How to Speak Well
📺 Watch the video below by Alex Lyon and Mary Daphne to learn more about Verbal and Nonverbal Communication and how they both differ.
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. However, speaking is more than just saying words. It involves considering the needs and interests of the audience, choosing the right words and tone of voice, and organizing the content of the message in a clear and logical way. Therefore, speaking actually contains multiple components:
- The words that you use. (The verbal message)
- How you say those words. (Vocalics = The vocal nonverbal message)
- Your body language and other nonvocal nonverbal cues.
In this section, we will 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
When you are speaking and interacting with other people in everyday situations, you should know what you want to accomplish (i.e., know your purpose) and know who you are speaking to (i.e., analyze your audience). The same tips that you learned for writing during the first Communicating for Success course an be used here. Ensure the words you select will be understood by your audience and serve your purpose. Also, similar to 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. Finally, speaking in shorter sentences will make it easier for people to process what you are saying and understand you better.
📺 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?
Speaking with Clarity
📺 Watch this video for tips for improving the clarity of your speech, especially in professional settings.
What is Nonverbal Communication?
While we tend to focus on the words that we say as the most important part of speaking, they actually account for less than 10% of the meaning that people attribute to our message. Vocalics (the vocal 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:
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Vocalics | Voice | Vocalized nonverbal components of speech |
| Kinesics | Body | Body movements and posture |
| Haptics | Body | Touch behaviors that convey meaning |
| Proxemics | Body | The use of space and distance within communication |
| Chronemics | Other | Influence of time on our communication |
Your Voice
📺 Watch this video to learn more about vocalics.
Examples of vocalics include:
- Tempo (Rate/Pace)
- Pitch
- Intensity (Volume)
- Inflection (Vocal Variety)
- Stress
- Tone
- Timbre (Vocal Quality)
- Verbal Fillers
📺 Watch this video to hear some examples of the different components of vocalics.
📺 Watch this video to learn some tips to get rid of verbal fillers.
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 and Other Cues
Finally, to round out this section, we will explore the final component of speaking, body language, and other nonvocal nonverbal cues. Remember that these nonverbal 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 kinesics.
Eye Movement (Oculesics)
📺 Watch this video to learn more about ouculesics.
Space (Proxemics), Time (Chrometics), Touch (Haptics)
📺 Watch this video to learn about using space, time, and touch when communicating.
Discuss
💡 As a practice, 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). Use the Padlet below to share what patterns you have noticed while you are speaking: what would you keep, and what will you improve? and why?