Speaking Skills

Psycholinguistics studies the psychological underpinnings of language. Focuses on acquisition, storage, comprehension and production of language .

A skill is the learned ability to carry out a task with pre-determined results often within a given amount of time , energy or both

In other words the abilities that one posses(4 skills) i.e 1) Listening2) Speaking3) Reading4) Writing

Speaking is described as an interactive process of constructing meaning that involves producing , receiving and processing information .

Speaking depends on the context or the situation, context include the physical environment.

The purposes for speaking is more often spontaneous, open-ended and evolving.

To clarify thinking and for learning Use task to express and share feelings, ideas and opinions Use talk to build relationships Speak to describe( e.g a person or place) Speak to narrate( e.g an incident from own experience) Speak to explain, report and inform Speak to influence and persuade Speaking is perhaps the most important purpose of language. Illiterate

people may not know how to read and write but they must know how to speak

There are four aspects of effective learning which are as follows :-

Accents Finding your voice The effect of breath on voice and speech Vocal production

Regional and ethnic accents are positive; they are part of individual personality. Gradually over the years, through the migration of people and exposure to the media accent are being broken down and neutralized.

In some ways this is a shame because accents can add a dimension and distinctiveness the voice and emphasize individuality .

It's important to get used to the sound of your own voice. Read your document silently first, then read it aloud in your normal speaking

voice. Don't worry if you stumble or fatter, just pick up and continue to the end. Now read it a third time, recording your voice if possible and remember:• Slowdown(because speeding up also occurs when you are nervous and

usually makes you more difficult to understand)• Keep your head(hold your book higher and project your voice)• Pause occasionally(let the end of a sentence or the end of a paragraph give

you a chance of a small, two or three second rest)

When under stress an individual's breathing pattern will change.

When your muscles are tense you cannot use your lungs to their full capacity, when a person is frightened or nervous, a common symptom is tension in the neck and shoulders.

Plenty of air is inhaled, but with fast breathing there is not enough time to exhale and relax .

The following three core elements of vocal production need to be understood for anyone wishing to become an effective speaker:

VOLUME-to be heard CLARITY-to be understood VARIETY-to add interest

This is not a question of treating the voice like the volume control on the T.V remote.

Some people have naturally soft voice and physically cannot bellow.

Additionally, if the voice is raised too much, tonal quality is lost .

Some people tend to speak through clenched teeth and with little movement of their lips.

To have good articulation it is important to unclench the jaws, open the mouth and give full benefit to each sound you make, paying particular attention to the ends of words.

This is will also help your audience as a certain amount of lip-reading will be possible.

It includes: PACE( speed at which you talk; if it is too fast then the listeners

will not have time to assimilate what is being said. Pace is quickening up at times and then slowing down).

VOLUME(by raising or lowering volume occasionally, you can create emphasis ).

PAUSE( pauses are powerful. They can be used for effect to highlight the preceding statement or to gain attention before an important message. Pauses mean silence for a few seconds).

There are three type of barriers :

• Perceptual Barriers:

• Emotional Barriers:

• Gender Barriers:

Perceptual Barriers:The problem with speaking to others is that we all see the world differently.

Emotional Barriers:One of the chief barriers to open and free speaking is the emotional barrier. It is comprised mainly of fear, mistrust and suspicion.

Gender Barriers:

There is a difference of speech patterns in a man and those in a woman. A woman speaks between 22000 and 25000 words a day where as a man speaks between 7000 and 10,000.

These are following techniques to improve speaking:

COMMAND OVER THE TOPIC: The first thing that makes our speech effective is the enough knowledge of the subject we are going to present.

ANALYSE THE AUDIENCE: We must consider the level of our listeners. We should know their interests, needs and language level. In this way, we would be able to persuade them.

ANALYSE THE CONTEXT: Context(environment) guides us in selecting what to speak and what not to speak. We should consider the event for our speech.

ORGANIZE THE MATERIAL: To have enough knowledge of the topic is not sufficient. We should organize the material so that it would work effectively.

PRONUNCIATION, GRAMMER,VOCABULARY: Our pronunciation , knowledge of grammar, vocabulary and choice of words should be apt.

CLARITY IN PRESENTATION: We should not mix up the words. We should be very clear in our speech. The tone of our speech should be effective.

EYE CONTACT: We should not see in the space of the hall or above the heads of the listeners. Some people look at the walls while speaking to the audience. It is not a good habit.

FEEL CONFIDENT: We should feel confident. Moreover, we should think that we have more knowledge than our audience. For effective formal speech, we should use notes and dais as well.

USE NON-VERBAL CLUES: We should also support our speech with non-verbal clues. Use of body language is very important in making our speech effective.