Essentials of Presentation Skills

WORKBOOK

Everonn Education Limited

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© 2010 Everonn Education Limited

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First Edition: 2010

Published by Everonn Education Limited,

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Production: KRDR, Everonn Publishing Division.

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Table of Contents

1. Unit 1 – Thinking and Articulation ................................................................................ 1

2. Unit 2 – Acquisition of Oral and Aural Skills ............................................................ 12

3. Unit 3 – Communication Boosters – Body Language ................................................ 28

4. Unit 4 – Function of Cultural Codes in Presentations .............................................. 47

5. Unit 5 – Models of Presentation .................................................................................... 68

Thinking and Articulation

© Everonn Education Ltd 1

Unit 1 – Thinking and Articulation

Objectives

To articulating Thoughts and Ideas

To thought and Word

To common Confusables

To phrasal Verbs and Prepositional Verbs

To active and Passive Voice

Introduction

This unit will help us understand the way articulation happens in English language.

Articulating Thoughts and Ideas

Clear pronunciation depends upon good intonation. Intonation is the musical part of speech, and every

language has its own distinct melody and speech rhythm. Even when you can‘t understand the words,

you can often recognize a language by the intonation. It provides important information that is not

provided by the words alone.

Speakers use intonation patterns to help them communicate their ideas. The rising and falling tones

separate ideas, distinguish questions and sentences, show special emphasis.

Examples

Using intonation we can express a variety of ideas: Key

Rising intonation

Falling intonation

You can start practicing the music of English speech with these basics:

Linking

Finishing words and syllables

Thought groups

Steps and glides (end-of-the-sentence intonation)

Focus words

Essential of Spoken and Presentation Skills

2 © Everonn Education Ltd

Tasks

To demonstrate the variety of meaning through intonation changes consider the sentence below, try

stressing each word in turn, and see the totally different meanings that come out.

1. I didn't say he stole the money.







Speak the sentences below to get the meaning in brackets

1. I applied for the job (not you)

2. I applied for the job (but I don‘t think I will get it)

3. I applied for the job (not I applied myself to the job)

4. I applied for the job (the one I‘ve been dreaming for years)

5. I applied for the job (not the lifestyle)

Linking

The words in phrases or thought groups are usually linked together. The consonant that finishes one

word connects to the sound at the beginning of the next word. ―Missed her‖ sounds like ―Mister.‖

―Spear it‖ sounds like ―Spirit.‖ When listening to conversations, it is not always clear when one word

stops and the next word starts. ―Sue‘s in love‖ sounds like ―Susan Love.‖ A phrase can sound like one

long word and this can be confusing. ―There is a bus coming‖ sounds like ―therezaBUScoming.‖ In

order to understand spoken English, you have to recognize when words are linked together.

1. turn around tur-naround

2. turns around turn-zaround

3. look alike loo-kalike

4. looks away look-saway

5. jumps up jum-psup

6. jumped up jump-tup

7. call after cal-lafter

8. called after call-dafter

9. pulled out pull-dout

10. bakes it bake-sit



Sentences

1. I ‗ll. see you. --------- ―I ‗llseeya‖

2. He had a lot of questions. ---------―He hadalotaquestions‖

3. How do you do? --------- howdyu do?

4. Let us get down the business shall we? --------- lets gedown to buzinis , shall we?

5. Well, that is agreed then? --------- well that‘s agrid, then.

6. Okay. We will see you. --------- Okay, we‘ll si:u.

7. I would like to see you for a minute --------- id likte si:u for a minit.

8. Mrs. Lang, could I have a word please? --------- Mrs. Lang, cud I av a word pli:z.

9. Tell her I miss her. --------- teller I miser

10. He bought a car. --------- hebota kar

Steps and Glides

Chunks of Speech: Reductions

DUH duh duh DUH What do you WANT?

DUH duh duh DUH Give it a TRY.

duh DUH DUH I don‘t KNOW.

DUH duh DUH Take a CHANCE.

DUH duh duh DUH Give me a BREAK.

duh duh DUH Are you SURE?

Tasks

Join the Chorus

Tap your desk as you say the focus words to keep up with rhythm.

