Why is planned redundancy necessary?
Audiences do not know how to listen to speeches.
Oral communication is linear and doesn’t provide for “looping.”
It helps control how much information the speaker can dump on the audience.
It relieves the audience from listening intently to the speech.
The correct answer and explanation is:
Correct Answer:
Oral communication is linear and doesn’t provide for “looping.”
Explanation:
Planned redundancy is necessary in speeches because oral communication is fundamentally linear—it progresses in a straight line, without the ability to “loop back” easily like written text. Unlike reading, where a person can revisit previous sections to clarify or reinforce their understanding, listening to a speech happens in real time. If an audience misses an important detail, they cannot rewind to hear it again.
By incorporating planned redundancy, speakers reinforce their key points, making it easier for the audience to retain and process the information. This technique ensures that the message is clear, memorable, and impactful. Planned redundancy includes strategies such as:
- Restating Key Ideas – A speaker might repeat a central argument in different words to make sure it sticks.
- Using Examples and Analogies – Providing multiple examples helps reinforce a concept in different ways.
- Summarizing – Periodically summarizing what has been discussed helps remind the audience of the main ideas.
- Previewing and Reviewing – A structured speech often begins by previewing the main points, discussing them in detail, and concluding with a recap.
This structured repetition ensures that the audience, which might be distracted or processing the message at different speeds, has multiple opportunities to grasp essential information. Without planned redundancy, listeners might miss critical parts of the speech and lose track of its purpose.
Ultimately, planned redundancy enhances clarity, comprehension, and retention, making speeches more effective and engaging.
Here is the image of a professional speaker delivering a speech to an engaged audience, emphasizing key points with hand gestures and a slideshow. Let me know if you need any modifications or further assistance!