ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Communication: Speech Communication.
Why Study Speech Communication?
The benefits of good speech communication are clear. It can help you learn, make
decisions, enjoy yourself, and succeed in your chosen career. The eight basic skills for becoming
an effective communicator, as listed; are also clear. With these factors in mind, you may ask why
you should take this course to practice something you have been doing every day for years? Why
not just continue speaking, keeping these eight factors in mind?
Salient issues and questions.
• Do you sometimes have trouble choosing the best words to express your ideas?
• Have you ever spoken without preparing your remarks carefully?
• Do you ever have difficulty paying attention when others speak?
• Do people ever ask you to repeat something because they could not hear or understand
what you said the first time?
• Have you ever been asked to give a speech or act in a play and refused out of timidity?
• Have some of your in-class reports over the years fallen a bit flat because of the way you
presented them?
• Do you sometimes feel like your friends do not listen to what you say?
• Can you argue effectively and logically with someone?
• Do you have difficulty remembering a speaker's main points several hours after hearing a
speech?
(SPEECH, EXPLORING COMMUNICATION - J REGIS O'CONNOR)
What makes an effective speech Communicator?
(Discuss with a colleague)
Tips for speech communication Quality (Adapted From SPEECH, EXPLORING COMMUNICATION - J
REGIS O'CONNOR)
1. Sincerity Effective speech communicators must be sincere. That is, they must
themselves believe in what they say. Other people must believe they mean what they say
in order for communication to be successful in the long run.
2. Knowledge Effective speech communicators must speak knowledgeably. Whether
talking in a small group meeting, giving a public speech to a large crowd, or in one-to-
one conversation, speakers should know enough about the subject to make it worthwhile
for people to listen. At other times, little advance preparation is needed. In any case, to be
an effective speaker you must be able to speak with confidence and knowledge about
your subject.
3. Organization Effective speech communicators must be well organized. Some speakers
are like the man who jumped on a horse and rode off first in one direction then in
another. The rider wound up going nowhere and it definitely confused the horse! A clear
message begins with definite purpose and proceeds in a single direction to the end.
4. Listening Effective speech communicators must know how and when to listen. At
least half of the oral communication process involves listening. Occasionally you may
talk to yourself, but most often you expect someone to be listening when you speak.
Effective communicators know they may learn more during their listening time than
when they are speaking. Good listening is often neglected, but a good speaker will
remember this important "flip side" of the speaking process.
5. Confidence Effective speech communicators must be confident. Building confidence
as a speaker and controlling stage fright are not accomplished overnight. But a course in
speech, and experience in communicating with others are two of the best ways to achieve
the needed confidence.
6. Language Effective speech communicators must use language carefully. A speaker's
choice of words can make the difference in whether or not the message is received and
understood as the speaker intends it to be. Learning to choose the best words to suit a
particular audience and occasion is one of the most difficult tasks for a speaker. It is also
what separates great speakers from the rest.
7. Nonverbal Communication Effective speech communicators must make good use of
nonverbal communication. Speakers "say" a great deal with the tone of their voice, their
body movements, and their eyes. Even clothes and grooming communicate to others.
Good communicators are aware of what they are communicating nonverbally as well as
verbally.
8. Goal Setting Effective speech communicators will generally be able to reach certain
goals. When an effective speaker presents information about a topic, the receivers will
almost always know more about the topic after listening than they did before. If a skilled
speaker tries to convince an audience to accept his or her solution to a problem, the
listeners will generally be partially or fully convinced.
Please add to the list.
Emmanuel Ssewakilyanga Kiwanuka.
