TECEP® Test Description for COM-209-TE

PUBLIC SPEAKING

This exam assesses students’ skills necessary for effective public speaking: organizing materials,
selecting appropriate content, developing a comprehensive outline, integrating visual aids effectively, and
using an appropriate style of delivery. The exam evaluates students’ understanding and application of the
principles of public speaking and critical thinking, including the discovery and evaluation of arguments
and evidence, organization, style, audience analysis and adaptation, speech composition, and
presentation skills. This exam assesses students’ ability to develop professional presentations in the
increasingly diverse workplace.​ (3 credits)

● Test format:
o 20 multiple choice questions (20%)
o 4 short answer questions (20%)
o 2 pre-recorded presentations (7-10 minutes each) (60%)
● Passing score:​ 70%. Your grade will be reported as CR (credit) or NC (no credit).
● Time limit:
o 2 hours for written and multiple choice portion.
o 2 pre-recorded presentations of 7-10 minutes each.

Note:​ Be sure to review the ​TECEP Evaluation Rubric for Speeches​, which will be used to grade your
pre-recorded presentations.

OUTCOMES ASSESSED ON THE TEST

● Students will be able to articulate public speaking ethics

● Students will be able to identify appropriate supporting materials such as statistics, testimony,
and examples which can be used to strengthen speeches.

● Students will develop effective introductions, conclusions, and transitions for speeches.

● Students will demonstrate the effective use of organizational speech patterns.

● Students will effectively demonstrate delivery techniques in speeches.

● Students will develop a comprehensive outline for a persuasive speech.

● Students will develop a comprehensive outline for an informative speech.

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 ● Students will integrate visual aids effectively into speech delivery.

INFORMATION ABOUT COMPLETING THE ORAL PRESENTATIONS

Read this section before you register

It is not possible to create and record your presentation while you take your test (or during your testing
window). Instead, you will create and submit the presentations before taking the other parts of this exam.

After you submit your presentations, you can complete the remaining parts of your assessment whenever
it is convenient, as long as you complete it by the end of the term.

Below are some simplified steps to create the presentations. Detailed information about using video tools
in Moodle are located in the document, ​Using Video Tools in Moodle​. Pay particular attention to the
“Kaltura Capture” section of the document.

You will need a webcam or a camera to record videos and audio.

Step 1: Review the prompt

Step 2: Gather evidence and ideas related to the prompt
Step 3: Organize your information and determine a specific organizational strategy for your
presentation
Step 4: Practice your presentation.
Step 5: Record your oral presentation.
Step 6: Submit/upload your presentation to Moodle.

Repeat this process for your 2​nd​ presentation as well.

TOPICS ON THE TEST AND THEIR APPROXIMATE DISTRIBUTION

The table below indicates the main topics covered by this exam and the approximate percentage of the
exam devoted to each main topic. Under the main topic heading is a list of related–but more
specific–topics. It is important to review these topics to determine how much prior knowledge you have
and/or how much additional study is necessary. To assist with refreshing and enhancing your knowledge
of the ideas, concepts, and theories for this subject, links to free and openly licensed review materials are
included for each topic.

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 Audience Analysis (10%)

Topic Resource

Stand Up, Speak Out: The Practice and Ethics of Public

Speaking
Knowing your audience ● Chapter 5: Audience Analysis
○ Section 5.1: Why Conduct an Audience
Analysis

Stand Up, Speak Out: The Practice and Ethics of Public

Speaking
Audience demographics ● Chapter 5: Audience Analysis
○ Section 5.2: Three Types of Audience
Analysis

Stand Up, Speak Out: The Practice and Ethics of Public

Speaking
Background knowledge
● Chapter 5: Audience Analysis
○ Section 5.4: Using Your Audience Analysis

Stand Up, Speak Out: The Practice and Ethics of Public

Speaking
Avoiding ethnocentrism
● Chapter 5: Audience Analysis
○ Section 5.4: Using Your Audience Analysis

Stand Up, Speak Out: The Practice and Ethics of Public

Speaking
Adapting to audience
● Chapter 5: Audience Analysis
○ Section 5.4: Using Your Audience Analysis

Ethics and Public Speaking (20%)

Topic Resource

Stand Up, Speak Out: The Practice and Ethics of Public

Speaking
Ethical standards of public speaking ● Chapter 2: Ethics Matters: Understanding the
Ethics of Public Speaking
○ Section 2.2: Ethics in Public Speaking

Stand Up, Speak Out: The Practice and Ethics of Public

Speaking
Ethical obligations of public speaking ● Chapter 2: Ethics Matters: Understanding the
Ethics of Public Speaking
○ Section 2.2: Ethics in Public Speaking

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 Stand Up, Speak Out: The Practice and Ethics of Public
Speaking
Power ● Chapter 2: Ethics Matters: Understanding the
Ethics of Public Speaking
○ Section 2.2: Ethics in Public Speaking

