Listening Skills, Language/Style
Contrast hearing with listening
In hearing, a passive process, people merely receive messages. Those messages are neither understood nor retained. In listening, receivers actively pay attention to the messages they are hearing. Listeners both decode messages for understanding and remember the messages’ content. Pages: 94–95
On Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, what is at the bottom of the hierarchy (meaning it must be met before all other levels?)
Physiological Needs
What is the straw person fallacy?
When you create an unrealistic example of the opposing viewpoint so that you can tear it down.
How should an after-dinner speech be different from a stand-up comedy act?
It is longer and should have a serious point. It should employ humorous anecdotes and narrative delivery instead of jokes.
Effective group leaders do all of the following except:
address procedural needs
facilitate group decisions
help cultivate groupthink
keep members on task
model desired behaviors
Contrast denotative meaning with connotative meaning.
A word’s denotative meaning is that word’s exact, literal dictionary definition. A word’s connotative meanings may bear little or no resemblance to its denotative meaning. Connotative meanings are the associations that come to mind when people read or hear a word. Pages: 343–45
A speaker who causes audience members to oppose his or her ideas even more vigorously than they did before the speech creates what is known as the:
Boomerang effect
Contrast inductive and deductive reasoning
Inductive: Uses a few examples to draw a general conclusion that applies to all similar situations.
Deductive: Uses a general principle to draw a conclusion about a specific example or situation.
What should a speaker make sure to include in a speech of presentation?
1. Explain what the award is/its criteria
2. Explain how the recipient met those criteria/is deserving of the award.
The group presentation approach in which each group member takes responsibility for delivering a different part of the presentation is known as a(n):
groupthink
implied speech
panel discussion
small group
symposium
Symposium
Name three ways in which oral language differs from written language.
The first main difference between oral language and written language is adaptability. Oral language is more adaptive than written language because speakers are privy to live feedback. The second difference is that oral language tends to be less formal than written language. The third difference is that oral language effectively incorporates repetition. In general, repetition is ill suited to written communication. Pages: 341–43
When listeners are very concerned about the issue presented in a persuasive speech, their latitude of acceptance:
a. broadens
b. narrows
c. remains the same
d. shifts to hostile
e. shifts to sympathetic
b. Narrows
Define ethos, pathos, and logos.
Ethos - Appeal to trustworthiness, credibility.
Pathos - Appeal to emotion, shared values.
Logos - Appeals to logic or reasoning.
What is the rule about the amount of text you should have on a slide? (What is the rule called, what does it say?)
A person in a group who is acknowledged to be the leader because he or she has special skills would be considered which type of leader?
assumed
designated
emergent
implied
moderate
Implied leader
What does it mean to employ antithesis in a speech? Provide an example.
Clauses set in opposition to one another, usually to distinguish between choices, concepts, and ideas. For example, a student named Stephen employed antithesis to persuade people to invest in solar power:Do we want to go forward or backward? Live in the future or be stuck in the past? Continue to be dependent on oil from other countries or invest in safe, free sunshine right here to meet much of our electricity and power needs?
identify and briefly describe the five main points of Monroe's Motivated Sequence
The first main point is attention, which is creating a willingness on audience members’ part to listen to a message; the second main point is need, which is identifying a need relevant to the audience; the third main point is satisfaction, which is showing how a proposal will fulfill the need identified in the previous main point; the fourth main point is visualization, which is helping listeners form a mental picture of the proposal’s benefits; and the fifth main point is action, which is clarifying what listeners should do. Page: 537
List the three elements of the Toulmin Model we discussed in class. Define what each element is about.
Claim: Your argument.
Ground: Your evidence
Warrant: The reasoning that connects your evidence to your claim and leads one to accept your claim based on that evidence.
Identify six types of special-occasion speeches.
the speech of introduction, the speech of presentation, the speech of acceptance, the speech
to memorialize or eulogize, the speech to celebrate, and the after-dinner speech.
List the five steps of the reflective-thinking process for group decision making.
(1) define the problem, (2) analyze the problem, (3) establish criteria for solving the problem, (4) generate possible solutions, and (5) select the best solution. Page: 640
Give the rationale for front- and back-loading messages.
Listeners tend to pay the most attention just after a speech starts and just before it ends. Front-loading a main message—placing it early in a speech—helps work against ineffective listening. Back-loading that same message—placing it near
the speech’s end—gives listeners another opportunity to process and retain its content.
Differentiate core beliefs from peripheral ones, and explain why persuasive speakers should focus on the latter.
Core beliefs are viewpoints that people hold closely, often for many years. Such beliefs are particularly immune to persuasion and difficult to change quickly. Peripheral beliefs, which are held less closely than core beliefs and for shorter periods, arise from the influence of such things as news reports, books or magazines, and statements by political or religious leaders. As such, peripheral beliefs are more susceptible to persuasive techniques, and speakers can boost their chances of success by targeting them. Page: 528
What are the two routes in the Elaboration Likelihood Model? Describe how an audience member acts with each route.
Central route and Peripheral route. Central: Audience engages directly with ideas and thinks critically. They are highly engaged/motivated. Peripheral: Audience is less motivated. They make decisions based on cues unrelated to the message, such as the attractiveness of the speaker or how their friends are reacting to the message.
Give some major reasons why speakers should use presentation aids in their speeches. Be sure to define the term as part of the discussion.
Presentation aids, defined as anything beyond a speaker’s words used to help listeners understand and remember a speech, are beneficial to the speaking exchange because they support communication. Presentation aids have several advantages: they add interest to a speech, simplify complex topics, and help listeners remember a speech. Pages: 404–6
Explain the importance of maintenance-oriented roles in a small group. Be sure to explain the different maintenance-oriented roles.
maintenance roles help sustain and strengthen a group’s efficient and effective interpersonal relations. Harmonizers use humor or positive and optimistic comments at just the right time to defuse tension. Compromisers try to find common ground between adversaries and offer palatable solutions. Encouragers use compliments to inspire other group members. Gatekeepers facilitate communication among group members. Finally, norm facilitators reinforce healthy group norms while discouraging unproductive ones. Pages: 635–36