Key Concepts in Communication and Rhetoric

paralanguage

vocal techniques used to emphasize and give meanings to words; pitch, pace, pausing, and projection

enunciating

You are clearly understood the first time and you cut down on the listeners internal noise by ___.

intonation

pitch variation; the opposite of monotone

True or false: we can't not communicate

True

denotation

dictionary definition

communicators

the who of the communication cycle

channel

the how of the communication cycle

feedback

the response in the communication cycle

verbal or nonverbal

feedback can be ___ or ___

circumstances

the when/where of the communication cycle

Kairos

Greek for saying the right thing at the right time

bandwagon

fallacy - 'everyone is doing it'

ad hominem

attacking the person not the ideas

false cause/Post Hoc

correlation is not causation

hasty generalization

infers a general rule from a specific case without proper evidence or from a too-small sample size

begging the question

the conclusion is included in the premise of the argument

Monroe's Motivated Sequence

in order, Attention, Need, Satisfaction, Visualization, Action

equivocation

The use of ambiguous language to conceal the truth or avoid committing oneself; a bad faith argument tactic

connotation

associations (feelings, experiences, images) we have with a word

rhetorical sensitivity

using a word that is least likely to be offensive to the listener

steps to perception

in order, selection --> organization --> interpretation

accent

The way of pronunciation particular to a speaker or group of speakers.

vernacular

The language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region.

dialect

A hybrid language with its own distinct grammatical structure and vocabulary.

kinesics

body language

emblems

non verbal gestures with a culturally agreed-upon meaning

illustrators

used to enhance the understanding of our message

facial expressions

affect display

adapters

nervous gestures such as swaying, tapping, fidgeting, coughing, clicking pens

eutrepismus

a rhetorical device: the act of stating points in the form of a numbered list

extemporaneous

A carefully rehearsed speech delivered in a conversational manner, often using brief notes. Allows for the most flexibility.

four steps to introductions

in order, hook --> transition --> self introduction --> benefits

manuscript

A speech read word-for-word from a written or printed document. Very rigid

impromptu

A short message delivered with little to no preparation, often in informal settings. May ramble or get off topic.

convince

persuasive goal to change the audience's mind

reinforce

persuasive goal to strengthen audience's convictions

actuate

persuasive goal to get audience to take action

problem-solution

strongest way to organize a persuasive speech

Three parts of the rhetorical triangle

ethos, pathos, logos

ethos

the rhetorical triangle: credibility of the speaker

logos

the rhetorical triangle: logic and consistency of the speech

pathos

the rhetorical triangle: how the audience receives the speech

projection

not yelling, but speaking loud enough to be heard

ghosting

a sudden and often unexplained cease of communication by one person to another

external noise

distractions to a speech such as a car alarm, a dog barking, a loud air conditioner

internal noise

distractions to a speech such as prejudice, closed-mindedness, etc.

You ate it??

disgust + surprise = _____