Discuss the stylistic resources that can increase the clarity of a speaker's message.
What will be an ideal response?
- Concrete words: make a message easier to understand. Abstract words force the audience to try and decipher the message.
- Maxims: familiar statements to most people that can be used to describe an idea or situation. Memorable phrases make a connection with the audience.
- Limiting jargon, defining technical terms: specialized terms in specific areas of knowledge should be avoided unless the entire audience is aware of the term. Unknown language makes the audience feel like outsiders. If technical terms must be used, a speaker should define them.
- Word economy: speakers should use words efficiently and avoid unnecessary words. Overly complex sentences, excessive use of adjectives and adverbs, and needless qualifiers distract from the message.
- Active voice: this is much more personable than passive voice and usually requires fewer and simpler words to express an idea.
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Elijah goes into the library to find his friend Aimee who went there to study. He walks through the library until he sees her and then sits down beside her. Later Elijah's friend Marvin comes over and says, "Hey, man, why did you ignore me when you walked right past me a minute ago?" Elijah shakes his head, not knowing why he didn't see Marvin. Elijah's failure to see Martin when he was focusing
on finding Aimee is an example of A) noise. B) selective perception. C) insular listening. D) biased perception. E) assimilation.
When establishing credibility with an audience, an advocate should do all of the following except ______.
a. talking to people in the community to see how they feel about a given issue b. researching the issue only from the audience’s perspective c. examining the history of the issue d. trying to find the larger conversation that informs a local issue
When speaking about the various majors in college, the speaker may divide the topic into equal subtopics. This organizational pattern is known as
A) temporal. B) topical. C) problem-solution. D) transactional.
The three Greek elements of persuasion—ethos, logos, and pathos—are still relevant today and translate as
a. source credibility, logical argument, and emotional appeal. b. source credibility, message clarity, and emotional appeal. c. message clarity, logical argument, and audience analysis. d. message clarity, context timing, and emotional appeal.