Montego Bay Community College Westmoreland Campus Administrative Communication (COMM 3501)

Unit V Voice and Speech

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. It is closely allied to "presenting", although the latter has more of a commercial connotation. There are many similarities between public speaking and daily conversation. In conversation, almost without thinking about it, you employ a wide range of skills. You organize your ideas logically. You tailor your message to your audience. You tell a story for maximum impact. You adapt to feedback from your listener. Public speaking is also different from conversation: 1. It is more highly structured than conversation. It usually imposes strict time limitations on the speaker, and it requires more detailed preparation than ordinary conversation. 2. It requires more formal language. Listeners react negatively to speeches loaded with slang, jargon, and bad grammar. 3. It demands a different method of delivery. Effective speakers adjust their voices to the larger audience and work at avoiding distracting physical mannerisms and verbal habits.

Importance of Public Speaking in Business Communication Public speaking is a critical part of communication. As a manager you may be called upon to present proposals or make explanations to large numbers of people at any time. Therefore it is essential that your audience who needs to make decisions have timely and understandable information. Besides building your confidence, public speaking can also help develop your skills as a critical thinker. Critical thinking is the ability to perceive relationships among ideas. It can help you spot weaknesses in other people's reasoning and avoid them in your own. Critical thinking can make a difference in many areas of your life, from your work actions, activities as a consumer to your responsibilities as a citizen.

The speech communication process as a whole includes seven elements. The interaction of these seven elements is what determines the outcome in any instance of speech communication. 1. Speaker- the person who initiates a speech transaction. 2. Message - whatever the speaker communicates 3. Channel the method or avenue used to transmit the message 4. Listener - receives the communicated message and provides feedback to the speaker 5. Feedback the listeners response 6. Interference - anything that impedes the communication of a message, 7. Situation - the time and place in which speech communication occurs

Vowels
The vowels are "a, e, i, o, u and sometimes letters "w" and "y". Short vowels ------ When there is a single vowel in a short word or syllable, the vowel usually makes a short sound. These short vowels usually appear at the beginning of the word or between two consonants. Examples of short vowels are found in these words: c a t , e n d, p i g, l o g, b u s Long Vowels vowel-consonant "e" at the end Examples of a tune. 1------ When a short word or syllable ends with a -e combination (a-k-e), the vowel is usually long and the of the word is silent (this rule does not apply in all cases). vowel - consonant --e combination are: bake, ride, pole,

Long Vowels 2------ When a word or syllable has a single vowel and the vowel appears at the end of the word or syllable, the vowel usually makes the long sound. Examples are: no he go

Vowel Digraph ---- If two vowels are beside each other in a word or syllable, the first vowel is usually long while the second vowel remains silent. Examples of vowel digraphs are: ai-- maid, ee-- sweet, not apply to diphthongs. ea--bean, oa---- boat, ay-----tray. This rule does

Vowel Diphthongs Vowel diphthong refers to the blending of two vowels sounds, both vowel sounds are usually heard and they make a gliding sound. Examples of vowel diphthongs include: oi--- boil, oy----- toy, au---- haul, aw----- saw, ew----- new , ow---- cow, oo---- moon, oo----- look, ou--- mouth, RControlled Vowels---- when a vowel is followed by the letter "r", the vowel does not make the long nor short sound but is considered "rcontrolled". Examples of "rcontrolled" vowels are: ar--- car, er--- fern, ir--- bird, or--- corn, ur--- nurse. Consonants In articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract. When sounding consonants, air flow is interrupted or limited by the position of the tongue, teeth or lips In a consonant blend two or three consonants are blended together, each consonant sound may be heard in the blend. Some examples of consonant blends are: bl---black, cl--- clap, fl----flip, gl---- glass, pl--- play, sl---- slip, br--- brick, cr---crab, dr---drop, fr--- from, gr--- grab, pr--- press, tr---- trap, sc---scale, sk---skip, sm--smell, sn--snail, sp--- spill, st--- stop, sw---swell.

Improving the Voice 5 Tips to a Better Voice in a speech, presentation or training session. 1. Feel your throat muscles and jaw when you are speaking. Note the tenseness. Open mouth wide. Yawn and say "Ho Hum." Close your lips. As you do, drop your jaw and waggle it from side to side. 2. Repeat the yawning and humming. Note how the throat muscles loosen and removes strain. 3. Open mouth wide, drop your jaw, and exaggerate your lip and jaw movements. Say the following words slowly: Prolong the sounds. Annunciate carefully. HANG, HARM, LANE, MAIN, LONE, LOOM. 4. Lightly massage your throat muscles with your fingers to check for tightness 5. Drop your jaw and relax the throat. Prolong the sounds. Open wide and use a monotone voice. Say: NAH, HAY, NEE, NO, NOO.

Formal Presentations
All presentations, long or short, delivered to large or small audiences and regardless of type have three basic components: Introduction, Body, and Conclusion. Listed below are the basic ingredients for each section. INTRODUCTION (Function: Prepare the audience to receive the message.) 1. Gain the attention of the audience. 2. Thesis Statement (A clear, declarative sentence which states topic and purpose.) 3. Provide the audience with a reason to listen. 4. Establish speakers credibility. 5. Other, if needed: define terms, preview the body of the presentation. BODY (This is the message and is typically organized by standard outline practices.) I. Presents the Main Points. II. Organizes the Main Points in a logical pattern. III. Provides supporting material to each Main Point. A. Utilizes statistics. B. Utilizes examples. CONCLUSION (Provides closure to the presentation.) 1. Re-state or paraphrase the thesis. 2. Summarize and/or paraphrase the Main Points. 3. Leaves the audience with something to think about (i.e. final thought or exit line.)