Chapter 11 Preparing and Researching Presentations

Understand the power of public speaking and how preparation eases natural nervousness Identify the purpose of your speech Analyze your audience Choose an appropriate topic and develop it Chapter Objectives

Support and enliven your speech with effective research Cull from among your sources the material that will be most convincing Give proper credit to sources and take responsibility for your speech Chapter Objectives

The Power of Public Speaking Public speaking includes… –A speaker with a reason for speaking –An audience that gives the speaker attention –A message that is meant to accomplish a specific purpose

The Purpose of Your Speech The General Purpose –Informative Speeches –Persuasive Speeches –Special-Occasion Speeches

The Purpose of Your Speech The Specific Purpose –What do I want my audience to learn, do, consider, or agree with? –An action statement encompassing the topic and general speech purpose

Analyzing Your Audience Determining audience expectations Types of audiences –Pedestrian audience –Passive audience –Selected audience –Concerted audience –Organized audience

Analyzing Your Audience Audience demographics –The quantifiable characteristics of a large group –May focus on statistics regarding gender, socioeconomic status, age, nationality, and so on.

Choosing Your Topic Find a topic that intrigues you Brainstorm your topic Narrow your topic –Am I interested? –Does it meet the assignment’s criteria? –Will my audience find it worthwhile?

Choosing Your Topic Developing a thesis statement –A statement that conveys the central idea or core assumption about your topic –Is more specific than the specific purpose statement

Researching the Topic Types of information –Expert testimony –Lay testimony –Statistics –Anecdotes –Quotations –Comparisons –Contrasts

Researching the Topic Researching Supporting Material –Talk to people Interviews Surveys –Search the literature –Use the Internet

Researching the Topic Evaluating Supporting Material –Credible –Up-to-date –Accurate –Relevant –Compelling –Reliable

Ethical Speaking Recognizing plagiarism Presenting someone else’s information as your own Taking accurate notes –Quotes and paraphrases –Running bibliography Speaking ethically and responsibly Be trustworthy, respectful, responsible, and fair