GE Elec 1

CHAPTER 1  Feedback – communication is a two-way process.

Public speaking – is a way of making your ideas public. Of sharing Listeners do not absorb messages like human sponges.
them with and influencing other people. They send back their messages, usually nonverbal.
 Interference – anything that impedes the communication;
The Tradition of Public Speaking could be external or internal to the listeners.
 Situation – time and place in which the communication
Orator – someone with special skills in public speaking occurs. Public speakers must be alert to the situation as
 The oldest known handbook on effective speech was certain occasions require certain kinds of speeches.
written on papyrus in Egypt some 4500 years ago.
 Eloquence was highly prized in ancient India, Africa and Cultural Diversity in the Modern World
China, as well as among Aztecs and other pre-European
cultures of North and South America - Your audience may include people of different
 In classical Greece and Rome, public speaking played a backgrounds. Be alert to how such factors might affect
central role in education and civic life. their responses and adapt your message accordingly.
 Aristotle’s Rhetoric, composed during the 3rd century BCE, - Avoid ethnocentric belief that your culture or group is
is still the important work on its subject, and many of its superior to all others.
principles are followed by speakers and writers today.
 Oral communication is the top list most essential skills in
Similarities between Public Speaking and career development.
Conversation  Adrenaline – a hormone released into bloodstream in
response to physical or mental stress.
1. Organizing your thoughts logically  Critical thinking – focused, organized thinking, as the
2. Tailoring your message to your audience relationships among ideas, the soundness of evidence,
3. Telling a story for a maximum impact and the differences between fact and opinion.
4. Adapting to listener feedback
CHAPTER 2
Differences between Public Speaking and Ethics – the branch of philosophy that deals with issues of right and
Conversation wrong in human affairs.
 The goal of public speaking is to gain a desired response
1. PS is more highly structured from listeners – but not at any cost
2. PS requires more formal language  The ideal of speechmaking is the good person speaking
3. PS requires a different method of delivery well.
 We should formulate meaningful ethical guidelines, not
Stage Fright / Glossophobia – the anxiety over the prospect oof inflexible rules”. Your ethical decisions will be guided by
giving a speech in front of an audience. your values, conscience, your sense of right and wrong
Ethical Decision – sound ethical decisions involve weighing
6 Ways to Turn Nervousness from a Negative Force into a potential course of action against a set of ethical standards or
Positive One guidelines
1. Acquire speaking experience
2. Prepare, prepare, prepare Guidelines for Ethical Speaking
3. Think positively 1. Make sure your goals are ethically sound.
4. Use the power of visualization 2. Be fully prepared for each speech.
5. Know that most nervousness is not visible - “Speech is a solemn responsibility.
6. Do not expect perfection 3. Be honest in what you say
- “Words can be trusted, and people will be truthful.”
Tips to dealing with Nervousness in Your First Speeches 4. Avoid name-calling and other forms of abusive language.
1. Be at your best physically and mentally – a good o Epithets – nigger, fag, kike etc.
night’s sleep will serve you better. o Name -calling – use of language to defame,
2. As you are waiting to speak, quietly tighten and relax degrade and or demean someone or group.
your leg muscles, or squeeze your hands together and 5. Put ethical principles into practice.
then release them – It helps reduce tension by providing - “Being ethical means behaving ethically all the time – not
an outlet for extra adrenaline only when it is convenient”.
3. Take a couple slow, deep breaths before you start to Plagiarism – comes from plagiarius, the Latin word for “kidnapper”.
speak – breaks the cycle of tension and helps calm your It means presenting another person’s language or ideas as your
nerves own.
4. Work especially hardon your introduction – speaker’s Global Plagiarism – The most blatant – and unforgivable – kind of
anxiety level begins to drop after the first 30-60 seconds of plagiarism. It is grossly unethical. It is stealing your speech entirely
a presentation. Once done with the introduction, the flow form another source and passing it of as your own.
would be smoother. Patchwork Plagiarism – when a speaker pilfers from two or three
5. Make eye contact with members of your audience – sources.
concentrate on communicating with your audience rather Incremental Plagiarism – the entire speech is cribbed more or less
than worrying with your stage fright. If you get caught up, verbatim from a single source or a few sources. It occurs when the
they will too. speaker fails to give credit for particular parts – increments – of the
6. Use visual aids – it creates interest, draw attention away speech that are borrowed from other people.
from you, makes you feel less self-conscious.
 Quotations – attribute the words to that person.
The Speech Communication Process  Paraphrase – you need to acknowledge the author or the
