COM 115: Chapter 9

gestures

*using your arms & hands to illustrate, emphasize, or provide a visual experience that accompanies your thoughts -tells an audience that you are comfortable and self-confident -positive effect on breathing, helping you relax the muscles that affect the quality of the voice

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

physical movements

-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

choosing the right delivery method

-impromptu speaking -extemporaneous speaking -using a manuscript -memorization

memorization

-making a toast, proposing marriage, or receiving an award -enables you to write the exact words you will speak without being forced to read them -makes it easier to establish eye contact with your audience & deliver the speech skillfully -begins with carefully crated manuscript but requires much more time to get it right -risky for a public speaker

guidelines of eye contact:

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

memorization guidelines:

1. start soon: don't delay the process, the night before does not work 2. memorize small section of your speech at a time: minimizes the chance that you will forget your speech during the delivery 3. practice using pauses, emphasis, and vocal variety: appropriate tone by emphasizing certain words, speaking faster or more slowly, & increasing or lowering your volume and/or pitch 4. use eye contact effectively: sustained eye contact can enhance a speaker's credibility, increase the persuasive effect of the speech, & maintain audience interest 5. be calm if you forget: handle it with serenity. If you lose your place, pause and silently review what you just covered

communication apprehension:

*an individuals level of fear or anxiety associated with either real or anticipated communication with another person or persons -the intensity of discomfort most feel when giving a speech varies widely, but we can identify symptoms as falling into 3 categories: physiological, psychological, and behavioral

eye contact

*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

behavioral manifestation:

-"the degree of assumed speaker anxiety perceived by observers on the basis of manifest speaker behavior" -unlike physiological and psychological aspects of anxiety, behavioral are observed by audience members -receive info from and make judgments about paralanguage and physical actions.

using your voice guidelines:

-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. PRACTICE! -VOLUME: the loudness of your voice, controlled by how forcefully air is expelled through the trachea onto the vocal cords. The more forcefully you use ab muscles to exhale, the > the force of the air & louder the voice -RATE: the pace at which you speak. Americans rate is btwn 120 & 160 words/min. Nervousness may affect the pattern -PITCH: vocal range or key, the highness or lowness of your voice produced by the tightening and loosening of your vocal folds. The range of most people's voices is < 2 octaves -PAUSES: 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/otelling your listeners what you are doing. 4. signals pay attention -EMPHASIS: stressing certain words or phrases to draw 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!"

rate:

-choose an appropriate rate: knowing your audience helps. your rate should be consistent with the ideas being expressed (ex: sportscaster announcing a basketball game speaks faster than a sportscaster at a golf match) -vary your rate of speech: express different thoughts and feeling. You may want to speak slowly to emphasize an important point or to communicate a serious or somber mood, a faster pace is to express surprise, happiness, or fear, BUT variety in rate is easier on the ears

actions that inhibit gesturing

-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 on podium

using your body

-gestures, using note cards, using a legal pad, outline, or electronictools, physical movements, facial expressions, eye contact, and appearance

using a legal pad, outline, or Electronic Tools

-hold the pad in one hand, at a distance from your eyes that allows you to see your notes but not covering your face -gesture with your free hand -brief speech outline on one or two pieces of paper instead of note cards -have notes available on a computer, tablet, or smart phone

appearance:

-influenced by culture and context -Americans visiting the Vatican will find that shoulders & knees should be covered in order to gain entry -your choice of shoes, suits, dresses, jewelry, tattoos, hairstyle, and body piercings should not isolate you from your listeners -do nothing to distract from the message

using a 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

speaking well with technology is an essential for excellence

-look into the camera -put your hands where they can see them -lean in -get a "handle" on it

using your voice

-makes an impression -maximize the following aspects of vocal delivery: articulation, pronunciation, volume, rate, pitch, pauses, and emphasis

eliminating nonfluencies:

-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

psychological manifestation:

-more difficult to treat bc they are not observable and they speak to our fear 1. fear of criticism or being judged negatively 2. fear of forgetting 3. fear of embarrassment or humiliation 4. fear of failure 5. fear of the unknown 6. fear of bad (emotional) past experiences -negative messages from parents, peers, siblings, or low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence, poor coping strategies, etc,.