IdonNO

A: What do you WANT? (WHATdyaWANT?)

B: a cup of COFfee (aCUPaCOFfee)

A: a can of COKE (acannaCOKE)

B: a piece of CANdy (aPIECaCANdy)

A: What do you WANT? (WHATdyaWANT?)

B: I don’t KNOW, I REALly don’t KNOW. (idonNO. iREALlydonNO.)



Thought and Word

The Parts of Speech

Traditional grammar classifies words based on eight parts of speech: the verb, the noun, the pronoun,

the adjective, the adverb, the preposition, the conjunction, and the interjection.

Each part of speech explains not what the word is, but how the word is used. In fact, the same word

can be a noun in one sentence and a verb or adjective in the next.

Words: Different Parts of Speech

There are many words in the English language which, in the same form, can be used as different parts

of speech.

Exercise 1

Which part of speech do the highlighted words belong to

1. Muthu prefers bright colours.

2. The moon shines bright.

3. Veni promises to complete this on time.

4. Promises have to be kept at all cost.

5. It is a brave deed.

6. Who doesn‘t admire the brave?

7. I first met him a decade ago and have remembered him since them.

8. A month has passed since I came here.

9. There is a direct relationship between hard work and success.

10. We directed the injured passengers to the hospital.

Exercise 2

A word can be used as different part of speech depending on the context. Write sentences using

the following words as directed

1. Like (v): ______________________________________________

(adj): ______________________________________________

2.till (v): _________________________________________

(prep): _______________________________________________

3. issue (v): ______________________________________

(n): ______________________________________

4. shed (v): ______________________________________

(n): ______________________________________



5. Complex (v): _____________________________________

(adj): _____________________________________

6. advocate (n): ______________________________________

(v): ______________________________________

7. long (v): _____________________________________

(adj): ______________________________________

8. will (v): ______________________________________

(n): ______________________________________

9. face (v): __________________________________

(n): __________________________________

10. even (Iadv): _______________________________

(adj): _______________________________

11. end (n): _______________________________

(v): __________________________________

12. field (n): _____________________________________

(v): _____________________________________

Common Confusables

Collocation

Collocation defines a sequence of words or terms that co-occur more often than would be expected

by chance. The term is often used in the same sense as linguistic government.

Syntactic modifiability

Unlike the majority of idioms, collocations are subject to syntactic modification. For example, we can

say effective writing and write effectively.

Expanded definition

If the expression is heard often, transmitting its mimetically, the words become 'glued' together in our

minds. 'Crystal clear', 'middle management', 'nuclear family', and 'cosmetic surgery' are examples of



collocated pairs of words. Some words are often found together because they make up a compound

noun, for example 'riding boots' or 'motor cyclist'.

Connotation

Connotation is an association or idea suggested by a word or phrase.

The associated or secondary meaning of a word or expression in addition to its explicit or primary

meaning:

Homophones

A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning. The

words may be spelled the same, such as rose (flower) and rose (past tense of "rise"), or differently,

such as carat, caret, and carrot, or to, two, and too.

List of Homophones

air heir

him hymn

right write

aisle isle

hole whole

root route

ante- anti-

hour our

sail sale

eye I

idle idol

sea see

bare bear bear

in inn

seam seem

be bee

knight night

sight site

brake break

knot not

complement compliment

buy by

know no

shore sure

cell sell

made maid

sole soul

cent scent

mail male

some sum

cereal serial

meat meet

son sun

coarse course

morning mourning

stair stare

to too two

none nun

stationary stationery

sew so sow

oar or

steal steel

dear deer

one won

suite sweet

die dye

pair pear

tail tale

fair fare

peace piece

their there

fir fur

plain plane

dam damn

flour flower

poor pour

toe tow

for four

pray prey

waist waste

hair hare

principal principle

wait weight

heal heel

profit prophet

way weigh

hear here

real reel

weak week

wear where



Homonyms

A homonym is, in a strict sense, one of a group of words that share the same spelling and the same

pronunciation but have different meanings. In a looser non-technical sense, the term "homonym" can

be used to refer to words that share the same spelling irrespective of pronunciation, or share the same

pronunciation irrespective of spelling – in other words, they are homographs or homophones.