 Speaker – the person presenting an oral message. person because still, with just a fair amount of his/her
 Message – whatever a speaker communicates. Achieving language, you are still using his/her opinions, ideas, and
this depends both on what you say (the verbal message), judgment.
and on how you say it (the nonverbal).
CHAPTER 3
 Channel – the means by which a message is  Hearing is a psychological process, involving the vibration
communicated. Public speakers may use one or more of soundwaves on our eardrums.
serval channels each will affect the message received by  Listening means paying a close attention to, and making
the audience. sense of what we hear. Usually, only 50% of what we hear
 Listener – the person who receives the message. Without that we grasp.
this, there is no communication. Everything a speaker  After 24 hours, we can only retain 10% of what we heard
says is filtered through listener’s frame of reference. that is why hearing is a lost art.
 Frame of reference – the person’s knowledge,  Students with highest grades are those with those
experience, goals, values and attitudes strongest listening skills.
 The best speakers are the best listeners.
GE Elec 1
Appreciative Listening – for pleasure or enjoyment.
Empathic Listening – to provide emotional support for the speaker General Purpose – the broad goal of a speech
Comprehensive Listening – to understand the message of a 1. To inform
speaker 2. To persuade
o Summarizing information Specific Purpose – state in infinitive phrase. It is what a
o Recalling facts speaker hopes to accomplish.
o Distinguishing main from minor points Tips in formulating specific purpose statement:
Critical Listening – to evaluate a message for purpose of accepting 1. Use full infinitive phrase
or rejecting it 2. Express as a statement, not as a question
o Separating facts from opinion 3. Avoid figurative language
o Spotting weaknesses from in reasoning 4. Limit in one distinct idea
o Judging the soundness of the evidence 5. Make sure it is not too vague or general
Questions to ask about your specific purpose:
1. Does my purpose meet the assignment?
 Listening and critical thinking are closely allied that training
2. Can I accomplish my purpose in the time allotted?
in listening is also training in how to think.
3. Is the purpose relevant to my audience?
 Good listeners do not absorb everything. They focus on
4. Is the purpose too trivial for my audience?
specific things.
5. IS the purpose too technical for my audience?
 Listening does not go hand-in-hand with intelligence,
Central Idea – a one-statement that sums up or encapsulates the
social standing and education.
major ideas of the speech. It refines and sharpens the specific
purpose statement. It could also be your residual message, which
FOUR CAUSES OF POOR LISTENING
is what the speaker wants the audience to remember after it has
1. Not concentrating – we talk at a rate of 120-150 words a
forgotten everything else in the speech.
minute, we process 400-800 words a minute. Hence, we
Guidelines for central idea:
still have a plenty of spare “brain time,” we are tempted to
1. Full sentence
interrupt our listening by thinking other things.
2. Not in the form of a question
o The most important cause of poor listening is letting
3. Avoid figurative language
our thoughts wander.
4. Not vague or overly general
Spare brain time – the difference between the rate
which most people talk and the rate at which the
CHAPTER 5
brain can process language.
Audience-centeredness – keeping the audience foremost in mind
2. Listening too hard – we turn into human sponges
every step of speech preparation and presentation, but it does not
consequently missing the main points.
mean you are compromising your beliefs to get a favorable
3. Jumping to conclusions – we put words into a speaker’s
response.
mouth, you prejudge the speaker and choose not to listen.
 Effective speakers seek to create a bond with the
4. Focusing on delivery and personal appearance – we
audience by emphasizing common values, goals, and
judge the way the speaker looks or speak, it is easy to be
experience, comm scholars call this identification.
distracted by these (accent, appearance, mannerism etc.).
 Think in advance about your audience’s background and
interest, about the level of knowledge and attitude towards
HOW TO BECOME A BETTER LISTENER
the topic.
1. Take listening seriously –
Your classmates as an audience:
2. Be an active listener – we should not let interference
 There is tendency to view the classroom as an artificial
come through. Active listening is giving undivided attention
speaking situation and fellow students as not an authentic
to a speaker in a genuine effort to understand his POV.
audience.
3. Resist distractions – make an effort to pull your mind
 They are real persons with real attitudes and ideas and
back then force it to stay your focus.
consider them as worthy of your best efforts.
4. Do not be diverted by appearance or delivery – set
 The most serious measure of success or failure is your
aside preconceived judgment.
grade, and that is determined by your teacher.
5. Suspend judgment –
6. Focus your listening – do not absorb everything they
identification – a process in which speakers seek to create a bond
say.
with the audience by emphasizing common values, goals, and
o Listen for main points – most speech contains 2-
experience.
4
