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1.
Briefly describe the characteristics that distinguish public speaking from other types of
communication.
2.
Provide an example of a situation where you might have to deliver a public speech.
3.
How would you define an informative speech?
4.
How does a persuasive speech differ from an informative speech?
5.
Give an example of a special-occasion speech one might have to deliver.
6.
Based on your observation and research, provide an example of one salient demographic
characteristic of your classroom audience.
7.
Speakers can capitalize on the commonalities among their audience members to create a
sense of common ground. We refer to this sameness as ______________.
8.
Briefly describe the process of clustering, as it is explained in your textbook.
9.
“My audience will know more about how the Internet has changed the way we
communicate, learn, and do business” is an example of what type of statement
developed in the preparation process for an informative speech?
10.
Contrast lay testimony and expert testimony.
11.
Facts and statistics can be boring, so effective speakers use ____________ to breathe
life into their speeches by personalizing them and giving a “face” to the facts and
statistics they have used.
12.
____________ involve soliciting answers to a question or series of questions related to
your topic from a broad range of individuals.
13.
Define plagiarism.
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14.
Briefly explain why speakers need to keep track of whether they have copied
information from a source verbatim or if they have paraphrased.
15.
List and briefly describe three of the four characteristics of ethical speaking identified in
your textbook.
16.
Pulling together what you have learned throughout this chapter, why would you say it is
important for college students to take a public speaking course?
17.
Compare and contrast the three general purposes for public speaking. Briefly list and
describe one example of each type of speech for which you have been an audience
member at some point in your life.
18.
Explain why audience analysis is important in the speech preparation process and how a
speaker would go about analyzing his or her audience.
19.
Aisha needs to give a speech in one of her classes but isn’t having any luck coming up
with a good topic for the presentation—she doesn’t seem to know how to get started.
What would you say to her to explain the process a speaker goes through to develop
ideas, make a selection, and then narrow the topic for a speech?
20.
List and define the various types of information discussed in your textbook that a
speaker could use to clarify the ideas in his or her speech. Are there notable advantages
or disadvantages to using any specific types of supporting information?
21.
Your roommate is researching a presentation for one of his classes but is having a tough
time with it. He tells you that he just can’t find any information. Based on what you
learned in this chapter, what advice would you give to help him gather good
information?
22.
What do you think are the most important criteria for evaluating the quality of a source?
Why? Based on these criteria, provide an example of a source you would recommend
using and a source you would not recommend using, and give a brief explanation why.
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23.
Describe and provide an example of plagiarism that one might commit or observe in a
professional speaking context. Why do we consider plagiarism to be a problem? What
steps can a speaker take to ensure he or she is not committing the crime of plagiarism?
24.
Why are ethics important in public speaking, and what steps should a speaker take to
ensure he or she takes responsibility for his or her own speech and communicates
ethically?
25.
Your friend Don has been assigned the task of giving an informative speech. Don is
very passionate about animal rights, and after contemplating his personal interests he
has decided to give a speech on how a vegetarian diet benefits people, animals, and our
planet in hopes that his audience will think twice the next time they eat meat.
Synthesizing information from throughout this chapter, what advice would you give
Don to help him prepare and research a great presentation for this assignment?
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