How to Speak Well

Speaking is the process of communicating through spoken language. It involves using one's voice to convey a message to an audience, typically in the form of words and sentences. But, speaking is more than just saying words. Speaking well requires considering the needs of the audience, choosing the right words and tone of voice, and organizing the message in a clear and logical way. There are three important components of speaking well:

1. The words that you use. (The verbal message)
2. How you say those words. (Vocalics = The vocal nonverbal message)
3. Your body language and other nonvocal nonverbal cues.

📺 Watch the video below to learn more about verbal and nonverbal communication, and how they interact (11:39)

Let us explore each of the three aspects of speaking introduced above so that you can feel more confident in achieving your speaking goal of ensuring your message is accurately heard, understood, and acted upon.

Your Words (The verbal message)

When you are speaking with other people, you should know what you want to accomplish (i.e., your purpose) and to whom you are speaking to (i.e., your audience). Ensure the words you select will be understood by your audience and serve your purpose. As with writing, selecting the correct level of formality is important. Ensure you use the appropriate level of formality based on the purpose, audience, and context of your spoken interaction.

Speaking with Clarity

📺 Watch this video for tips for improving the clarity of your speech, especially in professional settings.

Speaking Concisely

📺 Watch this video to learn how to be clear and concise in your speaking

Step 1 - What - What's your main point?

Step 2 - So What - Why is it important?

Step 3 - Now What - Based on the above, what are the next steps?

How you speak (Vocalics = The vocal nonverbal message)

While words are an important part of speaking, they account for less than 10% of the meaning that people attribute to our message. Vocalics (the vocal but nonverbal message) account for around 40% of the meaning, and body language and other nonvocal nonverbal cues account for over 50% of the meaning that is made.

📺 Watch this video to learn more about nonverbal communication.

Here is a summary of the types of nonverbal communication:

Your Voice

📺 Watch this video on how to speak so others will listen (9:59)

📺 Watch this video to learn how to eliminate verbal fillers (10:02)

Here is a summary of some of the tips mentioned in the video:

• Get comfortable with silence
• Record yourself speaking
• Replace filler words with "period" or "pause"
• Stop and take a breath
• Name them and shame them
• Filler word bell
• Chunk your information
• Make eye contact
• Calm your nerves
• Use gestures
• Keep your sentences short
• Preparation and practice are key
• Realize you are your own worst critic

Your body language and other nonvocal nonverbal cues

Finally, to finish this lesson, let's explore body language and nonvocal nonverbal cues. Remember that these cues account for the majority of meaning that people take away from your spoken communication.

Body Movement (Kinesics)

📺 Watch this video to learn more about body language in video calls (2:52)

Pratice

💡 Record yourself spontaneously speaking in front of your camera about a topic of your choice. After you are done recording, re-watch the video and pay close attention to your voice, speech clarity, language fillers, and body language (hands, eye movement, and how you move in your physical space).

❓What patterns did you notice when you were speaking? What would you keep, and what will you improve? and why? Add your thoughts in Slack