BCOM Group Communication and Public Speaking

Consensus

agreement between group members about a decision.

Extemporaneous speech

a speech planned in advance but presented in a direct, conversational manner.

Impromptu speech

a speech given without preparation.

Facilitative apprehension

a moderate level of anxiety about speaking before an audience that helps improve the speaker’s performance.

Debilitative apprehension

an intense level of anxiety about speaking before an audience resulting in poor performance.

Manuscript speech

a speech that is read word-for-word from a prepared text.

Memorized speech

a speech that is learned and delivered by rote without a written text.

Thematic

a complete sentence describing the central idea of a speech, usually found in the first paragraph.