1. How would you go about taking an inventory of your audience before presenting? What are some examples of ways to retrieve information about an audience before a presentation?

2. Have you ever seen a speaker make an error when analyzing the audience or context? How did it affect the presentation?

3. How do you typically go about gathering research? Is your method effective? Is it thorough? How could it be improved?

4. Think about someone whom you find to be an excellent speaker. What makes this speaker excellent? How does he or she structure introductions and conclusions? Does he or she give attention to language and/or supporting aids? Are his or her speeches memorable? Why?

5. Review the organizational patterns discussed in this chapter. Considering this information, what preference do you have related to the way you organize information for a presentation?