Effective Oral Communication

Why effective oral communication?

Effective: Successful in producing a
desired or intended result
Oral: Spoken rather than written;
verbal
Communication: The imparting or
exchanging of information by speaking,
writing, or using some other medium

What is speech?
The expression of
or the ability to
express thoughts
and feelings by
articulate sounds
A formal address or
discourse delivered
to an audience
(Oxford
Dictionaries, 2014)

Factors Regarding
Speakers

Emotions
SelfEsteem
Inhibition
Risktaking

Anxiety
Empathy
Extroversion

Anxiety

Anxiety
Does the thought of making a
presentation in front of a group
of people make you nervous?
Does it make your heart race?
Do you feel nausea or sick to
your stomach?

Anxiety
Do your muscles tense?
Do you begin to sweat?
Do you want to run and hide?

Activity: Take Yourself Out of

Negative Thoughts
Identify your fears:
1. Think of five reasons you have
presentation anxiety
2. Rank them 1 to 5, 1 being the
reason that causes you the
most anxiety
3. Write them down leaving space
in-between (4-5 lines)

Activity: Take Yourself Out of

Negative Thoughts
Replace your fears with positive
thoughts:
1. Substitute at least two positive
beliefs for each fear you
identified
2. Write them below each fear you
wrote

Activity: Take Yourself Out of

Negative Thoughts
Share your strategies:
1. Share and compare the positive
thoughts you substituted for
each negative one with your
group members

Anxiety: How to control it

Take Advantage of Small Occasions to
Speak Up
Make yourself give the toast at
celebrations
Give the order in a restaurant
Ask a question when you are an
audience member during another
persons speech

Plan and Prepare

With the proper preparation, you will
feel confident that you know your

Anxiety: How to control it

Use Audio and Visual Aids
They make you feel less self-conscious
as the audience will focus on them

Breathe Deeply and Slowly

This increases the oxygen in our brains,
which help us to relax
Take a deep breath, hold it and let it out
slowly

Practice!
Rehearse your speech in front of family
or friends

Body Language

Body Language
All speakers give
two speeches at
the same time: the
one that is heard
and the one that is
seen

Believe it or not, most people are

frequently more influenced by what
they see than by what they hear

Kennedy Nixon debate, 1960

People who
heard them
on radio
People who
watched
them on TV

Posture Talks

Posture Experiment

Posture Talks: Recommendations

Keep your spine straight and
rotate your shoulders back
Keep your head back
Keep your hands at your sides
with your fingers open or slightly
curled.
Keep both feet flat on the floor
and slightly apart

Posture Talks: Recommendations

If you are using a lectern, be

careful not to bend over it or lean
on it
Stand naturally erect and gently
rest your hands on the sides of
the lectern

Posture Talks: Recommendations

If you are using a lectern, be

careful not to bend over it or lean
on it
Stand naturally erect and gently
rest your hands on the sides of
the lectern

Posture Talks: Recommendations

When sitting and listening:
Sit straight while leaning
forward slightly to show interest
in the speaker
Rest your hands lightly in your
lap or on the arms of your chair
Keep your legs together with
your feet flat on the floor or

Posture Talks: Recommendations

Remember: Your speech starts

before you even say one word. Your
audience takes notice of you before
you begin to speak
They form an impression about your
level of confidence, your ability and
your credibility during your short trip
to the podium

Look Them in The Eye

This depends from culture to culture:
Japan: Audiences look down in
order to show respect for a speaker
USA: Effective communicators make
eye contact with their listeners
Brazil: The less powerful person
glances away from the more
important people

Look Them in The Eye

Venezuela: ?

Good Eye Contact

Shows that you are open and
honest
Is more effective than the words
you say
Encourages listeners to pay
attention to you
Indicates that you have
confidence in yourself and what
you are saying

Facial Expressions and Gestures

It also varies in different cultures:
Japan: Speakers rarely vary facial
expressions or gestures. During
business presentations, speakers
who smiles or chuckles might
convey confusion or embarrassment
to his/her listeners
USA: Speakers might purposely
laugh to express irony or humor.
They use facial expressions to

Facial Expressions and Gestures

Japan: Speakers rarely vary facial
expressions or gestures.
USA: Effective communicators make
eye contact with their listeners
Brazil: The less powerful person
glances away from the more
important people

Italians

Look Them in The Eye

Venezuela: ?

Facial Expressions and Gestures:

Recommendations
Smile before you speak: It gives
your listeners the impression that
you are confident and looking
forward to speaking. Dont
exaggerate, though
Try to change your facial
expressions during your speech to
convey the emotions you feel

Movement: Recommendations
What
Try toyou
keepshould
jewelrydo
to
a minimum
If you wear glasses,
make sure they fit
properly
If you have long hair,
try to tie it back
Keep your hands at
your sides
Take a few steps to
the sides while
speaking

What you shouldnt

Dont play with your
do
hair, necklace,
earrings or anything
else
Dont push your
slipping eyeglasses
constantly
Dont hide your
hands in your pockets
while speaking
Dont stand frozen in
one place the entire
speech

Gestures: Recommendations
Hands an arms can emphasize your
speech
Size: Show width or height of an
object
Symbolic actions: Make a
movement with your hand to
mean that something grows
Locations: Use your hand to show

Activity: Communicate Through

Body Language

Use your body to express the

situation that was randomly given to
you

Speech Preparation
Worksheets

Activity: Personal Experience Speech

Preparation Worksheet
Page 12
What is it like?
What is it for?
Have you done something like this
before?

Personal Experience
Speech

Homework

Activity: Picture Story or Old

Bag Speech
Page 5 and 7
For next class, at the beginning
Worksheet needed

The End