bow – a long wooden stick with horse hair that is used to play certain string instruments such as

the violin

bow – to bend forward at the waist in respect (e.g. "bow down")

bow – the front of the ship (e.g. "bow and stern")

bow – the weapon which shoots arrows (e.g. "bow and arrow")

bow – a kind of tied ribbon (e.g. bow on a present, a bowtie)

bow – to bend outward at the sides (e.g. a "bow-legged" cowboy)

bough – a branch on a tree. (e.g. "when the bough breaks...")

bō – a long staff, usually made of tapered hard wood or bamboo

beau – a male paramour

cent one hundredth of a dollar

scent an aroma

sent dispatched

cents hundredths of a dollar

scents many things to smell

sense detection equipment

cache hidden storage

cash legal tender

carat unit of weight for precious stones, equal to 200 milligrams

caret proofreader's insertion mark

carrot edible orange root

karat one 24th part of otherwise pure gold

Phrasal Verbs and Prepositional Verbs

Phrasal verb

A phrasal verb is a verb + preposition or adverb, which creates a different meaning than the original

verb. There are four types of phrasal verbs. Phrasal verbs can be separable or in separable, and they

can take an object or not.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_instrument

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo_staff



When a verb is used with an adverb, the combination is called a phrasal verb. The meaning of the

phrasal verb is different from the meaning of the two words taken separately. Phrasal verbs can be

transitive or intransitive.

Example

transitive – break down, get up, sit down, turn up

intransitive – bring something up (mention it)

turn something down (refuse it)

Prepositional verbs

Prepositional verb is an idiomatic expression, which combines a verb and a preposition to make a new

verb with a distinct meaning. The preposition in a prepositional verb must be followed by a noun or

pronoun, and so all prepositional verbs are transitive. Also, the object must come after the preposition.

Prepositional verbs consist of a transitive verb and a preposition with which it is closely associated.

Example: She looked at the little girl.

The verb and the following preposition can be separated by an adverb.

The preposition can precede a relative pronoun, and appear at the beginning of a –wh question.

Example

She looked inquisitively at the little girl.

The girl, at whom she was looking, was wearing a kimono.

At whom was she looking?

Phrasal-prepositional verbs

Phrasal-prepositional verbs end with a preposition, so there is always a direct object. Like

prepositional verbs, phrasal-prepositional verbs cannot be separated. Look at these examples:

The important thing to remember is that a multi-word verb is still a verb. "Get" is a verb. "Get up", is

also a verb, a different verb. "Get" and "get up" are two different verbs. They do not have the same

meaning. So you should treat each multi-word verb as a separate verb, and learn it like any other verb.

Look at the examples that follow. You can see that there are three types of multi-word verbs:

Examples

Cut out = stop

That really bothers me; can you cut it out?

Cut out is a separable 2-word verb.



Prepositional verbs

Exercise

1. My friend is good ______ playing volleyball.

2. She complains ______ bullying.

3. They are afraid ______ losing the match.

4. She doesn't feel ______ working on the computer.

5. We are looking forward ______ going out at the weekend.

6. Laura dreams ______ living on a small island.

7. Andrew apologised ______ being late.

8. Do you agree ______ staying in a foreign country:

9. The girls insisted ______ going out with Kerry.

10. Edward thinks ______ climbing trees this afternoon.

Phrasal- prepositional verbs

Exercise 1

Use the following verbs (believe, fill, get, look, put, switch, take, throw, turn, try) and the prepositions

(away, down, for, in, off, on, out) and form meaningful sentences.

1) Quick! -------- the bus. It's ready to leave.

2) I don't know where my book is. I have to------------ it.

3) It is dark inside. Can you ------------- the light, please?

4) ------------------ the form, please.

5) I need some new clothes. Why don't you ---------- these jeans?

6) It is warm inside. --------------- your coat.

7) This pencil is really old. You can -------- it ------------.

8) It is so loud here. Can you ------------- the radio a little?

9) The firemen were able to------- the fire in Church Street.

10) Does your little brother ---------------- ghosts?

