"a situation in which people's understanding can be changed through
messages" (13)
The four criteria in our book's definition of the public sphere are as follows:
- affects people collectively
- cooperative action necessary
- Emphasis with public speaking is to influence collective
bodies, not individuals.
- Explain corporation
and
fictious entities.
- inability to "win" every audience member
- decision requires subjective judgment
- a decision is required (soon-ish)
How different from "great dramatic or literary works" (12)?
Why are we interested in a rhetorically well-functioning student body?
democracy normalization
"Large numbers of people see no point in participating in the public
forum because they think they are powerless to effect any public
change" (12). Discuss.
"Without a well-cultivated public forum, the two alternatives are
autocratic rule and
anarchy."
(another
anarchy
link)
"Four basic factors that determine the success of any rhetorical
situation" 14
- Audience
- secondary
audiences and speech
consequences (etc,
etc, etc, etc)
- some pointers for ensuring you have a receptive audience on
20-22
- Occasion
- ceremonial -- ritualistic/performative ("present")
- deliberative -- about undecided ("future")
- forensic -- about lessons from what has already been done
("past")
- exigence -- "problem that cannot be avoided but can be solved"
(16)
- Speaker (ethos)
- plagiarism (23), print vs. spoken
- Speech (~logos & pathos)
- speech goals (18)
- informing
- persuading
- entertaining
thinking
facts vs. opinions
planning
A quick introduction to the
impromptu speech
Example impromptu-assignment style topics from chapter 1:
health care
security on campus walkways at night 13
campus construction (19)
Emphasis is on organization...
Introduction
Attention grabber
Thesis
Preview of points
Transition to Point 1
Point 1 (with transition)
Point 2 (with transition)
Point 3 (with transition)
Conclusion
Review of points
Action item/restatement of thesis with your intended take-home message
for your audience clearly stated
Closure device (the mirror image of an attention grabber, often related)
8-10 min prep
Intro -- 45 sec
Points -- 45, 45, 45 (2:15 total)
Conclusion -- 30-45
3:30-3:45 min total.
Activity Part 1
- Come up with a topic of local importance
- Outline why you buy in to the importance of this topic.
- Outline why you think we
will buy in to this topic.
Share those topics with each other in
your small groups.
Strategies for planning and developing your
speeches
How to develop and plan your speech:
First, determine your speech topic.
Next, determine your speech's general purpose
using the seven choices,
below (106).
- Providing new info
- Agenda setting
- Creating positive or negative feeling
- Strengthening or...
- Weakening commitment
- Conversion (other goals are partial goals... do pool analogy...
but this locks action. Um, sales.)
- Call to action
Specific Purpose
-- your general purpose, but cut to exhibit the
current situation
Craft your thesis
statement (116)
Identify issues.
Think about the specifics required for
your argument (Toulmin). Flesh them out.
Book example (115-6):
topic:
Cheating at the university
general purpose: To provide new
information
specific purpose: To inform
listeners of widespread cheating on
this
campus
thesis statement: Far more
students engage in cheating than most of us think.
possible issues to explore:
- How many is "far more"? Who are "most of us"? How do
we know? What's the authority?
- What is the definition of "cheating"? To what extent must
cheating happen to be included in my definition?
- Is cheating on our campus different than others? What makes
our cheating worthy of my audience's time?
- Challenge assumptions -- What makes cheating worth the resources
needed to combat it?
Activity Part 2
- Pick a topic from part 1 of this activity that isn't yours.
- Now make a "talking points" or presentation outline (pgs 267-271
of your book) with your intro, 3 points, and a conclusion
- Prepare to present your presentation outline to the class.
For next class:
Read Ch 8, 9, and "Presentation
Outline" section from Ch 10 (267-271)
Fill out and return the
student
information form on page xiii of your handbook.
Bring in newspaper article of issue with local interest for our next
class.
