This document discusses several aspects of self-concept and communication. It explains that self-concept is dynamic and determined by personal values and beliefs. One's self-concept influences their communication style. People with high social self-concepts tend to function better in social situations. The document also discusses impression management and how people aim to portray themselves favorably to others.

1. Prepared by Inge salsabila Suryaman
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2. A. Connecting self and Communication
Self-concept is a process. It is a dynamic process because it has no
beginning or an end and is constantly changing. Our self-concept is
further determined by the values, attitudes and beliefs we possess,
how we attribute these qualities to others and how they connect them
to us. Personality theorists such as the lab carl rogers believe that our
self-concept is the single most important aspect of our personality,
which in turn determines our style of communication. It is generally
agreed that people with high social self-concepts function better in
interpersonal situation than do these with low social self-concepts.
The question here is “who are you when you are with your best friend,
your mother, your father, and people you don’t know. Our
expectations therefore are a powerful force for shaping our self-
concept. Self-fulfilling prophecy most of us want to set positive
expectations for ourselves and most of us manage to see our-selves
favorably much of the time. There is however culture based limits on
our willingness to grab the credit. For example, Chinese students
attribute their success in school to their teachers, whereas American
students attribute it to their own skills and intelligence. Conversely,
when it comes to failure, Chinese students are more likely to explain
their failure as stemming from their own flaws, while Americans tend
to explain their failures as being due to someone else’s fault.
Impression management to better understand impression
management we have to know more about our self, our perceived self
is a reflection of our self-concept. There are many aspects of our
perceived self that we keep private, because we don’t wish to tell
others. For example, regarding appearance we might see ourselves as
being too fat, even though everyone else tells us we are ideal. Our
presenting self is the public image or the way we want to appear to
others. Most of us seek to create an image that is socially acceptable
that is nice person, good student, articulate hard working, friendly,
wild, ambitious, truthful, loyal friend, funny competent, highly

3. motivated, likeable and so on. Because, sometimes how we portray
ourselves to others on the internet maybe very different from who we
really are. In doing so, what risks do we take and how might our
internet portrayal affect how we communicate with others and others
with us.
B. Connecting Listening and Thinking
Listening skills, analyzing, processing and recording information
are often neglected during formal education. Listening is consistently
high on all lists. Listening has been identified as one of the top
communication skills employees seek in entry level employees as
well as those being promoted, in numerous surveys and research
projects. In the global community in which we live and work,
listening carefully to the messages conveyed by people of other
cultures and backgrounds. It is a skill that required for success in
many areas of life, indeed our very economic, technological, political
and social lives depend on listening quality. Most of us take listening
for granted, we tend to think of it as a simple task. You don’t have to
work at hearing, it just happens. People can have excellent hearing
and be a terrible listening. For example, students provide their
instructors with feedback, both consciously and unconsciously some
students, however might not always be completely honest in their
responses. Even though they might be totally confused, they might
indicate through verbal and nonverbal cues that they are listening to,
understanding and agreeing with everything being said. Even if they
don’t 100% understand with the communication that has being said
to them. The listening process is often taking for granted, because
people think that it is just happens. However, listening actually is a
complex process crucial to effective communication. To be
competent, you must work out at listening. And listening scholars
assert that the listener is 51% responsible for effective
communication, you can learn to be a better listener, overcome bad

