Acronyms and Stories for Public Speaking

The following are provided for you to down load and study. These are keys to the
information you need to know to be successful in this course. Each acronym or story is
meant to assist you to learn and to remember some theory or pattern that will help you
master public speaking.
Getting Started
GROPOPP helps you prepare your speech. It stands for:
Get a topic
Research your topic
Organize your materials
Plan the speech
Outline the speech
Practice, Practice, Practice
Present

OATS helps you remember to ask yourself these questions:

What is the Occasion for the Speech?
Who is the Audience?
What is the Time (limit for speech, time of day)?
How does Speaker relate?

Three Main Parts of a Speech

The three main parts of a speech are the Introduction, the Body and the Conclusion.
Basically you can think of this as: Tell them what you are going to Tell them, Tell them,
and then tell them that you have told them. Transitions and signposts are used between
many parts to let the audience know where you are in the speech.
There are four things covered in the Introduction:
1. Attention Getter
2. Credibility
3. Thesis
4. Preview of Main Points
There are three things in the Body:
1. Main points, each stated as a full sentence
2. Sub-Points
3. Supporting Material
There are two things in the Conclusion
1. A summary of ideas
2. A concluding sentence

MIME:
The four methods of delivery are:
Manuscript- speech is written out and read word for word to audience
Impromptu-speech is given with little or no preparation-"Off the Cuff"
Memory-speech is written, memorized and recited to audience
Extemporaneous-speech is carefully prepared and delivered from an outline
You are to use the extemporaneous method in this class. Learn to spell these terms.
 ENHANCING LISTENING SKILLS

In addition to being a good speaker, you need to be a good listener. Things you can do to
improve your listening are summed up in POWER
Paraphrase what the speaker has said
Observe body language
Who, what, when, where, why and how are questions to be answered.
Empathize with the speaker when possible
Record key ideas when possible

Know the HURIER Model (Hearing, Understanding, Remembering, Interpreting,

Evaluating, Responding) for becoming a better listener.
Evaluating the Speeches of Others
We spend much more time in Listening than in Speaking. Therefore it is
important to you to evaluate the speeches you hear to be sure that you are
receiving appropriate, honest information. To help you evaluate the speeches
of others, remember to employ

TRUST.
Thesis is Clear
Relevant Information
Unity of Speech is Evident
Speech is Ethical and Credible
Trustworthiness is earned by the Speaker

COVER
Managing Stage Fright is important. To help with stage fright use COVER
Cognitive restructure
Own your own words
Visualize success
Eye contact with a supportive person
Rehearse

CUBS: The four principles for organizing main and supporting points are
Coherence, Unity, Balance, and Subordination and coordination.

RTDB: Read the Darn Book= Means you need to find the answer.

Platos Dog had a big head so you knew he was coming toward you when you saw his
head. He had a massive body that was supported on strong legs, and when he wagged his
tail as he passed you knew he was gone. Like Platos dog, a good speech has a head or
beginning, a strong middle, and a tail that signifies the end. Thus we say all good
speeches have an introduction, body and conclusion.
 Elements of Delivery
KISS= Keep it simple students!!!

Because ethics are an important part of public speaking, it is wise to

know the relationship between the following and how the various
combinations can interact.

GOOD MAN THEORY

GOOD MAN (PERSON) GOOD SPEAKER ( good outcome)
BAD MAN (PERSON) BAD SPEAKER (no outcome)
(good man-bad speaker= work to improve speaking)
(bad man-good speaker= dangerous person)

CONTENT
ICEBERG TECHNIQUE: 90% OF THE MASS OF AN ICEBERG IS FOUND
BENEATH THE SURFACE OF THE SEA. If the crew of the Titanic would have
trusted this, the ship might have been saved. A good speaker knows that he/she must
have far more material and support for a speech than can be delivered in a relatively short
period of time. Much of the knowledge is beneath the surface. The more "depth" a
speaker has on a subject, the greater the credibility.

COPPIE Speeches to inform are centered around Concepts, Objects,

Processes, People/Places Issues and Events.

Good Speeches Contain Good Data

SET stands for statistics, examples and testimony. These are three major types of
data or evidence used to support your ideas in a speech. Statistics in this case means any
mathematical proof. Examples can be brief, extended or hypothetical.
Finally, testimony can be peer or expert.

ARC= Accurate, Clear, Relevant. Good data must meet these criteria to be
effective and honest.
Two Theories
Expectancy-Outcomes Theory states that we are constantly evaluating the
costs and benefits associated with any potential action. Speakers can tell
audiences what are the costs and benefits of the actions they are requesting,
but individuals still make this evaluation for themselves. Ex: "Drinking and
Driving don't mix." Yet some people do drink and drive.

ELM Stands for the Elaboration Likelihood Model. People who are
motivated by the topic and who can think critically engage in central
processing. Those who engage in central processing consider the speaker's
message and what it means to them. They are most likely to act on the basis
of the message. Those who lack motivation or who feel the topic is too
complicated or irrelevant dont pay close attention and engage in peripheral
processing. They tune out the message and are more likely to be influenced
by the speaker's appearance or reputation. This group will respond to sound
bites and one-liners. The effect on them usually will not last. (Ch.24)

Classical Rhetoric

Aristotle taught that three types of arguments were:

Logos (logic), Ethos (ethics), and Pathos (empathy)
were necessary for an Orator to be successful. Today
some scholars also include Mythos.

Three types of oratory are legal issues such as trials called Forensic
Oratory, legislative or political called Deliberative Oratory, and special
ceremonial called Epideictic Oratory.

Classical Canons

Aristotle (384-322BC) taught five Cannons for the study of

Rhetoric: Invention, Arrangement, Style, Memory, and Delivery.
Cicero (106-43BC) renamed them inventio, dispositio, elocutio,
memoria, pronounciatio. We still use these today.

LANGUAGE
RAP is part of styling the speech (use of language) and stands for:
Repetition of phrases or statements to enhance memory of speech.
Alliteration, which is the use of words starting or ending with the same
sounds to create rhyme and melody.
Parallelism of words and phrases to create meaningful sound bites such as
"of the people, by the people and for the people." The parallelism
may be in antithesis such as "Give me liberty or Give me death."