oral communication chapter 15

5 steps in speech preparation

1. Think 2. Investigate 3. Compose 4. Rehearse 5. Revise

Situational Analysis

1. is the seating arrangement fixed or moveable? 2. do you know how to control the room lighting? 3. will there be a lectern in the room? 4. will a microphone be used? is it mobile? do you know how to control its volume? 5. do you know where the electrical power outlets are located? will you need internet access?

Projecting a Powerful Speech Style (cont.)

• Dress and physical appearance can build or undermine the impression you make on an audience.

Managing Speech Anxiety (cont.)

• Expect the unexpected. • Know your introduction. • Use visualization techniques. • Practice.

Managing Your Speech Delivery

• Eye contact • Facial expressions • Gestures and body posture • Adaptive gestures, such as fidgeting, twirling your hair, or fiddling with your jewelry, help manage nervousness. • Personal space

Managing Your Speech Delivery

• Immediacy is the sense of closeness that your audience feels toward you as a speaker. • Powerful speech style is the ability to present yourself and your message confidently • Oral language style is language that's similar to how people talk. • Written language style is usually more formal and detailed than oral style.

Speech Delivery Modes

• Impromptu speaking is making public remarks with little or no time for preparation or rehearsal. • Manuscript speaking is delivering your speech based on a written text that you either read word for word or commit to memory. • Extemporaneous speaking includes elements of both manuscript and impromptu speaking.

Choosing and Using Presentation Aids (cont.) • Tips for using presentation aids:

• Know how to use your media. • Prepare your audience. • Thoroughly explain the information. • Talk to your audience, not the medium. • Remove the presentation aid once you're done with it. • Have a backup plan.

Managing Speech Anxiety • Speech anxiety • Some suggestions to try:

• Look for opportunities to speak up in large groups. • Choose speech topics that matter to you. • Create a situational analysis.

Managing Your Delivery in Online Speeches • When recording a speech or streaming in real time:

• Make sure the camera is properly adjusted. • Focus the lens in a medium close-up shot, capturing your torso and head. • Keep the background free of visual distractions.

Evaluating Speeches and Managing Feedback • Giving effective feedback:

• Make sure the recipient is ready to hear what you have to say. • Start with positive comments. • Use descriptive language. • Don't overload the person with information. • End on a positive note.

Projecting a Powerful Speech Style • Language

• Powerless language are words that suggest you are uncertain about your message or yourself. • Hedging is using words that lessen a message's impact. • Disclaimers are phrases that remove responsibility for the statement you're making. • Intensifiers use unnecessary words to overemphasize a point.

Choosing and Using Presentation Aids • Presentation aids are tools used to display the visuals you've selected.

• Types of presentation aids: • Whiteboards and flip charts • Handouts • Physical objects • Posters • Videos • Presentation software

Managing Your Speech Delivery• Vocal characteristics:

• Vocal pitch refers to the high and low registers of your voice. • Vocal tone is the richness and sound quality of your voice. • Monotone is an unvarying vocal pitch and tone. • Vocal rate refers to how rapidly you speak.

Projecting a Powerful Speech Style • Vocal delivery

• Vocal volume measures how quietly or loudly you speak. • Articulation is how you say words (e.g., dropping the ends of words, as in, "How's it goin'?") • Pronunciation is the way you say words (e.g., saying "ambalance," instead of "ambulance") • Vocalized pauses and fillers are hesitations in speech, such as "um" and "you know."