Speaking

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Today...

1. Purpose of Speaking
2. Barriers in Speaking Effectively
3. Techniques to Improve Speaking

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Definition
“The first duty of a man is to
speak…” R.L. Stevenson.
Business people spend 30% of
their time on speaking.
In a vast context, speaking
means making a speech. We
mean giving a speech: to a small
group or a large audience.

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1. Purposes of Speaking
Speaking has generally the
following purposes:
I. To Inform
II. To Persuade
III. To Explain
IV. To Amuse
V. To Comfort

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I. To Inform
The most important purpose of
speaking is to inform.
It may give the audience
information about personnel,
process, policy, project, progress,
etc.
Speech will carry value only
when it has information for the
audience.
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II. To Persuade
Itis said all the speech is
persuasion.
The most interaction between a
speaker and the audience occurs
when the purpose is to persuade
people to take a particular action.
A speaker begins by providing
facts and figures.
He also offers arguments in
defense. 6
III. To Explain
A speaker may also explain a
situation.
It may remove doubt about any
thing.
It may increase interest in a
product or an idea.
The speaker may compare two
things to reach a decision.
He may also clarify a complex
state of affairs. 7
IV. To Amuse
A speaker may aim at amusing
the audience.
You may also be asked to say few
words in honour of a retiring
person.
You would probably make a few
amusing comments about the
individual.
In this way you make the
employee happy. 8
V. To Comfort
Shakespearean hero Hamlet said,
“ It is not flesh alone that is
subject to a thousand shocks.”
Business may also face loss.
The purpose of speech may also
be to comfort a group of people
who had to suffer.
In such a speech, the audience
feel relieved and gain new
confidence. 9
2.Barriers in Speaking Effectively
Sometimes a speech fails to
bring desired results. Here are
some reasons:

I. Lack of Planning
II. Poor Atmosphere
III. Wrong Diction
IV. Poor Body Language
V. Faulty Delivery
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I. Lack of Planning
Lack of planning is the biggest
barrier in the way of effective
speaking.
Often a speaker does not give
proper attention to the subject,
situation, place, audience, non-
verbal aids.
Such speeches seldom succeed.

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II. Poor Atmosphere
The atmosphere in which words
are delivered plays a vital role in
the success of the speech.
The setting with a partly dark
room, abnormal temperature,
noise, stink, etc, would never
produce a good speech.

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III. Wrong Diction
A major reason for failure of a
speech is that the words of the
speaker are not understandable.
It happens when the speaker has
not analyzed the audience.
With the use of unfamiliar words,
the speaker creates trouble for
the audience.

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IV. Poor Body Language
In a speech, the speaker is also
being inspected. The people not only
listen to him but also see him.
Excessive gestures, body
movements, and facial expressions
divert the attention of the audience.
Words have to play major role in a
speech. They should not be deprived
of their rights. Gestures, etc, should
only be there to help the words.
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V. Faulty Delivery
The style of a speaker is very
important to make a speech
successful.
If the accent, volume, tone,
speed, or pronunciation is faulty,
the audience will be bored.
Similarly producing extra sounds
leaves bad impression.

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3. Techniques to Improve
Speaking
Following steps should be taken
to improve speaking:
I. Prepare Well
II. Know the Situation
III. Choose the Right Way of
Delivery
IV. Display Proper Physical
Behaviour
V. Moderate Vocal Behaviour
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I. Prepare Well
Likeany other activity, speech also
requires preparation.
A good speech requires these steps:
1. Determine the Purpose
2. Analyse the audience
3. Select the main ideas
4. Research the topic
5. Organize the data
6. Create visual aids
7. Rehear the talk
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2. Know the Situation
It is necessary to know the
situation.
The situation may require short
or long speech.
It may range from a few minutes
to an hour.
You may introduce someone,
present an award to a person,
give a briefing to visitors, or
present a company policy. 18
3. Choose the Right Way of
Delivery
The method of delivering a
speech plays a vital role.
The extemporaneous way of
making a speech is the best. In
this way, the speaker makes a
speech with the help of outline,
note cards, or visual aids.
However, if you are giving the
policy statement, the speech
should be read out from the
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4. Display Proper Physical
Behaviour
Physical behaviour includes
appearance, posture, movement,
gesture, facial expressions, etc.
A speaker should be well groomed.
He should look confident.
He should maintain a proper posture
and should move with purpose.
His gestures should assist the words.
He should vary his facial expressions
as the situation requires.
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V. Moderate Vocal
Behaviour
Your voice is your trademark.
Vocal behaviour includes accent,
volume, tone, speed, voice
quality, and pronunciation.
Be sure you can be heard clearly
by every section of the audience.
Vary your tone as per need. Pay
attention to your speed.
Pronounce your words correctly.

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Thank you....

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