Speaking 2[1].1

Speaking effectively

Chapter 2.1 Business Communication Chapter 2.1

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Outline: ❚ Basic speaking skills: personal qualities vocal qualities ❚ Qualities to aim for when speaking. ❚ Summary – good speaking.

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Speaking effectively How do you estimate your ability at effective speaking? Because we learn to speak before we write and speaking is so much a part of our everyday life, we take speaking for granted and sometimes we “open our mouth before engaging our brain”. Business Communication Chapter 2.1

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Speaking actions: ❚ ❚ ❚ ❚ ❚ ❚

Answer a phone call Participate in group discussion Give information, instructions Present an idea at a meeting Make oral reports to your manager Interviewing

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Basic speaking skills: They apply in any speaking situation. ❚ Personal qualities ❚ Vocal qualities

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Think: Think of someone whose speaking ability you admire. ❚ What are the qualities and characteristics which contribute to their success when speaking? Make a list. Think of someone you regard as a poor speaker. ❚ Have they any qualities which distract or irritate you? List these.

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Personal qualities: 1. Clarity: To be a good speaker you need: - to be able to express your ideas clearly - your language should be simple and your material organized so that it can be easily followed - avoid trying to impress by using long, complicated words - explain any terms that may be 7 unfamiliar to yourChapter audience. Business Communication 2.1

Personal qualities(cont’d): 2. Accuracy: You should make sure that: - the words you use say exactly what you mean - the facts you use should be correct, so you should take care to research your subject thoroughly Business Communication Chapter 2.1

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Personal qualities(cont’d): - avoid making statements which go beyond the facts and might be challenged. “Everybody thinks…”, “Nobody in their right mind would accept…”- are dangerous.

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Personal qualities(cont’d): 3. Empathy: - always try to be courteous and friendly. The best way to be courteous and polite is to put yourself in the other person’s place. This doesn’t mean that you have to agree with them or their ideas, but it helps you to be understanding and 10 Business Communication Chapter 2.1

Personal qualities(cont’d): 4. Sincerity: This really means to be natural. 5. Relaxation: The best way to sound naturally is to relax. When our muscle are tense, we have difficulty expressing ourselves naturally. Communication Chapter 2.1 Solution –Business take a deep breath!

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Personal qualities(cont’d): 6. Eye contact: Have you ever been in conversation with someone who avoids looking in your eyes and is looking everywhere but at you? How does this make you feel? Write down your feelings. Business Communication Chapter 2.1

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Eye contact

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A speaker who never looks at his listeners may be conveying message like: I’m not very interested in you I don’t like you I’m not very sure of myself I’m not sure about what I’m saying Don’t believe what I’m saying Business Communication Chapter 2.1

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Personal qualities(cont’d): 7. Appearance: How you look can affect how well others understand you. Your appearance reflects how you see yourself. In most speaking situations people see the speaker and form judgements about them even before they speak. Business Communication Chapter 2.1

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Appearance There are two important things to consider: ❚ Personal cleanliness and tidiness ❚ Dress and appearance appropriate to the situation

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Personal qualities(cont’d): 8. Posture: Poor posture also affects your psychologically as well as physically.

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Vocal qualities ❚ Don’t think that you can’t change the way you speak. ❚ The first step is to be aware of the factors which affect the sound of your voice. To ensure that the sounds you produce are clear, your throat muscles must be relaxed, your jaw must not be taut or rigid and your lips must be Business Communication Chapter 2.1 flexible and capable of assuming a 17

Vocal qualities ❚ If you have ever had an anaesthetic injection at the dentist you’ll know what it does to your ability to move your lips properly to pronounce the words.

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Vocal qualities (cont’d) 1. Pitch A person whose voice has a high pitch may sound thin or squeaky. A person with low pitch will sound deep or throaty. When people are frightened or tense, their voices tend to squeak. Business Communication Chapter 2.1

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Vocal qualities (cont’d) One way to relax your throat muscles is to practice this simple exercise: Take a deep breath. Than, as you breathe out, say several short syllables: “She gave us all a short talk on art” Notice how the tightness disappears as you exhale. It is physically impossible to breathe out and keep the muscles tight at the same time. This is why deep breathing can help you relax. Business Communication Chapter 2.1

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Vocal qualities (cont’d) 2. Volume It’s more easily controlled than pitch, but practice is still required to get the right volume.

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Volume The right volume depends on the situation and you should note: - Where you are speaking(size of the room; indoor or outdoors) - The size of the group to whom you are speaking - Background noise, for ex. the noise of a/c Business Communication Chapter 2.1

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Vocal qualities (cont’d) 3. Diction and accent Diction is the way in which you say or pronounce words. In some extent it is affected by your accent.

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Diction Diction depends on articulation and enunciation, which are terms used to describe how you pronounce words: -articulation refers to the way people pronounce consonants -enunciation refers to the way people pronounce vowels Business Communication Chapter 2.1

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Vocal qualities (cont’d) Good diction is generally considered to be the result of being well educated. It is important not to confuse diction with accent. Whatever your accent, you should pronounce your words clearly. Accent and diction will tell your listeners something about you. Business Communication Chapter 2.1

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Vocal qualities (cont’d) 4. Vocal tension Indistinct speech can be caused by a tight, rigid jaw or tight lips or throat. 5. Speed It also affects the message you are sending. Fast speaking conveys a sense of urgency to the listeners, makes it difficult to be understood and you won’t be able to pronounce words clearly. Business Communication Chapter 2.1

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Vocal qualities (cont’d) Most people who speak in public actually speak at a slower rate than they do in normal conversation. 6. The use of pause A good speaker will pause briefly at the appropriate places to give their listeners the opportunity to take in what they have said. 7. Tone Communication Chapter It can convey Business whether 2.1 you are happy or 27

Qualities to aim for when speaking ❚ Alertness gives your listener the impression that you are aware of and interested in what is happening around you and what you are saying. ❚ Pleasantness is partly being polite and giving a friendly tone to your voice by smiling and looking pleasant. Business Communication Chapter 2.1

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Qualities to aim for when speaking ❚ Distinctness is speaking clearly so that your listener can hear and understand you. This includes pronunciation. ❚ Expressiveness is putting feeling into your voice Business Communication Chapter 2.1

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Good speaking Effective speaking is the result of several things over which you do have control. ❚ Personal Qualities – clarity, accuracy, empathy, sincerity, relaxation, eye contact, appearance and posture which have a lot to do with what you say and how you behave. ❚ Vocal Qualities – the mechanics of speech, pitch, volume, diction and accent, vocal tension, speed, the use of the pauseBusiness andCommunication tone, Chapter all of which affect 30 2.1 the way you use your voice.