SPEAKING SKILLS AND STRATEGIES

The Concept of Oral Communication

In human interaction, oral communication is mostly used than written communication.

Normally people spend more time in talking rather than writing. Human being is the only
talkative creative on the face of the earth. This is mainly due to the fact that the ability to speak
is one of the inborn human character. He is the only created being that can communicate his
thoughts, feelings, desires and ideas by means of speech.
Oral or verbal communication uses spoken words speech) to communicate the message. It
implies the ability to communicate through speech and this ability is in us naturally. Although
the natural, effective speech require some skills. The key of the success of many politicians,
businessmen, educators, and other people in different fields lies in their capability of making
effective speech.
A good speech can do a lot in occupational environments. A good speech can;

• Motivate employees
• Revive up a sales team
• Spark interest in a new service
• Build credibility
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 • Clarify the real issues
• Correct public misconceptions
• Persuade voters
• Create good relationship with government leaders
• Launch a successful campaign
• Present an organization as a responsible, concerned and corporate citizen
Generally, a good speech is the single most cost-effective marketing and public relation any
organization can have (Detz, 1 992).
Characteristics of an effective oral communication/presentation/speech
According to Francis J. Bergin, an effective oral communication should be characterized by
the following seven characteristics (C’7);
1. Completeness
This means providing all necessary information, including some extra information. It also
involves how the matter has been put across by the receiver of the information. Consider the
examples below;

INCOMPLETE SPEECH COMPLETE SPEECH

‘’ I sent you the letter hoping that I would ‘’I sent you a letter dated 4 June, about
receive a reply by the end of this week. I still additional information of the chemical
have not’’. Which letter? What was it samples you have sent for approval. I
about? When was it dated? have still not received any reply from you.
We are finishing our order plan. If you
sent us the information we will be able to
consider your request for placing an
order with you’’.

2. Clarity
The speech should use words that are simple, familiar and free from ambiguity. Don’t use
words with more than meaning, use of technical terms or statements with multiple
interpretations. For example the following statements are ambiguous;

• A corruption free zone

• A selfie free zone
3. Conciseness
Be brief and precise in matter and language. Avoid extra information that is not useful to
the listener. This will help the listener to get information easily ad not confused.

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 4. Concreteness
Avoid approximate statements and generalities when giving a speech. For example ‘’you all
know the effects of HIV/AIDS in developing countries, let me talk more about preventive
measures’’. A general statement like this will result into ineffective communication. Don’t
assume things.
5. Courtesy
Think about the interests of the listener. Be friendly and polite in attitude and choice of
words. Cut out insulting message. Say something interesting and pleasing to the recipient.
6. Candidness
Be sincere ad honest. Consider the objectives of your speech and give listeners a time to
respond.
7. Correctness
The speech should contain correct/accurate information or facts, correct pronunciation,
spelling and grammar.
TYPES AND PURPOSES OF SPEECH
There are many types of speeches with different purposes. The chat bellow shows some
basic purposes of speeches and their speech descriptions;

Purpose Speech description

To inform Gives facts and explain how to do something.
To persuade Attempts to change listener’s opinion or tend to get
listeners to act.
To entertain Rebating an amusing story or incident.
There are many types of speech based on the organization, purpose and issues they deal with.
Some speeches take a standard public approach while others take a personal approach. The
following are the types of speeches and their forms;
1. INFORMAL/ IMPROMPTU SPEECH
Sometimes you need to speak to a group people without having a time a prepare what you
to say. This is called an Impromptu/Informal speech.
How to organize an Impromptu Speech

• Decide what you want to talk about-fast!

• Commit yourself to that approach. Don’t change subjects or reverse your opinion
midstream.

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 • Feel free to pause for a few seconds to collect your thoughts. The audience will not
think you are stupid; they will admire you for being able to organize your ideas under
difficult circumstances.
• Open with generalization to stall for extra time, if necessary. For example, ‘’ artificial
intelligence (Al) discoveries pose a great threat for human existence’’ or ‘’ Partner selling
approach is the best for 21st century competitive market’’.
• Or, repeat the question to stall for extra time. For example, ‘’you asked me about the
threats of artificial intelligence on human existence’’ or ‘’you asked me about the
importance of partner selling approach in the 21st century’’. Repeating the question has
an extra benefit. It makes the audience know you have been asked to speak about.
• Preset just two or three points of evidence. Do not bore the audience with chronological
order.
• Wrap up your impromptu speech with a firm conclusion- a punch line that people can
focus on.
• Do not ramble, once you have offered what sounds like a conclusion, just stop.

