Speaking Skills

SPEAKING SKILLS
By Sukriti Bajaj
OVERVIEW
Overview
Verbal Communication Skills

Verbal Communication Tools
Interview
Types of Interview
The STAR Method
Questioning & Gathering Information
Avoiding Jargons
VERBAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Opening Communication
In many interpersonal encounters, the first few

minutes are extremely important as first
impressions have a significant impact on the
success of further communication.
Reinforcement
The use of encouraging words alongside non-verbal

gestures such as head nods, a warm facial
expression and maintaining eye contact, are more
likely to reinforce openness in others.
Reinforcement
The use of encouragement and positive

reinforcement can:
Encourage others to participate in discussion
Signify interest in what other people have to say
Pave the way for development and/or

maintenance of a relationship
Reinforcement
The use of encouragement and positive

reinforcement can:
Allay fears and give reassurance
Show warmth and openness.
Reduce shyness or nervousness in ourselves and

others
Effective Listening
Active listening is an important skill and yet, as

communicators, people tend to spend far more
energy considering what they are going to say
rather than listening to what the other person is
trying to say.
Although active listening is a skill in itself, covered in

depth on our listening pages, it is also vital for
effective verbal communication.
Effective Listening
The following points are essential for effective and

active listening:
Arrange a comfortable environment conducive to

the purpose of the communication, for example a
warm and light room with minimal background
noise.
Be prepared to listen.
Effective Listening
Keep an open mind and concentrate on the main

direction of the speaker's message.
Avoid distractions if at all possible.
Delay judgment until you have heard everything.
Be objective.
Effective Listening
Do not be trying to think of your next question while

the other person is giving information.
Do not dwell on one or two points at the expense of

others.
The speaker should not be stereotyped. Try not to

let prejudices associated with, for example, gender,
ethnicity, social class, appearance or dress interfere
with what is being said.
Questioning
Effective questioning is an essential skill.

Questioning can be used to:
Obtain information.
Start a conversation.
Test understanding.
Draw someone into a conversation.
Show interest in a person.
Seek support or agreement.
Questioning
Closed questions tend to seek only a one or two

word answer (often simply 'yes' or 'no') and, in doing
so, limit the scope of the response.
Two examples of closed questions are "Did you

travel by car today?" and "Did you see the football
game yesterday?
Questioning
These types of question mean control of the

communication is maintained by the questioner yet
this is often not the desired outcome when trying to
encourage verbal communication.
Nevertheless, closed questions can be useful for

focusing discussion and obtaining clear, concise
answers when needed.
Questioning
Open questions broaden the scope for response

since they demand further discussion and
elaboration.
For example, "What was the traffic like this

morning?" or "What do you feel you would like to
gain from this discussion?"
Questioning
Open questions will take longer to answer, but they

do give the other person far more scope for self-
expression and encourage involvement in the
conversation.
Reflecting & Clarifying
Reflecting is the process of feeding-back to another

person your understanding of what has been said.
Although reflecting is a specialised skill used within

counselling, it can also be applied to a wide range of
communication contexts and is a useful skill to
learn.
Reflecting often involves paraphrasing the message

communicated to you by the speaker in your own
words, capturing the essence of the facts and
feelings expressed, and communicating your
understanding back to the speaker.
It is a useful skill because:
You can check that you have understood the

message clearly.
The speaker gets feedback as to how the message
is received.
It shows interest in, and respect for, what the
other person has to say.
You are demonstrating that you are considering
the other persons viewpoint.
Summarising
A summary is an overview of the main points or

issues raised. Summarising can also serve the same
purpose as 'reflecting'. However, summarising
allows both parties to review and agree the
communication exchanged between them up to
that point in time.
When used effectively, summaries may also serve as

a guide to the next steps forward.
Closing Communication
The way a communication is closed or ended will, at

least in part, determine the way a conversation is
remembered.
VERBAL COMMUNICATION TOOLS
Paraphrasing - a brief, succinct statement

reflecting the content of the speakers message.
Reflecting Feeling - a statement, in a way that

conveys understanding, of the feeling that the
listener has heard.
Summarizing - a statement of the main ideas

and feelings to show understanding.
Questioning - asking open questions to gain

information, encourage the speaker to tell her
story, and gain clarification.
INTERVIEW
Interview
The word interview is derived from Middle

French word entrevue, verbal noun from word
entrevoir means to see each other, visit each
other briefly, have a glimpse of, from word
entre meaning between and Old French word
voir meaning to see (from Latin word videre
means vision).
Interview
Generally, interview means a private meeting

between people when questions are asked and
answered.
The person who answers the questions of an

interview is called in interviewee.
The person who asks the questions of our

interview is called an interviewer.
TYPES OF INTERVIEW
Basis
Classification According To Structure
Classification According To The Purpose
Classification According To Administering The

