Public Speaking Exam Practice

Adaptation: Adjusting a topic, arguments, and presentation to fit a particular audience.

Argument: An assertion (a claim) supported by evidence, expert opinion, data, or a logical chain (grounds).

Choices: In public speaking, the ——- are about topic, information and arguments, organization, visual aids and other supporting materials, and type of delivery.

Delivery: The act of making a speech to an audience.

Democracy: A system of government in which people govern themselves, either through direct votes on policy issues (direct ——-) or by electing officials who deliberate and make decisions on their behalf (representative ——-).

Frame: The context of relevance to the audience, for the information or arguments of a speech; often articulated in the introduction and conclusion.

Informative Speech: A speech that provides an audience with facts and data about a topic so that they will understand it.

Persuasive Speech: A speech whose primary purpose is to change the audience’s opinion about a topic or encourage them to take a particular action.

Pluralism: The coexistence of numerous ethnic, cultural, political, or religious groups in one nation.

Public: A group of people who share a common set of concerns.

Rhetoric: Term for studying how language, argument, and narrative can persuade an audience.

Special Occasion Speech: A speech made on the occasion of a life transition (such as a wedding) or at a professional event (such as introducing a speaker).

Stakeholder: The people who have something to lose or gain as the result of a decision or policy. They have an interest in that decision.

Unity: Harmony among related parts.

Appropriate clothes: Appearance that fits the occasion and adds to your credibility.

Articulation: The clarity with which words are pronounced.

Contrast: Verbal emphasis on a word, signaling an opposition.

Extemporaneous Speech: A speech delivered from written notes or an outline.

Eye contact: Meeting the gaze of people in your audience.

Focus: Verbal emphasis on a word, signaling that it is the key to a sentence’s meaning.

Group presentation: A coordinated report by two to six people about their group’s research or creative work.

Impromptu speaking: A coordinated report by two to six people about their group’s research or creative work.

Inflection: Verbal emphasis on certain words to reinforce meaning

Manuscript speech: A speech that is written out and read to the audience.

Master of ceremonies: A group presentation structured as one speech, in which the speakers take one or more of the elements and transition to the next speaker.

Relay presentation: A group presentation structured as one speech, in which the speakers take one or more of the elements and transition to the next speaker.

Speech from memory: A group presentation structured as one speech, in which the speakers take one or more of the elements and transition to the next speaker.

Antithesis: The use of two contrasting or opposing words or meanings

Double-Reverse Antithesis: Key words repeated in reverse order.

Figure: An ear-catching change in the structure of a phrase or sentence.

Grammatical repetition: The use of two or more phrases with the same grammatical structure.

Hyperbole: Extreme overstatement that obviously is untrue.

Litotes: An exaggerated understatement that obviously is untrue.

Metaphor: A word or phrase applied to something in a way that is not literally true.

Metonymy: An expression that substitutes a part or a property for the whole.

Personification: An expression that substitutes a part or a property for the whole.

Plain Double Antithesis: Two pairs of contrasting words.

Progression: Grammatical repetition that creates a sense of movement.

Simile: Grammatical repetition that creates a sense of movement.

Style: Grammatical repetition that creates a sense of movement.

Trope: A figure of speech that gives a new meaning for a word or concept.

General Purpose: Type of communication act: information, persuasion, or engagement.

Specific Purpose: Type of communication act: information, persuasion, or engagement.

Thesis Statement: Type of communication act: information, persuasion, or engagement.

Topic: Type of communication act: information, persuasion, or engagement.

Abstract: Summary at the beginning of a scholarly article.

Bibliography: A record of all the research sources for a speech.

Blog: A web log, or personal journal, by an individual or a group of authors

Database: Searchable collections of information that are stored electronically.

Peer Review: Searchable collections of information that are stored electronically.

Wiki: Searchable collections of information that are stored electronically.

Body: The core of a speech, where the arguments and evidence are presented.

Cause-and-effect pattern: Organization of points describing the origins and then the symptoms of a condition.

Chronological pattern: Time-related sequence of points.

Conclusion: The last section of a speech, consists of the review, the restatement of the thesis, and the peroration.

Coordinate points: Points at the same level in an outline.

Introduction: The first section of a speech, consisting of the statement of the topic, thesis, and preview.

Inverted Pyramid: A strategy of moving from a general claim to a specific topic.

Narration: A story, in a general sense; from the Latin narratio, “something told or related.”

Organization: The structure and progression of a speech.

Peroration: The final summary of a speaker’s position in the conclusion.

Preview: A brief outline of a speech in the introduction.

