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A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the COM 114 lecture notes on presentation skills, audience analysis, structure, persuasion, anxiety, ethics, and evidence.
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Audience Analysis
Process of examining audience demographics and psychographics to tailor a presentation.
Demographics
Statistical characteristics of a population such as age, income, race, and gender.
Psychographics
Audience interests, attitudes, opinions, values, and knowledge that influence response to a message.
Audience Homogeneity
Degree to which audience members share similar demographics and psychographics.
Conversational Group
Audience size of 0–10 people for informal discussion settings.
Presentation Size
Audience of 10–40 people for structured presentations.
Performance Size
Audience of 40–100 people for performance-style presentations.
Show Size
Audience of 100 or more for large events.
Sex
Biological characteristics that define male or female.
Gender
Societal beliefs and roles associated with being male or female.
Race
Physical traits such as skin color and bone structure used to classify people.
Ethnicity
Cultural identity based on shared values, traditions, and heritage.
Values
General beliefs about what is good, right, or important.
Attitudes
Specific evaluations of ideas, objects, or issues.
Interests
Topics that engage and resonate with an audience.
Supporting Materials
Evidence used to enhance a speaker’s credibility and strengthen arguments.
Authority (Source)
Level of recognized expertise of a source or individual.
Subject Expertise
Knowledge gained through education and experience in a topic area.
Societal Position
Influence stemming from a person’s role or status in society.
Special Experience
Unique insights derived from personal circumstances or events.
Primary Sources
Original, firsthand materials such as interviews, diaries, or raw data.
Secondary Sources
Analyses, interpretations, or evaluations of primary sources.
Currency of Information
Relevance and timeliness of data presented to an audience.
Works Cited
List of all sources referenced in a presentation.
Presentation Structure
Recommended allocation: Introduction 10%, Body 85%, Conclusion 5%.
Attention-Grabber
Opening device—story, fact, or humor—used to engage listeners.
Rule of Three
Organizing content into three main points for easier retention.
Supporting Points
Sub-points (usually 2–3) that develop each main idea.
Restate Goal
Briefly remind the audience of the presentation’s purpose during the conclusion.
Review Main Points
Summary of key ideas at the end of a presentation.
Circular Narrative
Technique that links the conclusion back to the introduction’s hook.
Expertise (Credibility)
Demonstrated knowledge through credentials, posture, and mastery of content.
Trustworthiness (Credibility)
Perceived honesty and reliability, built through evidence and openness to other views.
Ethos
Appeal to audience via speaker credibility.
Pathos
Emotional appeal used to persuade an audience.
High Valence Emotions
Positive feelings such as happiness and pride.
Low Valence Emotions
Negative feelings such as fear and guilt.
Extended Parallel Processing Model (EPPM)
Framework explaining fear appeal responses: danger control, fear control, or no response.
Fear Control
Audience focuses on reducing fear rather than addressing the threat.
Danger Control
Audience takes action to remove or lessen the threat.
Self-Efficacy
Belief in one’s own ability to perform recommended actions.
Response Efficacy
Belief that recommended actions will successfully reduce a threat.
Susceptibility
Perception of personal vulnerability to a threat.
Severity
Perceived seriousness of a threat or consequence.
Guilt Appeal
Persuasive tactic that induces guilt to prompt behavioral change.
Logos
Use of logical reasoning to persuade an audience.
Inductive Reasoning
Forming general conclusions from specific examples.
Deductive Reasoning
Applying a general principle to reach a specific conclusion.
Informatory Presentation
Speech designed primarily to raise awareness or provide basic explanation.
Explanatory Presentation
Speech aimed at deepening audience understanding of a topic.
Speech of Awareness
Presentation that informs listeners about an event or condition.
Speech of Demonstration
Presentation that teaches the audience how to do something.
Elucidating Explanation
Clarifies a concept using definitions, examples, and non-examples.
Quasi-Scientific Explanation
Shows key relationships through organized, often visual, structures.
Transformative Explanation
Seeks to change audience beliefs, often via scientific reasoning.
Visual Aids
Graphics or objects that show rather than tell; enhance comprehension and retention.
Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning
Model stating learners select words/images, form verbal/pictorial models, and integrate them with prior knowledge.
Assertion-Evidence Method
Slide design pairing a clear headline (assertion) with a reinforcing visual (evidence).
Slippery Slope
Argument claiming one action will trigger a chain of events; may be logical or fallacious if exaggerated.
False Dilemma (Dichotomy)
Fallacy presenting only two choices while ignoring alternatives.
Hasty Generalization
Drawing a broad conclusion from insufficient evidence.
Correlation vs. Causation
Fallacy of assuming a causal relationship from mere correlation.
Ad Hominem
Attacking an opponent’s character instead of their argument.
Appeal to Authority
Using an authority’s opinion as evidence rather than logical argument.
Faulty Analogy
Weak argument due to an inappropriate or irrelevant comparison.
Linking (Directional) Transition
Statement connecting two main points and indicating a change in direction.
Signpost
Word or phrase (e.g., ‘first’, ‘finally’) that guides audience attention.
Internal Preview
Brief statement outlining upcoming material within the speech.
Internal Summary
Brief recap of material just covered before moving to the next point.
Glossophobia
Fear of public speaking.
Communication Apprehension
Anxiety resulting from real or anticipated communication with others.
Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA)
Survey instrument that measures a person’s public speaking anxiety level.
Habituation
Decreased nervousness as a presentation continues.
Sensitization
Increased nervousness as a presentation continues.
Trait Anxiety
Stable, personality-based tendency to feel anxious across situations.
Situational Anxiety
Anxiety triggered by specific contexts or conditions.
Rate of Speech
Optimal speaking speed for clarity: approximately 110–150 words per minute.
Chronological (Temporal) Pattern
Organizational structure following time order.
Spatial (Geographical) Pattern
Organizational structure based on physical location or layout.
Topical Organization
Each main point covers a separate aspect of the central topic.
Cause-Effect Pattern
Explains relationships where one event leads to another.
Problem-Solution Pattern
Identifies a problem and proposes a way to solve it.
Monroe’s Motivated Sequence
Five-step persuasive framework: Attention, Need, Satisfaction, Visualization, Call to Action.
Comparative Advantage
Persuasive pattern contrasting options to show the superiority of one.
Informative Speaking
Speech aimed primarily at delivering knowledge.
Persuasive Speaking
Speech intended to change audience beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors.
Targets of Persuasion
Beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors a speaker seeks to influence.
Cognitive Dissonance
Psychological discomfort from inconsistency among beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors.
Steps of Persuasion
Sequence: Exposure, Attention, Comprehension, Acceptance, Retention, Action.
Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)
Theory describing central and peripheral routes to persuasion.
Central Route
Persuasion via careful consideration of message content.
Peripheral Route
Persuasion via surface cues and heuristics rather than content.
Social Judgment Theory
Explains persuasion through latitudes of acceptance, rejection, and non-commitment.
Latitude of Acceptance
Range of ideas a person finds acceptable.
Latitude of Rejection
Range of ideas a person finds unacceptable.
Latitude of Noncommittal
Ideas on which a person has no opinion.
Ego Involvement
Personal importance attached to an issue.
Oral Citation
Brief, spoken reference to a source and its date during a speech.
Memorized Delivery
Presenting a speech entirely from memory without notes.
Manuscript Delivery
Reading a speech word-for-word from a written script.