Role Of The Speaker

To make conversation valuable and stimulating the speakers have certain responsibilities. The speaker
must remember that the “con” in conversation means “with” not “to.” He should be sensitive to his
listener and adjust the topic of conversation to the interest of the listener. He should be able to talk
easily and without embarrassment, varying his sentence structure to avoid monotony, and using as
colorful a vocabulary as he possess. He must remember that his share of the time will be limited,
depending on the number of people taking part in the conversation.

Usually, monopolizing the conversation is frowned upon, but there are exceptions when, because of
extraordinary experience or abilities, a speaker is encouraged to do most of the talking. On the whole,
however, one who monopolizes the conversation is not a popular conversationalist

Topic For Conversation

The selection of a topic is influenced by the interests, age, and sex of the people with whom one is
talking. The same subject may be discussed with all age groups, but from a different point of view and
with different purposes. For example, a man discussing baseball with his six-year-old son, his best friend,
or his wife would hold three distinctly different conversation.

How can you develop the ability to discuss topics of general interest? Much of this skill comes from
practice. Assuming that you are reasonably well read informed or that you are reasonably well read and
informed or the you are willing to learn from others, a few question or comments could discover a topic
of mutual interest. Then the sharing of information creates a free-flowing conversation or discussion.
Asking pertinent questions and making intelligent comments are conversational assets almost equal in
value to contributing ideas or facts.

Topics can grow out of the dominant interests of the moment, the business outlook, sports, movies,
current news, travel, literature, education-an end less list of subjects.

Topics To Avoid

Controversial topics of any kind are to be avoided until you are sure that you can really discuss and not
argue these topics. Among such subjects are religion, politics, and prejudices of any type. Avoid talking
about yourself, your achievements, your possessions. Intuition should tell you when these topics are
really of interest to your listener. Be reticent about discussing money and what you can or cannot
afford. Reserve this topic for private discussing with close friends.

Avoid discussing personalities. Do not use ridicule of one acquaintance as a means of gaining stature in
the eyes of another. It is both bad manners and poor human relations. Use your wit on general points.
Satisfy your desire for gossip by discussing characters in plays, books, or movies. Let the affairs of your
friends remain their affairs. Be sensitive to any topic that may cause distress or embarrassment for
someone in the group, and avoid it.

Changing The Subject

If conversation lags, fails to interest the group, falls under the tongue of a monopolist, or takes an
undesirable turn, a skillful means of changing the subject is to ask a timely question, with some
association if possible to the old subject. The change in subject should be guide so tactfully that the one
who introduced the original subject will not realize that it is being changed. Often, it is possible to call
attention to some object of real interest that justifies attracting the speaker’s notice. Never interrupt
the speaker; it is discourteous and tactless.

A Conversation Menu

One of the most serious pitfalls of social conversation is inability to stay on the subject. Conversation
that consists of tag ends, unrelated facts, inconsequential events, and platitudes on weather and health
has been aptly called “rag bag.” This kind of aimless, wasteful conversation can be eliminated by
planning a “conversation menu.”

No hostess would think of waiting until her dinner guests arrived to choose the entrée. Neither would
she consider having a dessert that she knew some of her guests would not enjoy. Why not take as much
care to provide interesting and nutritious food for the mind?

Mannerisms

Mannerisms are unconscious behavior patterns of speech and bodily movement. They may produce
either good or bad effects. Positive mannerisms emphasize and fix in the mind of the listener the points
the speaker is trying to make. They help the speaker to set the tone of his presentation. They stimulate
the imagination and provide relief for both the speaker and the listener.

Sometimes, words punctuated by the lift of an eyebrow, a grimace, a movement of the hands say more
effectively what is intended than the words alone would. You should not exclude all motions from your
speech pattern. Those that contribute to liveliness and animation are important. They are positive
mannerisms that are characteristic of personality, but they must be natural.

Certain mannerisms of movie actors and actress are a part of their appealing personalities but when
imitated by the high school girl or boy they may become annoying affectations. A personal peculiarity
that endears you to the hearts of your family or makes you appear cute to close friends will not
necessarily be desirable in a business or social situation. Such affections may become so irritating that
your position may be jeopardized.

