Oral

Communication
in Context
Quarter 2 MELC 9
Effects of Shift in Speech Context, Speech
Style, Speech Acts, and Communicative
Strategies


Guide in Using PIVOT Learners saterial sodule

For the Parent/Guardian

Learning never stops in the four corners of the classroom. With the
new normal brighter than anything we could ever imagine, the edu-
cation sector will be needing the help of parents/guardians more
frequently and essentially as before. Using this module, the parents
may guide their students of some
questions they might ask along the
way. The parents may share their ex-
periences of the things—positive or
negative—they encounter while com-
municating. Processed experiences
are the great teachers. As a parent/
guardian, you may advise your stu-
dents how effective communication is
achieved by citing years of factual re-
alizations and examples.

For the Learner

Even from time immemorial, it is true that the future of the world de-
pends on the learners. Yes, I am referring to you. You are a diligent,
smart, young student who will be equipped for the wonderful future
that is waiting for you. All that must be done is to work on this module
and study the contents religiously so
you can become a successful com-
municator. Nothing is impossible
when communication is done posi-
tively, passionately, and successfully.
Once this module is accomplished,
you are expected to be a compe-
tent speaker. Remember, compe-
tence in speaking is significant no
matter what field you take.
 A What I need to know?
This supplementary learning material was designed to help you
master the effects of shift of certain speech factors. The scope of this ma-
terial permits it to be used in many different learning situations.

After going through this material, you are expected to:

a. Recall the importance of speech context, style, and strategies in com-
munication;
b. Explain that a shift in speech context, style, act, and strategies affect
language form, duration of interaction, relationship of the speaker, role
and responsibilities of the speaker, message, and its delivery;
c. Use the speech context, style and strategies in making an effective
communication through a given situation;
d. Create a dialogue showing the effects of shift in context, style, act, or
strategy.
e. Appreciates the value of an effective communication.
 B What do I know?
Let’s take a walk down memory lane and recall what you remem-
ber from the previous discussions about speech context, speech style,
speech acts, and communicative strategies. Rearrange the jumbled let-
ters below and figure out what the descriptive clues try to define. Write
your answers on the spaces provided.

1. _____________________________

2. _____________________________

3. _____________________________

4. _____________________________
5. _____________________________
C What is in?
Word Equations. Solve the word equations below so you will have
an idea of what to expect in this lesson.

1. _____________________________

2. _____________________________

3. _____________________________
D What is new?
In the previous topics, speech contexts are identified to have two
types: intrapersonal and interpersonal. Intrapersonal communication is
simply put as talking to one’s self as he acts both as the receiver and
sender of his message (thoughts). On the other hand, interpersonal com-
munication exists between and among people. The latter is categorized
into four: dyad, small group, public, and mass communication.
On the other hand, speech style is defined as the way people com-
municate which can be categorized as intimate, casual, consultative, for-
mal, and frozen.
A speech act is an actual utterance that a speaker says to attain a
desired effect. For example, when a person is apologetic, he will create
utterances that makes him sorry over something. This can also be done in
a form of greeting, request, refusal, agreement, or commendation.
Speech acts has three types: (1) locutionary – actual act of uttering; (2)
illocutionary – the social function or the intended effect; and (3) perlocu-
tionary – the resulting act.
Lastly, communicative strategies are the techniques communica-
tors use to start, maintain, and end conversation. Cohen (1990) suggests
that people use seven: nomination, restriction, turn-taking, topic control,
topic shifting, repair, and termination.
All these were religiously discussed in the previous lessons. In this
module, the focus is the shift. Norms were provided on how to achieve ef-
fective and successful communication. But we all know that a smooth
conversation does not happen all the time. That is where shift comes into
play. If the norms are changed and the smoothness of the talk is broken,
what happens? This module will therefore discuss the effect of this shift in
language form, duration of interaction, relationship of the speaker, roles
and responsibilities of the speaker, message, and delivery.
E What is it?
Language Form
Linguistically speaking, this refers to the grammatical structure of
words and phrases in a sentence. If there is a shift in context and form,
let’s take a look at the example below:

Some random guy threw his drank on me.

