MABINI COLLEGES, INC.

Daet, Camarines Norte

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS

1st Sem., A.Y.2022-2023

GEC 5- Purposive Communication

MODULE 8
Title: Communication for Various Purposes

Name of Student: ______________________________________________________

Course/ year: _________________________________________________________
Class Schedule: _________________________________________________________

Module Overview:

As college students, you are now expected to answer questions more effectively both in oral and
written forms. Writing and speaking are just two of the macro-skills which are necessary to be developed
as you face the future ahead of you. To be an effective communicator or speaker it is must to expose
yourself too often in speaking situations, it also requires a steadfast belief in your abilities, perseverance
and tremendous courage.
This module provides you different strategies and/or tips to help you improve and develop your
skills as communicators. The recommended activities will allow you to write and speak in an organized
and competent manner. This will also guide you in analyzing your perceived strengths and weaknesses.

Learning Outcomes

After completing this module, you should be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the conventions of the explanation essay.

• Write and explanation essay of at least 500 words on a topic of choice.
• Deliver effectively the introduction and conclusion of your oral presentation to create
lasting impressions.
• Employ vocal, and physical factors, eye contact, and presentation aids for effective
delivery.

LECTURE NOTES
READ THIS…

Writing an Explanation Essay

 ‘Why’ questions are very important. If people in ancient times of the recent past did not ask
‘why’ questions or attempt to answer these questions, we would have very limited knowledge about
many things in our world. If Isaac Newton, for example, did not ask why things fell after throwing them
up, he would not have discovered the law of universal gravitation.

Addressing ‘why’ questions means providing explanations for phenomena. An explanation essay is one
such example of a written piece of work that addresses ‘why’ questions. It explains a topic to its readers.
Since it is meant to inform or educate the readers, the essay should present convincing and adequate
support for the explanations.

THE ORAL PRESENTATION

Preparing a Speech or Oral Report
1. Audience- Know the profile of your listeners. It is important that you know who will listen to you. - their
age, gender, educational background, religion, economic status, and interests.

2. Logistics- It is something basic and essential for every speaker to know who is organizing the event.
Know who will be introducing you and who will be speaking before and after you. That way, you will be
able to tie up the earlier presentation with your own resulting in a more coherent presentation.

2.1Venue- The venue is equally important. Locate the lights, and if you have movable visual aids, know
where to position them. As a speaker, you should also know how to position yourself and how you should
move in front to get the attention of your listeners.

2.2 Facilities- Ask beforehand about the pieces of equipment available for you. These facilities should
match the presentation aids that you will use. If there is no available projector, find a way to have one
especially if your visual aids are highly complex.

3. Content of report/speech/lecture – If the purpose of the event is to inform just like in a convention,
conference, or a training seminar, it is expected that you are able to contribute new information. If the
purpose is to entertain, your speech should be lighthearted, amusing, and lively. If the purpose is to
persuade, your presentation should be convincing enough.

The following are some tips for you:

Read a lot. Research on the topic assigned to you. With the fast-changing times, it is certain that there are
new developments that have occurred in the field.

Prepare your oral presentation with an introduction, body, and a conclusion. There are different
techniques to open and close your presentation: (a) using a startling or shocking statement; (b) beginning
with a question; (c) using a quotation; (d) narrating an anecdote or a story; (e) singing a line from a song;
and (f) presenting statistics.

Rehearse by practicing aloud and getting the feedback of those who will act as your audience during the
rehearsal stage.
For the introduction, use gambits such as:
a. I would like to talk about …
b. I believe that the topic is …
 c. Let me relate a...
For the conclusion, use gambits or expressions such as
a. Summing up the points I discussed earlier…
b. To summarize…
c. In conclusion…
d. To conclude…
e. Finally, …
f. To end my talk or speech …

Use technology. Technology forms part of their audio and visual aids. Technology tools should be used
sparingly. Visuals should be utilized only to enhance your presentations. Thus, do not copy and paste on
the slides what you are to say the simply read them on verbatim.

Paralinguistic cues
Eye-to-eye contact are very important. There is a saying which states: “That eyes are the window to the
soul”. This means that by establishing eye contact or through gazing, one can detect the emotional state
of a person.

Posture on the other hand, refers to speakers’ stance. How speakers carry themselves during the
presentation will show whether they possess credibility.

Another important variable is gesture. Speakers who employ gestures in their speeches or reports are
more convincing that those who do not. Gestures are used to make a point more emphatic.

Finally, there is movement. Whereas some gestures are made by some parts of the body such as the hand
and the arm, movement is made by the entire body. Swaying one’s body from left to right, side to side,
front to back, or pacing from one side of the stage/platform to the other, can be exhibiting a negative
verbal cue.

Prosodic features
When making a presentation, there are features that you need to observe. When you speak, aim at
delivering your message clearly through intelligible and comprehensible pronunciation. You need to
articulate the sounds clearly by paying attention to how you move your lips, tongue, and teeth. An aspect
of articulation is assimilation. It means blending the final sound of a preceding word with the initial sound
of the following word.
Reference/s:

Barrot, Jessie S. PhD et. al. Purposive Communication in the 21st Century
(C & E Publishing, Inc.: Quezon City, 2018)
SyGaco, Sonia B., PhD. Principles and Competencies in Purposive Communication
(Great Books Publishing: West Avenue, Quezon City, 2018)
Austo, Africa C. PhD Purposive Communication in the Now
(Books Atbp. Publishing Corp. Barangka Drive, Mandaluyong City)