Deck 15: Public Speaking: An Overview

Question 1

Public speaking ____________.

A) can occur infrequently
B) can occur at a wedding party
C) is a natural-born talent
D) has little to do with actual career success
E) is a welcomed activity for most people

Answer 1

B

Question 2

A survey conducted by Hart Research discovered that nearly 90% of employers want _______ in college.

A) less emphasis placed on oral communication
B) more emphasis placed on oral communication
C) the same amount of emphasis placed on oral communication
D) no emphasis placed on oral communication
E) more emphasis placed on writing than on speaking

Answer 2

B

Question 3

There are several major types of speeches, including informative, persuasive, and _____.

A) pejorative
B) authoritative
C) psychological
D) affective
E) small group

Answer 3

E

Question 4

___________ is an example of a small group speech that is also a special occasion speech.

A) A wedding toast
B) A President's State of the Union Speech
C) Al Roker delivering the weather on Good Morning America
D) Pat proposing to Chris
E) A student speech in front of a class

Question 5

Believing in your topic will usually result in your audience _________.

A) finding you less credible
B) being overwhelmed by your conviction
C) being turned off by your fervor
D) believing it as well
E) thinking you are a know-it-all

Question 6

Upon meeting a speaker, an audience makes an immediate judgment of her or him, engaging in __________.

A) rapid impression formation
B) residual message
C) audience analysis
D) enunciation
E) the looking glass self

Question 7

_________________ is adjustments of speech organs (jaw, tongue, and so on) to allow for the proper pronunciation of sounds.

A) Articulation
B) Pronunciation
C) Enunciation
D) Dialect
E) Stuttering

Question 8

_________________ is a variation in a language's vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.

A) Articulation
B) Pronunciation
C) Enunciation
D) Dialect
E) Stuttering

Question 9

_________________ is the act of expressing the sounds and accents of words so that they conform to accepted standards.

A) Articulation
B) Pronunciation
C) Enunciation
D) Dialect
E) Stuttering

Question 10

_________________ is pronouncing words clearly.

A) Articulation
B) Pronunciation
C) Enunciation
D) Dialect
E) Stuttering

Question 11

College students' most common fear in life is ____________.

A) public speaking
B) death
C) financial problems
D) loneliness
E) paying for school

Question 12

_______________, the societal sharing of ideas through conversation, is an important reason to develop good speaking skills.

A) Public speaking
B) Debating
C) Salesmanship
D) Public discourse
E) Legislating

Question 13

Speeches about objects, events, concepts, or processes are all considered __________ speeches.

A) special occasion
B) persuasive
C) small group
D) affective
E) informative

Question 14

A speech that is not necessarily neutral or objective and often contains statements of opinion backed by outside sources is considered __________ speech.

A) a special occasion
B) a persuasive
C) a small group
D) an affective
E) an informative

Question 15

A speech presented for only a few people, for example at a business meeting or before a church group, is considered __________ speech.

A) a special occasion
B) a persuasive
C) a small group
D) an affective
E) an informative

Question 16

A speech presented at an event like a roast, wedding, or funeral, is considered __________ speech.

A) a special occasion
B) a persuasive
C) a small group
D) an affective
E) an informative

Question 17

Types of speeches can mix. For example, a small group speech can also be persuasive, like a sales talk or ___________, a short, often pre-prepared speech delivered in the presumed time span of an elevator ride, or 30 seconds to 2 minutes.

A) a rapid-rise talk
B) an elevator pitch
C) a eulogy
D) a button-holing
E) a lift lecture

Question 18

You know you have to convince the group to pay a little extra for the trip to New York City, so you examine their Facebook pages to see who's into travel, what their likes and dislikes might be, and if they typically donate money to charity. You use that data to help construct your persuasive speech, making solid use of ________.

A) facts and statistics
B) ethical speaking
C) audience analysis
D) rapid impression formation
E) digital sleuthing

Question 19

When delivering a speech it is important to _____________, as standing up straight with your shoulders pulled back instead of hunching over is a way to present yourself as someone in command.

A) maintain eye-contact
B) speak with authority
C) pace with conviction
D) watch your posture
E) make good use of your hands

Question 20

When delivering a speech, the best strategy for nonverbally connecting with the people in your audience is to _______________.

A) simply look at them
B) watch your posture
C) identify a spot in the back of the room and focus your attention there
D) make eye-contact with a single person and speak to him or her as a friend
E) make good use of your hands

Question 21

Even the most solid speech can be marred by_________, speech embedded with far too many "likes" and "you knows."

