Speaking

Today...

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

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

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
It

is 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.

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.

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.

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.

2.Barriers in Speaking Effectively

Sometimes

a speech fails to
bring desired results. Here are
some reasons:

I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.

Lack of Planning
Poor Atmosphere
Wrong Diction
Poor Body Language
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, nonverbal 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

Like

any other activity, speech also

requires preparation.
A good speech requires these steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Determine the Purpose

Analyse the audience
Select the main ideas
Research the topic
Organize the data
Create visual aids
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.

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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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