2. FORMAL/PLANNED SPEECH
A formal speech is the one given at an arranged time and place. This allows you to prepare
carefully beforehand. Formal speeches involve a number of stages in their preparation and
delivery for them to be effective.
THE PROCESS OF SPEECH PREPARATION AND DELIVERY
The process of speech preparation and delivery involves the following;
1. Analyzing the audience and occasion
In analyzing the audience when preparing a speech, you should consider the following;
(a) Familiarity with the subject
This involves how much does the audience know about the subject? Where they get their
information? How much do they need to know

Question about the Evaluation Your speech will need

audience?

What does your Very little To provide background details to inform your listeners
audience already about your topic
know about this
A little To include at least some background details
subject?
A lot To focus only on interesting points about the topic

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 (b) Attitudes
Why are they coming to hear your speech? Are they really interested in the subject, or did
someone require them to attend? Will they be friendly, hostile, or pathetic?

Question about the audience Evaluation Your speech will need

How interested will your Very interested To maintain your listeners interest
audience b in this subject?
Mildly To stick to the parts of the topic your
interested listeners are interested most

uninterested To convince your listeners that this topic is

important

(c) Size
The size of the audience won’t affect your subject matter. It will probably affect your
approach to the subject. People in small groups (board of directors) tend to pay close attention
to you because it too risky for them to day dream. They may know you and they may fear of
being caught off guard by an unexpected questions.
People in large audiences don’t normally know everyone else. It is easier for them to sit back
and feel anonymous. The larger the group of people, the greater need for a good show.
(d) Age
It is important to find out about the age range of an audience and to plan your speech
accordingly;

Age Your speech will need

Older -Real life experiences would make them interested

-involve everyone cause they share some responsibilities

Young -some humor

-little real life experiences due to lack of their little life experiences

(e) Economic status

Suppose you speak as a representative of the local electrical utility. An affluent community-
minded group might appreciate hearing about your utility contributions to the surrounding
local community. But people of fixed incomes won’t be impressed to learn you give $10,000
each year to the local community. They would rather want to hear about specific ways to cut
their electrical bills.

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 (f) Educational background
Plan your speech at a level that your audience can understand. For example, an engineer
speaking to a group of people who had no previous experience in the field cannot speak the
same way to graduate engineering students.
(g) Political orientation
Has the group taken an official stand on important national issues? Does the audience pride
itself of being open-minded, or does it take a hard-and-fast view on certain issues?
(h) Cultural life
What is their religious belief? What kind of activities to they like to do? What kind of
places do they like to visit most? What kind of popular magazines they like to read?
All this information will help you understand your audience. When you understand your
audience, you will give a better speech, and you will have a much easier time with the question
and answer session.
2. Selecting the subject
The subject will determine what to be included I your speech. You cannot include
everything in one speech. If you try to include everything, your audience will probably come
away with nothing.
For example, if you are speaking to a chamber of commerce about the need for a new
shopping center, don’t go off on a tangent about the tax problems of small business.
If you are speaking to an alumni group to raise funds for your school, don’t throw in a
section of the problems of Tanzania’s secondary schools.
You should narrow the subject by talking about the most important things. Remember
Voltaire’s observation ‘’the secret of being a bore tell everything’’.
3. Researching the subject
This involves gathering all the necessary information about the topic in a form of statistics,
quotations, examples, definitions, comparisons and contrasts. These can be obtained by going
through books and magazines related to the subject, consult with friends or business associates
or call up a specialist in the field and ask for a comment.

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 4. Organizing the speech
Based on the subject matter of the speech, the information gathered should be organized in
various ways such as;
(a) Cause and effect
Did you start an employee program that has produced positive benefit throughout the
company? Then say ‘’I would like to tell you about our new employee suggestion plan. It’s a
success, and it has improved productivity in all departments of our company.
(b) Numerical order
In this you can go from the highest to the lowest or from the lowest to the highest.
Suppose you want to show how theft has been reduced in your distribution department.
Explain to your audience why those went down.
(c) Geographical order
For example, you start with the sales profit of a given region, country or continent then
followed by another, or you can start by reporting eastern regions and then western ones.
(d) Chronological order
This involves arranging information according to the time of occurrence starting from the past
then present and vice versa. For example showing how historical changes affect the price of oil
in the world.
5. Practicing delivery
Practice makes perfect, the saying goes. Well, practice may not make you a perfect speaker, but
it will certainly make you a better speaker. To do this you should be familiar with the following
techniques;
a. Begin by reading the speech loud to yourself.
Tape record it. How long does it take? What do you need to pause to avoid running of breath in
mid-sentence? How does your voice sound?
b. Deliver the speech standing in front of the mirror.
This will enable you to know how you begin and end the speech and which parts to put more
emphasis on. It will help the speaker to correct mistakes before going to the audience.
c. Deliver the speech to a friend
This will simulate the real environment due to the presence of an audience (friend). This allows
the speaker to keep eye contact with the audience and use gestures to make a point. Focus on
ideas, not the words and do not try to memorize the whole speech.

