In public speaking, speaker and listener roles are clearly defined. There is little doubt as to who the speaker and listeners are. Public speaking spotlights the role of the speaker, but whether speakers can take advantage of
Conversations | Public Speaking |
1. Audience-centered | 1. More audience-centered |
2. Loosely Organized | 2. Organized and planned |
3. Off of the top of your head | 3.Grounded in responsible knowledge |
4. Often no clear purpose | 4. Has a clear purpose |
5. Informal language | 5. More formal language |
6. Speaker/listeners change roles | 6.Speaker/listeners roles clearly defined |
7.Informal environment/small group | 7.More formal environment/large group |
this attention depends on their ability to reward listeners with interesting and useful messages. As Aristotle pointed out more than two thousand years ago, our impressions of speakers themselves affect how we respond to what they say. We are far more inclined, he noted, to react, to react favorably when we think speakers know what they’re talking about and when we trust them. These qualities of competence and integrity form the basis of credibility. Aristotle also noted that audiences respond more favorable when speakers seem likable-when they seem to be people of good will. Modern researchers have uncovered still another important speaker characteristic, forcefulness (or dynamism). Some speakers strike us as vital, action-oriented people. When important interests are at stake and action seems called for, we may turn to such people to lead the way. These qualities of likableness and forcefulness combine to form the basis of charisma. Taken together, credibility and charisma provide an updated account of what Aristotle called the ethos of the speaker.
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