Conversation as Communication

Classification:-

Many conversations can be divided into four categories according to their major subject content: Conversations about subjective ideas, which often serve to extend understanding and awareness. Conversations about objective facts, which may serve to consolidate a widely held view.

Meaning
Conversation is a form of interactive,

spontaneous communication between two or more people about a common subject. Conversation analysis is a branch of sociology which studies the structure and organization of human interaction, with a more specific focus on conversational interaction.

 Conversations about other people (usually

absent), which may be either critical, competitive, or supportive. This includes gossip. Conversations about oneself, which sometimes indicate attention-seeking behavior or can provide relevant information about oneself to participants in the conversation. Practically, few conversations fall exclusively into one category. Nevertheless, the proportional distribution of any given conversation between the categories can offer useful psychological insights into the mind set of the participants.

 Most of us do a reasonably good job of informal

talking. In fact, we do such a good job that we often take for granted and overlook the need for improving our talking ability. Most of us could stand to improve. To improve our talking ability, we need to be aware of its nature and qualities. We need to assess our abilities. Then we need to overcome our shortcomings.

 As a first step in improving your talking

ability, think for a moment about the qualities you like in a good conversationalistone with whom you would enjoy talking in ordinary conversation.

Elements of Good Conversation

The techniques of good talking may be summarized

by four basic elements:Voice quality:- Good voice quality helps one communicate. It involves pitch, delivery, speed and volume. Style:- Style is blending of pitch, tone, speed and volume to form a unique talking personality. Word choice:- Choose words in your listeners vocabulary. Select those that convey the morality and courtesy you intend and respect the listeners knowledge. Adaptation:- Adaptation is fitting the message to the listener. It includes word selection, but here the combined effect of words, voice and style is referred to.

Courtesy in talking
The review of talking would not be complete

without a comment about the need for courtesy. Good human relations require courtesy. Good conversationalists encourage others to make their voices heard. The emphasis on courtesy does not suggest that you should be submissive in your conversations--that you should not be aggressive in pressing your points.

Art of Public Speaking

 Public speaking is the process of speaking to a

group of people in a structured, deliberate manner intended to inform, influence, or entertain the listeners. In public speaking, as in any form of communication, there are five basic elements, often expressed as "who is saying what to whom using what medium with what effects?" The purpose of public speaking can range from simply transmitting information, to motivating people to act, to simply telling a story. Good orators should be able to change the emotions of their listeners, not just inform them.

 Some people seem to have a natural gift for public

speaking, but many of us, at least begin with, such a prospect with a certain amount of fear. But like most other skills, there are no short cuts to learning about public speaking. You should not, therefore expect instant confidence when addressing all and sundry. If you cast your mind back to other skills you may have mastered earlier in your life, such as cycling or swimming, it was sometime before you really felt confident of them. You will also certainly make mistakes, and some of these will be made in front of an audience. However, if you have the will to succeed at public speaking you should regard any such mistakes as useful experience, not to be repeated.

Breaking the Icehow to begin Speaking in Public?

Public speaking can be learnt reading books and

attending courses on public speaking. However, much of what you learn will come from listening carefully to other speakers, and analyzing what works and why. You must, then, put what you are learning into practice; starting with short and reasonably easy types of public speaking and building up as your skills and confidence grow.

What makes a successful speech or talk?

Increase your general knowledge and vocabulary:-

Good observation, read newspapers, magazines and books and retrieve the information gathered. Wide and voracious reading will help develop vocabulary for using the most apt and interesting words. Using voice effectively:- The skill of using the voice effectively helps a speaker to motivate his audience. When people hear your voice, they construct a virtual perception of the knowledge of the person behind the voice. If they like what they hear in the voice, chances are they will perceive you as knowledgeable and confident. All of us are gifted with a unique voice. The voice is one of the essential mediums of expression to the human brain, the way a person thinks, feels, observes and responds.

Thus, it becomes essential for an individual to understand how important it is to speak right in right tone to express exactly whats on his or her mind. Make sure you breathe easy while speaking. Drink a lot of water to maintain a pleasant voice all day long. Use gestures to make your voice sound energetic, emphasizing on important or keywords in any conversation. Remember the old saying it takes 43 muscles to frown but only 17 muscles to smile. Smile not only keeps you energetic, but also affects the tone of your voice. Tape record your voice and play back, it enables you evaluate how you sound while speaking.

 Gestures and Mannerisms:- When you are giving

a speech or talk, your body as well as your voice is communicating with your audience. Both gestures and manners can add to and detract from a talk. If the movements are unrelated to what you are saying it will distract the audience. However, gestures appropriate to what you are saying can help reinforce the verbal message. Getting started : knowing the right way to address:-A speaker is expected to start most talks and speeches with a formal address to the guest of honor and authorities sitting in the audience.

 The introduction of your speech:- Following the

formal addressing of the audience, the speaker should explain the purpose and plan for the talk. The first 30 seconds are probably the most important. In that period, you must grab the attention of the audience, and engage their interest in what you have to say in the speech. This can be achieved in several ways. For example, you could raise a thought provoking question , make an interesting or controversial statement, recite a thought provoking quotation or crack a joke.

 The Main body of the speech:- The body of the

speech will always be the largest part of the your speech. At this point your audience will have been introduced to you and the subject of your speech. The best way to set out the body of your speech is by formulating a series of points that you would like to raise. The points should be organized so that related points follow one another and that each point builds upon the previous one

 The Closing:- Like your opening, the closing of

the speech must contain some of your strongest material. You should view the closing of your speech as an opportunity to: Summarize the main points of your speech. Provide some further food for the thought for the listeners. Leave your audience with the positive memories of your speech. Try to make your conclusion positive and constructive.

Other key points to be remembered

If you have not done so already, the first thing to

do is read your draft aloud at a suitable pace and time. You will then know whether you need to delete or add to your draft as you make your amendments. Talking for longer than required is one sin you must not commit. Read the draft as many times as possible and consider whether everything is relevant and interesting. Look out for jargon or abbreviations which may need explanation. Check out the grammar.

 Using visual aids:- Visual aids supplement your

talk but it should not be the crutches which support your talk without which your talk is insufficient to stand on its own. You are likely to be more confident if you know you could still give your audience a talk, at least a shorter one, even if something goes wrong with the visual aids. Readability and Clarity must also be kept in mind if you are using slides with written material on them. The visual presentation should put over your point.