o Listen for evidence – for support, its accuracy,
objectivity, relevance and sufficiency THE PSYCHOLOGY OF AUDIENCES
o Listen for techniques - - study the methods other
people use to speak effectively. egocentric – the tendency of people to be concerned above all with
7. Develop note-taking skills – improves concentration and their own values, beliefs, and well-being.
keeps track with the speaker’s ideas, accurately
summarizes the ideas. DEMOGRAPHIC AUDIENCE ANALYSIS
o Key-word Outline – an outline that briefly notes
a speaker’s main points and supporting 1. identifying the general demographic analysis features of your
evidence in rough outline form. audience,
2. gauging the importance of those features to a particular speaking
CHAPTER 4 situation.
 The first step to speechmaking is choosing a topic.
Topic – the subject of the speech: Demographic audience analysis – it focuses on demographic
1. The one you know a lot about factors such as age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, group
2. Subject you want to learn more about membership.
Brainstorming – a method of generating ideas for speech by
freee association of words and ideas. Stereotyping – creating an oversimplified image of a particular
1. Personal Inventory – jot down anything, your experience, group of people, usually by assuming that all members of the group
interest, hobbies, skills, beliefs etc. are alike.
2. Clustering – Dividing the papers into nine columns: Here are few of the major demographic factors you should consider:
people, place, things, events, processes, concepts, natural 1. Age.
phenomena, problems, plans and policies. 2. Gender.
3. Reference Search – browsing through an encyclopedia, 3. Sexual Orientation.
periodical database or others reference work. 4. Racial, Ethnic, and Cultural Background.
4. Internet Search – search engines like Yahoo, Google etc. 5. Religion.
6. Group Membership.
GE Elec 1
Situational audience analysis – audience analysis that focuses on  Periodical Databases - It allows you to locate magazine or
situational factors such as the size of the audience, the physical journal articles. It is actually a research aid that catalogues
setting for the speech, and the disposition of the audience toward articles from a large number of journals or magazines. Type the
the topic, the speaker and the occasion. subject on which you want information in the database’s search
box, and citations of articles on your subject will appear on
SITUATIONAL AUDIENCE ANALYSIS screen.
1. Size. No matter what size group you are addressing, bear in mind  Abstract - It is a summary of a magazine or journal article,
one basic principle: written by someone other than the original author. In some
cases, you may get an abstract of the article in addition to – or
The larger the audience, the more formal your presentation must be. instead of – the full text. Keep in mind, however, that the
Audience size affects your language, choice of appeals, and use of abstract is only a summary of the article. You should never cite
visual aids. an article in your speech on the basis of the abstract alone.
 Newspapers - These are invaluable for research on many
1. Physical Setting. topics, historical as well as contemporary. If you are looking for
2. Disposition toward the Topic. information from your local newspaper, your library will probably
- Interest. have current issues in the periodicals room.
- Knowledge.  Reference Works - These are usually kept in a part of the
- Attitude - a frame of mind in favor of or opposed to a person, library called the reference section. The right reference work
policy, belief, institution, etc. can save you hours of time by putting at your fingertips a
3. Disposition toward the Speaker. wealth of information that might be difficult to locate through
4. Disposition toward the Occasion. database or the library catalogue. Reference work refers to a
work that synthesizes a large amount of related information for
GETTING INFORMATION ABOUT THE AUDIENCE easy access by researchers.
1. Fixed-alternative questions - questions that offer a fixed choice  Encyclopedias.
between two or more alternatives.  General Encyclopedias – information about old
2. Scale questions - questions that require responses at fixed branches of knowledge.
intervals along a scale of answers.  Specific Encyclopedias – more specific towards
3. Open-ended questions – questions that allow respondents to subjects such as religion, art, etc.,
answer however they want. In putting together your own  Almanac – general information
questionnaire, keep the following principles in mind:  Yearbooks - are published annually. They contain an amazing
- Plan the questionnaire carefully to elicit precisely the amount of current information that would otherwise be all but
impossible to track down. The World Almanac is a treasure
information you need.
trove of information. Among the things you can discover in it
- Use all three types of questions – fixed-alternative, scale, and are the most-watched television shows over previous year,
open- ended. professional and collegiate sports records, the literacy rate of
- Make sure the questions are clear and unambiguous. Afghanistan, and the natural resources of Peru. Meanwhile,
Facts on File is a weekly digest of national and foreign news
- Keep the questionnaire relatively brief. event. At the end of the year, all the weekly issues are