11) My parents are out. So I have to _________ my baby-brother

Exercise

Tick on the phrasal verb that fits in each sentence below

1) I asked my boss for a raise but, unfortunately, he _____________________.

A. cut it out

B. turned me down

C. brought it up



2) The weather was bad so they _____________ the trip.

A. looked after

B. cut out

C. called off

3) She asked me to ___________ her suitcase while she went to the restroom.

A. look after

B. call off

C. bring up

4) He was __________ by his aunt and uncle after his parents died.

A. brought up

B. called off

C. cut out

5) His friend‘s complaining bothered him so much that he finally told him to _______.

A. bring it up

B. cut it out

C. call it off

Active and Passive Voice

Objective

Review the rules of active and passive

Realize when to use the active and the passive forms to convey the correct meaning

Practice active and passive sentences

A sentence can be written in either active voice or passive voice without changing the meaning of it.

When the verb in a sentence shows that the subject is the doer of the action, the verb is in the active

voice.

Example 1

Active voice

The cat killed the rat. - Subject + verb + object

This sentence talks about the subject, the cat, which killed the rat, the object. The verb killed is

directly linked to the object. Cat is the doer and the rat is the receiver. The sentence is in active

construction for it conveys the meaning strongly and clearly.



Passive voice

The rat is killed by the cat. - Subject + verb + by + object

In this sentence, the rat, the object in the earlier sentence has become the subject. The cat, the subject

in the earlier sentence has become the object. Another difference is 'by' which connects the subject to

the object. In other words, cat is the doer and the rat is the receiver. The receiver becomes the subject

in this sentence, and the doer becomes the object in this sentence. This construction of sentence is

called passive construction, which also conveys the meaning, but with little force. Easy way to

remember active and passive voice: The active voice is simple and direct, with subject + verb + object

construction.

The table below shows how the verb is changed into its passive voice form in different tenses.

Tense Active Voice Passive Voice

The simple present He eats an apple An apple is eaten by him.

The present continuous He is eating an apple. An apple is being eaten by him.

The present perfect He has eaten an apple. An apple has been eaten by him.

The simple past He ate an apple. An apple was eaten by him.

The past continuous He was eating an apple An apple was being eaten by him

The past perfect He had eaten an apple An apple had been eaten by him

The simple future He will eat an apple An apple will be eaten by him.

The Future continuous He will be eating an

apple.

An apple will have been eaten by

him.

The Future in the past He would have eaten an

apple

An apple would have been eaten by

him

Exercise

Decide whether the sentences are written in Active or Passive

1. Boys like to play soccer.

2. This room has been painted blue.

3. Cricket is played in Australia.

4. I am given a book.

5. We have lost our keys.

6. You might see dolphins here.

7. The report must be completed by next Friday.

8. They were singing a song.

9. A letter was written to her.

10. The bike is being repaired.



Unit 2 – Acquisition of Oral and

Aural Skills

Objectives

to understand Accent

to understand and start practicing ‗Standard Pronunciation‘

to understand and start practicing Intonation

Introduction

Each language has a pattern in which it is spoken. English language has a sing song pattern that we

need to learn and implement to get a hang of Standard English. This is done by knowing and

practicing the accent.

Accent

Accent is a characteristic pronunciation especially determined by the regional or social background of

the speaker; also determined by the phonetic habits of the speaker‘s native language carried over to

his or her use of another language - MTI (Mother Tongue Influence).

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is the act or manner of pronouncing words in a way that is accepted or generally

understood; a graphic representation of the way a word is spoken, using phonetic* symbols.

International Phonetic Alphabet

*Phonetics: Representing sounds of speech, with a set of distinct symbols, each designating a single

sound.

English Language has just one Alphabet. The English Alphabet has 26 letters in it that are classifies as

Consonants and Vowels. Each vowel has many sounds that we will learn in this unit.

Cecily Berry

Practice Cecily Berry- Jaw exercise to relax the jaws and help open your mouth

Trainer – Read and ask the class to repeat. Then ask each student to read and the class to repeat. Start

with vowel sound first (like how we see the words printed) then go reverse – consonant sounds first.

