Speaking Ethically

Tika’s speech on death camps in Africa was a real flop, and she knew it. The speech was quickly prepared, inadequately researched, and not very logical. Thankfully, Tika knew she had an ace in her back pocket. She planned on ending her speech with a video showing mass graves that she knew would make people sick.

She thought, Who cares if your speech sucks as long as you get them in the end!

1. Would you say that Tika’s approach to public speaking is ethical? Why or why not?
2. Which type of concluding device is Tika planning to use? Is this device appropriate to her speech? Why or why not? If you conclude it is not appropriate, which devices would be better approaches? Why?
3. Is it ever ethical to rely heavily on an emotional conclusion to persuade one’s audience? Why?

End-of-Chapter Assessment

1. Karla knows that people tend to remember the information at the beginning of a speech and at the end of a speech. What is this process called?

   1. serial position effect
   2. central limit theorem
   3. law of position effect
   4. law of limits theorem
   5. serial limits theorem

2. Which of the following best explains why conclusions are important?

   1. primacy
   2. recency
   3. closing stages
   4. predominance
   5. speech finish

3. What is the device a speaker uses at the end of a speech to ensure that the audience is left with a mental picture predetermined by the speaker?

   1. recency device
   2. predominance device
   3. finishing device
   4. concluding device
   5. finalizing device

4. At the end of her speech, Daniel asks his audience to sign a petition helping a candidate get on the ballot in his state. By having the audience members sign the petition right after the speech, what is Daniel engaging in?

   1. a call to public service
   2. a call to civic duty
   3. a proclamational appeal
   4. an appeal to one’s general sense of right and wrong
   5. an immediate call to action

5. Miller’s (1946) concluding device “reference to audience” can best be summed up by which phrase?

   1. A good or a bad audience is still receptive.
   2. It’s all about me.
   3. Don’t forget to love your audience.
   4. What’s in it for me?
   5. A suffering audience is a persuaded audience.

Answer Key

1. a
2. b
3. d
4. e
5. d