{"id":116,"date":"2017-09-04T06:28:34","date_gmt":"2017-09-04T06:28:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/?page_id=116"},"modified":"2018-03-14T16:52:30","modified_gmt":"2018-03-14T16:52:30","slug":"understanding-speeches-oral-presentations","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/understanding-speeches-oral-presentations\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Speeches & Oral Presentations"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Workshop Index<\/a>Next Lesson \u27a1<\/a><\/div>\n

Understanding Speeches & Oral Presentations<\/h1>\n

Objective<\/h4>\n

In this lesson, you will learn how to summarize the key components of a speech and identify a speech\u2019s point of view and tone.<\/p>\n

How Do You Identify the Main Points of a Speech?<\/h3>\n

The easiest way to improve your comprehension of oral presentations is to take careful notes. It is virtually impossible to remember the key points of all but the very shortest of speeches without some form of written record.<\/p>\n

In your notes, you will want to identify the main point or idea of a speech as well as the evidence that\u2019s offered in support of it. Most speeches are structured like essays in that they introduce their main idea either at the beginning or at the end.<\/p>\n

Oftentimes speakers will employ a circular structure and introduce their main idea early, offer supporting evidence in the body of the speech, and then come back to the main idea as the speech closes.<\/p>\n

Speakers can rely on a wide variety of evidence to support their main point. Some of the more common types of supporting evidence include:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"types<\/strong><\/p>\n

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A previous lesson introduced the idea of conclusion and premise indicators. These trigger words turn up in oral presentations and speeches with great regularity and help identify key components.<\/p>\n

Here is a speech for practice<\/a>. Click\u00a0to open a pop-up window containing the text of the Gettysburg Address. Read it once, and take notes while you do so. When you\u2019re finished, close the window, and answer the following question using only your notes as a reference.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Question<\/h4>\n
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Which of the following most accurately characterizes the main point and supporting evidence of Lincoln\u2019s speech?<\/p>\n

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  1. We have come here to dedicate this battlefield to the memory of the men who nobly gave their lives here, but our words can never match the dedication of their actions. Instead, we must use their sacrifice as motivation to continue our fight to uphold the idea that all men are created equal.<\/li>\n
  2. Four score and seven years ago, our nation was founded on the idea that all men are created equal. We come here today to dedicate this battlefield to the memory of the noble men who died here while fighting to uphold that idea.<\/li>\n
  3. Though we come here to dedicate this battlefield, in reality there is no need for us to do so. Nothing we say will match the dedication of the men who died here. Instead, we should remind ourselves of what it is they died for and vow to continue fighting for it.<\/li>\n
  4. Our nation was conceived in liberty and founded on the idea that all men are created equal. Today, we must dedicate ourselves to the cause ahead of us and resolve that the idea of a government by the people that grants freedom to all its citizens is one that must not perish.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n

    Reveal Answer <\/a><\/p>\n

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    The correct answer is A, because it hits on all the speech\u2019s key points. Choice B neglects the final portion of the speech, in which Lincoln looks to what comes next. Choice C skirts the details of the ideal for which the battle was fought, referencing it only elliptically as \u201cwhat they died for.\u201d Choice D makes no mention of the battle, the battlefield or the soldiers who died there.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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    How Do You Identify a Speaker\u2019s Point of View?<\/h3>\n

    Identifying a speaker\u2019s point of view toward the subject matter of his or her speech is one of the keys to gaining a complete and nuanced understanding of the speech. Point of view<\/i><\/strong> is a speaker\u2019s attitude or position toward the subject matter of his or her speech.<\/p>\n

    Recognizing a speaker\u2019s point of view goes hand in hand with recognizing and identifying a speech\u2019s tone<\/a><\/strong>, its emotional quality, and manner of expression.<\/p>\n

    The Gettysburg Address owes much of its fame to Lincoln\u2019s deftness in articulating a widely shared point of view: he humbly and eloquently pays homage to the fallen soldiers while reminding listeners of the nobility of the cause for which the soldiers died.<\/p>\n

    To recognize a speaker\u2019s point of view, it helps to first characterize the emotional tenor of the speech. Almost all speakers\u2019 points of view fall under one of these three broad headings:<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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    Negative<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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    Neutral<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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    Positive<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    You would group The Gettysburg Address under the positive heading. Even though the speech is not lighthearted or upbeat, Lincoln\u2019s attitude toward his material is respectful and appreciative.<\/p>\n

    Once you\u2019ve broadly characterized a speaker\u2019s point of view, you can move toward a more specific description. A wide range of more specific terms fits under each of those three headings. For example, each of the following might be a more specific characterization of a point of view that you initially labeled \u201cpositive.\u201d<\/p>\n