A) vocal fillers
B) interrupters
C) mall speak
D) Jersey talk
E) TV talk

Question 22

Even the most solid speech can be marred by_________, unnecessary utterances such "ums" and "uhs."

A) vocal fillers
B) interrupters
C) mall speak
D) Jersey talk
E) TV talk

Question 23

In early September you gave an impassioned speech on the need to alleviate childhood hunger, and then in October you have a chance encounter with a young woman who had been in your audience. She comes up to you and says, "Sorry, I don't even remember your name and I'm not sure how many kids you said were going to bed hungry, but I sure do remember what you said. I even volunteer at the food bank now." Clearly, your speech's ____________ was strong.

A) ethical foundation
B) residual message
C) use of facts and statistics
D) matching of warrant and claim
E) opening

Question 24

Ethical speakers make an honest effort to refrain from engaging in __________, acting like your culture, ethnicity, or values are better than everyone else's.

A) discrimination
B) reverse tolerance
C) ethnocentric bias
D) prejudice
E) homophobia

Question 25

___________ is the audience's first impression of the speaker, the speaker's skills, and the nature of the speech.

A) The setting or venue
B) The speech's introduction
C) The speaker's attire and grooming
D) The speaker's posture and body movements
E) The speaker's credentials

Question 26

In a well-constructed and well-delivered speech, it is the speaker's ______ that tend to be the most-remembered ideas.

A) introduction
B) claim
C) evidence
D) facts and figures
E) final comments

Question 27

___________ a speech requires speakers to review their speech a few times, and then put it aside before returning to it later.

A) Rehearsing
B) Internalizing
C) Pre-scripting
D) Practicing
E) "Owning"

Question 28

__________ a speech results in performing the speech so many times it begins to sound mechanical, as if it's being read rather than delivered.

A) Rehearsing
B) Internalizing
C) Pre-scripting
D) Practicing
E) "Owning"

Question 29

One reason not to be nervous when giving a speech is that _____________.

A) there are people in the audience who are even worse at public speaking than you
B) your topic probably isn't important enough to your audience for them to care
C) much, if not most, of your nervousness goes undetected by the audience
D) nervousness is never a good thing because it is an indication that you don't care about delivering a quality speech
E) nervousness suggests that you have little idea what you are talking about

Question 30

There are a number of forms of textual aids that speakers can bring with them to their speeches. Among them are ___________, word-for-word manuscripts.

A) outlines
B) scripted speeches
C) note cards
D) impromptu notes
E) cheat sheets

Question 31

You have been tasked with giving the farewell speech at your manager's retirement dinner. You decide to prepare a very small number of notes, few enough to fit on one side of a small index card, because you want your speech to be __________.

A) Extemporaneous
B) impromptu
C) small group
D) short
E) full of interesting facts

Question 32

You have been tasked with giving the farewell speech at your manager's retirement dinner. You decide not to prepare any notes at all because you want your speech to be __________.

A) extemporaneous
B) impromptu
C) small group
D) short
E) full of interesting facts

Question 33

___________ breathing is abdominal breathing, deep breaths which allow the stomach muscles to expand.

A) Controlled
B) Constricted
C) Diaphragmatic
D) Oxygenetic
E) Full-body

Question 34

Once speakers have identified the type of speech they intend to deliver, they need to decide on a topic. There are several ways to go about this, including __________, generating ideas for a speech topic through the free association of words and ideas.

A) self-inquiry
B) brainstorming
C) plagiarism
D) clustering
E) direct messaging

Question 35

Once speakers have identified the type of speech they intend to deliver, they need to decide on a topic. There are several ways to go about this, including __________, asking questions of themselves in search of a possible topic.

A) self-inquiry
B) brainstorming
C) plagiarism
D) clustering
E) direct messaging

Question 36

Once speakers have identified the type of speech they intend to deliver, they need to decide on a topic. There are several ways to go about this, including __________, making lists according to themes and word association and seeing what topics jump out.

A) self-inquiry
B) brainstorming
C) plagiarism
D) clustering
E) direct messaging

Question 37

___________, a situation-specific social anxiety that arises from the real or anticipated enactment of an oral presentation, is usually the most difficult obstacle to overcome for aspiring speakers as they work to master this skill.

A) Vocophobia
B) Public speaking anxiety
C) Lactose intolerance
D) Diaphragmaticphobia
E) Dyspepsia

Question 38

To get past any nervousness they may feel before a speech, many skilled public speakers often engage in ___________, cracking a joke just before they start or engaging a few audience members in conversation.