4. listening habits and develop effective attitudes behaviors and mind
sets. As a listener our goal is more than simply understanding a
message, we also try to become critical listeners. Practicing critical
listening involves analyzing and assessing the accuracy of the
information presented, determining the reasonableness of its
conclusions and evaluating its presenter. Critical thinking and critical
listening are closely linked. The critical thinker knows how to analyze
and asses’ information, the critical listener knows how to make
connections between messages and issues. The critical listener also
uses the ability to analyze and evaluate messages to determine
whether ideas are logically presented and whether the speaker is well
informed and exhibits clear thinking. A competent listener should be
prepared to listen and learn to control internal and external distraction,
behave like a good listener and ask question to clarify information.
Many students around the world report that listening is “just
something we do” and we aren’t really taught to listen in schools.
Although we don’t have the answers to the similarities and
differences in listening in every culture in the world, we do know that
communicators need to be aware of both. The best advice for
communicating with people from other culture is to respect and be
aware of the cultural differences. Because listening requires energy
and commitment with whomever we communicate.
C. Connecting in the Public Context
Making presentations is only one of the communication skill
required for many careers, it is necessary for those who wish to
achieve success. The ability to give effective presentations called
Public Speaking, what you learn about and apply toward making
effective presentations will help you in all your roles the rest of your
life. The speech making process will help you develop, researching,
organizing, listening and thinking skills for both oral and written
communication. The first step in preparing a speech is by sketching

5. a speech topic. When you selecting an appropriate topic you should
gain your listeners attention, choose a relevant topic, evaluate your
topic and think like a listener and also use brainstorming to generate
topics you might use for your next information speech. Once you
have determined that your topic is appropriate to your audience and
yourself, the next step is to decide whether it is narrow enough to fit
the time limit and accomplish the goal of the assignment. Each time
you narrow your topics, you increase its potential depts. And after
you narrowed your topic, you need to begin thinking about how the
final presentation will be structured. By preparing a clear idea of
general purpose, the specific purpose and a specific thesis statement.
Overall, the general purpose of a speech is usually including three
overlapping functions; that is to inform, persuade and entertain.
While the focus of an informative speech is to convey information
and understanding by explaining, reporting or demonstrating your
point of view, the purpose of a persuasive speech is to change beliefs
or attitudes or motivate listeners to act in a specific manner. When
the general purpose of your speech is to inform you are expected to
convey your knowledge of a particular subject. The content of the
speech depends on heavily on what you think the audience knows
and how much you know or able to learn the topic. An entertainment
speech provides enjoyment and amusement speeches. To entertain
may be dramatic or humorous in nature and often occur on special
occasions, such as after a dinner or a roast. How to connect with the
listener, an audience becomes actively involved in a speech and
reacts to the speaker, if the speaker knows the methods for
researching audiences and adapting the speech to an audience.
Because analyzing the audience is an essential step in developing and
delivering a speech, by collecting and interpreting of data about
characteristics, attitudes, values and beliefs of an audience. The
reason individuals come together to form an audience is an important
point that every speaker should consider when planning a speech. It

6. is reasonable to assume that an audio wants to hear something that is
meaningful to them, and the more you know about your audience
past experiences, knowledge of the subject, relationship to the
subject and reason for being there, the easier it will be for you to
develop a speech that is meaningful to them. Captive participants,
a person who is required to hear a particular speech while Voluntary
participants is a person who chooses to listen to a particular speech.
Key audience information:
- Demographic analysis.
Is the collection and interpretation of basic information, such as
Age, gender, cultural background, education, political affiliation,
voting habits, occupation, religion, socioeconomic status,
geographic location and etc.
- Physical setting.
The physical setting can also affect audience members
psychological disposition toward one another as well as toward
the speaker, because the more relaxed and comfortable the
physical setting, the audience members will feel in relation to one
another and to the speaker. For example; room size, ventilation,
speaker platform, setting arrangement and lighting.
- Knowledge level.
The speaker must present the material in terms everyone can
understand, because the extent of an audience’s knowledge about
a topic has a tremendous effect on the outcome of a speech.
- Connecting with the listeners.
The speaker strongly influences how a speech should be
developed and delivered. By sharing a personal experience
helped the speaker connect with their listener attention. Listeners
will always formulate some attitude toward a speaker and help
them, from one that keeps them tuned in your presentation.
- Attitudes and values related to the topic.

