Public Speaking Introduction

Week 1: Introduction to Public Speaking

• Communication involves giving, receiving, or exchanging ideas, information, signals, or messages through appropriate channels.
• This process enables individuals or groups to persuade, seek information, provide information, or express emotions.
• Public speaking includes communicative intention, uninterrupted speaking time, and multiple listeners.

The Anxiety of Public Speaking

• Anticipation Reaction: Anxiety experienced before giving a speech, including the time leading up to it.
• Confrontation Reaction: A surge in anxiety at the beginning of a speech.
• Adaption Reaction: A gradual decline in anxiety level, one minute into the speech, which decreases to pre-speaking levels in about five minutes.
• Methods to reduce anxiety:
  • Visualization is picturing a successful outcome.
  • Relabeling is assigning positive words to feelings associated with speech anxiety.
  • Deep Breathing is an antidote to counter anxiety.
  • Habituation is building confidence through repeated experiences.

Active Listening

• Sensing: The physical reception of a message, such as hearing and seeing.
• Attending: Mental focus and selective attention to a message, with speakers focusing on parts they deem important.
• Understanding: Decoding messages using common language, symbols, and facial expressions with personal references to assign meaning.
• Responding (Feedback): The response from the responder to the message being sent.

Speech Delivery

• Formal Speech: Prepared, structured speech.
• Extemporaneous Speech: Planned and practiced speech.
• Impromptu Speech: Given with little to no preparation.
• The "4Cs" are: Contact, Clarity, Controlling Distractions and Confidence.
  • Clarity in Speech: Incorporating non-verbal elements like Pace, Pauses, Tone, and Facial Expression along with verbal elements and the avoidance of slang, jargon, and imprecise language.
  • Controlling Distractions: Minimizing Noise, Repetitive Behaviors, Unusual Stimuli and Environmental Distractions.
  • Confidence: Projecting confidence even when not feeling it.

Speech Preparation

• Speech preparation includes:
  • Reviewing the speech outline aloud
  • Practicing aloud from the outline
  • Refining delivery
  • Seeking speech feedback from others
  • Conducting a dress rehearsal at the location

Week 2: Selecting a Speech Topic

• Considerations for topic selection:
  • Purpose: To inform objectively, persuade with a stand, or entertain by inspiring emotions.
  • Situation: Context of speech delivery.
  • Time Limit.
• Understanding the audience: Tailoring to the subject-specific (experts) or the general audience.
• Narrowing a broad topic to a restricted one is exemplified by (Social media) → Narrowed (Twitter) → Restricted (Politicians using Twitter).
• Research questions should be: Related to the topic, Open-ended, Researchable, and Interesting.
• Examples of research questions:
  • Why are politicians using Twitter?
  • How do politicians communicate with the public on Twitter?
  • How do politicians communicate with the media on Twitter?

Information Literacy

• Information Literacy: Acquiring, evaluating, and properly using information, acknowledging the source.
• Process of information literacy:
  • Identify the informational needs.
  • Find information effectively and efficiently.
  • Evaluate information for accuracy, bias, and relevance.
  • Apply information effectively.

Types of Plagiarism

• Incremental Plagiarism: Failing to credit specific sections borrowed.
• Patchwork Plagiarism: Combining ideas from multiple sources without attribution.
• Global Plagiarism: Presenting an entire work as your own.
• Tangential Information: Slightly related, captures attention.
• Evidentiary Information: Directly related, adds credibility.

Finding Information

• Online resources:
  • Newspaper Databases (Nexis Uni)
  • Google Scholar and Google News
  • Government Resources
• Oral citations include:
  • Source Name and Source Credential
  • Publication Information and Date
• Strategies to avoid repetition of sources during speech delivery. 71% of Singaporeans use Facebook.