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.

effects of high communication apprehension:

-people with ^ CA prefer occupations that have low oral communication demands -people with ^ CA are < likely to be turned to as opinion leaders or to be selected as friends than other people -College students with ^ CA prefer classes where they may sit on the sides or back of the room -College graduates with ^ CA r more likely to marry immediately upon graduation -job candidates with ^ CA have < likelihood of being successful in the job applicant screening process

common problems using note cards

-playing with note cards -holding note cards with both hands -including too much on the note cards -having too many -writing on both sides

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

facial expression

-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

volume

-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

the nature of apprehension

-research has found that "public speaking is the single most commonly feared situation reported in both community and university samples" -40% of Americans are terrified at the though of talking to an audience -70% of people in the US experience communication apprehension when they have to give a speech

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

pauses:

-tieyour pauses to verbal phrasing: a phrase has a different meaning than it does to a writer. It is a unit you speak in one breath to express a single idea. -use pauses to change the pace and add verbal variety: pauses can be an effective tool speaker use to keep attention or to draw attention to a particular thought or emotion. -extend pauses when displaying a visual: this tactic enables your audience to read the info on the visual w/o missing your next thought, it is important to pause after the display, not before it. try pausing for 2 to 3 seconds

pitch:

-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

using note cards

-view your note cards as an extension of your arm, gesturing as you would w/o the note cards -cards should fit into your hand comfortably -generally, 4*6 cards are easier to work with than 3*5 cards -avoid distracting note cards -# your notecards -check the sequence before speaking

the real strategies for controlling public speaking apprehension:

1. complete a public speaking course 2. focus on your audience, not yourself: research showed that student who report experiencing lower levels of CA were those who focused on the audience, not the message. Create a message with the audience in mind, think about the audience being on your side 3. reframe your message: reframe the way you view the speaking situation, turn negative thoughts into positive ones. 4. prepare: sharpens your presentation and builds confidence. Individuals with high CA spend more time preparing their speeches but get less return for their efforts than low CAs. 5. take several deep breaths: calming effect on the body and mind, learning to breathe properly improves the sound of our voice and protects the health of our vocal instrument 6. realize that you may be your own worst critic: audience members are relatively forgiving, and do not expect perfection 7. gain skills and confidence by choosing to speak: give "mini speeches" *systematic desensitization- a premise that people have learned to associate anxious states with public speaking. A person with ^ CA learns to see public speaking as "nonthreatening" rather than "threatening" 8. visualize your success as a speaker: powerful mental images of yourself performing well is a technique that is used. *positive visualization: creating powerful mental images of skillful performances and winning competitions. Students who practice performance visualization display fewer nonfluencies, less rigidity, and < inhibition 9. release tension through assertive and animate delivery: being nervous can inhibit your delivery, but assertive and animated delivery can actually help you release pent-up tension

guidelines for gestures:

1. use natural gestures: reinforce the ideas in the message and your own personality, stand straight with your arms bent at the waist and your hands relaxed 2. gesture purposefully: hold fingers up when listing steps 3. gesture appropriately: should be timely. You hands should match what you are saying at the same exact time, gestures should NOT draw attention to themselves & away from your ideas

strategies for controlling public speaking apprehension:

STAGE 1: the anticipatory stage: takes place in the minutes before the speech- heart rates zoom from a normal rate of about 70 beat/min to btwn 95 & 140 STAGE 2: the confrontational stage: beginning of the speech, heart rate jump to btwn 110 & 190 beats/min, usually lasts no more than 30 secs STAGE 3: adaptation stage: begin to calm down, typically after you have been speaking for over 30 seconds to a minute STAGE 4: the release stage is the final stage & is characterized by the pulse returning to anticipation levels or lower -stage 2: is strong, and speakers may not perceive the increase in pulse rates -anxiety is highest during the minute prior to confrontation with an audience and during the first minute of speaking

manage questions

ask if they have any questions or planting questions on the audience

physical manifestations:

rapid pulse, dry mouth, increased sweating, shallow breathing, shaky hands and knees, stammering, throat constriction, quivering voice, "butterflies" in the tummy, gas, flushing, heat flashes, dizziness, and loss of concentration