7. If audience members do not relate to a topic, the speaker will have
a difficult time getting to listen. And the speaker must also
examine the audience’s relationship to the overall situation in
which the speech is presented.
D. Gathering information
If you find an adequate amount of good, relevant, up to date
information then you can create an impressive speech, and the
information you gather becomes the backbone of the speech, which
is only as good as your information. Most communication begins
with you as the most valuable sources of information available and
your own experiences also can contribute to the content of your
speech. For most topics your firsthand experience and knowledge
will not be sufficient. Because interview can be a valuable tool too
for gathering expert opinions (ideas, testimony and the most up to
date information). The library source of information, start by
attending library as a useful and beneficial resource for speech
preparation, you will find that library will save you a great deal and
also you will find that the library is a convenient and pleasant place
to locate information. Electronic information sources, electronic
databases provide valuable information but you need to determine
key word and phrases to use in your search before you begin. So
you can maximize your time and effort. Most colleges and
universities have access to the world wide web (www) a global
information system that allows users access to internet
information. Web searches can provide a wealth of information
quickly and easily, it is important that you check out your sources
to ensure that they are reliable and accurate. There are no shortcuts
to good research, but there are ways to make research more
enjoyable and easier no matter what sources you choose to use.
Here are several suggestions;
- State a clear purpose before starting your research.

8. Knowing what you want to find makes the job ofsearching easier.
You need to consider all possible areas of research in advance to
keep your research productive.
- Begin your research early.
Because finding appropriate materials takes time, you should
start your research as soon as possible. If you wait until the last
minute, you might discover that the materials you need are
unavailable or that it takes longer to find them than you
anticipated.
- Maintain a bibliography of sources.
As you find sources on the computer, electronic catalogues, in
electronic databases, and in periodical guides, copy them in the
same form onto a sheet of paper index cards or into a computer
file.
- Take notes.
Efficient and accurate note taking is a must. Once you have
located information, either record it by hand or photocopy it for
later use. The more information you record, the better. You
should always have more than you need to write your speech.
More than 2.000 years ago, Aristotle, a famous Greek scholar,
wrote that there are essentially two parts to every speech: a
statement and its proof. How a speaker clarifies and supports ideas
determines the quality of the speech. For example,
“Today’s students are much smarter than students for every earlier
generation. The reason? Students have access to computer
technology that gives them more available information than ever
before”
On the surface, this statement might seem valid, but is it accurate?
Carefully analysis shows that we need to think carefully before
accept the statement as true. Audiences generally accept
information because of the perceived believability of the speaker
or the information itself. Thus statement would likely be more

9. acceptable to audiences if it were made by a well-known educator
and researcher than if it were made by a student. But regardless of
the source, most listeners sequent, just effective speakers justify
each main idea in their speeches with a variety of supporting and
clarifying materials. Supporting and clarifying materials bring life
to a speech. They can make the content of a speech appealing,
vivid, exciting, meaningful, acceptable, and more useful to
listeners. Testimony, the use of testimony usually adds
trustworthiness to what a speaker says a necessity for all speakers
who are not yet established as experts on their chosen speech topic.
The speaker’s own experience can be an excellent form of
testimony as in the previous example. When are the speaker’s
reputation and experience are insufficient, the use of a recognized
and trusted authority can be invaluable in gaining listeners’
acceptance. For maximum credibility, testimony should also come
from objective sources. The objectivity and neutrality of
authorities are particularly important when your subject is
controversial. And listeners tend to be suspicious of opinions from
biased or self-interested source. Examples, an example is a simple,
representative incident or model that clarifies a point. Examples
are useful when you are presenting complex information to listener
who are unfamiliar with a topic and when your purpose is to inform
or instruct. Brief examples, illustrations, and analogies are three
kinds of examples that help things clear for an audience. Brief
examples, is a specific instance used to introduced a topic, drive
home a point, or create a desired information. “outsourcing has
become an almost hated and concept to many in the American
workforce”. Illustrations, an illustration, or extended example, is
a narrative, case history, or anecdote that is striking and
memorable. An illustration lends depth and explanation to the
point a speaker is trying to make. It also gives the information more
meaning. A factual illustration, tells what has actually happened,