Annoying mannerisms detract from what you are saying and emphasize how it is being said.
Virtually no one is entirely free of annoying mannerisms. We dare not complain too much about our
associates, because our own peculiarities may be showing. Often, we no sooner break one bad habit
than we adopt another that may be equally irritating. The battle against bad habits is a cease-less one,
but one worth waging.

No one can afford to be complacent about his mannerisms. Ask your friends and family tell you
your eccentricities of speech and manner. Then, set out to break the old habits at once. Remember that
it is the little things that count. Friendships have been broken, marriages dissolved, jobs lost, not
because of major disagreements, but because of little annoyances too trivial to mention.

The fact that 90 per cent of all employees discharged are let go because of personality
peculiarities should indicate the importance of these things. Do not jeopardize your position either
socially or in business by neglecting to modify your annoying mannerisms.

ROLE OF THE LISTENER

To be a good listener requires much skill. Without listeners, there would be no conversation! The
speaker often is not aware of the degree to which he himself reacts to the response of the listener.

A good listener often causes the speaker to be more inspiring. And he is instrumental in causing
others to be more attentive. As Lockhart says, “An interested listener is always an interesting person to
the speaker.” 1

Listening is not a passive activity. The listener who is inattentive cannot reply intelligently. He may give
one of several impressions-all negative He is dull; he has nothing to say; he is uninterested; he is
unfriendly; he does not wish to respond.

As an active participant, a good listener watches the speaker, his mind is alert to what is being said, and
his responses have been well considered before they are expressed. The following anecdote illustrates
failure on the famous practical joker, contended that people do not pay much attention to what others
say on many occasions.

On a bet he greeted his hostess at a party by to saying, “I’m sorry to be late, but it took me longer to
strangle my uncle than I expected.”

“Yes, indeed,” replied the lady, “so nice of you to have come.”

His friend gasped and paid up.2

Some mention must be made of the self-conscious person who is considered a good listener only
because he does not talk. It is the responsibility of the speaker to draw out the silent listener by finding
a subject that he can discuss with interest and confidence. Everyone has at least one subject that he can
talk about easily.

Physical Elements Of Speech

Tone, pitch, inflection, emphasis, volume, and rate of speech are some of the physical components of
the voice through which ideas and emotions are expressed. No two human voices are alike. They differ
as musical instruments differ. The range of male and female voices taken together is about four octaves.
The lowest male voice ranges approximately one octave above the highest male voice. Male vocal cords
are longer and vibrate proportionately more slowly than the shorter, faster-vibrating female vocal cords.
These factors create the differences in degree of low or high tonal quality in voice production.

Christine Stephens, chief of staff of the John Robert Powers model agency, says:

The stone of voice can cancel the importance of what you say. From it, your listener gets his impression
of what mental and emotional attitude toward your spoken thoughts. For instance, a flat monotone
sounds as though you aren’t interested in what you are saying, so how can you expect others to be? A
belligerent tone gives the impression that you are on the defensive and unsure. A gloomy tone casts a
pessimistic outlook over your thoughts. A harsh tone project an altogether unlovely picture of what’s in
your mind and heart.3

Good posture is important in producing good speech since voice tone and voice control are dependent
upon a steady flow of air from the lungs.
Pitch. Also called melody, pitch is the highness or lowness of tone. For example, high C and middle C on
the piano are the same notes but differ in pitch. This difference in pitch depends upon the number of
times per second the piano string move back and forth, or vibrates. The greater the number of vibration
the higher the pitch. The pitch of the human voice is determined by the vibrating vocal cords. Thus, in
speaking, the voice moves up and down the scale in different registers and with different inflections.

Pitch is affected by and varies with age and sex. A boy’s voice has a quality different from a girl’s voice. A
man’s voice is different from a boy’s voice. Most speaking voices are medium in pitch-low rather than
high. A person can control the pitch of his voice to some degree. For instance, women often talk to
babies in a high falsetto. Sometimes in jest, to disguise your voice, you may speak in a lower or a higher
register than normal. The fact that the pitch of a voice can be controlled has implications for learning to
keep the voice at a pleasant and attractive pitch.

