speech ch 10

Ch10LanguageandOralStyle.pptx

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Chapter 10

SPEAK

Language and Oral Style

The chapter begins by briefly describing oral style and how it differs from written style. Then you will learn some specific strategies you can employ to ensure that your speech is appropriate, accurate, clear, and vivid.

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The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

The mind is

It's a strange world of language in which skating on thin ice can get you into hot water.

~Franklin P. Jones

Learning Outcomes:

1. How does oral style differ from written style?

2. How can you word your speech to avoid offending some listeners?

3. What should you do to make sure your language and style is appropriate?

What should you consider to make sure your word choices will be interpreted accurately by your audience?

What can you do to make sure your message is clear?

What are some strategies you can employ to make your ideas vivid?

Action Step 6 - Practice Oral Language and Delivery Style:

Practice to develop an oral style using language that is appropriate, accurate, clear, and vivid.

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What Is Oral Style?

Oral style refers to the manner in which one conveys messages through the spoken word.

An effective oral style differs quite a bit from written style, though when giving a speech your oral style is still more formal than everyday talk. In fact, the degree of formality required to be an effective public speaker is based on the rhetorical situation.

In other words, your goal is to adapt your language to the audience and occasion. Although the language you use when speaking to a small audience at a business meeting will be more formal than when conversing with a friend , it will not be as formal as when speaking to an audience of 100 or more at a professional conference.

An Effective Oral Style…

tends toward short sentences and familiar language

features plural personal pronouns

features descriptive words and phrases that appeal to the ear and are designed to sustain listener interest and promote retention

incorporates clear section transitions and signposts

As the speaker, your primary goal is to establish a relationship with your listeners, so whatever situation you are in, your language should reflect a personal tone that encourages listeners to feel you are having a conversation with them.

These four characteristics distinguish an effective oral style from an effective written style.

Speaking Appropriately

Speaking appropriately

means choosing words that enhance a connection with the audience.

Verbal immediacy is language that reduces the psychological distance between you and your audience.

Speaking appropriately means choosing words that enhance the connection between you and the members of your audience. Using appropriate language makes us more effective because it demonstrates that we are adapting successfully to the rhetorical situation. It also demonstrates that we are ethical communicators who respect others, even those who differ from us.

Speaking Appropriately:

Speaking appropriately means using language that adapts to listeners’ needs, interests, knowledge, and attitudes and avoiding language that alienates any listeners.

Verbal immediacy is language that reduces the psychological distance between you and your audience.

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Strategies for Speaking Appropriately

Use “we” language

Use bias-free language

Adapt to cultural diversity

Avoid offensive humor

Avoid profanity, vulgarity, and

hate speech

“We” language—the use of plural personal pronouns like “we,” “our,” and “us” rather than “you” or “they”—conveys a sense of connection with your listeners and involves them in the communication event.

Bias-free language shows an ethical concern for fairness and respect regarding to race, ethnicity, gender, ability, sexual orientation, and diverse worldviews.

Avoid generic language (words that apply only to one sex, race, or other group as though they represent everyone) and nonparallel language (terms are changed because of the sex, race, or other group characteristics of the individual).

Individualistic cultures tend to use low-context communication, in which information is (1) embedded mainly in the messages transmitted and (2) presented directly. By contrast, collectivistic cultures tend to use high-context communication, in which people (1) expect others to know how they’re thinking and feeling and (2) present some messages indirectly to avoid embarrassing the other person.

Needless to say, offensive, vulgar, and hateful language should always be avoided.

Speaking Accurately

Accurate language conveys your meaning precisely. But using accurate language is difficult because:

Language is symbolic

We must learn language

Each utterance is a creative act

The same words can be interpreted differently

Language is symbolic—that is, we use words to represent things, ideas, events, and so forth. Words have no tangible meanings in and of themselves; rather, we attach meaning to them. Therefore, as a speaker you should use accurate words that most closely match the thing or idea you want your audience to see or understand.