10. a hypothetical illustration, tells what could happen, given a
specific set of circumstances or asks listeners to use their
imaginations. The more realistic the situations, the more likely it
is that the listeners will become involved. A speaker should always
specify whether an illustration is factual or hypothetical.
Analogies, an analogy is a comparison of two things that are
similar in certain essential characteristics. Analogies explain or
prove the unknown by comparing it to the known. Most topics
offer opportunities to use analogies. Figurative analogies make
ideas vivid and clear, whereas literal analogies supply evidence to
support points. Analogies are effective, efficient and creative
means of supporting and clarifying information. Restatements,
speakers can and should use a variety of strategies to make their
speeches memorable. Effective speakers have often used both
restatement and repetition to support and clarify their ideas. A
restatement is the expression of the same idea using different
words. It may take the form of a summary, synonym, or rephrasing.
Definitions, you must define all unfamiliar words and concepts,
especially technical terms, if you want your listeners to understand
and accept your speech. Nothing is more bothersome to listeners
than a speaker who uses terminology they do not understand. In
most cases, it is better to offer too much explanation than too little.
A local definition, the most common form used by speakers,
usually contains two parts, a term’s dictionary definition and the
characteristics that distinguish the term from other items in the
same category. An operational definition, explains how an object
or concept works, gives the steps that make up a process, or states
how conceptual terms are measured. A definition by example,
clarifies a term not by describing it or giving its meaning but by
mentioning or showing an example of it. A key to effective
speaking is the quality and currency of material you gather to
support and clarify your ideas. Listeners appreciate worthwhile

11. information that is presented so that they can remember the main
ideas. Just as communications begins with you, your views and
experiences. You can also find a wide variety of useful information
in the library. The research process can be both interesting and
entertaining if you begin the process early, know what you need to
look for, take careful notes and write down all necessary
information about your sources. A good speaker knows that
effective research that supports and clarifies main points can make
the difference between a good and a poor speech. Testimony,
examples, definitions and statistics are the four basic types of
supporting and clarifying materials. The materials you use will
vary greatly depending on the topic and purpose. Your goal should
always be to clarify your ideas so that your listeners will remember
and even make use of them at some time, either now or in the
future.
E. Organizing and outlining your speech
The body of a speech presents the main content and organizing it
will help you formulate your thesis statement. Organizing your
speech involves arranging its parts into a systematic and
meaningful whole. To ensure that the body of your speech is well
organized, your content must be divided into main points that are
thoughtfully selected and stated limited in number and carefully
ordered, connected and supported. Developed the main points,
the main points serve as the basis for the thesis statement. Together
the specific purpose and the thesis will determine the direction of
the speech. Present the main points, main points like the specific
purpose and thesis, should be carefully developed and written.
They should also be specific, vivid, relevant, and parallel in
structure. Be specific, the more specific the main points, the less
confusion they will create and the more meaningful they will be to
an adventure. Use vivid language, the more vivid the main points

