COMM 1110 Spring 2023

Public Speaking Midterm Exam Study Guide

This exam covers all material covered in readings and lecture. The chapters from the online
textbook covered on this exam are: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7

The exam consists of ~35 multiple choice and true/false questions. The aim is to test your
comprehension of the material covered in class more than your memorization of terms.

The exam will take place in class on Friday, March 3rd. You will have 50 minutes to
complete the exam.
(If you require university-sanctioned alternate arrangements, or extra-time for exams, talk to
me in advance and we will find a time that is convenient for you.)

Identify parts of the Speech Communication Process (transmission model of communication)

as they relate to public speaking.
 Speaker, Chanel, Audience, and Interference (Noises in the middle) and Possible
feedback loop appended at the end.
What is communication apprehension? What are useful tips for dealing with communication
apprehension?
 The fear and anxiety associated with communicating with others.
 Don’t self-sabotage and read the audience.
What is the interaction model of communication? What is the transaction model of
communication? What changes were made between the models?
 Interaction Model
 Transaction Model – Ex: I don’t know what it means, but we together collectively
create meaning in a certain topic together.
 Feedback loop is added.
What is the difference between a general and specific purpose?
 3 types of general purposes
o To perform, persuade, or entertain.
 Specific Purpose – In this situation, what are you hoping to achieve with this speech.
What is the central idea or thesis statement of a speech?
 Central Idea – Subject that the general idea of the speech
 Thesis Statement – The specific thing about the subject that gives the most
information about what the presentation will accomplish.
What is demographic audience analysis, and what are the major categories within
demographics?
 Demographic – Age, Gender, Race, Socioeconomic status, educational background etc.
 Psychographic – The audience’s attitude towards the speaker and the subject
 How the audience feels – The temp in the room and how they feel in the current time.


What is psychographic audience analysis?

What are the major aspects of situational audience analysis?
What are the two types of questions that you can ask as audience attention getters?
 COMM 1110 Spring 2023
 Rhetorical questions and Response questions that require actual response from the
audience.
Why is speech organization important?
 It allows you to convey the message effectively and allows the audience to follow the
logic of the presentation, and it helps alleviate communication apprehension.
What are the principles for organizing the main points in a speech?
 Unit and Coherence (Flow together and logical connection, consistency between them,
nothing missing or out of place), Discreteness (Separate from each other, no overlap or
repetition/blending), Balance (Ensuring that each main point takes about the same
amount of time and all fitting within the allotted time given), Parallelism (rhythm,
should sound similar, have similar structure so that it is easily identifiable for the
audience)
What are the main organizational patterns for informative speaking? Be able to recognize
them in a speech.
 Chronological, Spatial, Categorical/Logical
What are the three strategies for informative speaking?
 To explain how something works
 To define what something is
 To describe what something looks like
What are transitions and how is each used throughout a speech?
 Transitions connect the different points and help guide the audience (Three types:
internal previews, internal summaries, signposts which are the single phrases)
What are the goals of informative speaking?
 To inform, to teach, to convey knowledge. NOT TO PERSUADE OR EXPRESS POSITION
OR OPINION
What are the differences between the Preparation Outline, the Speaking Outline, and the Full
sentence Outline?
 Preparation Outline – the rough draft, skeleton of the speech to prep ideas and how it
flows
 Full Sentence Outline – What you send to the audience and professor where all
content is bulleted. Most formal handout that can be given and used to follow along.
 Speaking Outline – The speaker’s notes that they use as helping tools to guide their
speech.
What are some general rules for citing your sources, quotations, and paraphrasing?
 Use quotes sparingly, Paraphrase complex and technical information to make it easily
digestible for the audience (uncommon knowledge), when citing sources always use
the most recognizable aspect of the citation.
What are the three steps in citing information?
 Set-Up the citation with a claim or statement, provide the citation with either a quote
or paraphrasing statement, explain the citation (discuss, analyze, explain why the
quote used helps to prove your claim)
What are the different types of supporting material?
 Fact/Statistics (round off complex numbers, put it in context and provide a frame of
reference), Definitions (can be dictionary definitions, persuasive definitions to define
something that is good for the audience that they should be doing, stipulative definition
 COMM 1110 Spring 2023
is provided by someone famous and an expert in the field to build your own credibility
by using someone else’s), Examples (positive or negative, nonexamples), Testimony
(Peer Testimony/Eye Witness Testimony someone who had a car accident, Expert
Testimony versus someone who specializes in some organization that controls
accidnents), Analogies (comparing two things that are very similar and belong in the
same category, figurative category which are metaphors and similes), Narratives
(stories which can be informative, persuasive, or entertaining)
What are the four elements of an effective introduction?
 Attention Getter (quote, rhetorical question, reference to history, statistic), Thesis,
Statement of Credibility/Statement of interest, Preview of Main points
What are different options for attention getters in an introduction?
 Answered in the last question
What are the purposes/elements of a conclusion?
 To signal the end of the speech, provide a memorable summary of the important
details
What are the types of concluding devices?
 Famous quote, challenge for the audience, advice for the audience, question for the
audience just NO new info in the conclusion
What is the serial position effect?
 Primacy (hearing the first thing at the beginning of the speech), Recency (hearing and
remembering the last thing hear at the end of the speech)