We learn much of our language early in life from our families. We then learn more in school, and we continue to learn more throughout our lives. But we do not all learn to use the same words in the same way.

Although on occasion we repeat other people’s sentence constructions to represent what we are thinking or feeling, most of our talk is unique. This can make it difficult to convey your meaning precisely.

Finally, be aware that even though two people may know the same words, they may interpret the meanings of the words differently.

Factors Affecting Interpretation

Denotation

Connotation

Dialect

A word’s denotation is its dictionary definition. But meaning may vary depending on the context in which the word is used. Context—the position of a word in a sentence and its relationship to the other words around it—has an important effect on correctly interpreting which denotation is meant.

A word’s connotation is the positive, neutral, or negative feelings or evaluations we associate with it. Our perception of a word’s connotation may be even more important than its denotation in how we interpret the meaning of the word.

Dialect, a regional or ethnic variety of a language, can also affect listener understanding of your message. If your audience doesn’t share the dialect you normally speak, using it during your speeches can interfere with the intelligibility of your message. Using dialect can also affect the audience’s perception of your competence and credibility.

Strategies for Speaking Clearly

Use specific language

Choose familiar terms

Avoid jargon & slang

Provide details

Limit vocalized pauses

Specific language clarifies meaning by narrowing what is understood from a general category to a particular item or group within that category. Choosing specific words is easier when you have a large working vocabulary. Try to increase your vocabulary by studying vocabulary-building books, looking up words you are unfamiliar with, and using a thesaurus.

Using familiar terms is just as important as using specific words. In most situations, you should avoid jargon (he unique technical terminology of a trade or profession that is not generally understood by outsiders), slang (informal, nonstandard vocabulary and nonstandard definitions assigned to words by a social group or subculture), abbreviations, and acronyms.

If the word you use does not have a precise synonym, you can achieve clarity by adding details or examples.

Vocalized pauses are unnecessary words (e.g., “like,” “you know,” “really,” “basically,” “um,” “uh”) interjected into sentences to fill moments of silence. A few vocalized pauses typically don’t hinder clarity, but practicing your speech aloud will help you eliminate them.

Strategies for Speaking Vividly

Use sensory language

Use rhetorical figures & structures of speech

To develop vivid sensory language, use words to convey what your subject looks like, sounds, feels (textures, shapes, temperatures), tastes, and smells. To achieve this in your speech, use colorful descriptors.

Rhetorical figures of speech make striking comparisons between things that are not obviously alike and so help listeners visualize or internalize what you are saying. Rhetorical structures of speech combine ideas in a particular way.

A simile is a direct comparison of dissimilar things using the word “like” or “as.” A metaphor is an implied comparison between two unlike things, expressed without using “like” or “as.” An analogy is an extended metaphor. Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words that are near one another. Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in a phrase or phrases. Onomatopoeia is the use of words that sound like the things they stand for, such as “buzz,” “hiss,” “crack,” and “plop.” Personification is attributing human qualities to a concept or an inanimate object. Repetition is restating words, phrases, or sentences for emphasis. Antithesis is combining contrasting ideas in the same sentence.

I Have a Dream

Communication researchers suggest that the best speech is “I have a dream” by Martin Luther King, Jr.

As you listen, write the powerful usages of language.

Metaphors

Similes

Alliteration

Parallelism

Antithesis

Alliteration

Repetition

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1732754907698549493

Impromptu Speeches

The structure is the same

Introduction

Attention grabber

Preview the topic and main point(s)

Body

Discuss main point (This may be the present condition)

Give an example, illustration, or experience.

Elaborate on your idea (This may be your idea to make things better than the present condition.)

Conclusion

Signal

Summarize what you have said

Let’s Practice

Choose from the following list of topics. You will have five minutes to prepare and should present for 2 minutes

Tell about your most embarrassing experience.

Explain a time in your life that you changed your way of thinking.

Tell about your scariest experience.

If you could be any animal, other than human, what would you be and why.