12. the more likely they are to create interest. Main points should be
thought-provoking, attention-grabbing ideas that standout from the
supporting materials. Show relevance, main points that are
relevant to the audience interest, encourage greater involvement
and empathy. Once you have identified your main points, you must
decide the order in which to present them. This takes serious
analysis, because the order determines the structure and strategy of
your speech. Whatever organizational pattern you choose, you can
make that pattern work for you when you make the speech
compelling, in the paragraph above we noted mind mapping as an
organizational strategy. This is a strategy where you visually map
out how the various ideas connect. A conversational can move
from one unrelated topic to another without losing meaning or
impact. But for a speaker to communicate effectively with an
audience, the thoughts in the speech must be systematically
connected. The four most common connecting devices speakers
use, singly or in combination, are transitions, signposts, internal
previews and internal summaries. Transitions, phrases and words
used to link ideas are called transitions. They form a bridge
between what has been presented and what will be presented next.
Transitions are typically used between the introduction and the
body of a speech, between main ideas, between supporting
materials and visual aids and between the body and the conclusion.
For example, “let me move on to my next point” etc. Signpost, just
as a traffic sign informs drivers about travel conditions, signposts
are words, phrases and short statements to let the audience know
what is ahead. For example, “next”, “finally”, “as you look at my
chart” etc. Internal previews, short statements that give advance
warning, or a preview of the points to be covered. “next we’ll look
at possible solutions to the problem of budget shortfalls” Internal
summaries, a short review statement given at the end of a main
point. Support the main points, main points by themselves are

13. nothing more than assertions. An audience needs supporting and
clarifying material to accept what a speaker says. It is crucial that
each main point be supported and that the support be relevant and
logically organized. When supporting materials are included, the
body of a speech expands to outline form, in which the main points
are followed by sub points. Supporting materials should be clearly
related to the specific purpose, thesis and main points of the
speech. Organize the introduction of your speech, an
introduction includes opening statements that serve two important
functions: motivating the audience to listen and orienting them to
the subject. Therefore, your introduction should be based on the
information you gathered in your audience analysis. Orient the
audience to the topic, several approaches can be used to gain
attention and arouse the interest of your audience, including
referring to the subject or occasion, using personal references or
narratives, asking rhetorical questions, presenting a startling
statement, using humor, or using quotations. You should choose
these devices carefully to fit the audience, occasion and context.
None is always effective, and each has limitations. Overall all parts
of the speech must fit together well to achieve your desired
purpose. Refer to the subject or occasion, “it is truly a privilege
to speak at this convocation. I am honored to be a part of the
celebration honoring you for completing all of the requirements
leading up to your admission into the teacher education program”.
Use personal references or narratives, as a child, I was always
forced to drink milk. I never wanted to drink it, and I never asked
for milk at meals or for snacks”. Ask rhetorical questions, “do
you think people can lose weight and be heart-healthy if we eat
prepared low-cal, low-fat fare?”. Present a startling statement,
can be used when you want to shock or surprise your audience.
“The harsh reality is this: Party time is now!”. Use humor, “now,
you’ve probably wondering why I chose to talk about

14. procrastination today. I’m not really a procrastinator, but there are
times when we should when we should all take a bit more time
before we jump into things. Use quotations, lee Iacoca once said
“it’s important to talk to people in their own language. If you do it
well they’ll begin to respect you, and they’ll follow you to the
death”. State the specific purpose and thesis, once you have your
audience’s attention, you need to state the specific purpose and
thesis statement of your speech. Both the specific purpose and
thesis statement were discussed in detail earlier in this chapter. By
stating the specific purpose and thesis, you are orienting your topic
to the audience and giving them a clear indication of where you are
headed with your speech. Motivate the audience to listen, design
your introductory comments to gain the attention and interest of
your audience. You must hold their interest and attention
throughout the entire presentation, but that task will be easier if
you can capture them by making the topic significant and
important to them and by establishing your credibility.
Credibility, refers to a speaker’s believability based on the
audience’s evaluation of the speaker’s competence, experience,
and character. For example, Madonna, who is a singer, entertainer,
and actor, were to speak on health care or violence in our society,
she would have to establish her credibility on the subject by
relating the subject to herself and by indicating how she became an
expert on the topic. Organize the conclusion of your speech, your
conclusion should focus your audience’s thoughts on the specific
purpose of your speech and bring your most important points
together in a condensed and uniform way. Your conclusion should
relate to your introduction, helping your audience make the
connections between the various parts and points of the message.
Because your conclusion is as important as any other part of your
presentation, you should give it the same amount of attention.
Also, remember that you, as a speaker, have only one chance to get

