Glossary of Terms

ACADEMIC SOURCES: Often (not always) peer-reviewed by like-minded scholars in the field. (Chapter Four)

ACCEPTANCE SPEECH: A brief speech delivered when receiving an award or honor, expressing gratitude and often acknowledging those who made the achievement possible. (Chapter Ten)

ACTIVE VOICE: When the subject in a sentence performs the action. (Chapter Five)

AD HOMINEM: A fallacy (error in reasoning) that connects a real or perceived flaw in a person’s character or behavior to an issue he or she supports, asserting that the flaw in character makes the position on the issue wrong. (Chapter Ten)

AESTHETICS: To captivate and evoke a felt experience for and with a live audience. (Chapters Two, Eight, Nine, Ten)

ALLITERATION: The repetition of initial consonant sounds in a sentence or passage. (Chapters Eight, Ten)

APPEAL TO TRADITION: A fallacy that uses traditional practice as the reason for continuing a policy. (Chapter Ten)

ASYNCHRONOUS: The speech may be recorded and watched at a different time. Speech is not live. (Chapter Ten)

ATTITUDE: A positive or negative response to a person, idea, object, or policy. (Chapters Two, Nine, Ten)

BRAINSTORMING: The process and practice of searching to find ideas or information. (Chapters Three, Four, Seven, Ten)

CALL IN: Creating a message that implicates and relates to your audience; it is to summon. (Chapters Two, Ten)

CALL-TO-ACTION: An action for the audience given by a speaker during a persuasive speech. (Chapter Ten)

CAUSE/EFFECT PATTERN: Grouping information by the source or origin, followed by the effect. (Chapter Seven)

CHART: A graphical representation of data or a sketch representing an ordered process. (Chapters Three, Four, Nine)

CHRONOLOGICAL ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERN: Groups information based on time order or in a set chronology. (Chapter Seven)

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT: Listening to information that’s relevant to your community/communities and using public outlets—voting, petitioning, or speaking— to participate in democracy. (Chapters One, Ten)

CLAIM: A declarative statement or assertion—it is something that you want your audience to accept or know. (Chapters One, Four, Five, Ten)

CLOSED INFORMATION SYSTEM: Information is behind a paywall or requires a subscription. (Chapter Four)

COMMEMORATIVE SPEECH: A speech that pays tribute to a person, place, thing, or idea by publicly honoring, remembering, or memorializing. (Chapter Ten)

COMMENCEMENT SPEECH: A speech to recognize and celebrate the achievements of a graduating class or other group of people. (Chapter Ten)

CONFIRMATION BIAS: “a tendency to search for or interpret information in a way that confirms one’s preconceptions” (Nickerson, 1998). (Chapter Two)

CONNECTIVE STATEMENTS: Broad terms that encompass several types of statements designed to help connect parts of a speech. (Chapter Seven)

CONNOTATIVE MEANING: The idea suggested by or associated with a word at a cultural or personal level. (Chapter Five)

CONTEXT: The particular time and place that a speech occurs. (Chapters One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten)

CRITICAL LISTENING: Evaluating the validity of the arguments and information and deciding whether the speaker is persuasive and whether the message should be accepted. (Chapter Two)

CRITICAL THINKING: Decision-making based on evaluating and critiquing information. (Chapters One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Seven, Ten)

CULTURE: The collection of language, values, beliefs, knowledge, rituals, and attitudes shared amongst a group. (Chapters One, Two, Five, Eight, Ten)

DEFAMATORY SPEECH: False statement of fact to damage a person’s character. (Chapter One)

DEFINE: To set limits on something; defining a word is setting limits. (Chapters One, Three, Five, Eight, Ten)

DEFINITIONAL SPEECHES: Provide the meaning of an idea to the audience. (Chapter Ten)

DELIBERATION: The process of discussing feasible choices that address community problems. (Chapter Ten)

DELIVERY: Part of the classic rhetorical cannon interested in how information is delivered. (Chapters One, Five, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten)

DEMAGOGUERY: Actions that attempt to manipulate by distorting an audience through prejudice and emotion. (Chapter One)

