Course Code:

Course Title: ORAL COMMUNICATION IN CONTEXT

Course Type: Core
Pre-requisite:

Co-requisite:
Quarter: 2nd

Course Topic: Principles of Speech Delivery

Quarter 2 Week 16 Module 10

HOW TO USE THIS MODULE

Before you start answering the module, I want you to set aside other tasks that will distract
you while enjoying the lessons. Read the simple instructions below to successfully enjoy the
objectives of this kit. Have fun!

1. Follow carefully all the contents and instructions indicated in every page of this module.
2. Write on your notebook or any writing pad the concepts about the lessons. Writing
enhances learning, which is important to develop and keep in mind.
3. Perform all the provided activities in the module.
4. Let your facilitator/ guardian assess your answers.
5. Analyze conceptually the posttest and apply what you have learned.
6. Enjoy studying!

PARTS OF THE MODULE

Expectations – These are what you will be able to know after completing the lessons in the
module.
Before Anything Else – This will measure your prior knowledge and the concepts to be
mastered throughout the lesson.
Throwback! – This section will measure what learning/s and skills that you understand from
the previous lesson.
Firming Up! – This section provides the discussion of the lesson to help you discover and
understand new concepts and skills.
Try Me! – These are activities designed to develop critical thinking and other competencies.
This can be done with or without a partner depending on the nature of the activity.
Things to Ponder – This section summarize/s the concepts and applications of the lessons.
Comprehension Check –It will verify how you learned from the lesson.
Checkpoint! – This will measure how much you have learned from the entire module.
Wait, there’s more! – In this portion, an extended activity will be given for retention and
enrichment.

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 EXPECTATIONS
1. Identify the different principles of speech delivery.
2. Apply the principles of speech in an actual speech activity.
3. Recognize the significance of these principles when delivering a speech.

BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE

There are some people who are really afraid of speaking in front of other people.
Do you have a moment in life that you spoke in front but is considered
unsuccessful? What are the lessons you learned? Share your experience.

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 FIRMING UP
The human voice is the most beautiful instrument of all, but it is the most difficult to play. – Richard Strauss

PRINCIPLES OF SPEECH DELIVERY

I. ARTICULATION

✓ Articulation refers to the clarity of sounds and words we produce.

✓ It focuses on making individual sound clear and intelligible.
✓ In articulation, you change the sounds coming from your vocal folds by moving
the teeth, tongue, jaw, lips and other speech organs in recognizable or
distinguishable patterns. Here our concern is intelligibility.
✓ If you produce the basic sounds of the language in a way that it is different
from what the language users in the audience know, at the most basic level
your speech will not be understood by them.

Poor articulation results when speakers do not speak clearly.

TIPS:

✓ Practice to make sure you are not substituting or omitting sounds when
you say a word, or adding sounds such as departamental for departmental, rent
for went.
✓ Pay particular attention to common sound substitution such as “t” for “th”
so that you do not say “torn” for “thorn” and “d” for “th” so that you don’t say
‘dem for them.
✓ Practice reading and recording passages with the sounds you are having a
problem with. Listen to the practice recording with a tutor or someone who can
help you.
✓ Speak slowly so that words and sounds do not end up running together
causing a challenge for the listener to separate the sounds that they hear.
✓ Speak in a consistent tone. Do not tend to vary the volume of your voice when
you speak because this can make it difficult for the listeners or audience to
understand you as the variation in volume can cause them to miss sounds or
even whole words.
✓ Practice the sounds that you find them hard to produce. If you find certain
words or sounds that cause you to stumble during a conversation, the best
thing to do is to practice saying them correctly.

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II. MODULATION

✓ In speaking, it means a change in volume (how loud or soft your voice is), or
pitch (how high or low your voice is).
✓ It gives more meaning to your voice and makes your voice sound attractive.
✓ It reflects confidence and also helps in convincing your audience about your
beliefs or ideas.
✓ It makes your speech interesting to listen to and it is what makes the words
and phrases stand out.
✓ It can be used to enhance emphasis in words, with rising and lowering tones
adding subtle meaning.
✓ It allows the speakers to convey the emotions they feel about a subject.

COMPONENTS OF VOICE MODULATION

1. Pace (Rate) or Speech Speed refers to how fast or slow you speak.

If you speak too quickly… If you speak too slowly…

The articulation could suffer if consonants The audience might lose concentration as
or vowels are dropped or rushed to keep
up the speed.
The audience has a difficult time catching
up and comprehending what you are
saying. They need time to digest the
information. So plan on periodic pauses.
The audience might think you really do
not want to be there.
their minds want to go faster than the
speaker.
The audience might infer that the speaker
is uninterested, uninformed, or
unprepared to present his or her own
topic.
The audience might think you are wasting
their time by taking longer than necessary
to relay your message.