15. your message across to your audience. Repetition is an important
strategy for helping listeners recall the important information you
have presented. Show that you are finishing the speech, you need
to prepare your listeners for the end of your speech; otherwise, they
are left hanging and uncomfortable, sensing that something is
missing. An example might be, “as you have seen in this speech,
there are ways we can become better listeners.” Make your thesis
clear, repetition is important when you have only one chance for
the listeners to hear your message. Be sure you creatively remind
your listeners of your central idea “you’ve already heard me tell
you early in my speech that effective listening is a highly valued
skill that can be learned”. Review the main points, repeating the
main points of a speech is particularly helpful any time you want
your audience to remember your main points. For example, “let me
review the barriers that have the most impact on our listening. They
are language, factual, mental, and physical distractions. If you
remember these and how they affect listening, you will be a more
effective listener. End with a memorable thought, a memorable
thought may include referring back to an attention-getting device,
citing a quotation, or issuing a challenge or appeal. Citing a
memorable quotation can be a good way to leave a lasting
impression on your audience. Signal your audience that your
speech is nearing its end by using phrases such as “today, we have
examined…”, “in the past minutes, we have examined…”, “finally
let me say”. The following conclusion lets listeners know that the
speech is nearly finished, and it summarizes and synthesizes the
major points covered.
F. Managing anxiety and Delivering your speech
Competent communicators are prepared, knowledgeable,
confident speakers who are ethical. Ethical speakers always

16. provide oral foot notes within the speech, and they provide fair and
accurate information. By cultivating certain personal qualities, you
can enhance the likelihood that your listeners will accept your
message. Ethics, an individual’s system of moral principles, plays
a key role in communication. As speakers, we are responsible for
what we tell others and should always hold the highest ethical
standards. Furthermore, ethical speakers do not distort or falsity
evidence to misrepresent information, do not make unsupported
attacks on opponents to discredit them, do not deceive and
audience about their intention or objective in and attempt to
persuade or take advantage, do not use irrelevant emotional
appeals to sensationalize the message and divert attention from the
facts, and do not pose as an authority when they are not. Any time
you use information and ideas that are not your own, you are
obligated to cite the originator or source. The use of another
person’s information, language, or ideas without citing the
originator or author, thus making it appear that you are the
originator, is referred to as plagiarism. Similarly, listeners are also
responsible for determining the truth. Knowledge, is a speaker’s
greatest asset. Knowing your subject is essential if you plan to
connect with your listeners. Noted speakers are almost always avid
readers. To enhance your understanding of events, people, and
values, you must read and observe things around you. As an
educated person, you should know about past international,
national, regional and local events, as well as current events. You
should read all kinds of books, at least one trade (professional)
magazine, and one daily newspaper, in addition to listening to
news broadcasts and documentaries. Preparation, people rarely
make speeches without at least some preparation, and the most
successful speakers are very well prepared. A successful speech is
somewhat like a successful business meeting or athletic event-all
require planning, preparation, and work. Preparation means more

17. than practicing the speech ahead of time. It also means that
speakers will think through situation and possible snags or
problems. Managing speech anxiety, it is perfectly normal to
encounter some anxiety before, during, and sometimes even after
a speech. I fact, even the most experienced speakers confess to
having some anxiety about speaking before a group. There is no
evidence to suggest that discussing stage fright either increases or
decreases it, but it is commonly accepted that the more we know
about stage fright and how to cope with it, the better able we are to
manage it. You should keep in mind that anxiety is normal. Most
of us have some degree of anxiety when we speak in front of
others. Communication apprehension, can be seen in individuals
who either consciously or subconsciously decide to remain silent.
They perceive that their silent offers them greater advantages than
speaking out or that the disadvantages of communicating outweigh
any potential gains they might receive. Symptoms of speech
anxiety, speech anxiety refers more specifically to the fear of
speaking before an audience or group. Anxiety is a condition
during which our bodies secrete hormones and adrenaline that
eventually overload our physical and emotional responses.
Behaviors associated with speech anxiety; breathing heavily,
monotonous, awkward pauses, rolling eyes, facial muscles, etc.
Treating speech anxiety, most successful people will tell you that,
before they were successful, they had some failures and moments
of embarrassment. Their drive and self-confidence pushed them to
try again. There are no cures for speech anxiety, only ways to
reduce, manage, or control it so anxiety does not interfere with
your presentation. Select a topic you know, the more you know
about a subject, the easier it will be for you to talk about it. Be
prepared, know your audience and become familiar with the
physical surroundings in which you are going to speak. This will
help create confidence by reducing the unknown. We advised that