DEMOGRAPHICS: Sociocultural characteristics that identify and characterize populations – common ways of organizing and gathering data about groups of people. (Chapters Two, Nine)

DEMONSTRATION SPEECH: An informative speech that shows the audience how to do something or how something works, often incorporating visual or physical examples. (Chapter Ten)

DENOTATIVE MEANING: Specific meaning associated with a word. (Chapter Five)

DIAGRAMS: Visual representations that simplify a complex process. (Chapter Nine)

DIGITAL ORATORY: Thesis-driven, vocal, embodied public address that is housed within (online) new media platforms. (Chapter Ten)

DISCRETE AUDIENCE: The explicit, formal audience that shows up to a speech. (Chapter Ten)

DISPERSED AUDIENCE: Less defined and geographically unclear; often digital. (Chapter Ten)

ETHICS: The practice of what is right, virtuous, or good. (Chapters One, Three, Four, Five)

ETHNOCENTRISM: The belief that one’s own culture is superior. (Chapter Two)

ETHOS: The credibility of a speaker (see also: rhetorical appeals). (Chapters One, Two, Five, Eight, Nine, Ten)

EULOGY: Speech given in honor of someone who has passed away. (Chapter Ten)

EVIDENCE: The proof or support for a claim. (Chapters Three, Four, Five, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten)

EXAMPLES: Specific instances to illuminate a concept. (Chapters One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten)

EXPLICIT AUDIENCE: The group that’s present when a speaker directs their message. (Chapter Two)

EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING: The presentation of a carefully planned and rehearsed speech, spoken in a conversational manner using brief notes. (Chapters Seven, Ten)

FACTS: Observations that are verified by multiple credible sources. (Chapters Four, Five, Six, Seven, Ten)

FALLACIES: Erroneous conclusions or statements made from a poor analysis or reasoning. (Chapters Five, Ten)

FALSE CAUSE: A fallacy that assumes that one thing causes another, but there is no logical connection between the two. (Chapter Ten)

FALSE DILEMMA: The “either-or” fallacy, or giving only two options when more than two options exist. (Chapter Ten)

FAMILIAR LANGUAGE: Language that your audience is accustomed to hearing and experiencing. (Chapter Five)

FUNNEL APPROACH: When brainstorming a topic, starting broad and moving downward to a more specific idea. (Chapter Ten)

GRAPH: A pictorial representation of the relationships of quantitative data using dots, lines, bars, or pie slices. (Chapters Nine, Ten)

HASTY GENERALIZATION: A fallacy (error in reasoning) that involves making a generalization with too few examples (see also: fallacies). (Chapter Ten)

HATE SPEECH: Language directed against someone or a community’s nationality, race, gender, ability, sexuality, religion or citizenship. (Chapter One)

HEARING: Physical process in which sound waves hit your ear drums and send a message to your brain. (Chapters Two, Five, Eight, Nine, Ten)

HISTORICAL NARRATIVE: Stories about a past person, place, or thing. (Chapter Five)

IMPLIED AUDIENCE: Cultures, groups, or individuals who are represented and/or affected by a message. (Chapter Two)

IMPROMPTU SPEAKING: Speaking without advance preparation, typically delivered in response to a prompt or situation, emphasizing clarity and structure under pressure. (Chapters Seven, Ten)

INFERRED WARRANTS: When the underlying warrant can be understood without being explicitly stated. (Chapter Five)

INTERNAL SUMMARIES: Brief restatements within a speech that recap major points just covered, helping to reinforce ideas and improve audience retention. (Chapter Seven)

INTERVIEW SPEECH: A prepared speech designed for a job, academic, or public-facing interview scenario, balancing personal narrative with topic expertise. (Chapter Ten)

ITERATIVE: The process of writing a speech; the final product is not the order that the speech is composed. (Chapter Three)

JARGON: Specific, technical language that is used in a given community. (Chapters Three, Four, Five, Ten)

KEYNOTE: Speech focused on a key theme or idea—generally defined by the event or occasion— with the purpose of unification. (Chapters Nine, Ten)

LECTERN: A small, slanted surface or stand where a speaker places notes or a manuscript during a speech; often confused with a podium. (Chapters Seven, Eight)