As a person who is listening to the speaker, one might think, oh, it’s a teen-
ager and the drink could be soda as young adults normally drink car-
bonated drinks. However, the story will be different if the speaker uttered
any of the sentences below:

Some random man threw his drink on me.

Some random boy threw his chocolate on me.

Do you now see the difference? There are also words with unwanted con-
notations that affect how a listener understands the message. Let’s try to
use the words hostess and salvage in the Philippines. In a Filipino’s context,
a hostess is an employee who does sexual services and salvage is a crime
that leads to the death of another. When in fact, the former is a female
host and the latter means an act of saving something.
Culture plays a vital role in the language formation of individual
speakers. The best thing to do is to study and appreciate the culture of
the person whom one is talking to. Technically speaking, that is called cul-
tural relativity or understanding someone’s thoughts, actions, and words
based on that person’s point of view.

Duration of Interaction
How long must a person normally interact? Are there rules stating
the amount of time a person must only spend talking? It is said that peo-
ple spend averagely 20% of each day socializing with others and most of
the time, it is by face-to-face interaction (FTF) (Dunbar, 1998). Remember,
the duration of interaction depends on how well a speaker controls the
topic, maybe by avoiding topic shifting and by terminating the talk well.
When one thinks of speech or speaking, he may imagine a one-
way message from speaker to audience. However, what makes a fasci-
nating speech is that the speaker engages and interacts with his audi-
ence. Interaction plays a vital role in speaking, regardless of the situa-
tion—public or intimate. Note that an engaged audience is more likely to
pay attention to the speaker.

How does a speaker establish interaction?

1. Calling out their names for questions that the speaker wants to ask
2. Calling out select members of the audience,
3. Use of nonverbal cues (eye contact, facial expressions, gestures).

Note that a speaker’s actions are just as significant as his message

in front of an audience. However, note that all body language requires
the right context. The shift of gesture—when the speaker crosses arms,
slouches, raises eyebrows, or frowns—can connote a negative meaning
despite the words he uses.

Relationship of Speaker
A speaker who exhibits socially accepted behaviors while com-
municating will likely create a neutral environment that would elicit posi-
tive responses among both the communicators and interlocutors. A posi-
tive speaker who is engaged, professional, and sensitive will nurture favor-
able responses among his colleagues. If this positive aura changes, the
flow communication will likely be short and fast (Gislason, 2009).
The relationship between the speaker and the listener is direct
(Peterson, 2015). It is the speaker’s job to elicit trust for the audience or lis-
tener to engage and follow where the speaker leads.

With these in mind, a speaker may ask himself the following ques-
tions (Peterson, 2015):
1. Are you the right person to speak in front of this audience?
2. Why is this audience important to you?
3. Why is the message important for you or to be told?
4. What are your goals and intentions in bringing this message?

To establish relationship with the audience more, he may also think

about these:
1. What is your relationship with your audience?
2. Why do they want to listen to you?
3. What do they know about your topic?
4. What do the listeners want, need, or expect to hear from your talk?
 What will happen if the speaker does not initiate an approachable
relationship to his listener? Reflect on it.

Role and Responsibilities of the Speaker

The speaker always plays the most important role in the conversa-
tion to keep it going. Normally, speeches have three general purposes: to
inform, to persuade, and to entertain. However, most of the time, they
tend to overlap. For example, informative speeches are persuasive in na-
ture because they drive the audience into believing that they are accu-
rate (Harlan, 1993). Also, very dry technical speeches can be entertaining
when the speaker presents colorful illustrations, purple language, and ani-
mated visuals in his presentation. The duration and the engagement of
the listeners depend on the topic and how well he delivers it given differ-
ent situations, contexts, and styles. It is therefore imperative that the
speaker is guided by the following roles (LumenLearning.com):
1. Informative
2. Credible
3. Knowledgeable
4. Makes the topic relevant

