Chapter 9

Why is eye contact important?

*the connection you form with listeners through your gaze -communicates confidence, openness & honesty -you are a person of conviction, you care what your listeners are thinking, & are eager for their feedback -poor eye contact= nervousness, hostility, being uncomfortable, or lack of interest

What are gestures? What guidelines does the book offer for using gestures effectively?

*using your arms & hands to illustrate, emphasize, or provide a visual experience that accompanies your thoughts. 1. Use natural gestures 2. gesture Purposefully 3. Gesture Appropriately.

Manuscript

-involves writing your speech out word for word and then reading it -may be necessary in formal occasions when the speech is distributed beforehand, if it is not archived, translated, or printed after it is given -minimizes the temptation to add remarks during the speech but also loses the benefit of flexibility -if an issue or occasion is controversial or sensitive, a speaker may choose to rely on a manuscript -having a carefully crafted statement may help avoid misstating a position, but those who are not pros speakers, a manuscript may e troublesome -font size, lose your place, sound as though they are reading

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

What is "emphasis" in public speaking?

stressing certain words or phrases to draw attention

What is "rate" in public speaking? What should your rate be? Why should you vary your rate?

the pace at which you speak. Americans rate is btwn 120 & 160 words/min. Nervousness may affect the pattern. -Choose an appropriate rate: Knowing your audience also influences the rate of your speech. Your rate should be consistent with the ideas being expressed. For ex. it makes more sense that a sportscaster announcing a basketball game speaks faster than a sportscaster at a golf match. -Vary your rate of speech: by changing your rate of speech, you can express different thoughts and feelings. You may want to speak slowly to emphasize an important point or to communicate a serious or somber mood. A faster pace is appropriate to express surprise, happiness, or fear.

What is the difference between articulation and pronunciation?

-ARTICULATION: the verbalization of distinct sounds & how precisely words are formed, the more formal the situation the more precise our articulation needs to be. The more casual the situation, the more likely we are to relax our speech -PRONOUNCIATION: knowing how to say a word and saying it correctly. May hurt your credibility bc listeners may perceive you to be less educated or less culturally aware. You want to know how to pronounce all words

What actions inhibit gesturing properly?

-Clasping your hands together -Hugging your body -Clasping your hands in the fig leaf stance -Locking your hands behind your back -Hands on hips -Arms folded in front of you -Putting your hands in your pockets -Grasping and leaning into the lectern

What guidelines and problems does the book discuss in relationship to the use of notecards?

-View your note cards as an extension of your arm, gesturing as you would without the note cards. -Cards should fit into your hand comfortably. -Generally, 4"x6" cards are easier to work with than 3"x5" cards. -Avoid distracting note cards -Number your note cards. If you drop them, you can get them back in order quickly. -Check their sequence

Extemporaneous Speaking

-a method of delivery that involves using carefully prepared notes to guide the presentation, but this mode of speaking provides flexibility -speakers can maintain a personal connection with their listeners and respond to their feedback -your word choice is fresh -result=spontaneous, conversational tone that puts you and your audience at ease

What guidelines does the book offer for physical movement? For facial expressions?

-an active speaker can encourage an active response from an audience, but an immobile speaker can leave listeners listless. Movement has an additional advantage of helping to increase nervous energy; guidelines: 1. move naturally 2. tie your movements to your use of visual aids 3. be prepared movement is a way to connect with the audience, get them involved, and keep their attention

Impromptu Speaking Methods

-begin with the audience and occasion: gives you a beginning point, and a brief moment to think about and organize your comments -keep it simple: brief intro, the body of your speech should include one or two main points and each points should be explained and supported (intro ... Ally and Adam, conclusion .... Ally and Adam) -be colorful: be as concrete as possible, and stay focused on your central idea, but provide listeners with something colorful and memorable too. Brief examples and anecdotes or sharing your own experiences and stories personalize your message and keep the interest of the audience. -be unapologetically focus: instead of jumping from point to point vaguely, focus on your specific purpose. Never apologize because your audience is already aware it is an impromptu moment and apologizing for the informality of your address is unnecessary, "be bold, be brief, and be gone!"