18. careful organization of your speech will help you be more
effective. The work you put into research, organization, and
practice will also help you be more confident. Think positively,
visualize yourself giving a successful speech. Positive thought
does work. There is ample proof to suggest that those who think
positively and visualize themselves doing well often surpass their
own expectations. Practice, the better you know the content of
your speech and your delivery plan, the more comfortable you will
feel about your presentation. Remember; most of us are somewhat
nervous before a speech and that nervousness is perfectly normal.
Methods of delivery, effective delivery conveys the speaker’s
purpose and ideas clearly and interestingly so the audience attends
to and retains what was said as the speaker intended it. The
effectiveness of a speech therefore depends both on what is said
and how it is conveyed. A poorly written speech can be improved
by effective delivery, and a well written speech can be ruined by
ineffective delivery. Although a speech may be delivered in many
ways, the four most common methods of delivery are impromptu,
manuscript, memorized and extemporaneous. Impromptu
delivery, the delivery of a speech with little or no formal planning
or preparation. You have used this method many times, perhaps
without even realizing it. The lack of preparation time
distinguishes the impromptu method from other methods of
delivery and forces speakers to depend solely on their ability to
think on their feet. Manuscript delivery, reading the speech word
for word. Speakers who use this method are never at loss for words.
But in learning how to give a speech, manuscript delivery is often
discouraged because it invites the speaker to concentrate more on
the script than the audience. Memorized delivery, requires that
you memorize your speech in its entirety, usually from a word for
word script. This kind of delivery is used for short presentations,
such as toasts, acceptance speeches, and introductions, and is

19. commonly used by speakers in contests and on lecture circuits.
Extemporaneous delivery, the speaker uses a carefully prepared
and researched speech but delivers it form notes, with a high
degree of spontaneity. Extemporaneous delivery is situated
somewhere between memorized or manuscript delivery and
impromptu delivery. Extemporaneous delivery also allows
audience members to become more involved in listening to the
message. Vocal aspects of delivery, many beginning speakers
overlook the important role voice plays in delivery. As you speak,
your voice should be pleasant to listen to, relate easily and clearly
to your thoughts and express a range of emotions. Three aspects of
voice that determine the effectiveness of delivery are vocal quality,
intelligibility and vocal variety. Vocal quality, voices may be
harsh, nasal, thin, mellow, resonant or full bodied. Attitude can
affect the quality of the voice and reveal to listeners whether the
speaker is happy, confident, angry, fearful or sad. Vocal quality is
a highly accurate indicator of the presenter sincerity. Also,
listeners tend to believe that speakers whose vocal delivery is
interesting and easy to listen to are more credible speakers and will
probably be more willing to listen speakers who use their voices
effectively. Intelligibility, the degree to which an audience can
hear and understand words, is determined by vocal volume;
distinctiveness of sound; accuracy of pronunciation; articulation;
and stress placed on syllables, words and phrases. Vocal variety,
the combination of rate, force, and pitch variations that add to a
speaker’s overall vocal quality is called vocal variety. Your voice
allows listeners to perceive subtle differences in the intent of your
messages by altering rate, force, and pitch, promoting a genuine
understanding between you and your audience. Rate, is the speed
at which a speaker speaks- usually between 120 and 175 words per
minute. Speaking at the appropriate rate requires self-awareness.
We must learn to control and breathing deeply before we begin

