Speech Chapter 4 Example Story Picky Vicky Liked Eat Her Sticky Icky Cinnamon Buns But

Example story 1: Picky Vicky liked to eat her sticky, icky cinnamon buns. But sometimes,

Example story 2: Students find statistics rather sadistic because of all the formulas they need to

compute, like what is z, and how to get b, do I know the variability, and what is the

comparability of r and r2? Should I care?

Discussion: How does the final version differ from the original message? Where did the

breakdown in communication take place? Discussion could also include barriers to listening and

ways to overcome them.

Additional instructions: After discussing active listening skills, students can repeat the activity.

The instructor can use another story and see if students tell a more accurate final version.

Rumor Clinic

Purpose: To illustrate how quickly a message loses fidelity in a short period of time; to illustrate

the impact of information overload on listening; to illustrate how rumors start.

and ask them to wait down the hall until you call them in one at a time. Tell the class and the

fourth volunteer that you will be telling the volunteer a story, and the volunteer will be asked to

repeat the story to the next person. Explain to the volunteer that you will tell the story once, and

no questions can be asked. Read the story. Invite one of the other volunteers in, and give that

person the following instructions: X is going to tell you a story. You will hear it only once, and

you cannot ask any questions, so listen carefully. Repeat this until the last student has told the

story to the class. Usually there is considerable deterioration of the message. The instructor

Discussion: Discuss whether knowing you will be asked to repeat the story is an advantage or if

it actually makes people nervous and affects their ability to listen. Talk about why this exercise is

Listening Actively

Purpose: To illustrate the importance of listening actively and of refraining from making

unsubstantiated inferences.

Instructions: The instructor reads the following story to the class. Students listen closely to the

story and then answer a series of simple questions.

Story: At 5:00 P.M. on Saturday evening at the corner of Washington and Jefferson Streets, a man

came staggering out of a bar. A second man approached the first, apparently to inquire whether

What time did the man come out of the bar? (5:00 p.m.)

Which man had been drinking? (There is no mention of anyone drinking; it says a man came

staggering out of the bar.)

Who started the fight? Who shoved whom first? (We don’t know what was said in the argument,

so we don’t know who started the verbal fight, but the second man pushed the first man.)

What were the two men arguing about? (We don’t know.)

Who had the heart attack? (A spectator.)

Source: Kearney, P., & Plax, T. G. (1996). Public speaking in a diverse society. Mountain View,

Identifying Good Listeners

Purpose: To identify effective and ineffective listening in the real-world.

Instructions: Students should complete this assignment outside of class. The teacher should

instruct students to watch a brief live or recorded interview. Late-night shows are good choices,

1. Whom are you observing, interviewing whom, on what day and what network or cable

channel?

2. Does the interviewer appear to be an effective or ineffective listener? List the specific

3. Did the listener engage in any behaviors that interfered with the speaker (heckling, talking,

making other noises, moving about, and so forth)?

Discussion: Have students report their findings to the class and then discuss some of the more

Listening for Main Ideas (also for online courses)

Developing Our Critical Thinking Skills

Purpose: To allow students the opportunity to evaluate a speaker’s message based on evidence

Instructions: Locate a short speech addressing an issue that will interest your students. Consider

speeches about civic or political issues, as they will often incite emotion and strong opinions in

your students.

After viewing the speech in class, ask students to answer the following questions:



What is the speaker saying?



Is the evidence credible and accurate?



Are there any assumptions or biases that lie behind the speaker’s claims?



What are my personal feelings and opinions about the speaker’s claims?



Are there any personal biases affecting my listening?



What other barriers to active listening might be hindering me?

Discussion: After students answer these questions, have them discuss their responses with

another student or in a small group. Students will likely encounter responses different from their

own, demonstrating the complexities of active listening. You might also consider having students

Purpose: To allow students the opportunity to work on active listening during speeches.

Instructions: Before class, locate a speech video that reflects good organization and structure. If

you are teaching an online course, this video can be posted in a discussion board. If you are

teaching a face-to-face class, you will want to show the video in class. Ask students to listen for

the speaker’s main ideas and quickly write them down as they hear them throughout the speech.

You may also provide the following prompts if you wish:

1. How many main points were in this speech?

2. What were the main points?

3. What did the speaker do to let listeners know what the main points were?

Discussion: After students have watched the speech and answered the previous questions, you

will want to check their answers for accuracy. Were they able to listen actively and attentively?

Were there any discrepancies between student answers? If so, what might account for these

Introduction to Speech Evaluation

Purpose: To introduce students to the practice of speech evaluation; to practice offering

constructive and compassionate feedback.

Materials: Copies of the evaluation form (see page 61 of A Speaker’s Guidebook.) Another

Instructions: Have students watch a sample speech video. You can locate speeches on

YouTube.com, ted.com, or on LaunchPad. It is usually helpful to watch the video in class so that

you can facilitate discussion following the speech. As students watch the video, have them

Did the speaker seem confident?

Yes

Somewhat

No

Suggestions?

Did the speaker use appropriate volume?

Yes

Somewhat

No

Suggestions?

Did the speaker use good eye contact?

Yes

Somewhat

No

Suggestions?

Did the speaker use effective vocal expression?

Yes

Somewhat

No

Suggestions?

Did the speaker use appropriate gestures and facial expressions?

Yes

Somewhat

No

Suggestions?

Was the speaker’s introduction effective?

Yes

Somewhat

No

Suggestions?

Was the speaker’s conclusion effective?

Yes

Somewhat

No

Suggestions?

Could you easily identify and remember the speaker’s main points?

Yes

Somewhat

No

Suggestions?

Did the speaker’s organizational patterns make sense to you?

Yes

Somewhat

No

Suggestions?

Did the speaker use effective supporting evidence?

Yes

Somewhat

No

Suggestions?

The best thing about the speaker was:

The best thing about the speech was:

Recommendations for improvement:

IV. GROUP ACTIVITIES

Beyond the Textbook

Material: Students should bring in a copy of the information they found while researching the

Instructions: As a team, conduct a search of the Internet using the keyword listening. Look for

sites that report both problems and solutions associated with listening. Bring the results of your

search to class, and share them with your classmates.