Conversation Starters and Vocal

Delivery
 STARTING A
CONVERSATION WITH
A NATIVE SPEAKER

 Each culture has their own way of starting conversations

 Native American English speakers have their own unique forms of vocal delivery
 Achieving the right volume, pitch, rate, and non-verbal actions are important in
mastery for ESL learners
 ARTICULATION

•Articulation is the clarity or distinction with which

sounds are made. 
•A speaker can articulate clearly while pronouncing
poorly (or vice versa). 
•A lack of articulation is often referred to as
mumbling, which can be frustrating for listeners
and cause them to underestimate a speaker’s
credibility. 
•Strong articulation can be achieved by giving
sufficient support and space to consonants and
vowels as you say them.
 VOLUME
•The volume of your speaking voice depends on the
amount of air you project through your larynx (voice
box). 
•Effective speakers speak loudly enough for everyone in
the room to hear them. 
•Some contexts may compel a speaker to lower her
volume (to create intrigue or mark a transition to a more
serious topic). 
•Effective speakers are attuned to their audiences: Are
people leaning forward with one ear tilted toward you?
Are they wincing?
PITCH
The pitch of your voice is determined by how fast the folds in your vocal chords vibrate. 

You may tend to speak with high, medium, or low pitch, but each voice has a range. 

In some communities, a high-pitched voice may be interpreted as tentative or weak and a

deep voice strong or authoritative. 

Although these correlations are mistaken, speakers should be aware of these

assumptions. 

Ask others how you sound and practice modifying your pitch.
RATE
•Rate refers to how quickly or slowly you speak. 
•There is no perfect speaking rate. 
•If, however, you deliver your entire speech at a rate of
fewer than 120 words per minute (too slow) or more than
180 wpm (too fast), your audience will usually lose
interest. 
•Nerves cause most people to talk too fast. 
•Speakers who aim to speak more slowly than feels
natural tend to settle into a pace that is ideal for the
audience.
PAUSES
•Effective speakers use intentional pauses to signal
transitions and important ideas and to give the audience
time to think. 
•A planned pause is an excellent alternative to “um” or
“you know.” 
•A well-timed pause can be more effective than the
choicest word.
 VARIATION

When you are actually

delivering it, your enthusiasm
Speakers who tend towards delivery will remain while your
style often benefit greatly by practicing variations settle into a more
By varying your volume, pitch, rate, and pauses the speech with exaggerated variation.  natural range.
during your speech, you can underscore the meaning
of your words and maintain the interest of your
audience. 
 EXERCISE
S
•Vowel Work-out – for greater volume and articulation Repeat these sentences, opening your mouth
as wide as possible for all of the vowel sounds: “My smile is wide as I cross the winning line.” /
“Throw it slowly into the yellow box.” / “Stay there, Mae, and pick up the weight.” / “Stay calm,
don’t argue, I’ll spar with you.”
Diaphragm Breathing – for increasing volume Stand and put your hand on the hollow in the center
of your rib cage. Say “ho-ho-ho.” Feel the muscles contracting and the air being forced out of your
lungs. Now take a deep breath in while expanding your abdomen, and then speak a sentence on the
exhale, while contracting your abdomen muscles. You are using your diaphragm to support and move
your breath.
CONVERSATION
STARTERS
•Asking a favor
•Could/Would you do me a favor?
•Could you do me a favor? Is used to find out if someone
will do a favor for you as a way to begin the conversation.
•The form Would you do me a favor? is more formal
•Would you do me a favor?
•Could you do me a favor?
CONVERSATION STARTERS
•Granting a Favor
•If you would like to say “yes” to someone who asks you
for a favor, you can grant the favor use these phrases:
•Sure
•No problem.
•I’d be happy to help you.
•It would be my pleasure.
I’d be glad to help out.
 CONVERSATION
STARTERS
It’s common to ask for more specifics when granting
a favor. For instance, if your friend asks you to help
him out with a project, you might ask some follow up
questions to get an idea of what is needed. 
Would you mind giving me a hand?
I’d be happy to help you. What do you need help
with?
May I use your telephone?
Sure, who are you calling?
CONVERSATION
STARTERS
•Refusing a favor 
•If you are unable to help out and need to say “no”, you can refuse a
favor with these response:
•I’m afraid I can’t.
•Sorry, but I’m unable + infinitive
•Unfortunately, I’m not able + infinitive
•Regrettably, I can’t + verb
 CONVERSATION STARTERS
•Saying “no”, is never fun, but sometimes it’s necessary. It’s
common to offer a different solution to try to help out even if
you can’t do the favor.
•Could I ask you to help me with my homework?
•Unfortunately, I’m not able to do that.
•Why not?
•Regrettably, I can’t do math very well, so I won’t be able to
help.
•Practice Dialogues

•Use these dialogues to practice asking for a favor, granting favors and refusing favors.

•Asking for a favor which is granted

•Peter: Hi Anna. I’ve got a favor to ask. Would you mind cooking dinner? I’m kind of busy.

•Anna: Sure, Peter. What would you like for dinner?

•Peter: Could I trouble you to make some pasta?

• Anna: That’s sounds good. Let’s have pasta. Which type of sauce should I make?

•Peter: Would it be too much trouble to make a four cheese sauce?

•Anna: No, that’s easy. Yum. Good idea.

•Peter: Thanks Anna. That really helps me out.

Anna: No problem.
•Mark: Hey could you please help me
with this homework?
•Susan: I’d be glad to help out. What
seems to be the problem?
•Mark: I don’t get this equation. Would
you mind explaining it to me?
•Susan: No problem. It’s difficult!
•Mark: Yeah, I know. Thanks a lot.
Susan: Don’t worry about it.
•Asking for a favor which is refused.
•Employee: Hello, Mr. Smith. Could I ask you a question?
•Boss: Sure, what do you need?
•Employee: Would it be too much trouble for you to let me come in at
10 tomorrow morning?
•Boss: Oh, that’s a little difficult.
•Employee: Yes, I know its last moment, but I have to go to the
dentist.
•Boss: I’m afraid I can’t let you come in late tomorrow. We really
need you at the meeting.
•Employee: OK. I just thought I’d ask. I’ll get a different appointment.
Boss: Thanks, I appreciate it.
•Brother: Hey. Would you mind letting me watch my show?
•Sister: Sorry, but I can’t do that.
•Brother: Why not?!
•Sister: I’m watching favorite show now.
•Brother: But I’m going to miss my favorite game show!
•Sister: Watch it online. Don’t bother me.
•Brother: Could you please watch your show online, it’s a rerun!
Sister: Sorry, but I’m unable to do that. You’ll just have to watch it later.
PRACTICE SITUATIONS
•Find a partner and use these suggestions to practice asking for favors, as
well as granting and refusing favors as shown in the examples. Make sure to
vary the language you use when practicing rather than using the same
phrase over and over again.
•Ask someone to …
•loan you P500 for the weekend
•help you with your homework
•assist you with some paper work such as filling out a form
•give you a ride
•check your writing or correct your grammar
•practice speaking English with you
•cook a meal
•let you take a day off