It is also required that the speaker boosts his credibility by making

sure that his responsibilities in the following are maintained
(LumenLearning.com):
1. Establishes expertise by:
⇒ Citing credible sources
⇒ Making sure facts are given
⇒ Revealing personal experience about the topic
2. Helps the audience connect with him by:
⇒ Wearing appropriate clothing
⇒ Mentioning commonalities
⇒ Being friendly and approachable
⇒ Relating to the listeners’ affections, situations, and goals
3. Shows that he is telling the truth by:
⇒ Presenting both sides of the argument
⇒ Sharing what led the speaker to commit with the topic
⇒ Establishing natural nonverbal cues that connect to what is
said
⇒ Maintains ethics all throughout the talk
Message
The shift in context, style, speech act, and strategy will affect how
the listener understands the message. For example, in a consultative style,
when a doctor speaks informally and does not show compassion over his
patient, the latter might not trust the credibility of the professional. Re-
member, whatever the style or the situation is, the speaker must always
exhibit a positive and neutral environment so messages of any form of de-
gree will be understood. If you are to be asked, how do you want your
doctor to be like?
Another conversation starter that you may ask your friends is, how
does ABS-CBN’s news titles—if ever the case is true—affect people’s af-
fection and trust toward President Rodrigo Duterte?

Delivery
Speech delivery is normally affected when a speaker is facing vari-
ous speaking environments: i.e. when he speaks to a specific audience, in
an open-air venue or outside the building, in different venues, with a mi-
crophone, or on a podium or lectern. Memorized or read, speeches or
talks vary greatly and dependently on who the speaker is talking to.
F What is more?
Meeting a Celebrity
Write a short explanation of your most honest responses in the box
below.

Meet Francis Kong, he is a known public speaker who is very fa-

mous in the Philippines. He is running a clothing company and has deliv-
ered 336 talks, training sessions, and seminars both here and abroad. If
he is to be invited by the school to be an inspirational speaker, will he be
credible?
G What I can do?
Self-Questionnaire in Communication Skills
Assess your communication skills using the self-questionnaire tool be-
low. Check the box corresponding to your most honest response.

Not
Very
at Some- Often
Rarely Often
No. Parameters All times (4 Total
(2 pts) (5
(1 (3 pts) pts)
pts)
pt)
1 I try to anticipate and predict
possible causes of confusion,
and I deal with them up front.
2 When I write a memo, email,
or other document, I give all of
the background information
and detail I can to make sure
that my message is under-
stood.
3 If I don't understand some-
thing, I tend to keep this to
myself and figure it out later.
4 I'm surprised to find that peo-
ple haven't understood what
I've said.
5 I can tend to say what I think,
without worrying about how
the other person perceives it. I
assume that we'll be able to
work it out later.
6 When people talk to me, I try
to see their perspectives.
7 I use email to communicate
complex issues with people.
It's quick and efficient.
8 When I finish writing a report,
memo, or email, I scan it
quickly for typos and so forth,
and then send it off right
away.
9 When talking to people, I pay
attention to their body lan-
guage.
 Not
Very
at Some- Often
Rarely Often
No. Parameters All times (4 Total
(2 pts) (5
(1 (3 pts) pts)
pts)
pt)
10 I use diagrams and charts to
help express my ideas.
11 Before I communicate, I think
about what the person needs
to know, and how best to con-
vey it.
12 When someone's talking to
me, I think about what I'm
going to say next to make sure
I get my point across correctly.
13 Before I send a message, I
think about the best way to
communicate it (in person,
over the phone, in a newslet-
ter, via memo, and so on).
14 I try to help people under-
stand the underlying concepts
behind the point I am discuss-
ing. This reduces misconcep-
tions and increases under-
standing.
15 I consider cultural barriers
when planning my communi-
cations.
Total

Score Interpretation:
15-35 You need to keep working on your communication skills.
36-55 You’re capable but you sometimes experience communica-
tion problems.
56-75 You understand your role as a communicator.
H What else I can do?
Unleash the Innate Shakespeare
Compose a dialogue/script showing the effects of shift in context,
style, act, or strategy. Label the parts as to when language form is affect-
ed, message, delivery, and so on. Input your masterpiece in the box.
 I What I can do?
Do an ambush investigation and observe the manner how people
you’ve spoken to for the day interacted with you. Jot down your observa-
tions on the matrix below.