Principles of Public Speaking

Plagiarism ● Chapter 13: Ethics in Public Speaking
○ Ethical Speaking

Principles of Public Speaking

Paraphrasing ● Chapter 13: Ethics in Public Speaking
○ Ethical Speaking

Logic and Critical Thinking (10%)

Topic Resource

Stand Up, Speak Out: The Practice and Ethics of Public

Speaking
Modes of persuasion
● Chapter 17: Persuasive Speaking
○ Section 17.1: Persuasion: An Overview

Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to

Communication Studies
Logical fallacies ● Chapter 11: Informative and Persuasive Speaking
○ Section 11.3: Persuasive Reasoning and
Fallacies

Organization of Speeches (20%)

Topic Resource

Stand Up, Speak Out: The Practice and Ethics of Public

Speaking
Transitions and connectives ● Chapter 10: Creating the Body of a Speech
○ Section 10.3: Keeping Your Speech
Moving

Stand Up, Speak Out: The Practice and Ethics of Public

Speaking
Causal, Chronological, Spatial and
● Chapter 10: Creating the Body of a Speech
Topical organization
○ Section 10.2: Using Common Organizing
Patterns

Purpose of Speeches (20%)

Topic Resource

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 Stand Up, Speak Out: The Practice and Ethics of Public
Persuasive, Narrative and Informative
Speaking
speeches
● Chapter 17: ​Persuasive Speaking

Stand Up, Speak Out: The Practice and Ethics of Public

Narrative speeches Speaking
● Chapter 18: ​Speaking to Entertain

Stand Up, Speak Out: The Practice and Ethics of Public

Informative speeches Speaking
● Chapter 16: ​Informative Speaking

Stand Up, Speak Out: The Practice and Ethics of Public

Speaking
Flaws in purpose statements ● Chapter 6: Finding a Purpose and Selecting a
Topic
○ Section 6.4: Specific Purposes

Supporting Ideas for Speeches (20%)

Topic Resource

Stand Up, Speak Out: The Practice and Ethics of Public

Speaking
Statistics ● Chapter 8: Supporting Ideas and Building
Arguments
○ Section 8.1: Using Research as Support

Stand Up, Speak Out: The Practice and Ethics of Public

Speaking
Examples ● Chapter 8: Supporting Ideas and Building
Arguments
○ Section 8.2: Exploring Types of Support

STUDY MATERIALS

Below is a list of recommended study materials to help prepare you for your exam. We encourage you to
explore these resources to make sure that you are familiar with multiple perspectives on the topics above.
All of these resources are openly licensed, which means that they are free to be ​revised, remixed, reused,
redistributed, and retained​, so long as their unique terms are followed. You can learn more about open
licensing ​here​.

TECEP Test Description for COM-209-TE by Thomas Edison State University is licensed under a ​Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License​.
 Title License

(2016). ​Communication in the real world: An introduction to communication CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

studies​. M
​ inneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing.
(Chapters 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11 and 12)

Tucker, B., et al. (2019). ​Exploring Public Speaking: 4th Revision.​ CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Communication Open Textbooks.

(2016). ​Stand up, speak out: The practice and ethics of public speaking​. CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing.

In addition to the resources listed above, you should also review the links provided below to help prepare
you for your exam.

Title

Peoples, D. C. (2001). ​Guidelines for Oral Presentations​. Ohio Wesleyan University.

Purdue Online Writing Lab. (2019). ​Logical Fallacies.​ Purdue University.

(2019). ​Public Speaking Resources​. The University of Wisconsin La Crosse.

(2019). ​Speaking Center Example Videos.​ University of Mary Washington.

(2019). ​Speaking in the Disciplines.​ University of Pittsburgh.

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

The questions below are designed to help you study for your TECEP. Answering these questions does
not guarantee a passing score on your exam.

Please note that the questions below ​will not​ appear on your exam.

TECEP Test Description for COM-209-TE by Thomas Edison State University is licensed under a ​Creative Commons
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Multiple-Choice Questions

1. Which organizational pattern should Sally use for her informative speech explaining how to make
a piñata?

a. Time Order
b. Topic Order
c. Logical Reasons Order
d. Causal Reasoning Order

2. Speaking extemporaneously (from notes) should include all of the following EXCEPT
__________.

a. hard-to-remember statistics
b. delivery cues to trigger memory
c. information from presentation aids
d. long quotations

3. During her speech on how to brush your dog’s teeth, Rosa shared her _____ by explaining her
experiences as a veterinary technician that qualifies her to speak with authority on the subject.

a. statistics
b. knowledge
c. primary research
d. credentials

4. Because speechmaking is a form of power, it carries with it heavy ____________ responsibilities.

a. ethical
b. psychological
c. sociological
d. pedagogical

5. Even if your speech as a whole is ethical, you can still be guilty of ____________ if you fail to
give credit for quotations, paraphrases, and other specific parts of the speech that are borrowed
from other people.

a. accidental plagiarism
b. incremental plagiarism
c. technical plagiarism
d. patchwork plagiarism

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 6. Identify the flaw in the following specific purpose statement: “To persuade my audience that
Congress should ban smoking in public places and increase spending for education.”

a. It is too political.
b. It expresses the speaker's opinion.
c. It contains two unrelated ideas.
d. It is too specific.

