speeches, week 3

The Art ofEnglish Speeches

Week 3

good job.

Commit to your story

When should I say more?

When should I say less?

Break long thoughts into

smaller

parts

Am I…

gaining the attention and interest of my audience?

influencing the audience to view me and my topic favorably?

clarifying the purpose or thesis of my speech?

previewing the development of my topic?

Your Introduction Checklist

Choosinga Topic

&

Developinga Strategy

A Speaker’s Choices and Activities:

InventionArrangementStyleDeliveryMemory


InventionProducing materials for the speechWhat could go into the speech?Conduct research.Select the most effective materials for purpose and audience.

ArrangementStyleDeliveryMemory


InventionArrangement

Structuring ideas and materials in the speech

Organize materials for each main idea.Order and connect main ideas.Plan the overall structure of the intro, body, and conclusion.

StyleDeliveryMemory


InventionArrangementStyle

The distinctive character of the speechThis is achieved through language.Showing: Evoke emotionsTelling: Convey descriptive meaning(Both are useful, when appropriate)

DeliveryMemory


InventionArrangementStyleDelivery

The presentation of the speechShare the message with the audience.A good speaker makes effective use of:voice, gesture, facial expression, movement, visual aids

Memory


InventionArrangementStyleDeliveryMemory

Memorize, make notes, read a script,or speak extemporaneouslyKeep track of main ideas.Phrase ideas so listeners will remember them.Precisely word the intro and conclusion.

INVENTION

deciding whatto talk about

UNDERSTANDTHE RHETORICALSITUATION

Rhetoric

the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques.

Elements of a rhetorical situation

audience

occasion

speaker

speech

What makesa good topic?

good topic=

one that matters to you

IMPORTANCE TO THE SPEAKER

If you do not care about the subject, it will be very hard to make it interesting or important to the audience. If you care about it, it will be relatively easy.

good topic=

one that matters to you

good topic=

one that matters to your audience

good topic=

one that matters to your audience

INTEREST FOR THE AUDIENCE

Audiences will be interested if your topic…- provides new information they can use- offers a solution to a puzzle or problem that affects them- connects what is unfamiliar to what they know- reports stories or experiences similar to their own.

good topic=

one that is worth hearing about

good topic=

one that can be talked aboutin the time allowed

good topic=

one that can be talked aboutin the time allowed

APPROPRIATENESS OF SCOPE

Avoid topics that include too many points and can only be covered superficially. Likewise, too narrow topics only deserve a short amount of time. A good speech will find a way to engage both the breadth and depth of a topic.

good topic=

one that is suited for oral delivery

good topic=

one that is clear

Purposes

What is our general purpose?

- Providing new information or perspective

- Agenda setting

- Creating positive or negative feeling

- Strengthening commitment

- Weakening commitment

- Conversion

- Inducing a Specific Action

Providing new information or perspective

Give the audience new information, or important information they don’t know, about a topic they’re already familiar with.

Offer a certain perspective that differs from what they may be accustomed to thinking about a topic.

Setting an agenda

Cause people to think about a topic that they previously knew little about or ignored.

Creating positive or negative feeling

About the occasion, the speaker, or the message.

e.g., making listeners generally feel good about themselves or the world.

Strengthening Commitment

“Preaching to the converted”

Motivate audience members to become even more strongly committed to a belief or cause.

Weakening Commitment

Reduce the intensity of listeners’ commitment to a belief, not necessarily to change their minds, but to instill a sense of doubt.

Conversion

Persuade listeners to change their minds – to stop believing one thing and to start believing another.

The replacement of one set of beliefs with another set that is inconsistent with the first.

Inducing a specific action

The most pragmatic goal: persuade people to take a specific action.

e.g. to make a contribution, to purchase a product, to vote for a specific candidate, etc.

The speaker does not have to care whether listeners have the same reasons for acting, only that they act.

Developing thepurpose statementand thethesis statement

Topic:Cheating at the university

General purpose:To provide new information

Specific purpose:To inform listeners of widespread cheating on this campus!

Specific purpose:To inform listeners of widespread cheating on this campus!The “specific purpose” focuses on the outcome of the speech by specifying what you want to achieve.It is “audience centered.”

Topic: Cheating at the university

General purpose: To provide new information

Specific purpose: To inform listeners of widespread cheating on this campus!




The thesis will sum up the speech in a single sentence you want listeners to remember.

What is the thesis statement?

Thesis:Far more students engage in cheating than most of us think.




Thesis: Far more students engage in cheating than most of us think.

Analyzing thethesis statement

whatarethe

issues?

issue:

a question raised by the thesis statement that must be addressed in order for the thesis itself to be addressed effectively.





“Far more students”

“Engage in cheating”

“Than most of us think”





“Far more students”How many? Is that number more than we think? Is it

“far more?”








“Engage in cheating”What is covered by the term “cheating?” And what

must one do to “engage in” it?








“Than most of us think”Who are “most of us”? What do “most of us” think?

Why do we think this?

Why identify the issues?

It lets you determine what the speech must cover.

It directs your research.

It may lead you to modify your thesis.

It can help you organize your speech.

Researching the Topic

Researching the Topic

- Develop or strengthen your own expertise on the topic- Find evidence that will support your ideas- Make your ideas clear, understandable, and pertinent to your audience

Types of supporting material

- Personal experience- Common knowledge- Direct observation- Examples- Documents- Statistics- Testimony

speeches, week 3

Education

specific action

negative feeling

strengthening

creating positive

weakening

introduction

talked aboutin

speakers choices