2. Pitch or Depth of Voice refers to how high or low a speaker’s voice is.

✓ Changing pitch is a good way to communicate enthusiasm and indicate

emphasis or closure.
✓ Use a pitch level that is comfortable for you so you will not strain your vocal
chords.
✓ Utilizing one pitch level sound to be flat, monotonous and boring.

HIGH PITCH LOW PITCH

- when discussing - when emphasizing a
something exciting serious or important point

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3. Pause

“The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.” – Mark Twain
“It is the space between the lines that make it a great performance.” – Alan Alda

A pause may refer to a rest, hesitation, or temporary stop. It is an interval of silence

and may vary in length. The speaker may use pauses to enhance the message delivery
or fill the pauses needlessly and distract the audience from the message.

BENEFITS

✓ It helps your audience understand you.

Pauses allow you to punctuate your spoken words, giving your listeners clues as to
when one phrase, one sentence, or one paragraph ends, and the next begins.

Research says: Brigitte Zellner notes that pauses “participate in rendering human
communication more intelligible.” Zellner also points to research by Grosjean and
Deschamps (1975) which shows that “the more complex the communicative task, the
greater the number of pauses.”

Note: Your audience doesn’t have the benefit of punctuation, bolding, italics, bullets,
and other formatting as in written material. You’ve got to provide that, and pauses are
a central way to do it.

✓ It helps convey emotion.

Research says: Janet Cahn (PDF paper) shows that, along with other linguistic factors,
pauses help to convey emotion. That is, the placement and duration of pauses should
differ depending on whether you are conveying sadness, anger, gladness, or some
other emotion.

✓ It controls the overall pace of your delivery.

Your audience has cognitive limitations, and cannot absorb information beyond a
certain rate. Pauses allow you to slow your rate to match their listening capacity.

Research says: Estelle Campione and Jean Véronis observed that speech consists of
short (0.15 seconds), medium (0.50 seconds), and long (1.50 seconds) pauses.
Further, they note that read speech (speaking from written text) tends to produce only
short and medium pauses, while spontaneous speech (speaking without reading)
shows more frequent use of medium and long pauses.

✓ Pauses are healthy.

Lengthy pauses are healthy, allowing you to take deep breaths, swallow, or even drink
water. Not only will this aid your brain (by providing more oxygen), but your vocal
quality will be enhanced by keeping your mouth and throat lubricated.

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 ✓ It helps engage your audience.

Speaking without pauses means your audience expends all their effort just to keep up
with you.

Using pauses, on the other hand, gives your audience time to reflect on your words,
and start making connections with their own experiences or knowledge in real time.
Forming these personal connections with your content is the basis of audience
engagement.

✓ Pauses replace filler words.

Excessive use of filler words (um, er, ah) undermines your credibility, and signals lack
of knowledge, lack of preparation, or lack of authenticity. Using pauses is one of the
best ways to do so, while still providing time for you to think of your next words.

✓ Pauses let your mind “catch up” to your mouth.

A speaker performs two tasks simultaneously:

• The first task is internal, and involves thinking what to say (and what to do)
next.
• The second task is external, and involves vocally projecting those words, using
body language, and other interactions with an audience.

Ideally, the internal tasks build up a queue of words and actions for a speaker to
deliver, always having words ready when needed. Pausing gives the advantage to the
internal task, and helps your mind “catch up” to your mouth.

4. Volume

Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning.
– Maya Angelou

COMMON SPEAKING VOLUME ERRORS

a. Speaking too quietly

If your audience has to strain to hear you, they will miss vital information. If the
problem continues, they will inevitably stop listening and do something less tiring –
like thinking about lunch!

b. Speaking too loudly

If the average speaking volume is too high, your audience will feel as though you are
shouting at them and you will almost certainly put them off, no matter how compelling
your messages.

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 c. Speaking at a constant volume

Listen carefully to a natural conversation, and you will hear plenty of variation in
volume as we emphasize certain points in our tale, yet put somebody on a platform in
front of a group of colleagues and that natural variation in loudness will often
disappear. The physical tension when we feel when under pressure restricts our vocal
range.

d. Allowing your volume to drop off at the end of each sentence

Some speakers develop the bad habit of letting their volume to drop off as they
approach the end of each sentence. This practice means that their audience will miss
critical information and will feel that the speaker lacks energy and conviction.