A) vocal warm ups
B) audience analysis
C) diaphragmatic breathing
D) language loosening
E) full-body breathing

Question 39

Polls conducted over the last few years have revealed that viewers who get their news primarily from ___________ are more informed about current events and issues than viewers who watch ______________.

A) traditional news programs/satire programs like The Daily Show
B) left-leaning news channels like MSNBC/read a daily newspaper
C) satire programs like The Daily Show/traditional news programs
D) right-leaning news channels like Fox News/left-leaning news channels like MSNBC
E) printed media/digital media

Question 40

Plagiarism is the attempt to claim as your own someone else's words, images, or ideas, and it comes in several forms, including __________ plagiarism, when a speaker has plagiarized from more than one source, possibly multiple sources, puts the material together as if it is unique, and attempts to credit it as her or his own.

A) global
B) patchwork
C) unintentional
D) incremental
E) unreliable

Question 41

Plagiarism is the attempt to claim as your own someone else's words, images, or ideas, and it comes in several forms, including __________ plagiarism, when speakers borrow from others for specific, even relatively brief parts of their speeches and fail to give credit to those from whom they borrowed the ideas.

A) global
B) patchwork
C) unintentional
D) incremental
E) unreliable

Question 42

Plagiarism is the attempt to claim as your own someone else's words, images, or ideas, and it comes in several forms, including __________ plagiarism, when a speaker steals a speech in its entirety, claiming it as his or her own.

A) Global
B) patchwork
C) unintentional
D) incremental
E) unreliable

Question 43

_______________ is when a speaker addresses an audience in a more structured and formal way than in a regular conversation.

A) Debate
B) Discourse
C) Public speaking
D) Oratory
E) Eulogy

Question 44

Speaking is a productive contribution to people's___________, helping them with memory, focus, critical thinking, and other cognitive processes.

A) mental well-being
B) physical well-being
C) marital harmony
D) political participation
E) public discourse

Question 45

Your parents' group has decided to endorse a mayoral candidate in this year's election. You stand before its members and argue for the incumbent, Kevin Pearce. Your friend Sally speaks for the challenger, Tom Zammarelli. You are using your public speaking skills in the service of ________.

A) public speaking
B) oratory
C) salesmanship
D) public discourse
E) helping a friend

Question 46

Your in-class speech on the history and success of the Mars Exploration Rover Mission is ___________ speech.

A) a persuasive
B) a special occasion
C) an informative
D) a small group
E) an affective

Question 47

Your in-class speech on the need to boost government funding of the NASA space program and the Mars Exploration Rover Mission is ___________ speech.

A) a persuasive
B) a special occasion
C) an informative
D) a small group
E) an affective

Question 48

You are the best man at your brother's wedding and must give the toast, a prime example of ____________ speech.

A) a persuasive
B) a special occasion
C) an informative
D) an emphatic
E) an affective

Question 49

Strategically, __________ speech is much like a debate. In order to argue your side of the issue, you need to fully understand the presumed points of the opposition.

A) a persuasive
B) a special occasion
C) an informative
D) a small group
E) an affective

Question 50

Skilled speakers undertake audience analysis to ________________.

A) identify the opinion leaders among their listeners
B) better understand listeners' needs and tailor their speech accordingly
C) weed out those who care from those who do not
D) make a judgment about the appropriateness of ethnocentric humor
E) ensure that they've chosen the right type of speech for the occasion

Question 51

Define and draw the distinction between rehearsing and practicing a speech. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each, if any?

Question 52

What are three problems that speakers can encounter when using visual aids? How can they be overcome?

Question 53

What are the three reasons that a good public speaker knows not to be nervous when delivering a speech? Give examples.

Question 54

Define and then draw the distinction between extemporaneous and impromptu speeches. Give a likely example of each.

Question 55

What is diaphragmatic breathing? What are its four benefits?

Question 56

One way to become a better public speaker is to identify a speaker you admire and emulate her or him. Who might that person be for you? What is it about his or her public speaking ability that you admire? What can you learn from emulating her or his style?

Question 57

What is plagiarism? Using examples, explain its different forms? Is there such a thing as "unintentional" plagiarism? Defend your answer.

Question 58

In what three ways can public speaking anxiety manifest itself? Give an example of each. List and explain six ways speakers can defend themselves against this problem.

Question 59

There is significant research and real-world evidence that solid public speaking skills can enhance career success. Some on-the-job speaking skills quite naturally are the same for any public speaking effort, and some are a bit different. List, explain, and offer an example of the six the on-the-job public speaking skills that can be learned and practiced.

Question 60

Describe the three different techniques for coming up with a speech topic. Which one would you personally find more useful? What is it about you as a speaker, and as a person, that makes this the best method for you?