LISTENING: An active process where you are specifically making an effort to understand, process, and retain information. (Chapters One, Two, Five, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten)

MANUSCRIPT: A delivery method in which the speaker reads a speech verbatim from a written document, often used for formal or time-sensitive presentations. (Chapters Seven, Ten)

MEMORIALIZE: To honor and remember a person, event, or group through a ceremonial or commemorative speech, often delivered on significant dates or anniversaries. (Chapter Ten)

MEMORIZED: A delivery method where the speaker commits the entire speech to memory and delivers it without notes or a written script. (Chapters Seven, Ten)

METAPHOR: Direct comparisons. (Chapters Eight, Ten)

MIND MAP: A visual tool that allows you to chart and expand key topic ideas or concepts. (Chapter Three)

NARRATIVES: A type of evidence used to clarify, dramatize, and emphasize ideas. (Chapters One, Five, Six, Eight)

NEEDS: Important deficiencies that we are motivated to resolve. (Chapters Two, Seven, Ten)

NOISE: Any internal or external interference that disrupts the transmission or reception of a message—can be physical, mental, or emotional. (Chapters One, Two, Eight, Ten)

NONACADEMIC INFORMATION SOURCES: Sources intended for general audiences, such as news articles, blogs, and podcasts, which may lack peer review but offer timely or accessible content. (Chapter Four)

ONLINE PUBLIC SPEAKING: Thesis-driven, vocal, embodied public address that is housed within (online) new media platforms (also see: digital oratory). (Chapter Ten)

OUTLINE: Provides a visual structure where you can compile information into a well-organized document. (Chapters One, Three, Four, Five, Seven, Nine, Ten)

PARALLELISM: The repetition of sentence structures. (Chapters Eight, Ten)

PERCENTAGE: Expresses a proportion out of 100. (Chapters Five, Ten)

PERSONAL INVENTORY: A process of tracking ideas, insights, or topics that you have experience with or interest in. (Chapter Three)

PERSONAL NARRATIVE: Providing a story about your experience with a topic. (Chapter Five)

PERSUASION: “the process of creating, reinforcing, or changing people’s beliefs or actions” (Lucas, 2015, p. 306). (Chapters Five, Nine, Ten)

PERSUASIVE CONTINUUM: A tool that allows you to visualize your audience’s relationship with your topic. (Chapter Ten)

PERSUASIVE SPEAKING: Addressing a public controversy by creating, reinforcing, or changing someone’s beliefs or actions. (Chapter Ten)

PLAGIARISM: Using another person’s words or ideas without giving credit. (Chapters One, Two, Four)

PLANNED REDUNDANCY: Purposeful ways of repeating and restating parts of the speech to help the audience listen and retain the content. (Chapter Two)

PODIUM: A raised platform or stage from which a speaker delivers a presentation; often confused with a lectern, which is the stand for holding notes. (Chapters Seven, Eight)

POWER: The ability and process of influencing others and selecting certain ways to represent our ideas. (Chapters One, Two, Three, Five, Eight, Ten)

PRESENTATION AIDS: Visual, audio, or multimedia tools used to enhance a speech’s clarity, engagement, or retention—such as slides, charts, or props. (Chapters Seven, Eight, Ten)

PREVIEW STATEMENT: A sentence near the beginning of a speech that outlines the main points the speaker will cover, providing a roadmap for the audience. (Chapter Ten)

PROPAGANDA: Biased or misleading information that’s purpose is to promote a particular agenda. (Chapter Three)

PROPOSITIONS OF FACT: Speeches with this type of proposition attempt to establish the truth of a statement. (Chapter Ten)

PROPOSITIONS OF POLICY: Speeches with this type of proposition attempt to identify a solution to correct the problem. (Chapter Ten)

PROPOSITIONS OF VALUE: Speeches with this type of proposition attempt to argue that something is good/bad or right/ wrong. (Chapter Ten)

PUBLIC CONTROVERSY: Community disputes that affect a large number of people. (Chapter Ten)

PUBLIC SPEAKING: When a speaker attempts to move an audience by advocating for a purposeful message—through informing, persuading, or entertaining—in a particular context. (Chapters One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten)