5. Power

In order to make your voice powerful, you should not speak from your month but from
inside the abdomen, make it commanding by generating intensity in your voice. Vary
not just the loudness (volume) but also the power or intensity that you use in your
voice.

6. Emphasis

When speaking, put emphasis by placing some stress or focus on the key words or
syllables in order to provide contrast to your words and to bring about their desired
meaning.

7. Inflection

It means the ups and downs of words. Inflection links meaning and feeling with your
words.

Robert Plutchik classified eight primary emotions. A ninth one, (from the Paul Ekman
research) is included as it not always a synonym of joy.

Emotions
Urgency or conviction usually requires an increase in power and increase
in volume. Some successfully increase the power and lower the volume
anger, fear
and effectively move the audience. Although there are no hard and fast
rules, the important thing is to be consistent.
curiosity/
slowing down (pace) can build suspense or anticipation.
interest
May call for increased power and lower tone to make a strong statement
disgust
or decreased power and higher tone to make it less accusatory.
sadness May call for a lower tone of voice to share warmth and feeling.
May call for a higher tonal quality equal to the excitement and
surprise
enthusiasm felt.
Other emotions: acceptance, happiness

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III. STAGE PRESENCE

✓ It refers to the certain charisma and charm that a speaker or performer

possesses that draws in an audience and commands their full attention. Stage
presence is, above all, expressed confidence.
✓ Stage presence is more than the person’s ability to deliver the lines, execute the
dance steps, play the musical instrument and sing the right notes.
✓ Stage presence is not the only factor that will make one succeed in his
performance but when it is coupled with experience, skill, hard work and
determination, stage presence can create a chemistry that turns good speakers
into excellent one.

A good stage presence draws the audience into the speech or performance.
It establishes connection with the speaker or performer and the audience
and envelops them in the speech or performance.

Ways to Improve Your Stage Presence

1. Relax! Being relaxed and comfortable on stage make your movements,

expressions and speech more natural. Your audience will definitely feel
captivated by your performance.
2. Practice. The more comfortable you feel on stage, the better and more
convincing will be able your speech delivery or performance. This comfort level
can only come with the feeling of confidence. To reach this level requires as
much practice as possible.
3. Study. To polish your stage presence, study the work of those exhibit skill in the
area. Find someone who excels in the field and study how they act and behave.
When speaking in front of an audience, these tips will help you communicate more
effectively on stage: (Adapted from ismckenzie.com)

1. Consciously lift your eyebrows. It will immediately brighten your face.

2. Smile a lot if appropriate.
3. Channel your nervousness into your diaphragm. Relax your neck and your
shoulders and breathe slowly and deeply using diaphragm. Put any tension you
have there. When you breathe in, your stomach should push out. As you
breathe out your stomach should shrink. Don’t move your shoulders when you
breathe.
4. Hands should be at your sides and still, unless you are using them to express
your piece, or holding a microphone.
5. Hold the microphone at an angle where you are speaking directly into top of it.
The microphone should be 2 to 5 inches away from your mouth.
6. Raise your pitch slightly from your normal speaking voice. It will make you
sound more energized and less tired. Project your voice using your diaphragm so

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 that the people sitting in the last rows of the hall or room will hear you loud and
clear. Articulate your consonants.
7. Stand with legs shoulder width apart. Stand straight. Don’t lean or slouch.
8. Own the message you are communicating. Don’t just speak words. If the
message is unimportant to you, you’re not going to make it important to your
listeners or audience.
9. Make sure you have a bottle of water near you. Anxiety often causes a dry
mouth – often unexpectedly.
10. If you are too nervous to look at the audience, look slightly above them.
11. Memorize your speech as much as possible before you get on stage. It will be
easier to focus on expression and communication.
12. If you make a mistake, ignore it and move on. The audience will forget it as fast
as you do. Facial expressions or comments only draw attention to the mistake
and make it easier to remember.

IV. FACIAL EXPRESSIONS, GESTURES AND MOVEMENTS

Facial Expressions. Appropriate facial expressions can help you connect with your
audience and reinforce the content of your speech.

Example: For instance, you can show your friendly intentions through a smile at the
beginning of your speech. During your speech, you can indicate the importance of
words and phrases by widening your eyes and raising your eyebrows and accompany
accounts of excitement, puzzlement, or unpleasantness with the respective
expressions.