20. speaking and by purposely using pauses to help us slow down and
concentrate on the message. Force, is the intensity and volume of
the voice. You must choose a volume level that is comfortable for
your audience. By learning how to use force, you can greatly
increase your effectiveness as a speaker. Pitch, refers to how low
or high the voice is on a tone scale. Variety in pitch contribute to
greater conversationalist and thus makes it easy for the listener to
maintain interest in and attention to the speaker and message.
Physical aspects, we discussed nonverbal communication in
depth. You are encouraged to review the information about
nonverbal communication will aid you in your speaking
performances. Among the physical factors that can affect delivery
are personal appearance, body movement, gestures, facial
expressions, and eye contact. Each of these must be well
coordinated and relevant to the purpose of your speech. Personal
appearance, research in nonverbal and relational communication
suggest that personal appearance plays a role in communication.
Appearance can have an impact on a speaker’s self-image and thus
affect how the speaker communicates with others. Body
movement, is closely related to personal appearance. It includes
posture, which should be relaxed and natural.; avoid slouching.
Because an audience’s attention instinctively follows moving
objects, your motions should be easy and purposeful. Gestures,
you can use gestures- movements of the head, arms, and hands to
help illustrate, emphasize, or clarify a point. Gestures should be
spontaneous, not forced. Summary, competent communicators are
prepared, knowledgeable, confident speakers who are ethical.
Ethical speakers always provide oral footnotes within the speech,
and they provide fair and accurate information. Speakers who
suffer from too much anxiety will have trouble giving speeches
and keeping the audience’s attention. The best way to overcome
your anxiety is to understand it, manage it, and be so well prepared

21. that you are ready to share your ideas and know you will do well.
Students from other cultures and co-cultures have additional
anxiety because of cultural or language concerns. If you are
seriously anxious about communicating with others, you might
have communication apprehension and will need special strategies
to help you manage your fears. Most communication professors
say that an extemporaneous delivery is best. This means you are
fully prepared but present your speech in a conversational manner,
using note cards to help you stay organized and on track. Vocal
and physical delivery should enhance your message. Although a
speech is a formal presentation, you should not be rigid or
mechanical, either vocally or physically. Instead, you should look
and sound as if you really want to share your ideas with your
listeners and you care about what they think.
G. Informative speaking
We live in an information-oriented society where the ability to
present and receive information is vital. Now, as in the past, the
people who possess information and communicate it effectively
are the ones who possess power and command respect. Informative
speeches are one of the most common we’re asked or requires to
present. The goal of an informative speech is to increase
understanding while the goal of persuasive speaking is to change
attitudes or behaviors. Information can be presented without
attempting to persuade, but persuasion cannot be attempted
without information. Topics for informative speeches are almost
limitless. You should choose something that interests you, that you
already have some knowledge about, and that you can find
additional information on through your research. Your topic
should also be of interest and potentially useful for your listeners.

22. Your specific purpose and the type of topic you choose will
determine how you present the speech. To increase your listener’s
knowledge of the topic, you must gain their attention, motivate
them to listen, and increase their understanding of the topic. The
more meaningful the topic and the perspective, the more listeners
pay attention to the speaker’s message. Listeners want novel ideas
and want to now “what’s in for me?” the audience will listen if you
give them reason to listen. Language choice and organization are
both critical to audience understanding. The speaker must carefully
plan the presentation. Language choice is very important in getting
your message across and in helping listeners remember. Think
about the ways your professor present information. Some of them
are more interesting than others. What do the ones you label as
“interesting” do that others do not? The sample evaluation criteria
should make you aware of the characteristics of an effective
informative speech and speaker. Competent communicators
analyze their listeners so they know their choices will work. They
find ample sources from a variety of references, and they work to
show their listeners the importance of the topic.