Question

9 - interaction in public speaking

learning objective: identify opportunities to use interactive elements during a speech, including visual, verbal, and non-verbal.

a good guideline for using handouts is to __________.

a.) hand them out before you reference them
b.) use at the beginning as an attention grabber
c.) distribute them all at the start of your speech
d.) read the handout aloud to your audience immediately after distributing it

Explanation:

Analyze the impact of handouts on audience attention

Distributing handouts at the beginning of a speech (option c) or before referencing them (option a) often distracts the audience, as they will read the paper instead of listening to the speaker.

Evaluate the options against public speaking best practices

• Option a: Handing them out right before referencing them is the standard guideline to ensure the audience is looking at the correct material only when needed, minimizing premature distraction.
• Option b: Using a handout as an attention grabber at the very beginning is generally ineffective because it immediately diverts focus away from the speaker.
• Option c: Distributing them all at the start guarantees the audience will read ahead and lose track of the spoken presentation.
• Option d: Reading a handout aloud to the audience is redundant and disengaging.

Select the best guideline

Option a is the most widely accepted guideline because it coordinates the physical aid with the spoken message, keeping the audience's attention aligned with the speaker's timeline.

Answer:

• a.) hand them out before you reference them (Correct answer)
• b.) use at the beginning as an attention grabber
• c.) distribute them all at the start of your speech
• d.) read the handout aloud to your audience immediately after distributing it