3.

SPEAKING SKILLS : ORAL COMMUNICATION

 What is speaking?
 Speaking is the production of systematically connected sounds in
order to communicate certain message
 These sounds may be words, phrases, clauses, sentences or any other
spoken units that carry meaning
Benefit of Speaking
i. It is a means of communication
ii. It enables self expression.
iii. It improves confidence in the speaker.
iv. It enables the listener identify the mood of the speaker.
Speaking and Non Verbal Characteristics
Speaking is usually accompanied by non-verbal signals.
For example,
When you say yes, you also nod your head up and down.
When you say no, you twist your head round.
When you are angry, you form wrinkles on the face
When you say I love you, you also smile, etc.
The Art of Public Speaking
In daily life, especially in academics, there is no way you can escape
public speaking regardless of your profession
As the word Public denotes, public speaking brings into our mind
presence of some people sitting in a formal setting like an auditorium,
lecture theatre, parliamentary sessions, symposium, seminar room,
conference hall etc. looking at and listening to someone speaking
A speaker delivers a message to a large group of people usually in a
one-way monologue style with minimal feedback
Sometimes visual aids are used to reinforce smooth delivery of the
message by the speaker
Example of visual aids: projector, posters, flip chart, video tapes,
whiteboard, photographs, drawings etc.
The Misconceptions about Public Speaking
There are several misconceptions about public speaking:
(i) Public speaking is a purely inborn skill
There are people with natural ability
There are skills that are taught and learnt to improve P.S
(ii) Struggle for perfection
No mortal is perfect under the sun
Be natural and never force to imitate
(iii) Poor language background
Learn daily especially when you present in a foreign language
Try your best to master your mother tongue/national language
Essentials of Public Speaking
The whole of public speaking is completed in three stages, each with its
essentials
(a) Pre-Presentation Stage
 Choose the topic or sometimes will be provided
Know/identify the purpose
Study and analyse the audience
Know the occasion
Preparing the materials
Rehearsing the presentation (rate of speaking, articulation etc.)
Planning for appearance (attire, hair style, make up etc.)
Writing down the presentation
(b) Presentation Stage
 Introduce your speech courteously
 Maintain conversational quality
 Control your body behaviour (mannerism)
 Pronounce the words clearly
 Use correct grammar
 Use materials (aids) appropriately
(c) Post-presentation Stage
 Marks the end of the presentation
 Signal departure when approaching the end
 Use such structures as; finally, lastly, to wind up my
presentation etc.
 These indicate that you have finished the points
 Thank the audience for listening
Parts of a Speech
Every well prepared speech has three major divisions:
a) Speech Introduction
This sets a roadmap of your speech
It serves as an overview of the speech
Functions:
Gain and maintain audience attention ie. gives the audience reason to
listen to you
Arouse audience interest to your topic
State the purpose of your speech ie. main objective
Establish your qualification for speaking on the topic. It adds credibility.
(b) Core of the Speech
Present the main content of your speech
Organise your points in a sequence that makes sense
 Chronological based
 Simple – complex based etc.
Explain your points giving evidences
(c) The Conclusion
Summarise your key ideas
Draw the conclusion and its importance
Making recommendations
Finally, end by thanking the group for their time and attention
NB: Do not end the speech suddenly. Give the audience some idea that
you are coming to close
 Reduce the pace
 Before I finish………….
 In conclusion………. etc.
Types of Speeches
 Speeches are classified basing on the purpose:

(i) Expository Speech

o This is the kind of speech that involves investigating an idea,
evaluating the evidence then presenting the idea and supporting with
an argument
o This is common in academics because it originates from researches
(ii) Descriptive Speech
 Is the one that describes a person, object, idea, experience etc.
 Elaborates how something looks like in terms of colour, size, shape,
smell, taste, sound etc. eg. biography
(iii) Narrative Speech
Is a kind of speech that tells a story about something real or unreal
eg. you report to your office mate about the seminar you attended
You report to the guest about progress of a certain project etc.
(iv) Persuasive Speech
This aims at convincing the audience to adopt certain point of view or
take particular action
 Aims at changing the beliefs, attitudes and opinions of your audience
 Most of political speeches especially during election campaign and
preaches fall under this category
(v) Argumentative Speech
This is a pure scientific speech
Aims at proving that your theory or hypothesis about a certain issue is
more correct or truthful than those of others
You argue for your opinion as opposed to others (policy, theory, plan,
hypothesis, formular etc.)
Styles/Modes of Speech Delivery
 There are four basic modes of speech delivery
(i) The Manuscript Mode
o Prepared in writings and presented y reading word for word
o No chance of adding anything
o Characterised by formal language and statistics
o It pays more attention to the script than the audience
o Thus, it is boring
o Normally preferred by people who are likely to be quoted (Leaders)
o Students are discouraged to use this mode during class presentation
(ii) Memorised Mode of Speech Delivery
This is full committed to memory
Requires considerable practices before delivery
Allows ample eye contact, movement and gestures
Mostly used in plays and repeated speeches
(iii) The Impromptu Mode
The speech is delivered without formal preparation and notes
Characterised y spontaneity and informal language
Normally used in short presentations such as when giving vote of
thanks, when answering a question in class, when introducing yourself
etc.
(iv) The Extemporaneous Mode
It is well planned by outlining the points
Read the outline to the audience then, explain from your
memory/experience
Delivered conversationally without heavy dependence on notes
Used by: lecturers, preachers, political leaders, experienced speakers
etc.