ORAL COMMUNICATION IN CONTEXT

HANDOUT
LESSON 1: TYPES OF COMMUNICATIVE STRATEGY

Communicative strategies are used to begin and maintain a conversation.

1. Nomination - A speaker carries out a nomination to productively present a relevant topic. This strategy is
normally used at the beginning of the conversation when you try to open a topic with people you are talking to.

2. Restriction - Restriction refers to any limitation of the other person involved in the conversation. This
strategy is very useful in narrowing down the response to an expected set of answers. It also deals with asking
questions which have two possible answers (which are usually opposites. For example, “Did you eat your
lunch?” and “Is staying away from attachment and commitment to other people that bad?”. These questions
can only be answered by Yes or No.

3. Turn-taking - There are times when people are not given equal opportunities to speak. This strategy can be
used to avoid talking over one another and decide who takes the conversational floor. It is like establishing who
talks first and then who talks next.

4. Topic control - Topic control covers how procedural formality or informality affects the development of
topics in conversations (Sipacio & Balgos, 2016). This strategy prevents unnecessary shifts and interruptions
by keeping the interaction going. You can make yourself engage in the conversation by using minimal
responses like “Yes”, “Alright”, “Okay”, and even nodding or laughing.

5. Topic shifting - It is defined as changing from one topic to another. In other words, it is introducing a new
topic followed by the continuation of that topic. Sometimes, this act is used when the respondent is not willing
to continue with the topic or to answer a certain question.

6. Repair - According to Schegloff et al. (1977) as cited by Sipacio & Balgos (2016) “repair” is the treatment of
trouble occurring in interactive language use or “a mechanism that operates in conversation to deal with
problems in speaking, hearing, and understanding the talk in conversation”. In other words, it refers to
overcoming problems encountered in a conversation.

7. Termination - Termination refers to communicative strategies as using signals to end the conversation.
Most of the time, the initiator of the conversation is also its terminator.
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LESSON 2: TYPE OF SPEECH ACCORDING TO PURPOSE

Purpose is one of the considerations in preparing and delivering a speech. It decides what information should
be included in the speech or not. There are three general types of speeches based on one’s purpose:
exploratory or informative, persuasive and entertainment speech.

1. Exploratory/Informative Speech
This type of speech provides information in an in-depth manner which can help the audience understand
concepts or ideas which are new to them, not readily available to everyone or already known but not
yet clearly understood (Flores, 2016). It is a means of delivery of knowledge and not aimed to sway the
audience to the speaker’s point of view.

2. Persuasive Speech
A persuasive speech is written to persuade, or convince the listeners, of the validity of the speaker’s argument.
This might involve persuading someone to change his or her opinion or at the very least take into account
some elements that may have not really been considered before. The audience may find the argument
acceptable or unacceptable. “Speeches are more formal than talking in usual conversations. They are primarily
delivered to leave a remarkable message.”

3. Entertainment Speech
According to Wrench (2012), an entertaining speech is a speech designed to captivate an audience’s attention
and regale or amuse them while delivering a message. It intends to captivate the audience’s attention and add
comedic flair or drama while delivering a message. The purpose is to share laughter and stir the audience’s
emotions. Take note that its sole purpose is not only to humor but also to dramatize.
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LESSON 3: TYPE OF SPEECH ACCORDING TO DELIVERY

Effective speech preparation requires identifying the purpose of the speech. Once identified, you may now
decide to what manner you are going to deliver the speech. There are four (4) basic types of speech according
to delivery, and these are manuscript speech, memorized speech, impromptu speech, and extemporaneous
speech.

1. Manuscript Speech – It involves reading your speech word-for-word from its written form. It is most
advantageous for public figures, media personalities, and spokespersons for government and private
organizations.

Advantages
• You are well-prepared.
• You merely read, so you would not be missing any word.
Disadvantages
• It lacks impact on the audience. They might feel bored.
• It lacks emotion, and loses face/body gestures.

Tips in Speaking from a Manuscript

• Prepare! Keep the text easy to use by composing it in triple space.
• Mark! Own the manuscript by highlighting key words and phrases so that you will be guided during the
speech delivery.
• Practice! Write a lot of notes on the draft of the manuscript during the first few rehearsals, then reprint the
final script.
• Practice some more! Read the text orally and repeatedly. This will help you avoid mispronounced words,
faulty starts, and wrong pauses.
• Concentrate! Concentrate on keeping eye contact, but do not look at only one section of the audience.
• Act it out! Use a lectern or a podium when practicing the speech so that you will be used to putting your notes
flat on the podium and looking at them once in a while.