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 d. Practicing before a small group
Try to make good eye contacts with each person. Play with your voice a little bit to keep your
listeners’ attention. Notice where it helps to speak faster, slower, louder, softer.
e. If possible practice on site
You will feel more confident in a room that seems familiar. If you can’t practice on-site, be sure
to arrive extra early so that you get comfortable with the layout of the room before you begin
the speech.
6. Delivering the speech
In delivering the speech effectively one must use voice, eye contact and body language to
convey the meaning to the listeners. When delivering the speech, here are some things to take
care of;
(a) Stand confidently. Stand straight and place your weight evenly both feet. This will help
you feel ‘’grounded’’ and I control of the situation.
(b) Act naturally. Use facial expressions and gestures that reflect what you are saying.
(c) Speak clearly. Speak loudly so that everyone can hear you clearly. Pronounce your
words carefully
(d) Look at the audience. When you speak, look directly at the audience. This will help to
get their attention and listen what you are saying.
(e) Use variety when you speak. Use normal variety of voice patterns, eye contact ad body
language. These have significant effect on the message you want to convey.

VOICE
In case of voice the following things will affect the meaning;
(a) Pitch. This refers to the way your voice goes up and down. Say the following sentences
and notice your voice rises and falls.
It’s a plane.
It’s a plane!
It’s a plane?
(b) Stress. This means saying a sound with a special force. Stress like pitch, can change the
meaning of what you want to say. Say each of the sentences below, putting stress on
the underlined word;

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 I must go now.
I must go now.
I must go now.
(c) Volume. This refers to how loudly or softly you speak. If you want to make an important
point, you can raise your voice or lower it. The change of volume signals that what you
are saying is special.
(d) Rate. This refers to how fast or slowly you speak. When you speak an important point
slow down. Listeners will pay close attention.
EYE CONTACT
Good eye contact will do more to help your delivery. When you look at the people, they believe
you care about them. Don’t look over their heads or stare at some vague in the back of the
room. Don’t ‘’sweep’’ the room with your eyes; instead, look directly at one person until you
finish a thought, then move to another. Avoid looking repeatedly at the same person. Eye
contact will also give you an instantaneous feedback.
BODY LANGUAGE
A raised eyebrow, a smile, a shrug of the shoulders. They all make a statement. If you use them
wisely, they can contribute a lot to our speech. Use them naturally so as to convey the right
message.
BASIC DELIVERY STYLES
The most common types of delivery styles include;
(i) Extramporaneous delivery
When you make an extramporaneous delivery, you make an outline of your main points. Then
you make note cards for each main point and you can refer to your note cards whenever you
need to remember your main points.
(ii) Impromptu delivery
This occurs only when you are not having enough time to prepare what to say. The speaker
should open with generalization or repeat the question. Feel free to pause for a few seconds to
collect your thoughts and end with a firm conclusion.
(iii) Written delivery
Written delivery involves preparing a reading script. A reading script is usually typed
(double spaced). It can then be marked to help you with interpretive reading. For example, you

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can underline words to remind you to use emphasis when you say them. Or you can mark a
slash (/) to show where you plan to pause to stress certain words.
(iv) Memorized speech
You can’t memorize everything of your speech. Remember the subject, purpose of the
speech and specific information such as statistics, definitions, quotations and examples. Speak
few words to make your speech better and help the listeners to get the message easily.
7. WHEN YOU FINISH SPEAKING
When you have just spoken the last word of your speech, is not really over. Don’t walk
away from the audience. Hold your position. Look directly at the audience for a few seconds,
then close your folder and walk away from the podium.
When you take a seat, do not start talking to the person next to you. Someone else is
probably at the podium now, and the audiences would think it’s rude for you to be talking.
SOME EXAMPLES OF FORMAL SPEECHES
1. THE SPEECH OF INTRODUCTION
This is a form of formal speech prepared to introduce the speaker in any formal events such
as meetings and other public events. When assigned to introduce a speaker, it is simple. Just
ask the speaker for a complete written introduction that you can deliver.
What a good speech of introduction should include;

• Several mention of the speaker’s name.

