Exam Study Guide

Communication Model

A process involving components like a speaker, message, encoding, decoding, channel, listener, feedback, interference, and situation.

Speaker

A person who communicates a message.

Message

Whatever a speaker communicates to someone else.

Encode

Translation of information into a message.

Decoding

Turning communication into thoughts.

Channel

Means by which a message is communicated.

Listener

A person who receives the message.

Feedback

Messages sent back by the listener or speaker.

Interference

Noise that impedes the message.

Situation

The time and place of the message conversation.

Frame of Reference

Sum of a person’s knowledge, experience, goals, values, and attitudes.

Ethnocentrism

Believing one’s group or culture is superior to all others.

Physiological Factors

Personal abilities like hearing or sight that can affect perception.

Past-Experience and Roles

Learned experiences that shape perceptions.

Culture

Shared beliefs that influence perception.

Present Feelings/Circumstances

Current emotional state that can impact perception.

Attributes Definition

Personal characteristics of a person’s behavior.

Fundamental Attribution Error

Overemphasizing internal causes and underestimating external causes of behavior in others.

Specific Purpose

States what the speaker hopes to accomplish in a speech.

Thesis/Central Idea

A concise statement of what you expect to say in your speech.

Brainstorming

The process of planning and generating ideas for a speech.

Clustering

A brainstorming technique that organizes ideas visually.

Egocentrism

The assumption that people are primarily concerned with their own values and well-being.

Audience Analysis

The process of understanding the audience, categorized as formal or informal.

Chronological Organizational Pattern

An organization of speech content based on the progression of time.

Main Points of a Speech

Key arguments or information that break down the speech's content.

Ways to Gain Attention

Techniques such as relating the topic to the audience, startling them, arousing curiosity, using quotations, questioning, or storytelling.