Primacy: Organization that places the strongest arguments first to show their importance.

Problem-solution pattern: Organization of points that describes a problem and then suggests a solution and audience action.

Recency: Organization that places the strongest argument last so the audience will remember it.

Restatement of thesis: The second element in the speech’s conclusion, which elaborates on the thesis statement in the introduction.

Review: A restatement of a speech’s major points in the conclusion.

Spatial pattern: Organization of points by location.

Subordinate points: Points supporting a main point.

Sunday feature: Use of a specific example to illustrate a general topic.

Thesis: A clear statement of your subject and/or your argument.

Topical pattern: Speech organization that relates points to the topic, such as part-to-whole, types, or reasons.

Transitions: Words, phrases, or sentences that link a speech’s sections or points.

Analogy: A comparison based on similarities between something familiar and something unfamiliar.

Definition: A statement of the relevant meaning of a word, phrase, or term.

Description: A set of vivid and concrete details that characterize an object, event, person, or idea.

Explanation: A statement or account that makes a process or complex concept clear.

Supporting Material: Research-based examples, analogies, and explanations.’

Bar Graph: A graph that displays numerical information as rectangular bars in which lengths are proportional to their value.

Chart: A diagram that shows the relationship of parts.

Cropping: Selecting a portion of an image to focus on the important subject.

Demonstration Speech: Selecting a portion of an image to focus on the important subject.

Diagram: Selecting a portion of an image to focus on the important subject.

Graph: A pictorial representation of numerical data.

Line Graph: A graph that displays numerical information as a series of data points connected by straight lines.

Pie chart: A circular chart that displays numerical information as slices whose sizes are proportional to their value.

Presentation Aids: Media to supplement a speech, including handouts, objects, posters, charts, presentation software, videos, and audio clips.

Side-based presentation: Presentation software that allows images or slides to move in a sequence from one to the next.

Spatial Mapping: Presentation software that creates an idea map.

“As” Test: A tool for choosing a rhetorical audience as people in a specific role in order to change their perspective on your topic.

Audience Analysis: Surveying your audience’s beliefs, values, experiences, and motivations.

Demographics: Population characteristics, such as age, gender, or income.

Literal Audience: The group of people sitting in front of you, as you begin to speak; they can be described in demographic categories.

Rhetorical Audience: What the literal audience can become when you convince the members to think or act differently.

Argument from analogy: A claim that a similarity exists between two objects or actions.

Argument from authority: A claim that a statement is true because of the expertise of its source.

Argument from form: Deductive, or if–then, reasoning.

Argument from signs: A claim that one event, situation, or attribute precedes another.

Casual argument: A claim that one event, situation, or attribute precedes another.

Counterargument: An argument in opposition to your or someone else’s argument.

Ethos: An appeal based on the speaker’s trustworthiness and expertise.

Pathos: An appeal to emotions of the audience.

Logos: An appeal based on reasoning.

Inductive reasoning: Argument from form; a claim based on specific examples.

Persuasion: The use of speech to influence others through reason, credibility, and identification.

Proofs: The three kinds of persuasive appeals: ethos, pathos, and logos.

Active listening: Listening attentively for the meaning and relevance of the speech.

Constructive criticism: Specific feedback about strengths and weaknesses, with specific suggestions for improvement.

Critical feedback: A substantiated opinion about what worked and what didn’t work in a speech.

Critical listening: Listening to evaluate what is well done and poorly done in a speech.

Distractions: Obstacles to paying full attention to a speech.

I statements: Judgments (criticism and praise) phrased in terms of “I” rather than “you.”

Passive Listening: Listening that does not actively engage the ideas and arguments of the speaker.

After-dinner speech: A humorous talk given after a meal with a serious point, but not the reason the group has gathered.

Eulogy: A speech given to remember and honor someone who has died.

Occasional speeches: Speeches given “on the occasion” of ceremonies, such as weddings, funerals, graduations, and birthdays.

Advocacy: Making a case for a perspective, a change in belief, or a particular action.

Appeal: An attempt to influence an audience.

Bias: Generalizations or commitments based only on your own personal perspective.

Claim: A statement to be proven or agreed to.

Ethics: Rules, standards, or principles that govern people’s conduct, or habitual moral behavior.

Grounds: Evidence, expert opinion, data, or a logical chain in support of an argument.

Paraphrasing: Making minor modification of the wording of someone’s idea or argument; requires citing the source.

Plagiarism: The use of the language, ideas, or arguments of another person without giving proper credit.

Reasoning: Making good arguments that are supported by good grounds.

Why is public speaking necessary?