MODULE 4 - BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

What Are Effective Speaking Skills?

American writer Dale Carnegie famously said, “There are always three speeches, for everyone you
actually gave. The one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave.” His words
are a testament to the importance of speaking skills when it comes to communication.

Effective speaking has the power to change history, whether it is to turn the tide of war or announce
the independence of a nation. In the modern context, speaking skills have been effective in launching
iconic products. They have even brought back companies from the edge of bankruptcy.
The right combination of words and gestures can inspire people, spur them into action, and get them
to dedicate themselves to a cause.

What are speaking skills?

People believe that effective speaking is a natural talent. Either you have it or you do not. But this is
not true. You can learn different types of speaking skills and become good at it.
You cannot take speaking skills lightly, no matter how talented you are. If you speak with conviction
and passion, it will help the audience relate to you, believe in you, and remember you.
The question then is: what are speaking skills? They are techniques that enable a speaker to convey a
message effectively.
Speaking skills don’t just involve the use of the right words. Your body language also has a major
role in conveying a message.

There are three main aspects of effective speaking:

 Vocabulary: Language is an integral part of speaking skills. The words you use must suit
the occasion and the audience. For example, the language you use when speaking to a friend
is different from the one you use for a formal presentation.
Effective speakers customize their message to suit their audience. The audience is familiar
with certain types of words. It’s important to use such words to get them to respond. For
example, using industry terms in a client meeting can evoke desired responses.

As a general rule, shorter and simpler sentences work well. They are easier to process and
understand, and they create a sense of urgency. For example, in the Avengers series of
movies, when Captain America says, “Avengers assemble!”, and not “Avengers, gather
around me”, the message becomes memorable and impactful.
 Similarly, the memorable line in Jawaharlal Nehru’s Independence Day speech in August
1947, “At the stroke of the midnight hour”, conveyed the gravity of the occasion, which a line
like “At 12.00 am...” may not have.

 Voice: Another aspect of speaking skills in communication that is often ignored is your
voice. It includes pitch, tone, and strength. How you speak signals your emotional state.
A low voice and too many pauses could denote hesitation. Clarity and volume could denote
confidence. A strong and confident tone portrays conviction. People believe what you say
when you deliver it in a strong voice.
Public speaking requires practice. You might be quite comfortable talking to small groups or
in informal settings. But that is not the same as addressing a large crowd, which is why
practice and rehearsals matter.
You can slowly read your message aloud, making sure you pause at the appropriate places.
This will help you polish your speaking style. Good orators have a tone and style which they
own. It’s his distinctive voice that makes Morgan Freeman a favourite Hollywood narrator.

 Nonverbal: The final aspect of speaking skills is not about speaking at all. Nonverbal
communication consists of body language. It includes facial expression, posture, eye contact,
and hand gestures. Your body language must match your words for your address to be
effective.
Your body language signals to the audience how invested you are into what you are speaking
about. It shows the passion behind your words and helps draw the audience emotionally to
your message and make them feel involved.

The importance of speaking skills

You might think that you’re never going to lead an army or coach a cricket team. So why
would you need to practice speaking skills? The fact is, such skills will come in handy not
only at your workplace but also in your personal life. Here's how:

 Getting them to say ‘yes’

One of the objectives of speaking effectively is the ability to persuade: when you
need your manager to back your idea, when you want your team to work longer hours
or when your spouse needs convincing to watch your favourite movie. These are all
instances that require effective speaking.
The whole point of speaking skills is to be able to sway people’s opinions. It’s to get
them to act in alignment with your goals.

 Developing a career edge

Being an effective speaker separates you from the corporate herd and pitches you as a
valuable resource for your company. It, of course, gives you an edge over your
colleagues. Effective communicators get special treatment because they are often
asked to represent the company. They’re the ones meeting the important clients,
negotiating, and closing deals, and building a reputation for the company.
 For example, when you need to impress a new client, you send your best salesperson.
You won’t send in someone new or inexperienced. The best salesperson is almost
always your best speaker.
When it’s time for promotions and bonuses, speakers are rewarded first. Companies
invest significantly in their training. They’re the ones who get groomed for leadership
posts.

