Speaking Ethically

George needs to turn in an outline for the speech he is assigned to deliver. The speech itself is two weeks away, but the outline is due today. George has already written the entire speech, and he does not see why he should spend time deleting parts of it to transform it into an outline. He knows exactly what he’s going to say when he gives the speech. Then he discovers that the word-processing program in his computer can create an outline version of a document. Aha! Technology to the rescue! George happily turns in the computer-generated outline, feeling confident that never again will he have to hassle with writing an outline himself.

1. Do you think George’s use of a computer-generated outline fulfills the purpose of creating an outline for a speech? Why or why not?
2. Do you think George’s professor will be able to tell that the outline was created by a word-processing program?

End-of-Chapter Assessment

1. Joe is beginning to prepare his speech and has constructed a brief outline that sketches out his thesis and main points but does not yet have a fully developed conclusion or transitions. Which type of outline has Joe constructed?

   1. speaking outline
   2. full-sentence outline
   3. opening outline
   4. working outline
   5. transitory outline

2. Brenda has prepared her speaking outline on a set of six notecards, so she believes she is finished preparing for her speech. You tell her that simply preparing the speaking outline is not enough; she needs to practice using her notecards as well. Why is this the case?

   1. She should get used to how the notecards feel in her hand.
   2. She needs to make sure the information on the cards will work as a memory cue for her.
   3. She needs to know whether her audience prefers white or colored notecards.
   4. You think she needs to add more notecards.
   5. She needs to memorize all the quotations she is using.

Answer Key

1. d
2. b