Module Four: Public Speaking
Chapters Seven, Eight, Ten and Eleven
We will begin this module by doing an overview of the process of planning a speech. That will entail selecting a topic, focusing your topic, planning your research and analyzing your audience. In this module, we will use the discussion board as a venue for helping one another develop the content of our speeches. Please note the deadlines on the timeline for making initial postings on these topics and for providing helpful feedback to your fellow group cohort members. Postings for topics 18 and 19 will be made to the group page for your speech preparation cohort.
Decide on a speech topic and post it to the bulletin board to get reactions from others in the class. Feedback from the class will help you narrow the focus of your speech.
Do an analysis of your audience and weigh how you can adapt your speech to the audience. Once again, timely feedback from others in the class will enable you develop your speaking strategies.
 

Topic 18: Initial Planning

Let's start working on our speeches with an overview of the steps involved in the process of public speaking. For that, I direct you to the Ten Tips for Successful Public Speaking, as outlined by the Toastmasters Organization.
Featured Links

Ten Tips
<http://www.toastmasters.org
/tips.htm>
Two of the toughest steps in giving a speech are developing a topic and deciding how to narrow your topic so that you can have a clear focus. Narrowing will also help in planning your research and enable you to clarify whether the goal of your speech is informative or persuasive.  
Next, use one of the pages of the Allyn & Bacon Public Speaking Website called "Find a Topic." The page will help you think about whether your goal is to inform or to persuade. This will also get you started on doing research for your speech. Sometimes, we also discuss controversial subjects, especially for persuasive speaking.
Featured Links

Find a Topic
<http://www.abacon.com
/pubspeak/assess/topic.html>

Whatever the goal of your speech, you will need to use four types of supporting material in your speech: testimony of experts, concrete examples, definitions and statistics.

Specifically, your post should address three questions:

    • What is your topic?
    • What is the general goal of your speech? Is it to inform or to persuade?
    • What is the specific goal of your speech? Address this question in terms of the type of informative or persuasive topic are you going to use. For instance, informative topics describe an object, demonstrate a process, narrate events or explain concepts. Persuasive speeches address a question of fact, a question of value or a question of policy
Key Terms

expert testimony
concrete examples
definitions
statistics

informative goals:
demonstrate a process
narrate events
explain concepts
describe objects

persuasive goals:
issues of fact
value
policy

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Topic 19: Audience Analysis

Skillful speakers are very much aware of the audience; they are thus able to adapt their speech to the specific group of listeners in order to achieve their goals.

For this Discussion Board, make an assessment of your audience. Chapter Seven outlines two methods of analysis. Demographic analysis focuses on the social character of your listeners by considering factors such as age, gender, cultural or ethnic background, race, educational level, religion, marital and family status, sexual orientation, and group memberships.

Psychological analysis examines the attitudes, beliefs and values of your audience.
Key Terms

demographic analysis

psychological analysis

credibility

A third consideration for audience analysis is raised in the Allyn & Bacon Public Speaking Website, under notes on credibility. Is your audience likely to judge you as having high credibility, especially to speak on the topic that you have chosen?

For this topic, write about how you will adapt your speech to the audience. Specific questions to consider might be:

    • Are my listeners apt to be interested in my topic owing to their demographic background?
    • How will members of my audience be able to relate to my topic in light of their background? Does it address their needs or experience?
    • Is my audience likely to hold attitudes, beliefs or values that might be points of resistance to a persuasive message? Or, will their attitudes, beliefs or values affect their level of interest for an informative message?
    • How credible am I on my subject? What kind of adaptations will I make to enhance my credibility with my audience?

 
Featured Links

Notes on Credibility
<http://www.abacon.com
/pubspeak/analyze/notecred.html

Allyn & Bacon page for Audience Analysis
<http://www.abacon.com
/pubspeak/analyze/analyze.html>
This page will provide additional resources about analyzing audiences.

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© 2001-02 by Terrence A. Doyle, Ph. D