ACTIVITIES

Audience Analysis

Review the following checklist of questions for a speechaudience analysis. Imagine your speech is about a new financial-aid program for freshman college students. You know that the audience will consist of around 300 students from the universities within your state. With this information in mind, try to answer at least five questions on the site linked below.

How difficult was it to answer these questions? Do you think you have enough information now to proceed with this speech? Where might you gather the information you need?

Purpose Statements

Choose six topics appropriate for speeches from the list of 400 possible writing topics linked in the article below, and write a purpose statement for each of these speeches.

Rewriting Fallacies

For each following item of negative self-talk and irrational thinking, identify the type of fallacy it represents.Then rewrite the statements to demonstrate a more reasonable and rational framing of the speaker’s situation.

  1. I'll probably get a dry mouth and turn red. It'll be obvious to everyone that I'm nervous and scared.
  2. I always blow it when something is real important—like the time I used the wrong name when introducing my boss.
  3. Tim probably won't like the PowerPoint, and Jose won't like some of the sources I cite.
  4. I'll probably bomb this speech. Then I won't have enough points for a C. If I don't get a C, I'll flunk out of school and never get an education.
  5. I never say what I want to in front of others. I always blow these opportunities.
  6. I just know this will be a disaster. I'll likely start off bad and then never be able to recover.
  7. My visuals just aren't as good as Melissa's. The coloring isn't quite right, and one of my bar graphs is off-center.

Auditory Aspects of Delivery

Take something you have written—a paper, a speech, or a letter—and convert it into speaker's notes. Write words that will jog your memory, reminding you of what you want to say. You are trying to simulate extemporaneous delivery.

It doesn't have to be long; a minute will do. Practice speaking aloud from your speaker's notes a couple of times. Now record your delivery toassessitsvarious auditory aspects: Do you need to speak louder? Were you speaking at an appropriate rate? Is your pitch rising and falling naturally? Are you articulating your words?

Visual Aspects of Delivery

Find a speech of interest to you on YouTube. Watch it twice, with the volume off and on, paying particular attention to the visual aspects of the speaker’s delivery: appearance, movement, posture, facial expression, and eye contact. Assess each category of the speaker’s visual performance, citing specific examples in her or his delivery.

FOR FURTHEREXPLORATION

TED Talk

(independent TEDx event)

Caroline Goyder: “The surprising secret to speaking with confidence”

Films

(For further discussion of these and other films that illustrate communication concepts, see Now Playing.)

The King's Speech (2010, Rated R)

Communication Concepts: public speaking, stage fright, delivery, articulation

Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001, Rated R)

Communication Concepts: public speaking, communication competence, self-concept

Erin Brockovich (2000, Rated R)

Communication Concepts: audience analysis, persuasion, critical thinking

Books

Ellis, A. Harper, Robert A. (1975). A Guide to Rational Living. New York, NY: Institute for Rational Living, Inc.

This classic self-help text in rational-emotive psychotherapybased on self-analysis and self-questioning provides methods to refute irrational thinking, overcome neurotic behavior, and conquer anxiety.

Journal Articles

Henning, Zachary (2012/2013). Knowing Your Audience: Demographic and Situational Topic Analysis.Journal of the Communication, Speech & Theatre Association of North Dakota, 25, 61–63.

Abstract: This publicspeaking activity allows students to examine an audience that is comprised of seemingly different people, find similarities among audience members, and create a list of speech topics that would be relevant to all members. Students learn to critically evaluate an audience and conduct demographic and situational audience analyses to generate more creative and relevant speech topics.

Dwyer, K. K., & Davidson, M. M. (2012). Is public speaking really more feared than death? Communication Research Reports, 29, 99–107.

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the genesis of the 1973 R. H. BruskinAssociate’s American Fears study appearing in the London Sunday Times and oftenreported in communication textbooks as “people fear public speaking more than death,” and to replicate the study among college students who read the textbooks. Participants in a multi-section communication course (N1/4815) completed the survey during the first week of class by selecting their fears from a list of fears, ranking their top fears, and completing the 6 public speaking context items of the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension—24 items. This study found that public speaking was selected more often as a common fear than any other fear, including death. However, when students were asked to select a top fear, students selected death most often. These findings help authors and instructors aptly quote the 1973 Bruskin Associate’s findings, which were confirmed by this study.

Bodie, G. D. (2010). A racing heart, rattling knees, and ruminative thoughts: Defining, explaining, and treating public speaking anxiety. Communication Education,59(1), 70–105

Abstract: Considered by many to be the foundation upon which our discipline was built, the studyof public speaking has evolved from its humble beginnings into a vast literature of experimental and expositional studies. The focus of research on public speaking has primarily been to discover the antecedents, causes, and consequences of anxiety associated with anticipating or presenting a public speech in order to prescribe treatment. The purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive review of the literature on public speaking anxiety (PSA) to serve as a foundation for future theory building and practice. Toward this end, PSA is defined and a typology of PSA constructs is developed. Then, using these constructs, research exploring the etiology of PSA is reviewed. A third section reviews techniques used to reduce PSA.