Exam 4: Select Your Topic, Purposes, and Thesis Step 1

The best criterion in evaluating whether a topic will be appropriate to you as the speaker is to ask yourself whether your listeners

How does a specific purpose differ from a thesis? Discuss at least two major differences.

All topics are suitable for a public speech.

In all informative speeches, the thesis is relatively neutral or objective. In all persuasive speeches, the thesis is arguable or debatable.

Survey data are difficult to get, since results from the larger research organizations are rarely available to the public.

A politician identifies a growing social problem, then proposes a sequence of remedies in four steps she believes should be taken. Which kind of organization pattern is she using?

A seminar participant is asking herself a series of questions (Who? What? Why? When?) about the general subject she is considering for her presentation. She is using

A passionate long-distance runner wants to give a talk on how to train for a marathon. What is her general purpose?

A registered nurse is planning to give an informative presentation on the early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Which elements will he rely on the most?

Explain the differences seen among the three major speech purposes, and provide concrete examples to illustrate your points.

When speaking to relatively uninformed listeners, it is best to state your thesis explicitly or they may not grasp your main idea.

Whatever is deemed off-limits changes with the times, so public speaking topics considered inappropriate or obscene at one time may not be seen this way at another time.

The general purpose of your speech is essentially a rough list created early on, including as many ideas as you can possibly think of.

A young man is learning a lot about public speaking but can't remember where to start in finding a topic. He might recall that the first step in choosing his topic will be to

A student browses through the new nonfiction at a library and bookstore, then makes a list of subjects that audiences may consider important. What is she using to find a speech topic?

Briefly explain why cultural sensitivity is required in choosing a speech topic. Identify a cultural feature that every speaker should be aware of (and that may be present in your class), and describe the impact it might have on the suitability of a speech topic.

The best man is writing the toast that he will give at his brother's wedding reception. What kind of speech is he preparing?

The text suggests five guidelines for formulating a specific purpose of a speech. List at least three of them and explain each briefly.

A student speaker says his goal is "to persuade my audience to save money." His specific purpose statement is not going to work because it fails to

We live in a diverse society, at a time when a person's demonstration of _____ is interpreted as a sign of education and sophistication, qualities that definitely benefit a public speaker.