SPEAKING SKILLS
Dr Lois Jose
SPEAKING SKILLS
Dr Lois Jose
WHAT IS COMMUNICATION?
• Being able to communicate is the most important skill we need.
• Etymology of the term
• Originated from Latin – “Communico” or “Communicare”
• Original meaning of the term : To Share, To share publically
• Current usage : To share knowledge and information.
• Definition:
Communication means transfer of ideas, feelings, plans, messages, or information
from one person to another.
It also helps us to understand what is said to us.
It is considered effective only when it gets the desired action or response.
It is the ability to use language and to express information
DIFFERENT FORMS OF COMMUNIC ATION
• Vocal – using voice
• Written- using printed or digital media- books,
magazines, websites or emails.
• Visually – using logos, maps, charts or graphs
• Non-verbally – using body language, gestures and
the tone and pitch of voice.
VERBAL COMMUNICATION
• Verbal communication is the use of words to share information with other
people.
• It includes both spoken and written communication. However, we use the term
mainly to describe only spoken communication.
• The verbal element of communication is all about the words that you choose, and
how they are heard and interpreted.
• Verbal communication skills include
• Being able to speak clearly, or listening
• Reflecting and Clarifying.
SPEAKING & SPEAKING SKILLS
• What is Speaking?
• Speaking is an act of vocal communication using language.
• It is the action of conveying information or expressing one’s feelings and
thoughts in spoken language.
• It uses both verbal and non-verbal skills.
• It can be an informal remark or a scholarly presentation or formal speech.
• What are Speaking Skills?
• They are the skills that give us ability to communicate effectively.
• These skills allow the speaker to convey his/her message in a passionate,
thoughtful and convincing manner.
• Speaking Skills also assure that listeners are not
misunderstood/miscommunicated.
SPEAKING SITUATIONS
• Interactions and everyday exchanges form a great deal of our daily communication activities.
• One to one Conversations/ Dialogues
• Telephone Conversation
• Group Conversations:
• Group discussions In speaking, speakers perform
• Debates different intentional speech acts
• Public Speaking Informing
• Interviews
Declaring
Asking
• Podcasting
Persuading
• Anchoring Directing
FORMS OF SPEAKING
Speaking can be interactive, partially interactive or non-interactive forms.
1. In conversations speaking is interactive - face to face conversations and telephone calls
• Alternative speaking and listening happens –
• i.e., Feedback and communication happens between the participants.
• Audience get a chance to ask for clarification, repetition, or slower speech.
2. Public speech (giving a speech to a live audience) and debates are partially interactive
• Audience does not interrupt the speech
• But speaker can see the audience and judge feedback from their expressions and body language-
• i.e., The Speaker has limited interaction with the listeners.
3. Information received through television and similar channels of communication remains largely
non-interactive.
• While speaking, speakers unintentionally communicate many aspects like
1. their social position
• such as sex, age, place of origin (through accent)
2. physical states
• (alertness and sleepiness, vigor or weakness, health or illness)
3. psychic states
• (emotions or moods)
4. physio-psychic states
• (sobriety or drunkenness, normal consciousness and trance states)
5. education or experience, and the like.
WHAT TO DO BEFORE SPEAKING?
1. Be an active listener
• An active listener can think on spot and respond intelligently.
• Active listener is one who listens carefully and gives full attention to the words, tone, emotion and
logic behind what the other one is saying.
2. Be a quick organiser of thoughts
• We all think fast, but we need to adopt certain frameworks or models to structure those new
information into something coherent that we can respond with.
Eg: Break down the issues or ideas into past, present and future
3. Structure your speech in your mind
• The basic structure of any speech involves Opening, Body and Conclusion
THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND
It is important to remember that effective verbal communication cannot be fully
isolated from non-verbal communication: your body language, tone of voice, and
facial expressions.
• Be Prepared and Practice
• Know your audience
• Keep it short and simple to get the attention
• Interact with your audience.
• Speak with sincerity and passion
• Close your speech in a memorable way
• Fluency
SKILLS
• While speaking, a speaker must take care of
1. Volume & Clarity
• Speak at a moderate pace for the clarity of speech
• Volume should suit the environment and the size of the audience.
2. Make variety through change in pace, volume, pitch, inflection, emphasis and pauses.
• Pitch and inflection should be taken care
• Voice should be modulated
• Emphasize the important phrases and words to capture and retain the attention of the
listeners.
3. Remain calm and focused.
4. Be polite
All these add to the meaning
BARRIERS
• Unclear messages
• Lack of consistency in the communication process
• Incomplete sentences
• Not understanding the receiver
• Words can have different meaning to different listeners
• Use of negative words
HOW TO OVERCOME BARRIERS:
HOW TO IMPROVE SPEAKING SKILLS:
• Practice – where you can and when you can
• Build your Confidence
• Use the vocabulary you know, however update them regularly.
• Try to respond to what people say to you, respond to them in a natural way.
• Try NOT to translate into or from your own language.
• Don’t speak too fast
• Don’t be silent
• Keep a relaxed mode
• Don’t be hesitant or shy to speak English
• Be polite
THINGS TO LEARN
• Public speaking
• Telephone conversation
• Self Introduction in an Interview
• Anchoring
• podcasting
THANK YOU
