Chapter 9 Preparing a Speech

Chapter 9: Preparing a Speech 1.) Selecting and Narrowing a Topic  1.1 Analyze your Audience o When delivering a speech in a college classroom, you can rightfully assume that everyone in your audience is currently living in the general area of the school, is enrolled at the school, and is currently taking the same speech class. o In professional speeches, you can often assume that everyone is part of the same professional organization if you present at a conference, employed at the same place or in the same field if you are giving a sales presentation, or experiencing the nervousness of starting a new job if you are leading an orientation or training. o Demographic Audience Analysis  Demographics- Broad sociocultural categories such as age, gender, race, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, education level, religion, ethnicity, and nationality that are used to segment a larger population o Psychological Audience Analysis  Psychological audience analysis- Analysis that considers your audience’s psychological dispositions toward the topic, speaker, and occasion and how their attitudes, beliefs, and values inform those dispositions.  Credibility- Audience members’ perceptions of whether or not a speaker is competent, trustworthy, and/or engaging.  Captive audience- An audience consisting of people who are required to be present  Voluntary audience- An audience consisting of people who chose to be present  A final aspect of psychological audience analysis involves considering the audience’s attitudes, beliefs, and values o Situational Audience Analysis  Situational audience analysis- Analysis that considers the physical surroundings and setting of a speech.  1.2 Determine Your Purpose, Topic, and Thesis o General Purpose  General purpose- The overarching purpose of your speech, which will be to inform, to persuade, or to entertain. o Choosing a Topic  Brainstorming- Process of quickly generating ideas without prejudging them.  Overall you can follow these tips as you select and narrow your topic: o 1. Brainstorm topics that you are familiar with, interest you, and/or are currently topics of discussion. o 2. Choose a topic appropriate for the assignment/occasion. o 3. Choose a topic that you can make relevant to your audience. o 4. Choose a topic that you have the resources to research (access to information, people to interview, etc.). o Specific Purpose  Specific purpose- A one-sentence statement that is audience centered and includes the objective a speaker wants to accomplish in his or her speech.  o Thesis Statement  Thesis statement- A one-sentence summary of the central idea of your speech that you will either explain or defend  First, the thesis statement is content centered, while the specific purpose statement is audience centered.  Second, the thesis statement is incorporated into the spoken portion of your speech, while the specific purpose serves as a guide for your research and writing and an objective that you can measure. 2.) Researching and Supporting Your Speech  Finding Supporting Material o Reference librarians- Information-retrieval experts at college and university libraries. o Academic databases o Google Scholar  Types of Sources o Periodicals- Information sources like academic journals and magazines.  Abstract- An author-supplied summary of an academic article.  Peer-review process- A rigorous form of review that takes several months to years and ensures that the information published has been vetted and approved by numerous experts on the subject. o Newspapers and books o Reference tools  Primary sources- Materials written by people with firsthand experience with an event or researchers/ scholars who conducted original research.  Secondary sources- Sources that compile and summarize research done by others. o Interviews o Websites 2.3 Types of Supporting Material o Proxemic information- Information that is geographically relevant to the audience. o Example- A cited case that is representative of a larger whole. o Explanation- Type of supporting material that clarifies ideas by providing information about what something is, why something is the way it is, or how something works or came to be. o Statistics- Numerical representations of information. o Analogies -Type of supporting material that compares ideas, items, or circumstances. o Testimony- Quoted information from people with direct knowledge about a subject or situation o Visual aids - Materials that reinforce speech content visually, which helps amplify the speaker’s message. 3.) Organizing  3.1 Organizing the Body of Your Speech o Determining Your Main Points  Main point- Division of the body of a speech that has a central idea, meets some part of the specific purpose, and includes supporting material from research related to the thesis.  Parallel wording- Similar wording among key organizing signposts and main points that helps structure a speech o Organizing Your Main Points  Topical pattern- Organizing a speech by logically dividing a large topic or idea into smaller topics or ideas.  Primacy effect- Speaking strategy in which the best information is presented first in order to make a positive impression on and engage your audience early in a speech.  Recency effect- Speaking strategy in which the best information is presented last in a speech in order to leave a strong final impression.  Chronological pattern- Organizing a speech based on time or sequence.  Spatial pattern- Organizing the main points of a speech based on their layout or proximity to each other.  Problem-solution pattern- Organizing a speech by presenting a problem and then offering a solution.  Cause-effect pattern- Organizing a speech by setting up a relationship between ideas that shows a progression from origin to result or vice versa.  Monroe’s Motivated Sequence- A five-step organization pattern that attempts to persuade an audience by making a topic relevant, using positive and/or negative motivation, and including a call to action.  Signposts- Statements that help audience members navigate the turns of a speech. o 3.2 Introduction  Nonverbal signposts- Pauses and changes in rate, pitch, or volume that help emphasize transitions within a speech.  Getting Your Audiences Attention  Humor  Citing a startling fact or statistic  Use a quotation  Ask a question o Rhetorical question- A question posed to the audience that is designed to elicit a mental response.  Tell a story  Introduce your topic  Establish credibility and relevance  Preview your main points o 3.3 Conclusion  Summarize importance of your topic  Review your main points  Closing statement 4.) Outlining  4.1 The Formal Outline o Formal outline- A full-sentence outline that helps a speaker prepare for and judge the coherence of a speech. o Four principles of outlining are consistency, unity, coherence, and emphasis.  In terms of consistency, you should follow standard outlining format.  In standard outlining format, main points are indicated by capital roman numerals, subpoints are indicated by capital letters, and sub-subpoints are indicated by Arabic numerals.  Further divisions are indicated by either lowercase letters or lower- case roman numerals.  The principle of unity means that each letter or number represents one idea.  Following the principle of unity should help your outline adhere to the principle of coherence, which states that there should be a logical and natural flow of ideas, with main points, subpoints, and sub- subpoints connecting to each other.  Coordinate points- Points that are at the same level of importance in relation to the thesis of the speech or the central idea of a main point.  Subordinate points- Points that provide evidence or support for a main idea or thesis.  The principle of emphasis states that the material included in your outline should be engaging and balanced. As you place supporting material into your outline, choose the information that will have the most impact on your audience. 4.2 The Speaking Outline o Speaking outline- A keyword and phrase outline that helps a speaker deliver a speech.  