ADAPTING THE AUDIENCE published together as
1. Audience adaptation before the speech. Facts on File Yearbook - It is available in both print and online
This involves more than simply remembering who your listeners will versions.
be. Above all:  Quotation Books - It contains more than 25,000 quotations
 assessing how your audience is likely to respond to from historical and contemporary figures. It has long been
what you say in your speech, and regarded as an indispensable source for speakers and writers
 adjusting what you say to make it as clear, alike. The best-known collection of quotations is Bartlett’s
appropriate, and convincing as possible. At every Familiar Quotations.
point, you must anticipate how your audience will
respond. As you answer questions, consciously
identify with your listeners. Put yourself in their  Biographical Aids - It is a reference work that provides
place and respond to speech vividly. As you work information about people. When you need information about people
on your speeches, try to keep your listeners in the news, you can turn to one of the many reference works that
constantly in mind. Anticipate message to them. contain brief life and career facts about contemporary men and
2. Audience adaptation during the speech. women. They include International Who’s Who, Who’s Who in
America, etc.
CHAPTER 6
GATHERING MATERIALS SEARCHING THE INTERNET
USING YOUR OWN KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE Search Engines - These are the keys to finding materials on the
internet. Specialized Research Resources:
When you choose a topic from your own experience, you may be 1. Virtual Libraries - These are search engines that combine internet
tempted to depersonalize it by relying solely on facts and figures technology with traditional library methods of assessing data.
from books. Such outside information is almost always necessary. Here are the two best:
But supplementing it with the personal touch can really bring your  Librarians’ Internet Index and
speeches to life.  Internet Public Library.
Even if your life stories are not that dramatic, you can still put them 2. Government Resources.
to work for you. By thinking over your past experiences – gathering 3. Multicultural Resources.
material from yourself – you can fond many supporting details for
your speeches.
EVALUATING INTERNET DOCUMENTS
DOING LIBRARY SEARCH Here, we look at three criteria to help distinguish between the jewels
 Librarians - are experts in their own field, trained in library use and the junk on the internet.
and research methods. If you have questions, do not hesitate to  Authorship - information about the author is usually fairly easy
ask a librarian. He/she can help you find your way, locate to find.
sources, even track down a specific piece of information.  Sponsorship.
 Catalogue - It lists all the books, periodicals, and other
resources owned by the library. Although there are many - The letters .gov and .edu are reserved for government
different computer systems for library catalogues, most allow agencies and educational institutions.
you to search for books by author, title, subject, or keyword. It - It used to be that .org was used primarily by non-profit
also tells you whether the book you want is available or is organization.
already checked out.
 Call Number - It is the key to finding a book. It is a number - The com is basically used for businesses.
used in libraries to classify books and periodicals and to
indicate where they can be found on the shelves.
GE Elec 1
- To further the evaluation of the web document, check  Are the Statistics Representative? Make sure your
statistics are representative of what they claim to
the “About” link on the sponsoring organization’s
measure. It should mirror the proportion of the respondent
homepage.
or group.
 Recency - The best way to determine the recency of an  Are Statistical Measures Used Correctly?
internet document is to look for a copyright date, publication
date, or date of last version at the top or bottom of the - The mean – popularly called the average – is
document. determined by summing all the items in a group and
dividing by the number of items.
Interviewing - To illustrate, follow the interview process for a - The median is the middle figure in a group once the
hypothetical speech about current issues in college athletics. figures are put in order from highest to lowest.
Before the Interview - The outcome of most interviews is decided
by how well the interviewer prepares. - The mode is the number that occurs most frequently in
Here are five steps you should take ahead of time to help ensure a a group of numbers. All these measures have the same
successful outcome. goal – to indicate what is typical or characteristics of a
 Define the Purpose of the Interview. certain group of numbers.
 Decide Whom to Interview.  Are the Statistics from a Reliable Source? As a speaker,
you must be aware of possible bias in the use of numbers.
 Arrange the interview. Since statistics can be interpreted so many ways and put
 Decide whether to Record the Interview. so many uses, you should seek figures gather by
 Prepare Your Questions. objective, nonpartisan sources.
Tips for Using Statistics
During the Interview - Because the session will seldom go exactly  Use Statistics to Quantify Your Ideas.