Per- Rela- Observations on . . .

son’s tion-
Lan- Duration Relation- Role and Mes- Deliv-
Name ship
guage of inter- ship of responsibili- sage ery
/ Alias
form action speaker ties of the
speaker
 J What I have learned?
1. The shift in speech context, speech style, speech act, and communi-
cative strategies affect language form, duration of interaction, rela-
tionship of speaker, roles and responsibilities of a speaker, message,
and delivery.
2. Shift means change, or anything that cause something to change.
Shift in any of the abovementioned factors in a talk breaks the mo-
mentum of a smooth conversation.
3. Language form refers to the grammatical structure of words and
phrases in a sentences. Culture has the biggest role in understanding
or rejecting the message in terms of word use.
4. The duration of interaction depends on how well the speaker manages
to stay in a conversation. Staying means with the audience. A one-
way talk is a boring talk. The speaker has to make sure that his audi-
ence is involved.
5. A speaker who exhibits socially accepted behaviors while communi-
cating will likely create a neutral environment that would elicit positive
responses among both the communicators and interlocutors.
6. A speaker has to make sure that he practices his roles and responsibili-
ties religiously to continue a meaningful conversation and to avoid
conflict or misunderstandings. The speaker has the biggest role in the
delivery and comprehension of the message.
K Assessment
Answer the questions as honestly as possible in at least three sentences
each. Remember to use correct language mechanics (i.e. spelling, punc-
tuations, capitalizations, and grammar).

1. Does culture affect a speaker’s language use? Give examples.

2. How must a speaker act to establish harmonious relationship with

his listener?

3. Cite the basic rules and responsibilities of a speaker.

4. What makes a speaker credible?

5. Were there times in your life that your delivery of a message turned
from positive to awkward? Recall the situation.
 L Additional Activity
Do an ambush investigation and observe the manner how people
you’ve spoken to for the day interacted with you. Jot down your observa-
tions on the matrix below.

Per- Rela- Observations on . . .

son’s tion-
Lan- Duration Relation- Role and Mes- Deliv-
Name ship
guage of inter- ship of responsibili- sage ery
/ Alias
form action speaker ties of the
speaker
M Answer Key
What I Know
1. Intrapersonal
2. Consultative
3. Perlocutionary
4. Nomination
5. Termination

What is In
1. Language form
2. Duration of interaction
3. Relationship of speaker

What’s More
What I Can Do
Assessment
Additional Activities
*Students’ answers may vary.
L References
Author Unknown. (n.d.) Language functions and forms: A brief summary
[Class module]. Retrieved from http://prodev.elpa21.org/module2/
module2/resources/LanguageFunctionsForms.pdf
Dunbar, R. I. M. (1998). Theory of mind and the evolution of language. Ap-
proaches to the Evolution of Language. Cambridge, England:
Cambridge University Press.
Emerald Works. (n.d.). How good are your communication skills? Speak-
ing, listening, writing, and reading effectively. Mind Tools: Excellent
Skills for an Excellent Career. Retrieved from https://
www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newCS_99.htm
Gislason, H. B. (2009). The relation of the speaker to his audience. Quarter-
ly Journal of Speech, 2 (1). doi: 10.1080/00335631609360513
Lumen Candela. (n.d.). Interaction in public speaking. Lumen Learning.
Retrieved from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-
communications/chapter/interaction-in-public-speaking/
Lumen Candela. (n.d.). Role of speaker. Retrieved from https://
courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-publicspeakingprinciples/
chapter/role-of-speaker/
Peterson, L. (2015, March). The intricate relationship between speaker, lis-
tener, and message. LaniPeterson. Retrieved from http://
lanipeterson.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Relationship-
between-speaker-and-listener-infographic.pdf
Sipacio, P. J. F. & Balgos, A. R. G. (2016). Oral communication in context
for senior high school. Quezon City: C & E.

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Originally compiled and written by Ms. Jessica T. Baybay

Simple Modification by Ms. Jermy Ann P. Ratonel