Public Speaking Glossary

A hormone released into the bloodstream in response to physical or mental stress. After-dinner speech A brief, often humorous, ceremonial speech, presented after a meal, that offers a message without asking for radical changes in attitude or action.

Agenda-setting function The work of informative speaking in raising topics to attention and creating a sense of their importance. Agreement The third stage in the persuasive process requires that listeners not only accept the speaker’s recommendations but remember their reasons for doing so. Alliteration Repetition of the initial consonant sound of close or adjoining words. AmplificationThe art of developing ideas by finding ways to restate them in a speech. Analogical persuasion Creating a strategic perspective on a subject by relating it to something about which the audience has strong positive or negative feelings. Analogical reasoning Reasoning in which a speaker compares two similar cases and infers that what is true for the first case is also true for the second.

Analogous color scheme Colors adjacent on the color wheel; used in a presentation aid to suggest both differences and close relationships among the components represented.

Analogy A connection established between two otherwise dissimilar ideas or things. Animation The way objects enter and/or exit a Powering slide. Antithesis A language technique that combines opposing elements in the same sentence or adjoining sentences. Appreciative listening Listening for pleasure or enjoyment. Appreciative phase Phase of listening in which we enjoy the beauty of messages, responding to such factors as the simplicity, balance, and proportion of speeches and the eloquence of their language. Arguments Arrangements of proofs designed to answer key questions that arise in persuasive designs. Articulation The physical production of particular speech sounds.

AssimilationThe tendency of listeners to interpret the positions of a speaker with whom they agree as closer to their own views than they actually are. Atlas A book of maps. Attitude A frame of mind in favor of or opposed to a person, policy, belief, institution, topic, audience-centeredness Keeping the audience foremost in mind at every step of speech preparation and presentation. Audience demographics Observable characteristics of listeners, including age, gender, educational level, group affiliations, and coloratura backgrounds, that the speaker considers when adapting to an audience. Audience dynamicsThe motivations, attitudes, beliefs, and values that influence the behavior of listeners. Autocratic leader A leader who makes decisions without consultation, issues orders or gives direction, and controls the members of the group through the use of rewards or punishments. Award presentation A speech of tribute that recognizes achievements of the award recipient, explains the nature of the award, and describes why the recipient qualifies for the award.

Awareness This first stage in the persuasive process includes knowing about a problem, paying attention to it, and understanding how it affects our lives. Back to top] lance Achieving a balance among the major parts of a presentation. Bandwagon A fallacy which assumes that because something is popular, it is therefore good, correct, or desirable. Bar graph A graph that uses vertical or horizontal bars to show comparisons among two or more items. Begging the question Assuming that an argument has been proved without actually presenting the evidence. Beliefs Ideas we express about subjects that may explain our attitudes towards them. Bibliography A list of all the sources used in preparing a speech.