Interview
Classification According To Interviews Content

According To Structure
Structured Or Direct Interview
The questions and acceptable responses are

specified in advance
Responses are rated for appropriateness of

content
Also called standardized interviews as they are pre

planned to a high degree of accuracy and
precision
Unstructured Or Indirect Interview
Not directed by questions or comments as to

what the candidate should be asked
No set format is followed
Candidate is encouraged to express himself on

any topic of his interest, his expectations,
background etc.
Unstructured Or Indirect Interview
Interviewers look for traits of character and nature

of his aspirations, strengths, weaknesses,
potential etc.
Semi-Structured Interview
specific topic areas
a general set of questions
but the interview flows like a conversation and

topics are covered as they come up.
Pros & Cons
Structured Interview Unstructured Interview
More reliable and valid Flexibility to pursue

as all candidates are points of interest as
asked the same set of they develop
questions
Help in assessing the
Enhance consistency clarity of thoughts of
across candidates the candidate
According To Purpose
Stress Interview
This type of interview is rare in the present job

scenario. It was a very common interview method
when selecting for sales position.
Stress Interview means
Being asked more than one question at a time;
Being asked further questions without being

allowed adequate time to respond;
The interviewer adopts a hostile behavior and

deliberately puts the candidate on defensive by
trying to annoy, embarrass or frustrate him;
Stress Interview means
He asks questions rapidly, criticizes his/her

answers, interrupts him/her frequently, makes
derogatory remarks etc.
Having his/her feelings provoked.

Stress Interview because
This interview is an attempt to see how the

candidates handle themselves under stress.
So, the interviewer deliberately assumes a

sarcastic or argumentative position.
The trick for the interviewee is to remain calm

under such a situation.
Appraisal/ Assessment Interview
A discussion following a performance appraisal
In which the supervisor and employee discuss the

employees rating and
Possible remedial actions to be taken.

Exit Interview
When an employee leaves the company for any

reason, an exit interview is conducted
Aims at eliciting information about the job or

related matters
Exit Interview
Help the employer in having a better insight into

what is right or wrong about the company
Highlights the work of an HR Manager

According To Administering
Interview
One-To-One Interview
Single interviewer who takes interview one by one
Maybe structured, unstructured or sequential
Easier to handle, generally more informal
Best way to handle such interviews is to relate

them as a form of a conversation
Interview
Sequential/ Serial Interview
These interviews are Those in which the applicant

is interviewed Sequentially by several persons
(interviewers)
Each one rates the applicant on a standard

evaluation form and these ratings are then
compared before the hiring decision is taken
Interview
Sequential/ Serial Interview
Each interviewer rates from his/her own point of

view, asks different questions and forms an
independent opinion of the candidate
Interview
Group Interview / Group Discussion
The main purpose of this interview is to see how

the interviewee interacts with others and how he/
she influences others with his/her knowledge and
reason.
Also known as GDs, a topic for discussion is given

to a group.
Interview
Group Interview / Group Discussion because
Group interview is also the best way to discover

any leadership potential, group participation,
team playing skills and communication skills
among the candidates.
The selected candidates from the group interview

are then taken for an informal one to one
interview.
Interview
Panel Interview/ Committee Interview
A panel interview comprises more than two

members interviewing a person for the hiring.
It is most common mode of interview when hiring

at the senior level.
The interviewee should try to connect with each

interviewer and the best way to do this is to read
the personality of each interviewer.
Interview
Panel Interview/ Committee Interview
In a panel interview, the interviewer tries to gauge

the group management and group presentation
skills of the interviewee.
The interviewee should maintain eye contact with

the person asking the questions but also seek eye
contact with the other members of the panel.
According To Interviews Content
Situational Interview
Here the interview will focus on the individuals

ability to project what his behavior will be in a
given situation.
The interview can be both structured and

situational with predetermined questions
requiring the candidate to project what his
behavior will be.
Job Related Interview
Here the interviewer tries to deduce what the

applicants on-the-job performance would be,
based on his answers about his past behaviors.
Job related questions are asked to draw

conclusions about the candidates ability to
handle the job to be filled.
Behavioral Interview
Here a situation is described and candidates are

asked how they have behaved in the past in such a
situation.
While situational interviews ask candidates to

describe how they would react to a situation in
future,
Behavioral Interview
The behavioral interviews seek candidates to

describe how did they react to situations in the
past.
Psychological Interview
Psychological interviews are interviews conducted