Inflection. The change of pitch within a word or sentence is called inflection and is used to convey added
meanings. Pleasure, irritation, indecision, emphasis, sarcasm, and many other emotional responses can
be shown through inflection. For example, Jane, who is extremely angry with her friend says, “I’ll go see
her again someday!” The words indicate Jane’s intention to visit her friend again but Jane’s strong
inflection on the word “again” denies the meaning of the word.

By inflection, a simple word like “oh” can convey many meanings; for example:

“Oh” – I did not know.

“Oh” – I don’t believe it.

“Oh” – How lovely!

“Oh” – Now I understand.

“Oh” – I’m so glad.

“Oh” – I sympathize with you.

Emphasis. The prominence of utterance given to a word or words is known as emphasis. It is

produced by the proper use of the resonance chambers – the pharynx, the mouth, and the nasal
cavities. Emphasis is used for interpretation – for stressing a word or a phrase, for subordinating
unimportant ideas or words.

Excessive use of emphasis, however, tends to destroy its effectiveness. An illustration of such
overuse occurs when a child’s mother habitually reprimands him with phrases such as “Stop that this
instant.” Eventually, the emphasis by repetition has no more effect on the child than a normal comment
might have.

Volume. Volume includes the intensity, loudness, and resonance of the voice. It may be
decreased or increased, depending on how much air is allowed to pass through the speech organs and
out of the mouth. Great excitement and strong emotional reactions tend to increase volume. The
volume or loudness of the voice varies with the situation. The volume of your speaking voice will be
lower at a dinner table than if you are addressing a large group. Variation in volume can also help you
emphasize your meaning.
 Rate of Speech. This is a combination of timing, phrasing, and rhythm. Pause are the
punctuation marks of speech. They tend to dramatize and make more forceful what you say. Phrasing is
the effective use of pauses and the proper organization of thoughts so that a pleasant rhythmic pattern
is established.

Try to adjust your rate of speech to a normal tempo. The average person may be as annoyed
waiting for the slow speaker to complete a sentence as trying to comprehend a rapid speaker who
garbles words. The degree to which conversation is enjoyed depends upon adjustment to another’s
tempo of speech.

Effective Speech

The art of speaking effectively requires mastery not only of the physical elements of speech but
of other important factors. These are correct pronunciation, clear enunciation, good diction, and proper
ear training. Goof health is also necessary for good speech.

Pronunciation. Words are pronounced correctly when one uses the correct phonetic
sounds, and places the stress on the proper syllable. The diacritical markings found in any good standard
dictionary indicate the phonetic sound of a letter and show correct pronunciation of words. For
example; di-ag’o-nal, rec-on-cil’i-a’tion, mur’mur.

Enunciation. Proper enunciation of words means that each consonant, and each syllable
is articulated clearly and distinctly. Every word is spoken with exactness. Enunciation may be correct
even when pronunciation is incorrect. For example, all of the letters and syllables in the word
“comparable” may be distinctly enunciated; but if the accent is put on the second syllable, the word is
mispronounced.

Diction. Good diction is the discriminating selection of words with just the right shade of
meaning. A good choice of words with adds interest and explicitness to oral or written expression. To
illustrate, the phrase “he said” might be stated mote colorfully and precisely but with distinctly different
meanings if any of the following words were used: affirmed, protested, announced, assured, insisted, or
repeated.

Emotional Color. An overwhelming amount of daily friction is caused by the tone of the
voice, or its emotional color. In any social or business speech situation, you will find yourself responding
as much to the emotional tone. Conveyed by the speaker as to his actual words. And when you are
speaking, do not overlook your emotional tone as a factor in effective speech. Beware of allowing
sarcasm or ridicule to appear in your tone. Avoid a condescending, patronizing tone if you wish to
establish rapport with your listeners.

Ear Training. The development of good speech habits and the improvement of the speaking
voice depend to some extent on good ear training. As a child grows up, his speech he has heard in his
daily life. Experiences at home and at school, listening to the radio, watching television, seeing movies,
and hearing professional speakers are all sources for ear training and aids in developing better speech
patterns.