2. Memorized Speech – It requires you to commit the speech to memory so that you do not bring your notes
when delivering it. Like the manuscript speech, you might sound mechanical during a memorized delivery. For
this reason, keep your memorized speech short then put more effort on harder on your facial expressions and
the tone of your voice.

Advantages
• There is an eye contact with the audience.
• You have more time to prepare.
Disadvantages
• You need to have more time memorizing the text.
• You might forget what to say.

Tips in Memorizing a Speech

• Break it down! You cannot memorize a speech in one sitting. If it has four paragraphs, you should focus on
one paragraph at a time.
• Build it up! After memorizing the speech in part by part, you need to put them together. Recite the first
paragraph and move on to the second and so on.
• Speak out! Do not memorize the speech silently. When you repeatedly recite your speech, your brain aids
your memory retention.
• Identify keys! Identify a key point in every paragraph, so that you can easily explain the key ideas in case you
miss some.
• Have a break! After memorizing some parts of your speech, take a break for some hours or for a day. After
this, recite the speech again.
• Record and listen! Record yourself delivering the speech and listen to it over and over. Like a song, the
speech will get stuck in your head.
• Use note cards! Write one key point on one note card. Bring these wherever you go and whenever you have
extra time to memorize.

3. Impromptu Speech – It is delivered with little or no time for preparation. In most instances, you are called to
speak in that moment because you are expected to be knowledgeable about the subject.

Advantages
• Your delivery will be natural, more conversational and spontaneous.
• You can pay attention to audience’s feedback.
Disadvantages
• It makes you perform poorly because you are unprepared.
• You may have difficulty thinking of what to say.

Tips in Effective Impromptu Speech Delivery

• Identify your purpose. Is it to inform, to entertain, to welcome, to congratulate, to apologize, or to give birthday
greetings?
• Think of one big word that can serve as your main point. If you think you have enough, think of the rule of
three.
• Start outlining in your head. Focus on what to say first because those first few words are crucial, so make
them strong, powerful and catchy.
• As you stand to deliver, establish eye contact, and begin right away with your opening statements.
• Use appropriate transitional devices (however, moreover, finally).
• Observe appropriate and effective nonverbal cues.
• Observe time limit. You barely have five minutes to say something.

4. Extemporaneous Speech – It is a planned and prepared speech. It is delivered with the help of short notes
and a clear outline. Most people who speak in public often prefer the extemporaneous method of delivery.

Advantages
• Gives you time to prepare; content is well-organized and rehearsed
• Audience will pay better attention because it is engaging.
Disadvantages
• It requires strong oratory skills.
• You have to appear knowledgeable and genuine.

Tips in Preparing for an Effective Extemporaneous Speech

• Reinforce! You may explore other main points, but always refer back to your thesis.
• Capture! State the central idea of your extemporaneous speech in one specific declarative sentence.
• Develop! Now that you have a clear central idea, you are ready to map out the supporting points in an outline.
• Introduce! In the introduction, make sure you: grab the attention of the audience with a striking one-liner; give
a short background to explain why they have to listen; and state your thesis.
• Check! Develop at least three main points and check each of them if they have one single idea, reiterate the
thesis statement, and prepare the discussion of the next main point.
• Supply! Make sure that each main point has enough examples, testimonies, statistics, or cases.
• Conclude! Reinforce your introduction by coming up with a closing statement that is related to your opening.
Connect the needs and interest of your audience with the theme of your speech. Restate your thesis or
review your main points.
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LESSON 4: PRINCIPLES OF SPEECH WRITING PART I
(AUDIENCE ANALYSIS & LOGICAL ORGANIZATION)

Do you want your speeches to do more than just present information? Effective speeches are not only written
to inform, but also to engage and motivate your audience. When crafting your next speech, the components of
speech writing process must be taken into considerations. This module will focus on audience analysis and
writing patterns (logical organization).

The Speech Writing Process

Writing an effective speech requires processes and it is recursive. This mean that you can indefinitely repeat
the writing procedure before you can settle on the right one. A schematic diagram made by Sipacio & Balgos
(2016)
is shown below.

The following are the components of the speech writing process.