by a psychologist,
In which questions are intended to assess personal

traits such as reliability or dependability etc.
Other Types of Interview
Telephone Interview
Phone interviews are increasingly used in mass

hiring.
The interview is conducted entirely over the

phone and this is very effective in eliminating any
bias that may arise from the appearance and
manner of the candidate.
Promotion Interview (of the employees who are

due for promotion)
Annual Interview (before writing annual reports,

reporting officer interacts with employees
subordination)
Problem Interview (of an employee whose

performance is unsatisfactory-to find out reasons
and find solutions
Periodical Interview (with the existing employees)
Computerized Interview (questions are presented

in MCQs)
Walk-in Interview (no specific candidates are

called, but those who are eligible can come with
their valid documents)
Video Conferencing (using video technology;

clothing, body language and dialogue are important
here as well)
THE STAR METHOD
The STAR Method
The STAR method is a structured manner of

responding to a behavioral-based interview
question by discussing the specific situation, task,
action, and result of the situation you are
describing.
Situation
Task
Action
Result
The STAR Method
Situation:
Describe the situation that you were in or the task

that you needed to accomplish.
You must describe a specific event or situation,

not a generalized description of what you have
done in the past.
The STAR Method
Situation:
Be sure to give enough detail for the interviewer

to understand.
This situation can be from a previous job, from a

volunteer experience, or any relevant event.
The STAR Method
Task:
What goal were you working toward?

The STAR Method
Action:
Describe the actions you took to address the

situation with an appropriate amount of detail
and keep the focus on YOU.
What specific steps did you take and what was

your particular contribution?
The STAR Method
Action:
Be careful that you dont describe what the team

or group did when talking about a project, but
what you actually did.
Use the word I, not we when describing

actions.
The STAR Method
Result:
Describe the outcome of your actions and dont

be shy about taking credit for your behavior.
What happened? How did the event end? What

did you accomplish? What did you learn?
Make sure your answer contains multiple positive

results.
Sample STAR Response
Situation (S): Advertising revenue was falling off for

my college newspaper, The Review, and large
numbers of long-term advertisers were not
renewing contracts.
Task (T): My goal was to generate new ideas,

materials and incentives that would result in at least
a 15% increase in advertisers from the year before.
Action (A): I designed a new promotional packet to

go with the rate sheet and compared the benefits of
The Review circulation with other ad media in the
area. I also set-up a special training session for the
account executives with a School of Business
Administration professor who discussed
competitive selling strategies.
Result (R): We signed contracts with 15 former

advertisers for daily ads and five for special
supplements. We increased our new advertisers by
20 percent over the same period last year.
Preparation For Behavioral
Interview
Recall recent situations that show favorable behaviors
or actions, especially involving course work, work
experience, leadership, teamwork, initiative, planning,
and customer service.
Prepare short descriptions of each situation; be ready to

give details if asked.
Be sure each story has a beginning, middle, and an end,

i.e., be ready to describe the situation, including the
task at hand, your action, and the outcome or result.
Preparation For Behavioral
Interview
Be sure the outcome or result reflects positively on you
(even if the result itself was not favorable).
Be honest. Don't embellish or omit any part of the story.

The interviewer will find out if your story is built on a
weak foundation.
Be specific. Don't generalize about several events; give

a detailed accounting of one event.
Vary your examples; dont take them all from just one
area of your life.
Sample Behavioral Interview
Questions
Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion
to successfully convince someone to see things your way.
Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful
situation that demonstrated your coping skills.
Give me a specific example of a time when you used good
judgment and logic in solving a problem.
Give me an example of a time when you set a goal and were
able to meet or achieve it.
Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation
skills to influence someone's opinion.
Give me a specific example of a time when you had to
conform to a policy with which you did not agree.
QUESTIONING & GATHERING
INFORMATION
Types of Bad Questions
Closed Questions
Demand simple yes or no answers with no chance

to elaborate.
Limit the gathering of information, fail to explore

possibilities and get overly simple answers.
They typically start with: Could ..? Couldn't ...?

Should ...? Would ...? Have ...? Are ..? Is ...? Will ...?
Closed Questions
They can sometimes be useful for quick checking

of facts or to show that you have been listening
carefully to the other person: Now if I understood
you correctly you meant that ....
For example Couldn't you have resigned?, Are

you poor at exams?
Leading Questions
These are similar to closed questions.
They predict a particular answer and should be

avoided
For examples - "You're bad at maths aren't you?"

Negative Questions
These can sometimes be good for analysis but

may demotivate the interviewee from talking.
For examples What went wrong?, Whose

fault was it?
Types of Good Questions
Open Questions
These are prompts to get the other person to talk

about a topic
They require longer, more detailed detailed

answers, produce more, better quality
information and open up possibilities.
Open Questions
They help the person crystallise their thoughts

and help you to understand their views, feelings
and attitudes.
They may start with: How ... ? When ....? Where

....? What ....? Which ....? Why ....? Who ..? What
...? If ....?
Open Questions
For example - "Tell me what you think about this?"

