7: Refining your Speech
- Page ID
- 217870
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)- 7.0: Why It Matters- Refining Your Speech
- This page compares a speech to a car, highlighting the need to analyze its individual components—introductions, conclusions, transitions—to improve overall effectiveness. It emphasizes the importance of understanding these elements and the role of language in effective communication, akin to how a mechanic diagnoses parts to enhance a car's performance.
- 7.1: Introduction to Introductions
- This page explains the serial-position effect, which reveals that individuals better remember the first and last items in a series compared to those in the middle. This concept is significant in contexts like auditions, interviews, and speeches, where strategic placement enhances recall. Effective introductions and conclusions capture attention and clarify the content.
- 7.2: Purpose of a Speech Introduction
- This page outlines the importance of a speech introduction, highlighting five essential goals: capturing attention, establishing credibility, providing a reason to listen, revealing the thesis, and previewing main points. A compelling introduction fosters audience engagement and relevance, utilizing effective strategies and clear language to build a strong connection with listeners.
- 7.3: Types of Introductions
- This page explores various attention-getters for speeches, highlighting their role in audience engagement. It categorizes them into quick devices like rhetorical questions and quotations, medium devices like audience references, and high-order devices such as anecdotes and startling statistics. Examples related to a Kimchi speech demonstrate how these techniques can be adapted to different audience familiarity levels.
- 7.4: Writing and Revising the Introduction
- This page provides strategies for crafting an effective speech introduction, recommending it constitutes 10–15% of the total length. Key elements include an engaging attention-getter, a clear link to the topic, a strong thesis, audience engagement, an easy-to-recall preview, and credibility establishment. The overall objective is to captivate the audience and clearly present the main points.
- 7.5: Introduction to Conclusions
- This page emphasizes the significance of strong conclusions in speeches, particularly for complex content. It notes that a powerful conclusion helps summarize key points and leaves a lasting impression on the audience. The phrase "all's well that ends well" underscores the impact of effective endings. Additionally, the text offers techniques to improve public speaking skills through better conclusions.
- 7.6: Purpose of a Speech Conclusion
- This page highlights the importance of a speech conclusion for audience recall and opinion formation, emphasizing that it should summarize key points, restate the topic, and leave a lasting impression. A strong conclusion should be brief, clear, and memorable, avoiding clichés or new ideas, while revisiting the introduction's language and structure to enhance retention and ensure a powerful finish.
- 7.7: Types of Conclusions
- This page discusses effective concluding devices for speeches, categorizing them into low-order (e.g., rhetorical questions) and high-order (e.g., calls to action) techniques. It emphasizes the importance of clear, immediate, and audience-tailored calls to action, using examples from speeches by Andy Puddicombe and Malala Yousafzai.
- 7.8: Writing and Revising the Conclusion
- This page discusses effective strategies for crafting and refining a strong speech conclusion. Key components include reviewing main points, restating the thesis, and leaving a motivational thought. The conclusion should be brief (5-10% of the speech) and avoid new ideas. It underscores the importance of presenting main points in order, clearly articulating the thesis, linking to the opening device, and potentially memorizing the delivery to enhance audience engagement.
- 7.9: Introduction to Connectors and Transitions
- This page emphasizes the importance of connectors, transitions, and signposts in a speech. These elements help clarify the argument by linking various sections, guiding the audience through changes and detailed information, similar to explaining a house layout. They enhance audience comprehension of the presentation's structure and direction.
- 7.10: Purpose of Connectors and Transitions
- This page discusses the importance of connectors and transitions in speeches, highlighting their role in smoothly guiding the audience through presentations without visual aids. It emphasizes the need for clear organizational tools that aid understanding. The structure of a presentation should follow the sequence of introducing, presenting, and summarizing to maintain coherence, similar to how road signs guide drivers.
- 7.11: Types of Connectors and Transitions
- This page emphasizes the significance of connectors and transitions in speech delivery for coherence and flow. It categorizes types of connectors—previews, summaries, transitions, and signposts—and explains their roles in structuring a speech. Main and internal previews guide the audience, while reviews summarize key points. Transitions facilitate smooth idea movement, and signposts clarify content order and changes. The ultimate goal is to create a connected and engaging speech.
- 7.12: Revising Connectors and Transitions
- This page highlights the significance of effective connectors and transitions in speeches, advocating for organization, recall ease, and supportive signposts to enhance audience comprehension. Strategies suggested include concise phrasing, parallelism, alliteration, and repetition to ensure ideas are memorable.
- 7.13: Introduction to Language and Style
- This page discusses the importance of tailoring language in speeches to suit the subject and context, advocating for a balance between directness and eloquence. It highlights principles such as suitable language for oral delivery, clarity, and inclusivity, while emphasizing the need for effective communication through audience and purpose adaptation techniques.
- 7.14: Oral versus Written Style
- This page compares oral and written communication styles, focusing on personal pronouns, sentence structure, repetition, tone, and vocabulary. Oral communication is characterized by conversational tones, shorter sentences, and engagement, while written communication is more formal, complex, and adheres to grammatical rules. Effective public speaking utilizes oral characteristics for clarity and audience connection, contrasting with the formal nature of written communication.
- 7.15: Choosing Words Well
- This page emphasizes the importance of word choice in delivering effective speeches. It highlights the need to balance abstract and concrete language for emotional connection and clarity. A "ladder of abstraction" is suggested for refining messages, along with an understanding of both denotative and connotative meanings to enhance audience engagement. It also advises against the use of jargon, advocating for familiar language to avoid alienating listeners.
- 7.16: Language Pitfalls
- This page outlines language pitfalls speakers should avoid to better engage their audience, emphasizing the need for inclusive and contextually appropriate language. It warns against inaccurate word usage, like coining nonexistent words and mispronunciations, which can confuse listeners and undermine credibility. Additionally, it advises against overusing first-person singular pronouns, recommending a more inclusive use of first-person plural terms to foster connection with the audience.
- 7.17: Putting It Together- Refining Your Speech
- This page outlines the key components of an effective speech, highlighting the importance of an engaging introduction and a strong conclusion. It emphasizes the need for smooth transitions to connect ideas and notes the differences in language use between speeches and written essays. After enhancing structure and language, the speech is prepared for delivery.
- 7.18: Assignment- Oral versus Written Style
- This page provides instructions for completing an assignment called "Oral versus Written Style," detailing the steps to access and submit the work in the Learning Management System (LMS). It emphasizes that the content is created by Lumen Learning and is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution.
- 7.19: Discussion- Attention-Getters
- This page describes a two-step process for responding to a discussion prompt called "Attention-Getters," where users must click a link, read the prompt, and engage by posting responses and comments in a forum. The content is produced by Lumen Learning and is available under a Creative Commons license.