as you plan, you need to be alert and flexible.  Use Statistics Sparingly.
Here are several steps you can take to help make things proceed  Identify the Sources of Your Statistics.
smoothly.  Explain Your Statistics.
 Dress Appropriately and Be on Time.  Round Off Complicated Statistics.
 Repeat the Purpose of the Interview.  Use Visual Aids to Clarify Statistical Trends.
 Set Up the Recorder, if you are Using One. Testimony - these are the quotations or paraphrases used to
 Keep the Interview on Track. support a point. By quoting or paraphrasing such people, you can
give your ideas greater strength and impact. These include:
 Listen Carefully.  Expert Testimony. This comes from people who are
 Do not Overstay Your Welcome. acknowledged authorities in their fields. Expert testimony
After the Interview. Although the interview is done, the interviewing is even more important when a topic is controversial or
process is not. You must now review and transcribe your notes. when the audience is skeptical about a speaker’s point of
 Review Your Notes as Soon as Possible. view.
 Transcribe Your Notes.  Peer Testimony. These are opinions of people like us; not
TIPS FOR DOING RESEARCH prominent figures, but ordinary citizens who have firsthand
Few people regard doing research as one of life’s great joys. There experience on the topic.
are ways to make it less tedious and more productive. Here are four This kind of testimony is especially valuable because it
ways that are guaranteed to help. gives a more personal viewpoint on issues that can be
1. Start Early gained from expert testimony.
2. Make a Preliminary Bibliography. A preliminary bibliography is a
list compiled early in the research process of works that look as if Quoting vs. Paraphrasing.
they might contain helpful information about a speech topic. Direct quotation is a testimony that is presented word for word.
- Two major formats used for citing documents are Meanwhile, to paraphrase is to restate or summarize a source’s
ideas in one’s own words.
Modern Language Association (MLA) and American
 The standard rule is that quotations are most effective
Psychological Association (APA). Whichever format
when they are brief, when they convey meaning better
you adopt, make sure your bibliography is clear,
than you can, and when they are particularly eloquent,
accurate, and consistent.
witty, or compelling.
3. Take Notes Efficiently. Be knowledgeable and effective to taking
 Paraphrasing is better than quotation when:
down notes.
1. the wording of the quotation is obscure or
- Take Plenty of Notes. cumbersome;
2. a quotation is longer than two or three
- Record Notes in a Consistent Format.
sentences. Audiences often tune out
- Make a Separate Entry for Each Note. partway through lengthy quotations, which
tend to interrupt the flow of the speaker’s
- Distinguish Among Direct Quotations
ideas.
Tips for Using Testimony
CHAPTER 7  Quote or Paraphrase Accurately - Quoting out of context
SUPORTING YOUR IDEAS when you quote a statement in such a way to distort its
Brief Examples - these are called specific instances. meaning by removing the statement from the words and
Extended Examples - these are often called narratives, illustrations, phrases surrounding it.
or anecdotes. By telling a story vividly and dramatically, they pull  Use Testimony from Qualified Sources - Listeners will
listeners into the speech. find your speeches much more credible if you use
Hypothetical Examples - these are examples that describe an testimony sources qualified on the subject at hand. As we
imaginary or fictitious situation. have seen, this may include either recognized or ordinary
Tips for Using Examples citizens with special experience on the speech topic.
 Use Examples to Clarify Ideas.  Use testimony from Unbiased Sources - Careful
 Use Examples to Reinforce Your Ideas. listeners are suspicious of testimony from biased or self-
 Use Examples to Personalize Your Ideas. interested sources. Be sure to use testimony from
 Make Your Examples Vivid and Richly Texture. credible, objective authorities.
 Practice Delivery to Enhance Your Extended Examples.  Identify the People You Quote or Paraphrase - The
usual way to identify your source is to name the person
Statistics- These are numerical data., is an effective way to clarify and sketch his or her qualifications before presenting the
and support ideas. These are often cited in passing to clarify or testimony. If you use another person’s words or ideas
strengthen a speaker’s points. Statistics can also be used in without giving credit to that person, you will be guilty of
combination to show the magnitude or seriousness of an issue. plagiarism, whether it is a quotation or a paraphrase.
 Understanding Statistics When you track down statistics  Citing Sources Orally - The key is to tell your audience
for your speeches, be sure to evaluate them in the light of enough that they will know where you got your information
the following questions: and why they should accept it as qualified and credible. In
GE Elec 1
most cases, you will need to identify some combination of
the following:
1. the book, magazine, newspaper, or web
document you are citing
2. the author or sponsoring organization of the
document
3. the author’s qualifications with regard to the
topic
4. the date on which the document was published,
posted, or updated