Probing Questions
These delve more deeply into the interviewee's

answers, and allow you to dig down to reach the
important information.
For example - "Tell me exactly what your duties

were at Bloggs & Co."
What-If Questions
These are hypothetical questions These questions

are used precisely because it's impossible to work
out your answer beforehand, thus it tests your
ability to think quickly, and reason logically.
For example - "How would you deal with an irate

customer?"
Clarifying Questions
These reflect back what the speaker is saying in

other words to clarify understanding: you
paraphrase and repeat back key points.
They may summarise and bring new

interpretations to the speakers words.
They show you're listening carefully and checks

you are understanding correctly what they are
saying allowing the speaker to confirm or correct
your feedback.
They encourage the speaker to elaborate and to

define their problems.
For example - "If I heard you correctly, you felt

very angry about the way you had been treated?"
The Devils Advocate
These questions are provocative. Often, they

reflect the opposite view to the real view of the
questioner and can lure out any hidden prejudices
you may have.
For example - "I think that the Government has

made some really stupid decisions recently: don't
you agree?"
AVOIDING JARGONS
Avoid Jargons
Use simple words and clear unambiguous language.
Be succinct: take time and effort to distill ideas to an

absolute minimum.
Make simple points that everyone agrees on.
Use the active not passive voice. "I will send it to

you" rather than "It will be sent to you.
Avoid Jargons
Avoid Jargon!
NOT: "We need to incentivize our best of breed to

think outside the box in focusing our core
competencies on mission critical key deliverables.
BUT: "We should motivate our staff to use their

skills on important tasks".
Activity - 1
Take an interview about your institution from

students and faculty members.
Activity - 2
Prepare a Role Play for the behavioral interview

(STAR Method).
Activity - 3
Take two interviews covering two different stories

on same concept but different subjects.
THANK YOU !

Speaking Skills

Caricato da

Informazioni sul documento

Copyright

Condividi questo documento

Condividi o incorpora il documento

Opzioni di condivisione

Hai trovato utile questo documento?

Questo contenuto è inappropriato?

Copyright:

Speaking Skills

Caricato da

Copyright:

SPEAKING SKILLS

Verbal Communication Skills

In many interpersonal encounters, the first few

The use of encouraging words alongside non-verbal

The use of encouragement and positive

Encourage others to participate in discussion

Signify interest in what other people have to say

Pave the way for development and/or

The use of encouragement and positive

Allay fears and give reassurance

Show warmth and openness.

Reduce shyness or nervousness in ourselves and

Active listening is an important skill and yet, as

Although active listening is a skill in itself, covered in

The following points are essential for effective and

Arrange a comfortable environment conducive to

Keep an open mind and concentrate on the main

Avoid distractions if at all possible.

Delay judgment until you have heard everything.

Do not be trying to think of your next question while

Do not dwell on one or two points at the expense of

The speaker should not be stereotyped. Try not to

Effective questioning is an essential skill.

Closed questions tend to seek only a one or two

Two examples of closed questions are "Did you

These types of question mean control of the

Nevertheless, closed questions can be useful for

Open questions broaden the scope for response

For example, "What was the traffic like this

Open questions will take longer to answer, but they

Reflecting is the process of feeding-back to another

Although reflecting is a specialised skill used within

Reflecting often involves paraphrasing the message

It is a useful skill because:

You can check that you have understood the

A summary is an overview of the main points or

When used effectively, summaries may also serve as

The way a communication is closed or ended will, at

Paraphrasing - a brief, succinct statement

Reflecting Feeling - a statement, in a way that

Summarizing - a statement of the main ideas

Questioning - asking open questions to gain

The word interview is derived from Middle

Generally, interview means a private meeting

The person who answers the questions of an

The person who asks the questions of our

Classification According To Structure

Classification According To The Purpose

Classification According To Administering The

Classification According To Interviews Content

Structured Or Direct Interview

The questions and acceptable responses are

Responses are rated for appropriateness of

Also called standardized interviews as they are pre

Unstructured Or Indirect Interview

Not directed by questions or comments as to

No set format is followed

Candidate is encouraged to express himself on

Unstructured Or Indirect Interview

Interviewers look for traits of character and nature

specific topic areas

a general set of questions

but the interview flows like a conversation and

Structured Interview Unstructured Interview

More reliable and valid Flexibility to pursue

This type of interview is rare in the present job

Stress Interview means