A. Audience analysis is the study of relevant elements defining the characteristics of an audience. This is
done to tailor-fit the speech content and delivery. The audience profile includes the following information.
• Conduct an audience analysis • Rehearse • Select speech pattern
• Determine speech purpose • Prepare an outline
• Select a topic • Create body of the speech
• Narrow down a topic • Prepare the introduction
• Gather data • Prepare the conclusion
• Edit and Revise

1. demography (age range, gender, educational background, nationality, academic or corporate designations,
economic status, male-female ratio)
2. state or situation (time, place, event/occasion, and size)
3. psychology (beliefs, attitudes, values, preferences, cultural background and needs)

A sample checklist made by Sipacio & Balgos (2016) is presented below.

B. Topic is considered as the focal point of speech, which can be determined once the purpose (inform,
entertain, persuade) is already set. Sipacio & Balgos(2016) named different strategies to use in selecting a
topic, such as using your personal experiences, discussing your family members or friends, free writing, listing,
asking questions, or semantic webbing. The topic must be narrowed down by making the main idea more
specific.

C. Data gathering is the period of collecting information and ideas from different sources and references. It
can be done by browsing the web, visiting a library or conducting a survey or an interview.

D. Writing patterns (logical organizations) are structures that will help organize the gathered data or related
ideas to the topic. Here are the examples of writing patterns that best suits your topic and/or purpose.
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LESSON 5: PRINCIPLES OF SPEECH WRITING PART II
(OUTLINING AND ORGANIZING SPEECH CONTENTS)

E. Preparing an outline
An outline is a hierarchical list that shows the relationship of ideas. It is used to gather information and to
organize your written speech. It can help you arrange your thoughts to make it easy for you to write an
organized speech in full form for memorized or manuscript speeches. On the other hand, outline form is used
for writing the body in impromptu or extemporaneous speeches which will serve as guide in the delivery of the
speech. In preparing the outline, you may use a table format or a list format. Here is an example of a table
format outline:

F. Creating the body of the speech

This includes writing explanations, examples, or any details that will support the chosen topic, its purpose and
main idea of the speech. It should only have one central idea.

✓ Preparing the introduction

This is the foundation of your speech wherein your primary goal is to get the attention of your audience and
present the main idea of your speech.
✓ Preparing the conclusion
This restates the main idea of your speech and must leave a memorable statement or impact to the audience.
Moreover, the call for action is included in the conclusion.
✓ Editing and revising
In editing and revising the speech, there are also other considerations such as duration, word choice and
grammatical correctness of the speech as these would give additional impact to the written speech and on the
audience during speech delivery.

DURATION
How long should your speech be? To avoid your audience from falling asleep, try to observe the optimum
length of speech which is 17.5 minutes. But, you also have to know whether there is a given time limit
depending on the occasion. This would also assist you in crafting the speech in a concise manner but
memorable and useful to your audience.

WORD CHOICE
Word Choice refers to the specific vocabulary the writer uses to convey meaning and enlighten the reader or
audience. It is the use of rich, colorful, precise language that communicates not just in a functional way, but in
a way that moves and enlightens the reader or listener. Effective word choice is characterized not so much by
an exceptional vocabulary chosen to impress the reader or listener, but more by the skill to use words naturally
depending on the context.

GRAMMATICAL CORRECTNESS
According to David Rosenwasser and Jill Stephen, "Achieving grammatical correctness is a matter of both
knowledge--how to recognize and avoid errors--and timing: when to narrow your focus to proofreading."
(Writing Analytically, 2012) Check the spelling, punctuation, grammar and style used in crafting your speech.
Correctness is the notion that certain words, word forms, and syntactic structures meet the standards and
conventions prescribed. This would boost your credibility as a writer and speaker.

G. Rehearsing
This step of speech writing gives you an opportunity to identify what works and what does not work for you and
for your target audience. Remember, practice makes perfect. Furthermore, Andrew Dlugan (2013), an award-
winning public speaker lists six principles for speech editing:

1. Edit for clarity - Words and ideas in the speech is clear and arrange them in a logical order.
2. Edit for focus - Ensure that everything that is written is related to the main idea.
3. Edit for concision - Use simple but meaningful words, brief but comprehensive.
4. Edit for continuity - Maintain consistent flow of ideas by using appropriate transition words or phrases.
5. Edit for variety - Use different styles or tones of words or simply adding humor.
6. Edit for impact and beauty - Make your speech relatable and appealable to the audience, good to hear
and with sense by using descriptive images, memorable lines or figures of speech.