COMMUNICATIVE STRATEGIES are plans, ways, Turn-Taking Rules

means of sharing information which are adopted to • Limit interruptions – Participants should wait
achieve a particular social, psychological, or linguistic for the speaker to finish first before interrupting.
purpose. • Properly timed signals – Participants should
wait for verbal and nonverbal cues.
Some participants may be superior from others
• Acknowledge understanding and provide
since they control the flow of the conversation. attention – Participants should dedicate their
The main speaker decides who among the attention to or be interested in the discussion so
that they will know when to take turns.
participants can contribute to the conversation;
this process is called nomination and restriction.
4. Topic shifting occurs when one intentionally or
unintentionally changes the direction of the flow of
1. Nomination refers to the act of the speaker wherein
ideas in a conversation. A speaker usually
he or she invites the participant to join in the
introduces a new topic when he or she is not familiar
conversation or discussion.
or not interested with the topic being talked about.
2. Restriction refers to the act of the speaker wherein
5. Topic control occurs when the main or assigned
he or she restricts or limits participants from
speaker manipulates the discussion so as to
contributing to the conversation or discussion. This
maintain its flow without moving away from or
happens when the Response of the other person is
changing the topic.
constrained or restricted in the Communication
Situation.
6. Repair and Termination
Interruptions are common examples of violations in a
There are two factors to consider for nomination and
conversation. Thus, it is important for each
restriction: social relationships and environment.
participant to know how to recognize these violations
so as to apply specific communication strategies to
Social relationships determine the specific role of the
fix them.
participants whether they can nominate or restrict other
speakers from joining the conversation.
● Grabbing the floor, also called interruption, is
• Higher authorities refer to those who are
committed when a speaker is not able to fulfill
assigned to control the flow of the conversation.
his or her purpose because a participant takes
• Lower authorities refer to the participants who
over the role of being a speaker, without
start as listeners and are then nominated to be
allowing him or her to finish his or her turn first.
speakers when called by the higher authorities.
● Overlapping is similar with grabbing the floor.
Environment refers to the setting of the conversation. It
However, instead of a participant giving up his or
also determines the roles of the speakers.
her turn to another, both of them are talking at
● One-on-one communication: Tutorials and
the same time.
interviews are common settings for nomination
● Hogging the floor occurs when a speaker
and restriction.
ignores others who try to join or take over the
● Group communication: Panel discussion,
discussion.
class discussion, forum, and debates involve
● Being silent, or dead air, happens when no
nomination and restriction.
one wants to speak or take the floor.
3. Turn refers to the opportunity given to a speaker to
talk, whereas turn-taking is a process in which a After disregarding unnecessary topics, speakers
participant stops speaking and yields the floor to may choose to end or terminate the conversation
another participant so he or she could begin to by taking a break, shifting to a new topic,
speak. or rescheduling a conversation.

Turn-Taking Acts
• Keep-turn suggests that a speaker must not
Principles of SPEECH WRITING
stop until he fulfills his purpose in a
conversation. Speech Preparation
• Release-turn suggests that a speaker is 1. Audience analysis entails looking into the profile of
finished talking and is ready to yield the floor to your target audience. This is done so you can tailor-fit
another person to take his or her turn. He or she your speech content and delivery to your audience. Any
may use signals or pause in a conversation. speech presented is intended for the audience or target
• Take-turn suggests that another participant can listeners.
take the role of the speaker.
 ✔ demography (age range, male-female ratio,
Characteristics of a Good Information
educational background and affiliations or - It is up-to-date.
- It comes from a credible source.
✔ degree program taken, nationality, economic - It is objective or unbiased.
status, academic or corporate designations) - It is accurate.

✔ situation (time, venue, occasion, and size) ▪ WORD CHOICE

The following are some tips on how to choose
✔ psychology (values, beliefs, attitudes, the words that you will write in your speech:
preferences, cultural and racial ideologies, and
needs)
a. Choose words that are appropriate for your
2. Determining the Purpose of the Speech audience. If your speech is going to be for preteens,
The purpose for writing and delivering the speech can be avoid using jargon or complex words.
classified into three—to inform, to entertain, or to
persuade. b. Use words that clearly convey your
meaning. Listeners would not be able to reread the
● An informative speech provides the audience speech or consult the dictionary if there are words that
with a clear understanding of the concept or idea they do not understand, so it is best to be clear, direct,
presented by the speaker. and simple in your choice of words.
● An entertainment speech provides the audience
with amusement. c. While writing, keep in mind that your speech is
● A persuasive speech provides the audience with going to be spoken out loud. There is a difference
well-argued ideas that can influence their own between the written word and the spoken word, and the
beliefs and decisions. words you use in your writing should approximate
natural speech.
3. Selecting a Topic
The topic is your focal point of your speech, which can d. Avoid words that convey prejudice. Make sure that
be determined once you have decided on your purpose. the words you use will not alienate or offend your
If you are free to decide on a topic, choose one that audience. Keep in mind that you should be respectful in
really interests you. your speech.

