Essential Concepts in Public Speaking and Communication

Credibility

The extent to which a speaker is perceived as a competent spokesperson.

Pathos

The emotional appeal of the speech, used to reach the heart of the listeners.

Ethos

The credibility or believability of the speaker, which helps convince listeners.

Values

Socially shared ideas about what is good, right, and desirable.

Hidden Agenda

A private motivation for acting in a certain way. This is considered unethical behavior.

Communication

The creation of shared meaning through symbolic processes.

Listener

Perceives through sensory levels and interprets, evaluates, and responds to what they hear.

Rhetoric

The art of persuasive speech.

Logos

The use of logic in the speech, which must be structurally solid and backed by evidence.

Oratory

A form of eloquent public speaking.

Calculated Ambiguity

A speaker’s planned effort to be vague, sketchy, and considerably abstract.

Psychological Noise

Noise that exists in the individual’s mind. For example, the speaker could be having a bad day.

Physical Noise

Includes anything in the environment that interferes with communication.

Ethics

Refers to the rules we use to determine good and evil, right and wrong.

Internal Previews

Extended transitions that tell the audience, in general terms, what will be said next.

Transitions

Verbal bridges between ideas, words, or phrases.

Brainstorming

Generating a list of ideas consistent with the goals of your speech.

Specific Purpose

The precise response you want from your audience.

Primary Source

Firsthand accounts such as diaries, journals, and letters.

Thesis Statement

The core idea, identifying the main ideas of your speech.

Ethnocentrism

The belief that one’s own culture is superior to other cultures.

Beliefs

Represent a mental and emotional acceptance of information.

Attitudes

Predispositions to act in a particular way that influence our response to objects, events, and ideas.

Psychographics

Includes lifestyle choices, attitudes, beliefs, and values of your listeners.

Name Calling

Involves linking a person or group with a negative symbol.

Monologic Communication

A communication style where the speaker views the listener as an object to be manipulated, often engaged in by less sensitive speakers.

Dialogic Communication

Entails an honest concern for the listener’s interests.

Extrinsic Ethos

The speaker's image in the mind of the audience.

Intrinsic Ethos

The ethical appeal found within the actual speech, including aspects such as supporting evidence and logical reasoning.

Demographics

Includes age, gender, race, and ethnicity.