While facial expressions, like all nonverbal cues, can bring a speech to life, do not
forget to be natural and authentic.

Anything that is overdone distracts the audience’s attention rather than

contributes to the comprehension of the message.

Gestures. Similar to facial expressions, you can use gestures to establish contact with
the audience and provide visual support for your message. Here are some dos and
don’ts.

1. Don’t put your hands in your pocket or lock them behind your back. This will
prevent you from gesturing freely.
2. Don’t clasp your notes or hold on them on to the lectern. If possible, don’t use a
lectern at all. A lectern tempts the speaker to use fewer or no gestures at all. It
also serves as a physical barrier between the speaker and the audience and
therefore create a feeling of detachment and disengagement.
3. Don’t fold your arms. This communicate closeness rather than openness and will
disconnect you from the audience.

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 4. Generally, people who use their hands for gesturing appear more open and
honest to the audience. Therefore, gestures should be an integral part of your
speech.
5. Gestures should be natural and purposeful. Don’t use too few or too many
gestures. Use them sparingly.
6. Vary your gestures. Repetitive us of gestures distracts the audience.
7. Avoid mannerisms such as twisting or pulling your hair, scratching your face,
touching your nose, rubbing your hands together, or playing with an object.
Remember that gestures should emphasize important ideas and strengthen your
verbal message.
8. Consider which gestures to use before your speech and practice using them
during your rehearsals.
Body Posture and Movement. A powerful speaker shows confidence through body
posture and movement.

When you stand, adopt a comfortable pose and use the space provided effectively. If
you have enough space to move around, do so. For example, you may walk toward the
audience during a crucial point in your speech, or step back right before you conclude
your speech. Use your movements consciously and don’t overdo them. A speaker who
steps back and forth in front of an audience tends to complicate rather than enlighten
them.

You can use body to communicate positively and effectively with the audience. Here
are some examples of how your body movements may naturally support your delivery.

1. Upper body toward the audience – you might want to lean into the audience
to bridge the space of separation.

2. Feet and legs – you may move purposely from one side to the other to indicate
a transition from one point to another.

3. Arms and chest – crossing your arms in front of you may be interpreted as
confrontational or you are in deep thought about a question or a comment from
the audience.

4. Standing still without movement – you can stand still without a movement
when you are listening to a question or a comment from the audience to
indicate interest and concern.

Just as natural body movements can enhance the delivery of your speech,
unnecessary movements can distract the audience’s attention.

Examples:

✓ Swaying back and forth at the lectern aimlessly may make the audience follow
your movement rather than the flow of your speech;

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 ✓ When you step from one side to the other on stage meaninglessly may draw the
attention of the audience away from your speech.
✓ Frowning and bobbing your head are other examples of confusing body
movements.

Remember: Refrain from doing superfluous movements when delivering your speech.
You can easily lose your audience with distracting movements because your
audience’s focus and attention will be turned to these movements instead of what you
have to say.

Every movement should be planned during your presentation. During a speech, only
your face, hands and upper body should move. Your waist and legs are generally
steady. If it is a long speech, you may shift your weight from one leg to the other bot
don’t make it obvious.

RAPPORT WITH THE AUDIENCE

Generally, rapport means establishing friendly relationship with someone else,

but in speech rapport refers to the process of building an understanding and
harmonious relationship or bond between the speaker and the target audience or
listeners. Good rapport guarantees your speech will be enthusiastically listened to.
When everything is in harmony such as your speech is right and interesting; your
audience receive and comprehend your speech well; and your audience enjoy listening
to it as much as you enjoy conveying your speech to them; then rapport happens.

When you establish rapport with your audience, they become your partners in a
dialog, reporters in your presentation. They will want you to succeed. They will laugh
at your jokes even if they have already heard them before. Moreover, they will give you
the benefit of the doubt even if they lose the thread of your logic.

To build rapport means to focus on your audience not to yourself. To

successfully do this you need to tailor your speech by considering who your audience
will be. Take note, being an audience is a privilege.

Elements of Audience Rapport

1. The composition of your audience – this refers to age range, the gender mix,
ethnicity, shared cultural values, religious or group affilations, primary language,
educational level, how much they know already about your topic, etc.
2. The reasons for their listening to you – because attendance is compulsory,
voluntary or out of interest, to have a problem solved, to show support, etc.
3. Their concerns – there are certain issues about your topic, they are neutral, in
agreement or against it, etc.

