Public Speaking

Assess the Situation (^75)

Assess the Situation

After you consider your listeners’ demographic categories and their psychological pro-

files, take into account situational features such as time and the environment that can

affect an audience.

Consider the Time

Three aspects of time affect public speaking: the time of day, cultural time norms, and

the timeliness of the topic. First, consider the hour your speech takes place. Ask your-

self what problems listeners might face in an early morning session. What about an

audience just before lunch when everyone is hungry? Or just after lunch when they’re

sleepy? What challenges does an evening session pose? Adapt your talk appropriately.

For instance, you might be more animated or use more visual support if listeners are

sleepy, or you might shorten your speech when it’s very late.

Also, consider the cultural time system. In the United States, time is commonly con-

sidered a commodity that we can save, spend, or give. We have “free” time and “full”

schedules. We divide our time into segments, each lasting a specific duration, with dis-

tinct activities assigned to each segment.^24 Take your speech class, for example. You chose

it partly because it filled a time slot available in your schedule. The clock tells you when

class starts and when it ends. In this setting, both the date and length of your speech are

important. It matters that you appear on an assigned date with a speech of an assigned

length, partly because timing is important in work situations. If your job requires you to

give a 10-minute briefing at an 11:00 meeting on a Wednesday in mid-March, you could

A Combination Questionnaire

Name (optional) ________________________________________________________________________________

Age _______________________ Sex ________________________ Major _______________________

How do you define civility?

Have you ever posted an uncivil comment on the Internet?

Ye s

No

I’m not sure

Rank these typical online remarks in order from least civil (ranked 1) to most civil (ranked 4):

RepubliCONS are as bad as DemocRATS.

You deserve to die, you troll scumbag.

Are you a liar or are you just ignorant?

Talk about First World problems!

Respond to this idea: Anonymous posts should not be allowed on the Internet.

Strongly agree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Figure 6.2

A Combination Questionnaire

on the topic of Internet

civility.

Stop and Check

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