PUBLIC SPEAKING APPREHENSION: Fear associated with giving a public speech. (Chapter One)

RATE: How quickly or slowly you say the words of your speech. (Chapters Two, Five, Eight, Ten)

RED HERRING: A fallacy (error in reasoning) that involves creating a diversion or introduces an irrelevant point to distract someone or get someone off the subject of the argument. (Chapter Ten)

REFLEXIVITY: To critically consider how our values, assumptions, actions, and communication affect others. (Chapters One, Five, Ten)

RESEARCH: The process of discovering new knowledge and investigating a topic from different points of view. (Chapters One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten)

REVIEW STATEMENT: A brief recap of the main points, usually delivered near the end of a speech, reinforcing key ideas before concluding. (Chapter Six)

SELECTIVE RECALL: Selectively attend to, perceive, and recall information that supports our existing viewpoints. (Chapter Ten)

SIMILES: The use of “like” or “and” when making a comparison. (Chapter Eight)

SLIPPERY SLOPE: A type of false cause fallacy which assumes that taking a first step will lead to subsequent events that cannot be prevented. (Chapter Ten)

SPATIAL PATTERNS: An organizational structure that arranges information according to physical location, direction, or geography (e.g., top to bottom, left to right). (Chapter Seven)

STATISTICS: The collection, analysis, comparison, and interpretation of numerical data. (Chapters Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten)

STEREOTYPING: Generalizing about a group of people and assuming that because a few people in that group have a characteristic, all of them do. (Chapter Two)

STRAW PERSON: A fallacy (error in reasoning) that shows only the weaker side of an opponent’s argument in order to more easily tear it down. (Chapter Ten)

STYLE: The classic rhetorical cannon interested in how to effectively craft and execute your ideas. (Chapters Four, Seven, Eight)

SYMBOLS: A word, icon, gesture, picture, object, etc.—that stands in for and represents a thing or experience. (Chapters One, Five, Eight, Nine, Ten)

SYNCHRONOUS: Your audience is experiencing the speech in real-time. (Chapter Ten)

TARGET AUDIENCE: The specific group of individuals a speaker most wants to reach and influence—often those undecided or open to persuasion. (Chapters Three, Ten)

TESTIMONY: A type of evidence that uses the words of others. (Chapters Five, Ten)

THESIS STATEMENT: A single, declarative statement that outlines the purpose of your speech. (Chapters Three, Five, Seven, Eight, Ten)

TOAST: A brief speech designed to congratulate, appreciate, or remember. (Chapter Ten)

TOPICAL PATTERN: Groups information into key categories. (Chapter Seven)

TOTALIZING: Taking one characteristic of a group or person and making that the “totality” or sum total of what that person or group is. (Chapter Two)

TRANSITIONS: Phrases or sentences used to guide listeners from one idea or section to the next, maintaining coherence and flow throughout the speech. (Chapters Seven, Nine, Ten)

TROPES: A turning of the text where the literal meaning is changed or altered to provide new insight (Brummett, 2019, p. 95). (Chapter Eight)

VALUES: Goals we strive for and what we consider important and desirable. (Chapters One, Two, Five, Ten)

VERBAL DELIVERY: What symbols you select and how you portray them in a public speech. (Chapters Eight, Ten)

VERBAL PUNCTUATION: The process of imagining the words as they’re written to insert purposeful, punctuated pauses to emphasize key thoughts. (Chapter Eight)

VISUAL AIDS: Pictures, diagrams, charts and graphs, maps, and the like. (Chapters One, Two, Eight, Nine, Ten)

VIVID LANGUAGE: Evokes the senses and is language that arouses the sensations of smelling, tasting, seeing, hearing, and feeling. (Chapter Eight)

VOCAL ENUNCIATION: The pronunciation and expression of words and language. (Chapter Eight)

VOLUME: The relative softness or loudness of one’s voice. (Chapters Five, Seven, Eight, Nine)

WARRANT: Part of the argument structure that connects the evidence with the claim. (Chapters Five, Seven, Eight, Ten)

WEBINAR: A meeting or presentation over the Internet. (Chapter Ten)