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4. Their expectations – a formal presentation, an opportunity to ask questions and
get answers, a change to gain new information, a time to confirm old knowledge,
etc.
5. Their vocabulary – familiarity or unfamiliarity with the specialized vocabulary or
jargon used in your topic.
6. Their general beliefs – indifference or in agreement with the ideas expressed in
your topic, etc.
7. The things that they have in common with you – background experiences,
living conditions, religion, etc.
After having in mind these elements about your audience, consider this time
the idea that first impression counts. A speaker has roughly 5-10 seconds from the
time he stands to talk to set the foundation for empathy or good will.

According to Dorothea Stuart, (trainingjournal.com), there are ten tips to build rapport
and engage your audience:

Put your audience first

The key to rapport is getting to know as much as possible about your audience before
you start preparing your speech or presentation. With limited time for your talk there
are always choices to be made so the more you know the better you can adapt your
content and example etc. to meet your audience’s needs and expectations.

Find opportunities for humor

Knowing your audience gives you the chance to find opportunities for humor, one of
the oldest rapport building techniques. Usually the audience pr listeners are warm to
speakers who make them laugh. It is also a way of showing that you are one of them.

Allow for flexibility in your content

Write a speech that will take about 80 percent of the time you’ve been given. Be at the
venue early and talk to as many people as possible. Doing this will give you the
opportunity to listen and pick up their stories, examples that you can mention in your
presentation. You may also discover an important concern that you can stress in your
speech. The ability to do this in your speech shows a sincere receptiveness to you
audience which will be greatly appreciated by them.

First impressions count

As a speaker you are on show from the time you start meeting your audience: walking
into the hall/ auditorium, taking your seat, shaking hands with the people around,
stepping onto the lectern. Dressing appropriately is a given. Most important is being in
the perfect mental and physical state which communicates a positive attitude and
energy to your audience. If you appear to be interested and excited to speak to them,
you are on the right track of building rapport.

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Have a strong opening

If you are at a formal occasion write the introduction you want the emcee to give.
Mention information that builds your credibility and authority with this particular
group of audience. If the listeners feel they are in good hands, they will relax and give
their attention. Then, find an opening that will incite your audience’s attention and
engage them as quickly as possible.

Manage the middle

If your speech is long, you need to maintain the audience’s interest at some key points
in your speech. A humorous twist or building up your key arguments to a shocking or
unexpectedly positive conclusion can be done.

Use stories for emotional connection

Establishing rapport depends on emotional connection and stories are a highly

effective way to achieve this. “Make a point. Tell a story. Tell a story. Make a point.” Is
the public speaking mantra. Evidence shows that even if you grasp the facts, you’re
more likely to remember the story that illustrates it when you go back to your
classroom or when you are at home.

Use your voice with variety

Varying the timing and volume at which you speak can add to the impact of your
presentation. If you are telling a story about a fast-paced environment – pick up your
pace. If you’re giving a piece of complex information – slow down and let your listeners
absorb that information. If your voice matches your content it will be more engaging.

Give audience time

If you say something funny let everyone laugh and savor the moment. If you say
something with strong emotion give your audience time to absorb it. If you hurry on to
make your next point you signal that your needs are most important. By stopping for
a while show you are there for them.

Have a strong ending

Make a clear, concise summary of your key points to end the speech. You may have a
call to action which should be specific so that when the listeners leave the hall, they
know exactly what they need to do. You may pose a challenge to them on taking a
stand. If you do this your ideas will be remembered.

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CONTEMPLATIVE SHEET
Write a short reflection about the topic discussed in this module by
answering the guide questions given.

A. What I like the most about the lesson

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B. What I need to improve in understanding the lesson

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C. What I want to learn connected to the lesson

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 REFERENCES

• Oral Communication in Context for Senior High School by Maria Teresa

Antonino, Mutya Publishing House
• https://open.lib.umn.edu/communication/chapter/10-3-vocal-delivery/
• https://slidehunter.com/importance-voice-modulation-delivering-a-speech/
• https://www.slideshare.net/CaitlinDeleon/principle-of-speech-delivery
• https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-
publicspeakingprinciples/chapter/chapter-12-vocal-aspects-of-delivery/
• https://www.inter-activ.co.uk/presentation-skills/six-elements-of-vocal-
variety-and-how-to-master-them-part-1-volume/
• https://mannerofspeaking.org/2019/11/12/pauses-in-a-speech-why-when-
and-how/
• https://lumen.instructure.com/courses/218897/pages/linkedtext54275?mod
ule_item_id=5007145
• https://www.fripp.com/the-importance-of-the-pause/
• http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/pause-speech/

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