Comm A: Exam 1

Stage fright

anxiety over the prospect of giving a speech in front of an audience

adrenaline

a hormone released into the bloodstream in response to physical or mental stress

positive nervousness

controlled nervousness that helps energize a speaker for their presentation

visualization

mental imagining in which speakers widely picture themselves giving a successful presentation

critical thinking

focused, organized thinking about such things as the logical relationships among ideas, the soundness of evidence, and the differences between fact and opinion

speaker

the person who is presenting an oral message to a listener

message

whatever a speaker communicates to someone else

channel

the means by which a message is communicated

listener

the person who receives the speakers message

frame of reference

the sum of a person's knowledge, experience, goals, values, and attitudes. no two people can have exactly the same frame of reference.

feedback

the messages, usually nonverbal, sent from a listener to a speaker

interference

anything that impedes the communication of a message. interference can be external or internal to listeners

situation

the time and place in which speech communication occurs

ethnocentrism

the belief that one's own group or culture is superior to all other groups or cultures

ethics

the branch of philosophy that deals with issues of right and wrong in human affairs

ethical decisions

sound ethical decisions involve weighing a potential course of action against a set of ethical standards or guidelines

name-calling

the use of language to defame, demean, or degrade individuals or groups

bill of rights

the first 10 amendments to the united states constitution

plagiarism

presenting another person's language or ideas as one's own

global plagiarism

steeling a speech entirely from a single source and passing it off as one's own

patchwork plagiarism

stealing ideas or language from two or three sources and passing them off as one's own

incremental plagiarism

failing to give credit for particular parts of a speech that are borrowed from other people

paraphrase

to restate or summarize an author's ideas in one's own words

hearing

the vibration of sound waves on the eardrums and the firing of electrochemical impulses in the brain

listening

paying close attention to, and making sense of, what we hear

appreciative listening

listening for pleasure or enjoyment

empathic listening

listening to provide emotional support for a speaker

comprehensive listening

listening to understand the message of a speaker

critical listening

listening to evaluate a message for purposes of accepting or rejecting it

spare "brain time"

the difference between the rate at which most people talk (120 to 150 words a minute) and the rate at which the brain can process language (400 to 800 words a minute)

active listening

giving undivided attention to a speaker in a genuine effort to understand the speaker's point of view

key word outline

an outline that briefly notes a speaker's main points and supporting evidence in rough outline form

ice breaker speech

a speech early in the term designed to get students speaking in front of the class as soon as possible

introduction

the opening section of a speech

body

the main section of a speech

chronological order

a method of speech organization in which the main points follow a time pattern

topical order

a method of speech organization in which the main points divide the topic into logical and consistent subtopics

main points

the major points developed in the body of a speech

transition

a word or phrase that indicates when a speaker has finished one thought and is moving on to another

conclustion

the final section of a speech

extemporaneous speech

a carefully prepared and rehearsed speech that is presented from a brief set of notes

gestures

motions of a speaker's hands or arms during a speech

eye contact

direct visual contact with the eyes of another person

topic

the subject of a speech

brainstorming

a method of generating ideas for speech topics by free association of words and ideas

general purpose

the broad goal of a speech

specific purpose

a single infinitive phrase that states precisely what a speaker hopes to accomplish in his or her speech

central idea

a one-sentence statement that sums up or encapsulates the major ideas of a speech

residual message

what a speaker wants the audience to remember after they have forgotten everything else in a speech

catalogue

a listing of all the books, periodicals, and other resources owned by a library

call number

a number used in libraries to classify books and periodicals and to indicate where they can be found on the shelves

reference work

a work that synthesizes a large amount of related information for easy access by researchers

newspaper and periodical database

a research aid that catalogues articles from a large number of magazines, journals, and newspapers

abstract

a summary of a magazine or journal article, written by someone other than the original author

academic database

a database that catalogs articles from scholarly journals

sponsoring organization

an organization that, in the absence of a clearly identified author, is responsible for the content of a document on the internet

research interview

an interview conducted to gather information for a speech

preliminary bibliography

a list compiled early in the research process of works that look as if they might contain helpful information about a speech topic

strategic organization

putting a speech together in a particular way to achieve a particular result with a particular audience

main points

the major points developed in the body of a speech

chronological order

a method of speech organization in which the main points follow a time pattern

spatial order

a method of speech organization in which the main points follow a directional pattern

causal order

a method of speech organization in which the main points show a cause-effect relationship

problem-solution order

a method of speech organization in which the first main point deals with the existence of a problem and the second main point presents a solution to the problem

topical order

a method of speech organization in which the main points divide the topic into logical and consistent subtopics

supporting materials

The materials used to support a speaker's ideas. The three major kinds of supporting materials are examples, statistics, and testimony.

connective

a word or phrase that connects the ideas of a speech and indicates the relationship between them

transition

a word or phrase that indicates when a speaker has finished one thought and is moving on to another

internal preview

a statement in the body of the speech that lets the audience know what the speaker is going to discuss next

internal summary

a statement in the body of the speech that summarizes the speaker's preceding point or points

signpost

a very brief statement that indicates where a speaker is in the speech or that focuses attention on key ideas

rhetorical question

a question that the audience answers mentally rather than out loud

credibility

the audience's perception of whether a speaker is qualified to speak on a given topic

goodwill

the audience's perception of whether the speaker has the best interests of the audience in mind

preview statement

a statement in the introduction of a speech that identifies the main points to be discussed in the body

crescendo ending

a conclusion in which the speech builds to a zenith of power and intensity

dissolve ending

a conclusion that generates emotional appeal by fading step by step to a dramatic final statement

preparation outline

a detailed outline developed during the process of speech preparation that includes the title, specific purpose, central idea, introduction, main points, subpoints, connectives, conclusion, and bibliography of a speech

visual framework

the pattern of symbolization and indentation in a speech outline that shows the relationships among the speaker's ideas

bibliography

a list of all the sources used in preparing a speech

speaking outline

a brief outline used to jog a speaker's memory during the presentation of a speech

delivery cues

directions in a speaking outline to help a speaker remember how she or he wants to deliver key parts of the speech

nonverbal communication

communication based on a person's use of voice and body, rather than on the use of words

manuscript speech

a speech that is written out word for word and read to the audience

impromptu speech

a speech delivered with little or no immediate preparation

extemporaneous speech

a carefully prepared and rehearsed speech that is presented from a brief set of notes

conversational quality

presenting a speech so it sounds spontaneous no matter how many times it has been rehearsed

volume

the loudness or softness of the speaker's voice

pitch

the highness or lowness of the speaker's voice

inflections

changes in the pitch or tone of a speaker's voice

monotone

a constant pitch or tone of voice

rate

the speed at which a person speaks

pause

a momentary break in the vocal delivery of a speech

vocalized pause

A pause that occurs when a speaker fills the silence between words with vocalizations such as "uh," "er," and "um."

vocal variety

changes in a speaker's rate, pitch, and volume that give the voice variety and expressiveness

pronounciation

the accepted standard of sound and rhythm for words in a given language

articulation

the physical production of particular speech sounds

dialect

A variety of a language distinguished by variations of accent, grammar, or vocabulary.

kinesics

the study of body motions as a systematic mode of communication

gestures

motions of a speaker's hands or arms during a speech