 Developing a career edge

Speaking skills hold a special place of value. Good speakers are also good writers for
they would have written several drafts of each speech.
Good speakers are also those who can connect and empathize with people. This
makes them approachable and authentic. Often, people gravitate towards them for
support and advice.
They are also readers, as reading helps expand the vocabulary and develop the flair
for using suitable words for different situations.
Thus, practicing speaking skills leads to the development of writing, listening, and
reading skills too.

 Developing a career edge

Effective speaking signals subject matter expertise because of the research that the
making of a good speech would involve. That is why a good speaker is also regarded
as a leader and influencer.
Popular intellectuals such as Barack Obama and Richard Dawkins are all good
speakers. When they talk, we believe them. We trust them to know what they’re
talking about. To rise to a position of fame and influence, having effective speaking
skills is a must.

 Developing a career edge

Establishing a genuine connection with the audience gives a sense of

accomplishment. Listening to the audience's applause is a great boost for self-esteem.
Being appreciated by the audience is like receiving a gift for all the hard work that a
speaker puts in.

Types of speaking skills and frameworks

While speaking effectively is rewarding, it is also challenging. Various speaking skills and
frameworks can help overcome the challenges.
 1. Aristotle’s Appeals: One of the most useful frameworks speakers use is Aristotle’s
Appeals. They help you find various ways to appeal to the audience. Your appeal can
be based on logic, authority, and emotion.
The audience might listen to you because your argument makes sense. They might
listen because you’ve appealed to their anger or sadness or some other emotion. They
could also listen to you because you’re an expert.
These different types of appeals are also known as Logos, Ethos, and Pathos.

2. The PAM Framework: Another useful framework is PAM (Purpose, Audience, and
Message). You convey the purpose or objective of your speech to the audience
through a verbal message.
The PAM framework requires you to know your audience, their triggers, likes, and
dislikes.

3. The Three Ws: You can also use an introspective framework. This is where The
Three Ws of speaking will come to your aid.
The first ‘W’ is ‘Why are you delivering this speech?’ The second is ‘Who is
listening?’ And the third ‘What are you talking about?’ Together these questions
help you define your purpose and your audience. The third question helps you
structure your speech.

The importance of speaking effectively lies in its tremendous potential to induce change. A
good speech can inspire employees and even save companies.
Their words may fade over time, but the feeling they leave us with never diminishes. In the words of
American poet Maya Angelou, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget
what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
To learn more, sign up for Harappa Education’s Speaking Effectively course. It covers all these
concepts and a few more including the Harappa Idea Funnel and the Elevator Pitch. Join now to learn
how to become an effective speaker.

What is Speaking?
Speaking is the skill that makes human beings different from and superior to the species of living
beings. Speaking is a complex cognitive and linguistic skill. A child learns to speak through
interaction with the people around him/her in their native language. Every normal adult can speak in
his/her native language without effort and this skill is a natural one. But speaking in a foreign
language is not natural and it requires conscious effort throughout the whole process.

Speaking is a verbal skill that involves words and sounds. It also involves:

 Meaning: connotation, denotation, grammar

  Sociality, Relationship, affect: formal, informal, slang, turn-taking
 Cultural Issues: class, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, dialect
 Performance: articulation, projection, pronunciation
 Sound Elements: how volume, pitch, pace, and nature of sound
complement/contradict/replace words.

Function of speaking
The mastery of speaking skills in English is a priority for many second and foreign language learners.
Several language experts have attempted to categorize the functions of speaking in human interaction.
According to Brown and Yule there are three function of speaking, “…three part version of Brown
and Yule’s framework (after Jones 1996 and Burns 1998): talks as interaction: talk as transaction: talk
as performance. Each of these speech activities is quite distinct in term of form and function and
requires different teaching approaches.”

1)      Talk as interaction

Our daily communication remains interactional with other people. This refers to what we said as

conversation. It is an interactive communication which done spontaneous by two or more

person. This is about how people try to convey his message to other people. Therefore,

they must use speaking skill to communicate to another person. The main intention in this

function is social relationship.

2) Talk as transaction

In talk as transaction is more focus on message that conveyed and making others

person understand what we want convey, by clearly and accurately. In this

type of spoken language, students and teacher usually focus on meaning

or talking what their way to understanding.

3) Talk as performance

In this case, speaking activities is more focus on monolog better than dialog. Function of

speaking as performance happened at speeches, public talks, public announcements, retell story,

telling story and so on.