• The speaker’s qualifications to talk about the topic.
• The title of the speech.
A good is speech of introduction should present the information in a friendly, personal way.
It should not sound like a resume. It should not sound like a repetition of the biographical data
already printed on the program.
If the introduction provided is too modest, add some material that shows the speaker unique
qualifications. Quote the speaker, if possible or quote someone else’s
Things to do on the speech of introduction

• Be sure to pronounce the speaker’s name correctly.

• Repeat the speaker’s name several times during the introduction so that the audience
can catch it.

• At the end of the introduction, face the audience (not the speaker) and announce the
speaker’s name.

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 • Then turn to the speaker and smile.

• In formal situations, applaud until the speaker reaches your side, shake hands, and
return to your place.

• In formal situations, sit down as soon as the speaker rises and starts speaking.

• Pay close attention to the speaker’s opening. It may contain a reference to you, ad you
should be prepared to smile or nod in response.
Things not to do on the speech of introduction

• Don’t upstage the speaker by making your introduction too funny.

• Don’t try to present a summary of the speaker’s speech.

• Don’t rely on memory (write out introduction in full).

• Don’t try to steal the speaker’s material. If the speaker told you about something of the
mains speech, don’t use it.

• Don’t draw attention to any negative conditions. For, example, don’t say ‘’ We are glad
that John has recovered from her heart attack and that she can be with us today’’.
Comment like this does not put an audience in a relaxed mood.
2. A SPEECH OF PRESENTING AN AWARD
When making a speech to present an award to an employee or person who did something
useful for a company or organization, the following five guidelines should help;

• Be generous with praise

If one of your employees risked his life to save a customer’s life and he’s now receiving a
special award, you must come up with praise to match the occasion. Be generous.

• Be specific
Whatever you say should be specific that it couldn’t possibly said about someone else.
Never, give an award speech that sound ‘’canned’’. For example, if person is retiring after forty
years with the company, mention two or three specific projects he was involved in. tell how his
involvement made a difference.

• Be personal
One good way to personalize your presentation, ask the honoree’s friends and family for
some special recollections. Include a few of these ‘’real life’’ stories when you make your
presentation.

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 • Be sincere
Suppose you must give an award to a person you have never met. Don’t pretend to be a
close friend or associate simply get some information about the person from a supervisor and
share it in sincere straightforward way.
For example, Helen’s supervisor has told how Helen saved a baby’s life. I am glad to meet
Helen and present her with this award for distinguished service. I’m proud to have her as one of
our employees.

• Be inspirational
For example, The Reverend Peter Gomes said this in a memorial tribute to Martin Luther
King, Jr, at Harvard University ‘’ we remember Martin Luther King, Jr, not because of his
success, but because of our failures, not because of the work he has done, but because of the
work we must do’’.
3. THE INVOCATION SPEECH
The fewer words, the better prayer
-Martin Lurther
The invocation speech is a speech for blessing or guidance at the beginning of a service or
ceremony. It is a speech for prayer.
An invocation for a gathering of different religious beliefs such as Catholics, Protestants,
Lutherans, Muslims, Hindu, Jews and others, avoid prayers that present a specific religious
preference.
Don’t give an invocation speech that might alienate some people in your audience. Instead
come up with something that shows respect for all people-something that honors human
dignity.

In a business setting, it is appropriate;

• Give thanks for all blessings

• Pray for peace

• Ask for courage and wisdom to deal with your problems.

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 4. AN ANNOUNCEMENT.
An announcement is a short speech that gives an important information. You hear
announcements at school, from government ministries, at churches or mosques, on the radio
or television and in many other places.
Guidelines for making an announcement
1. Have the purpose of the announcement clear in your mind. Who is your audience?
What do you want to tell them?
2. Think of everything that your audience needs to know. Jot down the important
information.
3. If you are announcing an event, tell what it is include the date, time, place, and
admission fee, if any.
4. Add details that will make the event sound interesting.
5. Get everyone’s attention before you give the information.
6. Use language that your audience will understand.
7. Speak loudly, slowly and clearly.

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