What are nonfluencies? Can you give examples? How can they be reduced?

-meaningless words that interrupt the flow of our speech; also known as vocalized pauses or vocal fillers -"like" "you know" "uh" "um" "so" "ok" -giggling, throat clearing, lip smacking & sighing -pausing may help to fix this

Manuscript Guidelines

-pay special attention to preparing the written text: avoid using a handwritten manuscript, choose large font, larger margins & # pages. Print on one side -practice: practice enough to not look at the manuscript. Practice in section (intro, body, conclusion). Consider inviting friends, roomies, or relatives to listen to your speech for feedback -express yourself naturally & communicate your personality: thinking of he speaking occasion as a way to converse with your audience, conversational tone with your audience.

Extemporaneous Speaking Guidelines

-prepare carefully: choose your purpose, develop your core idea, research your topic, organize your ideas, and select the language and presentation style that are most appropriate for you audience -craft full content and key-word outlines: develop an outline containing main points and sub points, then create a key-word outline that can be transferred to index cards. The full content outline is not your speech written out; it represents the major ideas of your speech and supporting material. The key-word outline is brief enough to be transferred to note cards. Note cards should be large enough to accommodate info from your key-word outline, yet small enough to be unobtrusive; symbols "//"=pause & look up -capture and cite detailed information on note cards: facts, figures, and quotes may be written on note cards for easy reference. It is a good idea to be sure to say these things with precision, rather than take the chance of misquoting people or facts bc it may help to have info written, include orally cite the course of these items -write legibly: words are large enough to read them and highlight ideas -your notes are prompts, not a script: notes enable you to keep the speech you rehearsed in mind without committing every word to memory and make it possible to maintain eye contract with audience. The more words on your note card, the longer you must look at them to find the right key words and the less effective your delivery become. *with extemporaneous speaker notes, less is more

What guidelines does the book offer for facial expressions?

-primary source of emotions 1. match facial expression with your tone: a serous tone in your voice should be accompanied by facial expression that contribute to the serious tone 2. smile, when appropriate: if you are nervous, work to demonstrate enthusiasm not only through your vocal qualities but also through facial expressions

What advice does the book have for the volume of your speaking?

-projection: shouting involves forcing the voice from the vocal folds, which is irritating to the folds, instead of projecting the sound from the ab area, work on posture, breathing from the diaphragm -look up -use volume to add variety: add humor, "stage whisper" increasing volume at certain times during speech draws attention to the point -adapt: adapt the volume to the size of the room

Impromptu Speaking

-speaking with little or no preparation time; using no notes or just a few example: employee meeting and being asked to comment on an innovation at work or during occasions you may be asked to :say a few words: at a wedding, funeral, etc,. -forces you to think on your feet with no opportunity to prepare, you must rely on what you know -you are not expected to make a polished professional speech.

What is your voice's pitch? Why is it important to vary pitch and experiment with your voice's range?

-vary your pitch: variety adds interest to your presentation, avoid monotone. Giving an illustration, telling a story, or providing startling info are openings to raise your pitch to convey a sense of excitement or urgency -use your voice potential: take advantage of our voices, add a sense of amazement, disgust, or to share a moment of seriousness w your audience

What guidelines does the book offer for using eye contact well?

1. distribute your gaze evenly: work on sustained eye contact with different members in the audience. Maintain eye contact with a single person for a single thought. Focus on a person in each sector, rotating your gaze among the people and the sectors as you speak 2. glace only briefly and occasionally at your notes: when you are nervous you feel safer looking at your notes (counterproductive) 3. do not look just above the heads of your listeners

Why are pauses important in public speaking? What purposes do they serve? What advice does the book have for using pauses effectively?

add color, expression, & feeling. 1. communicate self-confidence. 2. help listeners digest what you are saying & anticipate what you ill say next. 3. significant pause helps you move from one topic to the next w/o telling your listeners what you are doing. 4. signals pay attention