Practice both horizontal and vertical.

Acquisition of Oral and Aural Skills


THE CICELY BERRY JAW RELAXATION AND WARM UP EXERCISE

The exercise is popularly known as ‗The Cicely Berry‘ named after the woman who designed this

exercise for actor training in the theatre.

Exercise

Make sure that the mouth extends gradually with each word.

OOT OHT AWT AHT AYT EET

OOD OHD AWD AHD AYD EED

OON OHN AWN AHN AYN EEN

OOB OHB AWB AHB AYB EEB

OOP OHP AWP AHP AYP EEP

OOM OHM AWM AHM AYM EEM

OOG OHG AWG AHG AYG EEG

OOF OHF AWF AHF AYF EEF

OOV OHV AWV AHV AYV EEV

OOS OHS AWS AHS AYS EES

OOZ OHZ AWZ AHZ AYZ EEZ

OOTH OHTH AWTH AHTH AYTH EETH

+ (‗Th‘ Voiceless and voiced)

This exercise helps to make the vowels smooth and full, and the consonants absolutely clear. Allow

the jaw to open as much as possible, for this is an excellent jaw exercise, as the vowels must be free to

form properly.

Using your body effectively or kinaesthetic:

Why do we need to relax our jaws?

Our bodies can be used to enhance our voice …How?

Keeping a good posture and alert body ensures that your voice sounds alert and alive.

Activity

Practice the following sentences with the new British Resonance pattern:

1. I‘m going out of town next week

2. I can‘t possibily accept your offer

3. I‘m shopping at Harrods

4. The government bureaucracy doesn‘t work

5. Thursday Morning

6. Northamptonshire



7. Bristol

8. Everybody has the ability to be mighty

9. Frankly, that‘s a thorny path

10. I‘m not sure where to go

11. He always worries too much

12. They came to the meeting early

13. She visited me yesterday

14. It was a dark stormy night

Task 1

Say –

The letters of the Alphabet

Numbers

Days of the Week

Months of the year

Before we begin let us understand the parts of the mouth that help us to make certain sounds.

Short vowel sounds

The letters a-e-i-o-u- make the sound that we get from words like

/a/ ant

/o/ ox

/e/ egg

/i/ ink

/u/ up

/a/ short vowel sound

Bag Cat Bat fan

LIPS – to make the sounds of ‗m‘, ‗b‘, ‗p‘

TEETH – to make the sounds of /f/ and ‗v‘

TONGUE – to make the sounds of /l/

ROOF OF THE MOUTH – to make the sounds of ‗d‘, ‗g‘



/e/ short vowel sound

Bed Pen Hen bell

/o/ short vowel sound

Log Pot Dog

/i/ short vowel sound

Pig Lip Tin Bin

Intonation

Stress Syllables

WHAT IS A SYLLABLE?

A combination of a VOWEL + CONSONANT

Most English words have one strongly stressed syllable that sounds longer, louder, and higher in pitch

than the other syllables. Speech can be hard to understand when the strongly stressed syllable is not

clear or the wrong syllable is stressed.

Read the following sentences. The meaning changes when you change the stress.

He gave me a masSAGE

Look at the desSert. Look at the Desert

He gave me a MESsage





Unstressed Syllables and Schwa Vowels

Unstressed syllables sound weaker than stressed syllables. They are lower in pitch, shorter and harder

to hear clearly than the vowels in stressed syllables. The vowel sound that native speakers say in most

weak syllables is called schwa. Any vowel letter in a weak syllable can sound like schwa. The symbol

for schwa is ∂

Examples

Nouns

Most two-syllable nouns have stress on the first syllable. Draw a dot over the stressed syllable.

Add to the lists. A few two-syllable names have stress on the second syllable, such as ELAINE,

suZANNE, and EuGENE.

