13.7 Conclusion

After reading this chapter, and returning to Dhavit’s challenge related to the development of an informational presentation on the environment, how might Dhavit ensure that he communicates his message to best inform his colleagues? How can he help ensure that his presentation is accurate and balanced? How might he avoid injecting his bias or personal opinions into the presentation?

Check your Knowledge

Additional Resources

Great Canadian Speeches https://greatcanadianspeeches.ca

For information on adapting your speech for an audience or audience members with special needs, explore this index of resources compiled by Ithaca College. http://www.ithaca.edu/wise/disabilities/

Visit this site for a list informative topics for a business speech. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/ideas-informative-speech-topics-business-81465.html

Glossary

Attention Statement – raise interest and motivate the listener.
Bias – an unreasoned or not-well-thought-out judgment.
Body – address key points.
Conclusion – summarize key points.
Describing – using information that requires emphasis on language that is vivid, captures attention, and excites the imagination.
Demonstration – focuses on clearly showing a process and telling the audience important details about each step so that they can imitate, repeat, or do the action themselves.
Exploitation – means taking advantage, using someone else’s story or situation for your own purposes.
Exposition – a public exhibition or display, often expressing a complex topic in a way that makes the relationships and content clear.
Honesty – or truthfulness, directly relates to trust, a cornerstone in the foundation of a relationship with your audience.
Informative presentations – focus on helping the audience to understand a topic, issue, or technique more clearly.
Informative report – a speech where you organize your information around key events, discoveries, or technical data and provide context and illustration for your audience.
Interpretation – involves adapting the information to communicate a message, perspective, or agenda.
Introduction – communicate a point and common ground.
Mutuality – means that you search for common ground and understanding with the audience, establishing this space and building on it throughout the speech.
Nonjudgmentalism – underlines the need to be open-minded, an expression of one’s willingness to examine diverse perspectives.
Objectivity – involves expressions and perceptions of facts that are free from distortion by your prejudices, bias, feelings or interpretations.
Reciprocity – a relationship of mutual exchange and interdependence.
Residual message – communicate the central theme or main point.
Respect – defined as an act of giving and displaying particular attention to the value you associate with someone or a group.
Trust – means the ability to rely on the character or truth of someone, that what you say you mean and your audience knows it.

Chapter References

Andrews, P. H., Andrews, J., & Williams, G. (1999). Public speaking: Connecting you and your audience. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.

McLean, S. (2003). The basics of speech communication. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.