Speaking Ethically

Doreen is delivering a speech on the topic of donating money to help feed the children of AIDS victims in Africa. She set up her speech using Monroe’s motivated sequence. She sails through attention, need, and satisfaction. She starts delivering her visualization step, and she goes a little crazy. She claims that if more people would donate to this cause, the world would be devoid of hunger, children in Africa could all get an education, and we could establish world peace. She then makes claims that not feeding the children of AIDS victims in Africa could lead to world chaos and nuclear war.

1. Is it ethical to create unrealistic expectations during the visualization step?
2. Should you try to exaggerate the visualization stage if you know, realistically, that the possible outcomes are not that impressive?
3. If Doreen was your friend, how would you respond to this section of her speech? Should you point out that her argument is unethical?

End-of-Chapter Assessment

1. Which of the following is one of the reasons why Richard Perloff (2003) believes students should study public speaking today, more so than in the past?

   1. The number of persuasive communications has decreased with media consolidation.
   2. Persuasive messages take longer to travel today.
   3. Persuasion has become less institutionalized.
   4. Persuasive communication has become more subtle and devious.
   5. Persuasive communication is more obvious and blatant today.

2. Which theory of persuasion poses that if the discrepancy between the idea proposed by the speaker and the opinion of an audience member is too great, then the likelihood of persuasion decreases dramatically?

   1. social judgment theory
   2. social exchange theory
   3. cognitive dissonance theory
   4. psychodynamic theory
   5. elaboration likelihood model

3. While attempting to persuade an audience, Anne realizes that some of her audience members really like to engage in critical thinking and information processing. Knowing this, Anne makes sure her speech has very sound arguments that are completely supported by relevant research. Which of the five factors that lead to high elaboration discussed by Frymier and Nadler (2007) is shown here?

   1. personal relevance
   2. accountability
   3. personal responsibility
   4. incongruent information
   5. need for cognition

4. Jose gives a speech in which he argues that laws applying to traveling carnivals should not be the same as laws applying to amusement parks because the two are clearly different entities. What type of claim is Jose making?

   1. definitional claim
   2. factual claim
   3. policy claim
   4. value claim
   5. attitude claim

5. During a speech Paula states, “If my plan is enacted, our community will simply be safer. Families will be able to walk with their children without fear of gang violence. Parents and children will be able to go to the park without fear of drug dealers.” What part of Monroe’s motivated sequence is Paula using?

   1. attention
   2. need
   3. satisfaction
   4. visualization
   5. action

Answer Key

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