying Main Ideas - main ideas can be hidden in a speech or they can be clear. To find main ideas look for signal words and repetition.
Main Ideas - the speakers most important points.
Repetition - repeating a certain word, phrase, or sentence each time a new point is made
Signal words - words that indicate that a list, contrast, or connection is about to be made
Identifying Supporting Details - finding the details help you evaluate whether or not the evidence supports the speaker's ideas
Supporting Details - examples, facts, statistics, reasons, anecdotes, or expert testimony used by a speaker to back up their main idea.
Using Context Clues - examples of context clues can be synonyms, comparisons, contrasts, and examples
Context Clues - using context to understand words and ideas you don't know
Context - surrounding words or sentences
Synonyms - a word with a similar meaning
Comparisons or contrasts - understanding the connection and how one relates to the other
Examples - the help you get ideas of the word
Taking Advantage of Nonverbal Cues - you should carefully weigh speaker's behavior against their words. Watch for actions that emphasize or contradict.
Emphasis - adding to key meaning through volume, stressing words, or gestures
Contradiction - show confusion, uncertainty, or a hidden motive

Inductive Approach
a way of formatting a persuasive speech in which you state your reasons to build to a thesis
Criteria Satisfaction - say what needs to be met for something to be good and then state your thesis which should satisfy the criteria
Negative satisfaction - say what is currently wrong and then establish what could be fixed to make it better
Monroe Motivated sequence
Attention
Need
Satisfaction
Visualization
Action

Impromptu Speech
a speech with little to no preparation

Precise Words
they express your thoughts and feelings accurately, or exactly

General Words
refer to an entire category. Example: Bird

Difference between Specific and General Words
general words encompass a lot while specific words are part of a category

Verbal vs. Nonverbal language
Verbal symbols - words
Nonverbal symbols - gestures, facial expressions, and sounds like laughing

Decoding vs. Encoding
Encoding - the process of turning ideas and feelings into verbal and nonverbal symbols
Decoding - finding the meaning of the verbal and nonverbal symbols

Denotation vs. Connotation
connotation (feelings) denotation (definition)

Sublanguage
a subsystem of an established language
Jargon - specialized vocab that is understood by people in a specific group or field
Slang - recently coined words or old words used in new ways
Dialect - regional or cultural variety of language different from Standard American English in pronunciation, grammar, or word choice

Types of Faulty Reasoning
sounds like a contradiction, but it is too common

Five Types of Faulty Reasoning:
Hasty Generalizations - general conclusions drawn from particular observations, conclusions or opinions drawn from very few observations
Begging the question - assuming the truth of a statement before it is proven
False premises - Premise, a stated or implied starting point for an argument that is assumed to be true, a premise that is untrue or distorted
False analogies - Analogy a form of reasoning by comparison. They draw from valid conclusions from items that can be compared, draws invalid conclusions from weak or far fetched comparisons
Irrelevant evidence - information that has nothing to do with the argument being made

Propaganda Techniques/Types
Transfer - method that builds a connection between things that are not logically connected. In advertising, an example is connecting a product to happiness
Bandwagon - encourages people to act because everyone else is doing it. They use peer pressure and can be used in an election
Name Calling - labeling intended to arouse powerful negative feelings. Could say a group is inferior to another without providing evidence
Card Stacking - based on half truths by doing partial info to leave an inaccurate impression. Could be used to discuss political candidates
Stereotypes - a biased belief about a whole group of people based on insufficient or irrelevant evidence. Ignores the individual
Loaded words - evokes very strong positive or negative attitudes to a person, group, or idea. Can create bias. Uses connotation (feelings) in addition to denotation (definition)
Emotional Appeals - statements used to arouse emotional reactions. Emotion is used to distort the truth or produce irrational ideas.

Three Body Parts of a Speech
Introduction - gains attention and develops interest in the topic
body - presents main points and gives supporting details
Conclusion - emphasizes key ideas and leaves audience with greater interest in topic

Parts of an Introduction
Three purposes of the intro
Get the attention of the audience (sustained interest)
Gain the goodwill of the audience (positive feelings toward speaker)
Develop the audience's interest in the topic (involvement of audience)
Structure of an Intro - attention getter, tie into audience, credibility, and thesis.

Transitional Devices
bridges between ideas. Connect parts of your speech to emphasize the points you are making. Example: now, first

Goals of Persuasive Speech
Act on a policy
Change beliefs
Establish a fact

Concrete Words
name things that can be perceived by one or more of the five senses. Example: Peanut Butter

Abstract Words
name things, such as ideas and beliefs, that cannot be perceived by the senses. Example: Fairness

Difference between Concrete and Abstract Words
concrete words are more real while abstract words are more ideas and thoughts

Figures of Speech
are words and phrases that are not literally true, but that creeare a fresh, lively understanding of the idea

Interference
anything that gets in the way of clear communication

Types of Interference
Physical Noise - consists of any sound that prevents a person from being heard
Psychological Noise - thoughts and feelings that distracts people from what is said
Semantic Noise - caused by words that trigger strong negative feelings against the speaker on the content of the speech