Public Speaking and Communication Skills

Key Terms and Concepts

Assumptions

  • Assumptions are pieces of information that people accept as truth, even without proof.

Audience

  • The audience refers to the individuals to whom the speaker is addressing.

Bias

  • Bias is a prejudice in favor of or against an argument, person, group, or thing in a way that is considered unfair.

Closed Body Language

  • Defined as when a speaker averts their gaze, retreats from the audience, and crosses their arms in front of their body.
  • Communicates nervousness, fear, or intimidation.

Critical Listening Skills

  • Systematic thinking and reasoning strategies used to assess whether a message is factual.

Entertainment Speeches

  • The purpose of entertainment speeches is to entertain an audience or serve a ceremonial purpose.

Ethical Listening

  • Based on the practice of listening honestly and openly to others.

Functional Gesturing

  • Body language and movements incorporated into a speech with purpose and intent.

Hyperbole

  • Exaggerated statement that is not meant to be taken literally.

Informative Speeches

  • The purpose is to inform and share knowledge of a subject with an audience.

Intent

  • Relates to what the audience is intended to come away with and what lessons they are supposed to learn from the presentation.

Jargon

  • Complex industry terms.

Media Literacy Skills

  • Include identifying and evaluating sources, recognizing bias and misinformation, and analyzing source credibility.

Misinformation

  • Presenting deliberately incorrect or misleading information.

Nonverbal Communication Skills

  • Includes using open body language and functional gestures.

Open Body Language

  • Defined as when the speaker stands up straight with good posture, keeps their arms and hands at their sides or open in front of them, moves towards the audience, and gives direct eye contact with the audience.
  • Communicates that the speaker is confident, attentive, and willing to interact.

Parody

  • Imitation of a writing or art form done with extreme exaggeration for comedic effect.

Persuasive Speeches

  • The purpose is to convince, motivate, challenge, or persuade an audience to rethink their beliefs or take specific action.

Political Slant

  • A story written to favor one political party or political candidate over another.

Primary Sources

  • Firsthand accounts written by individuals who personally experienced them.
  • Examples include autobiographies, journals, diaries, and letters.

Public Speaking

  • The act or process of making speeches in public.

Purpose

  • Type of presentation style the speaker uses.

Rate of Speech

  • Speed at which someone speaks; how fast someone speaks.

Satire

  • Uses irony, humor, and exaggeration to expose, ridicule, or criticize people and groups in politics, culture, and other topical issues.

Secondary Sources

  • Secondhand accounts written by individuals who interviewed the individuals with firsthand knowledge or researched the event or topic themselves.
  • Examples include biographies, political commentaries, and textbooks.

Situation

  • Setting of the presentation.

Tone

  • The way someone speaks to another person or group of people; clarifies and conveys the speaker's emotions and feelings.

Verbal Communication Skills

  • Includes mastery of tone, volume, and rate of speech.

Volume

  • Intensity of how loud or soft something is. (Volume)(\text{Volume})