Public Speaking Glossary and Review Questions

Flashcards covering key vocabulary related to public speaking and communication processes.

Abstract Word

Words that refer to ideas or concepts that are removed from material reality.

Axiology

A part of worldview; refers to an individual or group’s value system.

Channel

The means through which the message travels.

Communicator

The people in the interaction or speech setting who encode and decode messages simultaneously.

Concrete Word

A word that describes a tangible object that can be perceived through the senses.

Context

The communication rules that govern different physical settings and/or different types of relationships.

Cosmology

A part of worldview; refers to how individuals and groups see themselves in relation to other people and their view of their place in the universe.

Cultural Noise

Differences in worldview that cause message interference.

Decoding

The process of listening to words and interpreting the words so they are associated with a mental image.

Encoding

The process of taking a mental image, associating the image with words, and then speaking those words.

Epistemology

A part of worldview; refers to how an individual or group acquires knowledge or what counts as knowledge.

Listening

The psychological process of interpreting and making sense of the messages we receive.

Message

The words, nonverbal behavior, or other signals transmitted from one person to another.

Noise

Anything that interferes with the message transmission or the encoding and decoding process.

Nonverbal Behavior

All of the messages we send except for the words we say, including appearance, kinesics, proxemics, touch, time, and smell.

Norms

The verbal and nonverbal rules that govern communicative behavior.

Ontology

A part of worldview; refers to an individual’s or group’s belief system.

Praxeology

A part of worldview; refers to how an individual or group goes about tasks or solving problems.

Psychological Noise

Message interference that results from disturbed or excited mental states.

Physiological Noise

Message interference that results from bodily discomfort.

Physical Noise

Message interference that results from external noises making it difficult to hear a message.

Public Speaking

The act of delivering a speech in front of a live audience.

Worldview

The overall framework through which an individual sees, thinks about, and interprets the world and interacts with it.