Speech Communication

The SCIENCE and Art of Persuasion

A Seminar Workshop Conducted by Lourdes Ramos Laguardia, Ph.D. June 2007

Four Major Areas

1.Interpersonal communication includes the study of symbolic behavior in dyadic, two person relationships.

2.Group communication concentrates on the small group of three to seven persons.

Organizational communication examines the effects that organizational structure and membership have on human communication.
Recent Issue: Cube versus Cave

Rhetoric and public address is the study of discourse and its role in shaping public perceptions and practices. All areas emphasize effective oral and written communication.

Communication Theory Framework

Mechanistic: This view considers communication to be a perfect transaction of a message from the sender to the receiver.

Aristotle Classic Model of Communication Linear Model

Psychological: This view considers communication as the act of sending a message to a receiver, and the feelings and thoughts of the receiver upon interpreting the message.

Interactive Model of Communication Feedback Mechanism

Social Constructionist (Symbolic Interactionism): This view considers communication to be the product of sharing and creating meaning.

Herbert Blumer: people act toward things based on the meaning those things have for them; and these meanings are derived from social interaction and modified through interpretation.

Non-Linear Model Helical

continuous, unrepeatable, additive, and accumulative

Multi-dimensional Model
Intra- inter-group-system

Systemic: This view considers communication to be the new messages created via through-put, or what happens as the message is being interpreted and reinterpreted as it travels through people.

Cybernetic Model
The emphasis is on the functional relations that hold between the different parts of a system, rather than the parts themselves. These relations include the transfer of information, and circular relations (feedback) that result in emergent phenomena such as self-organization and automation

The main innovation brought about by cybernetics is an understanding of goal-directedness or purpose as resulting from a negative feedback loop which minimizes the deviation between the perceived situation and the desired situation (goal).

Theory of Dissonance
COGNITIVE DISSONANCE by Leon Festinger, 1957
The theory of cognitive dissonance states that contradicting cognitions serve as a driving force that compels the mind to acquire or invent new thoughts or beliefs, or to modify existing beliefs, so as to reduce the amount of dissonance (conflict) between cognitions.

Major Concepts
1.Communication is a science It is a process of sharing facts and truth. It is primarily a process of persuading.

Aristotles Principles of Persuasion

1.Ethos (Ethical Persuasion) The speakers character Credibility /Authority Confidence

2.Logical Persuasion
Your speech must be of truths or facts. Your speech must clearly distinguish facts from opinions.

Some Common Fallacies

Argument to Ignorance
Something must be true because it has never been proven false or something must be false because it has never been true. Ex. Darwins theory of evolution The existence of God

Large Numbers
Citing large numbers to impress Sheer numbers cannot substitute for real logic Example
Over 20,000 people will lose their jobs if Chiang Kai Shek Hall be renamed because it will cost the government 300,000 dollars.

(agreement of the people) One argues the truth of a conclusion because most people believe it, either at the present time or universally. Example
The sanctity of marriage had stood the test of centuries and in light of this, it is wrong to even propose that divorce be made legal.

Fallacy of Consensus

Communication is a science (cont.)

Your speech must be relevant Audience analysis should be useful.

Specific occasion Age Background Without the benefit of audience analysis, present topics of universal appeal.

Role of Schools
Schools play a significant role in the development of organized knowledge and critical thinking. Human development is due to growth in logical thinking.

Why do we think differently? Because we wish to be exclusive with what we think. This specialization involves ways of experiencing, interpreting, and expressing our understanding of ourselves and the world. Sciences have their own discourse; fiction has its own.

The question: which modes of thought are privileged, command our respect, the right to state the bottom line? For long, its the scientific discourse or mode of thinking. However, faith in science has waned. It alone cannot make knowledge-claims.

Four frameworks by which we make sense of ourselves and the world: These are universal 1.we share our intentions with others 2.we emphasize actions than events 3.we capture the network of norms and obligations that make up the social world. 4.knowledge and understanding

3. Emotional Persuasion
Pathos
Sincerity Appropriateness of emotional highs and lows Superlatives may sound hypocritical Understatements sometimes prove more effective
Ex. There seems to be some immigration problems in the country.

Communication Barriers
Selective Listening Semantic Noise
Culture Positions Personalities Biases / Prejudices Medium Speech Environment

2. Communication is an art
If its an art, it must be beautiful Its beauty must be evident and then appreciated. Its beauty is remembered and emulated or imitated It becomes a model

Elements of Speech Communication

SPEAKERS Art
Voice Quality
Organic defects Due to reflections of personality Due to reflections of poor speech preparation and discipline

How to achieve good voice quality

A. Correct breathing

Inhale deeply and / or more rapidly

A reasonable amount of air is needed to give strength to the voice

Maintain a steady pressure of air as you talk

Exhaling is more controlled The control is not uniform; it varies according to the emphasis of words or thoughts

Maintain an adequate breath reserve

Exercises
Say these sentences applying correct breathing:

The man is gone The man is in the village. The man drove his car to the village. The man drove his car to the village to get some sugar. The man drove his car to the village to get some sugar and talk to the store owner for a while.

Speak with an open yet relaxed throat

Say these: Good day! Wait for us. Have you tried it? Hows going? Whats up? See you later.

