Thin Slices of Public Speaking - A look into speech thin slices and their effectiveness in accurately predicting whole-speech quality - Study aims to test thin-slice evaluation for college speeches

Oct 15, 2026

Thin slices of public speaking are examined as brief behavioral samples, no longer than five minutes, taken from longer speech streams to predict whole-speech quality. The study frames social-psychology foundations of impression formation, proposing that observers may form accurate judgments from minimal exposure as quickly as tens of milliseconds. Research questions ask whether thin-slice observation can reliably evaluate college-level speech quality, supporting communication education assessment, including student speaking improvement and communication center operations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Editor’s Note

Background and research motivation

Literature Review

Theoretical Framework: Impression Formation theory

Thin slicing as measurement of impression

Thin Slices of Public Speaking: A look into speech thin slices and their effectiveness in accurately predicting whole-speech quality Mohamed Ismail University of Southern Mississippi Editor’s Note: This essay was presented at the 2016 National Association of Communication Centers meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After faculty review, it won the Huddy-Gunn Award as outstanding graduate student paper. Winners of both the Huddy-Gunn Award and the Ferguson Award are offered the opportunity to publish their contributions in this journal. The ability to accurately perceive and decipher the surrounding world is essential for human interaction and survival (Ambady & Rosenthal, 1992) . People are in constant observation of their surroundings, and in an instant, even under extremely miniscule glimpses, individuals readily and accurately form an impression on what they have witnessed (Carney, Colvin, & Hall, 2007). This skill is a social necessity that enables us to make sound decisions for our individual outcome, form appropriate impressions, and judge others accordingly in various settings. Through this judgment process individuals are able to predict, with a degree of certainty, the state, quality, or outcome of what they are viewing. Some examples include sexual orientation (Ambady, Hallahan, & Conner, 1999), sales effectiveness and achieved sales (Ambady, Krabeenhoft, & Hogan, 2006), and candidate hireability during job interviews (Ruben, Hall, & Schmid Mast, 2014; Frauendorfer, Schmid Mast, Nguyen, & Gatica-Perez, 2014b). Research in social psychology supports the accuracy of initial human judgment to predict outcomes of interaction paradigms and identify personality characteristics through brief“thin slices” of observation (Ambady, Hallahan, & Conner, 1999; Ambady & Rosenthal, 1992; Curhan & Pentland, 2007; and Hack, 2014) . The term “Thin Slice,” first coined and defined by Ambady and Rosenthal (1992), is a brief sample of behavior, not exceeding five minutes in length, extracted from the full-length behavior stream. These thin slices are an efficient means to form judgments and predict outcomes of interpersonal relations from the full-length behavior (Ambady, LaPlante, Johnson, 2001). Previous research using the thin slice method propels the following research questions for this proposed study: can the thin slice method be applied to judge the quality of college level speeches? Communication studies professors have claimed to be able to assess the quality of the speech they are observing within only 30-seconds (Hossman & Erickson, personal communication, 2015). Is this statement true or is it only based on the experience of the observer? Hence, can an individual through only the observation of speech thin slices accurately evaluate the overall quality of a speech? This proposed study aims to establish a framework to investigate and test these claims in hopes of finding an explanation as to whether or not thin slices can be used in the communication education arena to evaluate speeches. The implications of this study, if the findings suggest that the thin slice method can be used effectively to evaluate the overall quality of a speech, would be to apply the thin slice method in assisting universities with their assessment efforts pertaining both to the improvement of students’ ability to speak proficiently and communication center operations. Literature Review Theoretical Framework Impression Formation theory concerns itself with how one person is perceived by another (Roeckelein, 2006). Since its inception Impression Formation theory has focused on two major issues: “the meaning people give to their observations of others and how to measure exactly a perceiver’s impressions of another”(Roeckelein, 2006, p.297). Thin slicing provides an answer to the latter of the two major issues, as thin slices are a measurement of impression. Through brief exposures to a phenomenon, individuals are able to form an

FAQs

What are “thin slices” in the context of public speaking?

They are brief samples of behavior drawn from longer communication streams, defined as not exceeding five minutes. They are used to form judgments and predict interpersonal outcomes from limited exposure.

How does the impression formation theory support the thin-slice approach?

Impression Formation theory explains how one person is perceived by another and highlights how impressions can be measured through exposure. The thin-slice method is treated as a measurement mechanism for impression formation.

What research questions does the proposed study aim to answer?

The study asks whether thin slices can be used to judge the quality of college-level speeches and whether observers can accurately evaluate overall speech quality based on minimal observation time.

Oct 15, 2026

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