7. The tendency of people to be concerned above all with their own values, beliefs, and well-being is
called _____________.

a. egocentrism
b. audience-centeredness
c. individualism
d. pragmatism

8. Dr. Linda Kurtz is preparing an informative talk about the genetic relationship between twins for a
group of expectant parents. The most important factor Dr. Kurtz should consider when analyzing
her audience is probably its ___________.

a. Knowledge of the topic

b. Disposition toward the speaker
c. Cultural background
d. Size

9. What type of supporting material would you be using if you quoted Yale physicist Daniel Timbie
on the compatibility of the big bang theory with religious philosophies?

a. Expert testimony
b. Scientific testimony
c. Instrumental testimony
d. Formal testimony

10. Here are the main points for an informative speech:

I. In 1827, the Cherokee tribe of Georgia declared themselves an independent state.

II. From 1828 to 1834, the Georgia legislature passed laws that destroyed the Cherokee
political structure.

III. During the winter of 1838, the Cherokee were driven out of Georgia in a tragic march
along a route that became known as the Trail of Tears.

These main points are arranged in ____________ order.

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 a. Spatial
b. Chronological
c. Topical
d. Anecdotal

Essay/Short Answer Questions

1. Bonnie, a Public Speaking student, needs to select a topic for a 5 minute speech. Her friend Mike
says, “You like music. Why don’t you give a speech about music?” “Great idea!” says Bonnie. “I’ll
give my speech on ‘Music.’” How would you respond to this topic selection? Explain your
suggestions for why this is an effective or ineffective topic selection.

2. What is one type of negative nonverbal feedback you may get from an audience? Explain with
specific details and or examples how you would deal with this negative nonverbal feedback in
your presentation.

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ANSWERS TO SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Multiple-Choice Questions

1. (​a​) 5. (​b​) 9. (​a​)

2. (​c​) 6. (​c​) 10. (​b​)
3. (​d​) 7. (​a​)
4. (​a​) 8. (​a​)

Essay/Short Answer Questions

1. (Answer) Bonnie’s decision to give a 5 minute speech about music is not specific enough for this
assignment. In order to have an effective presentation, her speech should have a specified topic
related to music, and she should also consider the purpose of her speech. For example, if her
speech is informative, she might decide to present about the history of dub music from Jamaica,
or she might give a presentation on how Miles Davis’ music helped shape other new forms of jazz
and rock music in the 1970s. If Bonnie’s presentation is persuasive, she might decide to present
about how listening to instrumental music during studying can help students focus, or how
popular music should be considered literature and included in school curricula. The important
information to convey to Bonnie is that her topic is too broad or general, and that she needs to
consider her purpose first, and then once her purpose is decided, she should select a more
specific focus for her topic related to music.

2. (Answer) It is important to be aware of an audience’s response to a speech. One of the ways that
speakers can gauge their audience’s attentiveness is to look for nonverbal cues or feedback.
Sometimes the nonverbal feedback can be negative. For example, sometimes audience
members might tilt their heads to the side or slouch in their seats, indicating boredom. Another
sign of negative audience engagement is when audience members avert their gaze from the
speaker; this usually means that either the speaker is disinterested, or is unconvinced of the
speech’s thesis. Other nonverbal feedback from an audience might include if members are
looking around, playing with other things like phones or laptops, or are talking to one another
during the speech or presentation. Body position can also indicate if an audience is interested in
the topic. For example, if an audience begins to shift their body positions towards the side or
away from the speaker, this can indicate disinterest and disengagement. One way to make sure
that you are receiving the feedback from your audience is to maintain eye contact throughout
your speech or presentation. This can not only make you aware of your audience’s response, but
also engage them. Another way to help engage your audience involves the planning stage of your
presentation. You can learn more about your audience’s interests and experiences, and work to
incorporate these into the audience. Having interests and experiences that are relevant to your
audience will make them more receptive. Furthermore, you can work to find ways to pause and
ask your audience to respond to certain questions, statements, or images in your speech or
presentation. Having an opportunity to turn to a partner or reflect on the content is a good way to
let your audience know what information is important for them to focus on during the speech or
presentation.

TECEP Test Description for COM-209-TE by Thomas Edison State University is licensed under a ​Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License​.