Chapter 10

     Words and language control the world and how people see it. Our worldview's and every relationship we have is shaped by language and communication with others. Humans learn at a young age that we should treat people the way we want to be treated and to treat people with kindness. Using positive words and phrases can completely change the way someone may interpret the way you speak, for the better. Not only while positivity make people listen to you better, it also has the ability to persuade people when giving a persuasive speech and can also inform them when trying to teach your audience about a specific topic. 

    Not only do you want to be positive to make your audience listen, you also want to use words and phrases that create a clear image in your audience's mind about your topic. You do not want to make a part of your audience feel isolated or left out, so be aware of your audience as always and make last minute quick changes if needed. You also want to make sure that the language used is ethical and accurate to your audience. Being ethical means that you have good views and beliefs, and it is okay if your ethics are different from someone in your audience's, as long as you respect their beliefs and do not make them feel attacked or make them defensive. You do not want to only be ethical, but also credible and reliable. You should be able to cite your source wherever you get your information from within your speech by saying, "according to ...". If you use reliable and well-known sources that are not bias, then your audience will trust your words when listening to your speech.  

Chapter 3

     Everyone has ethics whether we whether we realize it or not. Ethics can be considered as your moral principles as a person that guide your decisions and your life. Every single person has ethics, even the ones in your audience, so you have to make sure that when you give a speech, you are not offending one belief or leaving one out. 

    When talking, or even before you deliver your message, scan your audience to see if the words and phrases being used are appropriate. You also do not want to separate your audience because of differences, instead you want to celebrate the individualism and diversity within the room, hall, or wherever you are speaking. You want to avoid any and all hate speech that you can, this will isolate your listeners and possibly make them feel like they need to be defensive against you. Instead of saying "you", try saying "we" instead, it will make your audience feel more included. Social awareness is also a very good thing to have in the back of your mind while speaking; this means that you are aware that the people in your audience have different beliefs than you, so you choose your words very carefully and possibly change it on the spot if needed so that you do not offend your listeners. 

Chapters 12 and 16

     To deliver a good speech, you have to figure out your style of speaking so that you are comfortable delivering your points. One style is manuscript, where you read off your notes and papers and you do not really go off of it. Another style is memorized, which is the opposite of manuscript. You don't use your notes and you memorize the majority of your speech. One more delivery style is impromptu. Your speech is unrehearsed and made up on the spot. These are the types of speeches typically given when someone is given an award and give a thank you speech. 

    Not only do you need to focus on your style, but also on your vocal aspects. The tone and volume are both very important when deciding the feel of the speech and how your audience interprets your speech. You also should focus on your pitch as well, which can be used to give meaning and to emphasize specific aspects. Your tempo also can give different meanings depending on how quickly or slowly you speak. 

    A persuasive speech is a speech given to try and persuade people to come onto your side of an argument, whether it is political or just a little debate you and a group of friends. The purpose is to gain more supporters for your argument. You do not want to guilt trip your audience into thinking differently or thinking badly about themselves, instead you want to give that statistics and information about your topic. You want to move theirs hearts just enough to move their minds as well. 

Chapters 6 and 7

     Critical thinking is exactly what the name suggests, thinking critically, going just beyond the surface of something and using context clues and emotions to find other meanings. When giving a speech, you do not just want to throw all of your information at your audience and do all the thinking for them, you can ask questions that get their minds to work. Two typed of thinking that go into critical are deductive and inductive reasoning. Deductive reasoning look at the bigger picture and breaks things down, while inductive reasoning is the opposite, it looks at the smaller pieces and creates a giant blanket for everything. In order for your audience to be able to do any kind of reasoning at all, you need a well constructed argument. Make sure the language and words you use are appropriate for your audience so they can understand you and make sure you know your audience in case you have to change your speech in case there is something that could be offensive in it. You also do not want to create unnecessary fallacies and jump to conclusions that may distract or confuse your audience, no one wants to listen to a speaker when it doesn't seem like they know what they're talking about. 

    You can give your audience all the information in the world, but all of that means nothing if you do not support your ideas. Some people interpret information in different ways, so be sure to have multiple examples in your speech, such as statistics, examples, or a story. Do not be afraid to use your resources as well. I know you can find pretty much anything on the internet, but it would not hurt to go to the library and read up on your subject. While researching, make sure you never plagiarize. Plagiarism is taking someone's work and saying it is your own or not giving them any credit, and you can possibly get into a lot of trouble for that. Always be sure to acknowledge where you got your information, whether it was a person or a college doing a study.