Week 3: Informative Speech

• Types of informative speeches:
  • Objects: Tangible and stable forms, e.g., 3D Printers, Stock Market.
  • Processes: Systematic actions that lead to a specific result, e.g., how Mars was formed.
  • Events: Things that happen or take place, e.g., PinkDot, MeToo Movement.
  • Concepts: Beliefs, theories, principles, e.g., Freedom, Marxism.
• Guidelines for informative speaking:
  • Scope the speech appropriately.
  • Don’t overestimate audience knowledge.
  • Relate the subject to the audience.
  • Avoid abstractions and technical information.
  • Use aids to enhance understanding.
  • Be creative.

Informative Speech Outline Components

• Introduction should include elements of:
  • Attention
  • Topic Reveal
  • Credibility
  • Preview of main points and a clear Thesis statement.
• Body: Goes from broad to narrow.
• Transitions: indicate movement between thoughts, such as "Now that I have informed you about the problems, let me share the solutions with you."
• Internal Previews: alert the audience to the speaker's next point.
• Internal Summaries
• Speaking Outline: Condensed version of preparation outline; include key words, phrases, essential statistics, quotes, and cues.

Organizational Patterns

• Chronological: Following a time pattern.
• Spatial: Following a directional/ locational principle.
• Causal: Main points showing cause and effect.
• Topical: Dividing a speech into subtopics.

Week 4: Presentation Aids

• Presentation aids are visual, audio, or audiovisual devices used to help with understanding.
• Functions of Presentation Aids: enhance audience understanding, improve retention, aid interest, and boost speaker credibility.
• Types of visual aids:
  • Objects and Models
  • Photographs and Drawings
  • Graphs and Charts
  • Videos
  • The Speaker
• Guidelines for presentation aids:
  • Prepare well in advance, keep aids simple, ensure visibility/ audibility, and limit text.
  • Use effective fonts, colors, visuals, and audio clips.
  • Display aids where listeners can see/hear, and avoid passing them around.
  • Explain aids clearly.
  • Speak to the audience, not the aid.

Week 8: Persuasive Speech

• Argument: Statement plus proof where claims of fact are supported by Facts, value by Statistics and policy by Testimony and Direct Observarions.
• How to select evidence which should be clear, accurate, sufficient, relevant, representative, and cumulative.
• Reasoning to connect Proof to Claims:
  • Deductive: Moving from general to specific conclusions.
  • Inductive: Drawing conclusions from specific observations.
  • Analogy: Using literal or figurative analogies.
  • Cause: Identifying relevant causes.
• Effective persuasion utilizes emotional appeals in addition to logical arguments.
• Feelings: Fear, Compassion, Pride, Anger, Guilt.

Munroes Motivated Sequence

• Munroes Motivated Sequence: Attention, Need, Satisfaction, Visualization and Action.

Week 9: Persuasive Speech pt.2

• Types of Audience: Hostile, Neutral, and Favorable.
  • Hostile audience: Address preconceived ideas, avoid triggering emotional responses.
  • Neutral audience: Engage uninformed or uninterested individuals without polarizing.
  • Favorable audience: Encourage further support.
• Persuasion-Related Challenges and Opportunities:
  • Small shifts in opinion can be achieved with new, relatable information.
  • Motivation encouraged through direct appeals.
• Language and Evidence Strategies:
  • Neutral tone with facts for neutral audiences.
  • Positive language with excitement.
  • Vivid narratives for favorable audience.

Week 10: Speaking on Special Occasions & Online

• Special occasion speeches:
  • Introductions: Generate enthusiasm and establish a welcoming climate for the speaker.
  • Presentation: Highlight the speaker’s contributions, keeping remarks brief and relatable.
  • Commemorative: Eulogies, Award Ceremonies, and Toasts
    • Toasts structure: Greetings, self-introduction, emotional body, call for camaraderie.
    • Goal of commemorating an occasion, person, idea, or object by highlighting its importance.

Presenting Online Speeches

• Control of visual environment with aspects such as, Setting, Lighting, and Framing and Personal appearance.
• Guidelines for online speeches:
  • Emphasis on nonverbal communication and delivery.
  • Engage with audience and a backup plan is crucial.