CHAPTER 8
ORGANIZING A SPEECH

Why organization of speech is important?

- more competent and trustworthy
- listeners demand coherence, when they can follow through the
ideas, organized strategically

The process of organizing the body of a speech begins when you

determine the main points
Main Points – central features of a speech. You should
select them carefully, phrase them precisely and arrange
them strategically.
- two to five at most, 2-3 recommended

Strategic Order of Main Points

1. Chronological Order
follows the time pattern, narrate events in sequence,
process
2. Spatial Order
follows a directional pattern, good for informative speech
3. Causal Order
shows cause and effect; because of its versatility, can be
used for both persuasive and informative speeches
4. Problem-Solution Order
first main point deals with the existence of a problem then
presents the solution afterwards, appropriate for
persuasive speeches
5. Topical Order
divides the topic into logical and consistent sub-topics

Tips for Preparing Main Points

1. Keep the Main Points Separate
- should be clearly dependent of the others
2. Try to Use the Same Patter of Wording for Main Points
- consistent pattern so it is easier to remember
3. Balance the Amount of Time Devoted to Main Points
- they should all receive enough emphasis to be clear and
convincing

SUPPORTING MATERIALS
Connectives – words and phrases that coordinate and connect the
ideas of a speech and indicates the relationship between them
Four Types:
(a) Transitions – states the idea just completed and idea moving on
to
(b) Internal Previews – like an introduction to the speech but to the
introduction to a part of a body, broad on what is up next
(c) Internal Summaries – remind listeners of what they just have
heard instead of saying what is next
(d) Signpost – indicates exactly where you are in a speech,
commonly involves just numbers.