B. Use resonators efficiently by enriching and reinforcing the voice produced by the vocal cords
To develop full resonance, open your throat and mouth during vocalization Exercise: Say numbers 1-10 with varied intensity: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

3. Good articulation
Exercise: Say these

These boys Autocratic Here and abroad Humanitarian Psychologist Tototo Dododo

Oral Recitation Exercises

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping As of someone gently rapping-rapping at my chamber door. Tis some visitor,I muttered tapping at my chamber doorOnly this and nothing more

The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want He maketh me to lie down in green pastures He leadeth me beside the still waters He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His names sake.

The Speech Sounds

Vowel Sounds
Sleep-sleepy-slip Ail-sail-sell Bait-bet-bat Lack-lock-luck Caught-coat-cot Ball-bowl-bull Wafer-refer Bird-bard feel-fill lid-laid-led pain-pen-pan stack-stock flaw-flow wrought-wrote soccer-recur perk-park

Consonants
for security reason shepherd a meaningful marriage dean/dim sharing different views worth /worthy waiting in a queue mean / meant mishmash of construction smooth confused and lost chef thunder and lightning moustache household chores business finance battered wife

Tongue twisters
1) Six sick slick slim sycamore saplings. 2) A box of biscuits, a batch of mixed biscuits 3) A skunk sat on a stump and thunk the stump stunk, the skunk thump the stump thunk the skunk stunk.

The Rhythm of Speech

Stress notice Vatican supervise vegetable cartoon unless giraffe original volunteer manufacture elementary process-process conflict-conflict desert-desert twenty/twentieth sixteen-sixteenth

Blending of words: Stressing and Unstressing

a book their land that store Sing it read them have it bread and butter slow but sure in time for the guest at home should listen were told Hes tall Theyre nice You cant go. I dont know.

Intonation
Youre up early. The children are not very hungry this morning. What would you like for breakfast? How many people shall we invite? Did you sleep well? Can you do it? Will you stay with him while I go to the bathroom?

Tag Questions Its painful, isnt it? (down) Its painful, isnt it? (rising) It isnt painful, is it? (down) It isnt painful, is it? (rising)

Mood Intonation / Pitch Range

Repressed Mood-Narrow Range
Hush! My baby, or soon you will hear The Sleepy-eye, Weeng-oosh, hovering near; out of the timber he will come. A little round man as small as your thumb.

Vigorous mood wide pitch range Remember March, the ides of March remember: Did not great Julius bleed for justice sake? What villain touched his body, that did stab, And not for justice? What, shall one of us, that struck the foremost man of all this world but for supporting robbers, shall we now.

Basic Principles of Public Speaking

1. Speakers are themselves, not playing a role.

2. They speak their own words unless they give credit to some quoted materials.

3. Speakers do not write their speeches word for word because they are addressing specific audiences

3. Speakers use their physical and vocal resources with words to send a message.

4. Public speech is not chatting. Messages are more carefully planned and the floor is not shared as freely.

Public Speaking Guidelines

1. Have good posture
In general American culture, standing up straight is perceived to reflect competence and confidence.

2. Smile before you speak but dont fake a big smile.

3. Use good movements and gestures to make your speech more clear and understandable.
Youre not acting on stage; you dont need too many gestures. However, not to be stiff either.
The best advice is to be natural

4. Eye contact
Dont stare at one person in the audience. Try to look some of the time to the left, then at the center, then to the right. Eye contact is for feedback

5. Speak with enthusiasm

6. Prepare
With diligence, work on your pronunciation for the audiences comprehension of your speech. Your grammar and the words you use should be acceptable and understandable. Do not memorize your speech; understand it completely.

7. Practice
Try out your speech to someone who can help you evaluate Do not over practice

Conclusion
1. We cannot not communicate.

2. All communication is essentially persuasive.

3. Speakers must always have their listeners in mind.

4. Effective communication brings a balance among all elements: speaker, message, medium, receiver, thoughts, feelings

REFERENCES:

Chia-Jung Tsui.1991. Principles and Techniques of English Oral Presentations. Taipei: Caves Books Dadufalza, Concepcion. 1995. A Handbook-Workbook-Reader for Critical Reading and Writing in Expository Discourse. University of the Philippines Press Dale Paulette and James Wolf. Speech Communication for International Students. 1988. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Katchen, Johanna E. 1994. Public Speaking in English for Chinese Students. Taiwan: The Crane Publishing Co., Limited Miller, K., Communication Theories: Perspectives, processes, and contexts. 2nd edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Olson, David R. 1996. In David R. Olsons and Nancy Torrances Modes of Thought. Cambridge University Press Sprague Jo, Douglas Stuart and Gary Ruud. 1992. The Speakers Handbook. USA: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich

Deutsch, K. On Communication Models in the Social Sciences, Public Opinion Quarterly, 16:356-380, 1952. Gerbner, G. Toward a General Model of Communication, Audio-Visual Communication Review, 4:171-199, 1956. Kaplan, A. The Conduct of Inquiry: Methodology for Behavioral Science. San Francisco: Chandler, 1964. Lackman, R. The Model in Theory Construction, Psychological Review, 67:113-129, 1960.