Health. Good health contributes to both the emotional quality and delivery of affective speech.
Enthusiasm and cheerfulness are not easily feigned in the speech of someone who is not feeling well.
Adequate sleep and attention to such necessities as proper food and exercise can pay dividends in your
speech.

Your voice is the sounding board of your thoughts and emotions. Listen to yourself. How much
of the real you-the person you wish others to know-do you reveal thought your voice?

Vocabulary

Each of us commands a reading, a writing, and a speaking vocabulary. The reading vocabulary is
probably the most extensive, for it contains many words which are understood in context but which you
might not be able to define, or to use in writing or speaking.

The writing vocabulary is usually large than the speaking vocabulary. Words which can be used
aptly in writing may be avoided in speech because of uncertainly of the correct pronunciation, lack of
time to make careful word choices, or fear of sounding wordy or of using new terms incorrectly.

The words in your speaking vocabulary are usually the old faithful tested by time and usage. But
sometimes they are worn out by overuse, or are meaningless clichés. To speak effectively you need an
adequate supply of fresh, exact, colorful words at your command.

Vocabulary building is a fascinating, rewarding project. You can increase your vocabulary by
reading, listening to others, studying a foreign language, and using books especially prepared for
building the vocabulary.

In attempting to increase your vocabulary, make it a point to look up new words which you are
most likely to be able to use in your own speech. Use a dictionary to find the meaning and correct
pronunciation of each new word. Then use the new words as possible.

Gorham Munson, noted critic and writer, suggests that new words be written in sentences that
you would not be ashamed to have published. He says that thinking enough about a word to use it
correctly in an intelligent sentence makes it your own. Strive to use the right word in the right place. Use
simple, clear expressions.

Importance Of Correct English

Dr. Frank M. Surface, consultant to Standard Oil Company (New Jersey), stresses good English in an
article, “Industry Looks to Education.”

The is one field to which I should like to call special attention. It is the ability to write and speak
the English language. In some hundreds of young College men and women who at one time or another
have come under my jurisdiction, the greatest fault I have had to find is in this field. Too often young
employees who are capable in other respects cannot express their ideas in succint and forceful English.
It is a serious handicap.

You do not have to be an expect grammarian. You do need to avoid the simple errors of speech
into which you may lapse through carelessness. Brush up in grammar occasionally. Good grammar can
add to your general effectiveness because you will be sure of yourself. Poor grammar, on the other
hand, will make you the object of ridicule and pity. Even more damaging, others may judge you as
intellectually inferior.
Suggestions For Improving Speech

No one need have an unpleasant voice or undesirable speech habits. Good speech habits can spare you
embarrassing moments and develop self-confidence in the normal exchanges required in conversations
and discussions.

If you sincerely wish to improve your speech, you must be willing to take positive action toward
improvement. Begin by following these simple steps.

1. Make a habit of breathing properly.

2. Organize your thoughts and ideas before you speak.
3. Develop a positive attitude.
4. Think of listeners as helpful and friendly rather than critical.
5. Concentrate on the meaning you are trying to convey.
6. Acquire-by practice-effective vocal tone, pitch, and speech techniques.
7. Analyze the attractive voice qualities of good speakers.
8. Make a recording of your voice and analyze it for effective voice qualities.
9. If possible, have your voice qualities an analyzed by a speech specialist.

Speech Defects

Speech defects may be classified as functional, organic or emotional in origin.

Functional speech disorders are by far the most frequent. They are most often caused by failure to open
the mouth and by lazy lips and palate, incorrect breathing, lack of ear training, nasality, throatiness, and
tenseness. Defects of this type can be corrected through diligent practice. A competent speech therapist
can assist in the correction of more serious functional disorders.

The most serious speech disorders result from organic or emotional causes. Organic defects, such as a
cleft palate or a growth on the vocal cords, require the attention of a physician. Speech defects, such as
severe stuttering, may be caused by emotional problems and require the help of a speech therapist,
possibly even a psychiatrist. Although you cannot change fundamental structures, It is possible
nevertheless, to overcome functional and less serious emotional speech disorders.