e. Be consistent. Sudden changes in tone and word

❑ In choosing a topic to discuss, the speaker must
choice can be distracting. If you use formal language at
consider the following: the beginning of your speech, use formal language in the
rest.
❖ his or her expertise,

Grammatical Correctness
❖ needs and interests of the
audience, and
a. Use the present tense. The present tense is used for
❖ the purpose of the event. stating facts, habitual actions, and one’s own ideas. It is
the verb tense that is usually used in speeches. You
4. Narrowing down a topic means making your main may, however, shift the tense if needed, such as when
idea more specific and focused. The strategies in referring to an action or event in the past.
selecting a topic can also be used when you narrow b. Use the active voice. Although there is nothing
down a topic. wrong with using the passive voice, it may make the
5. Data gathering is the stage where you collect ideas, sentence unclear and also less impactful. For example,
information, sources, and references relevant or related instead of saying “The solution is something we should
to your specific topic. think about,” it would be better to say this instead: “We
should think of a solution.”
This can be done by visiting the library, browsing the c. Avoid run-ons and fragments. Check your speech
web, observing a certain phenomenon or event related for run-ons and fragments. Break down run-ons into
to your topic, or conducting an interview or survey. several shorter sentences and turn fragments into
complete sentences.
The speech should contain well-researched information
that will help the audience understand your message or
the central idea of your speech.
 the speech.
OVERVIEW OF THE MAIN POINTS: This provides the
audience a brief overview of the main points that the
speech will tackle. It gives the audience an idea of the
flow of the speech.

BODY
The body of the speech provides explanations,
examples, or any details that can help you deliver your
purpose and explain the main idea of your speech.

One major consideration in developing the body of your

WRITING PATTERNS speech is the focus or central idea. The body of your
speech should only have one central idea.

The following are some strategies to highlight your main

idea.

▪ Present real-life or practical examples

▪ Show statistics

▪ Present comparisons

▪ Share ideas from the experts or practitioners

CONCLUSION

The conclusion restates the main idea of your speech.

Furthermore, it provides a summary, emphasizes the
message, and calls for action. While the primary goal of
the introduction is to get the attention of your audience,
the conclusion aims to leave the audience with a
memorable statement.

▪ The following are some strategies.

❖ Begin your conclusion with a restatement of your

message.

❖ Use positive examples, encouraging words, or

SPEECH WRITING
memorable lines from songs or stories familiar to
your audience.
INTRODUCTION
Usually written in one paragraph only, this first part of the ❖ Ask a question or series of questions that can
speech aims to arouse the attention of the audience, make your audience reflect or ponder.
present the main idea (or thesis) and the purpose of the
speech, and give an overview of the main points of the
speech.
PRINCIPLES OF SPEECH DELIVERY
The following parts compose the introduction: Articulation is the shaping of speech sounds
(consonants and vowels) by the tongue, lips, palate, jaw,
HOOK. This is a statement that grabs the audience’s and teeth, which are called articulators. It includes both
attention. It intrigues, draws in, and motivates the the utterance of words or pronunciation , and the clarity
audience to keep on listening to the speech. of speech sounds or enunciation .
THESIS STATEMENT: This is a sentence that states the
central idea of the speech.
PURPOSE: This reveals the goal of the speech. It
Voice modulation refers to varying the voice in terms of
explains how the audience can benefit from listening to
pitch, power, and pace, which makes a speech more
pleasing to the ear and allows a speaker to convey the
right emotions.

Pitch refers to the highness or lowness of a

voice. A speaker should vary the pitch to reinforce the
message.

Power is the vocal energy or intensity exerted by

a speaker. The speaker should create power or intensity
in his or her voice to emphasize points without being
loud.

Pace, also called rate , is the speed of a

speaker’s utterance. speaker should use a flexible rate
that will convey the message clearly and will give the
audience time to hear and understand it.

Becoming a good public speaker does not only entail

having the ability to speak eloquently but also the ability
to command the attention of the audience. This is called
stage presence . It involves the speaker’s appearance,
projection, and manner on the stage.

Facial expressions reveal the speaker’s emotions and

signal to the audience the interpretation of the given
message.

Gestures are purposeful movements of the head, arms,

hands, and other parts of the body.

Movements, or the act of moving from one spot to

another during delivery, can signal transition from one
idea to the next.

Remember: A good public speaker utilizes the body as a

tool for illustrating and emphasizing ideas. Facial
expressions, gestures, and movements should be
genuine, appropriate, well timed, and clearly visible
without being overwhelming.