Task I

Each of these words is di-syllabic and the Stress is on the first syllable

‗Action ‗Captain ‗Table

‗Almost ‗Certain Theater

‗Always ‗City ‗Therefore

‗Answer ‗Color ‗Ticket

‗Any ‗Common ‗Treasure

‗Battle ‗Country ‗Under

‗Better ‗Different ‗Upward

‗Body ‗Doctor ‗Useful

‗Brother ‗Dollar ‗Value

‗Business ‗Dozen ‗Very

‗Early ‗Garden ‗Water

‗Either ‗Glory ‗Welcome

‗English ‗Golden ‗Whether

‗Even ‗Govern Window

‗Every ‗Grateful ‗Wisdom

PENcil

∂

DOzen

∂

aBOUT

∂



‗Figure ‗Healthy ‗Woman

‗Follow ‗Hello ‗Woodland

‗Foreign ‗Honest ‗Workman

‗Fortune ‗Human ‗Worship

‗Frequent ‗Husband ‗Yellow

‗Idle ‗Lady ‗Over

‗Insect ‗Letter ‗Paper

‗Instant ‗Many ‗People

‗Interest ‗Measure ‗Person

‗Into ‗Moment ‗Present (n) (adj)

‗Jealous ‗Nation ‗Public

‗Journey ‗Nature ‗River

‗Judgment ‗Never ‗Second

‗Kitchen ‗Nothing ‗Something

‗Knowledge ‗Number ‗Story

‗Offer ‗Quarter ‗Subject (n) (adj)

‗Open ‗Question ‗System

‗Other ‗Rather ‗Output

Task II

Each of these di-syllabic words and have stress on the second syllable

A‘bout A‘wake Di‘vide Per‘mit (v)

A‘bove A‘way Ef‘fect Pos‘sess

A‘broad B‘cause E‘lect Pre‘pare

Ac‘cord Be‘come Em‘ploy Pre‘serve

Ac‘count Be‘fore En‘close Pre‘vent

Ac‘ross Be‘gin En‘gage Pro‘duce (v)

Ad‘dress Be‘hind En‘joy Pro‘pose



Ad‘mit Be‘lieve E‘nough Pro‘tect

A‘dopt Be‘low En‘tire Pro‘vide

Ad‘vance Be‘side Es‘cape Re‘ceive

Af‘fair Be‘tween E‘vent Re‘duce

Af‘ford Be‘yond Ex‘act Re‘fer

A‘fraid Col‘lect Ex‘cept Re‘flect

A‘gain Com‘bine (v) Ex‘change Re‘fuse

A‘gainst Com‘mand Ex‘ist Re‘gard

A‘go Com‘pare Ex‘pect Re‘gret

A‘head Con‘cern Ex‘pense Re‘main

Al‘low Con‘nect Ex‘plain Re‘mark

A‘lone Con‘tain Ex‘press Re‘mind

A‘long Con‘tent (adj, v.) Ex‘tend Re‘peat

A‘mong Con‘trol Ex‘treme Re‘ply

A‘mount De‘cay For‘bid Re‘port

A‘muse De‘ceive For‘get Re‘quest

A‘part De‘cide For‘give Re‘serve

Ap‘pear De‘clare O‘tel Res‘pect

Ap‘ply De‘feat Im‘prove Re‘sult

Ap‘point De‘fence In‘clude Re‘tire

A‘rise De‘gree In‘crease (v) Re‘turn

A‘round De‘lay In‘deed Re‘view

Ar‘range De‘light Ma‘chine Suc‘ceed

A‘shamed De‘mand Mis‘take Sug‘gest

A‘side De‘pend My‘self Sup‘port

A‘sleep De‘scend Ne‘glect Sup‘pose

At‘tack De‘scribe O‘bey To‘day

At‘tempt De‘serve Ob‘ject (v) To‘wards



At‘tend De‘sire Ob‘serve Un‘less

At‘tract Di‘rect Of‘fend U‘pon

A‘void Dis‘cuss O‘mit Wi‘thin

Per‘haps Di‘sease Op‘pose Wi‘thout

Task III

One partner says either (a), the noun, or (b), the verb. The other partner says the matching sentence.

1. a. PERmit You need a PERmit to park here.

b. perMIT Please perMIT to park here.

2. a. INsult That sounds like an Insult

b. inSULT Don‘t inSULT the visitors.

3. a. PROduce They sell PROduce at the market.

b. proDUCE Cars proDUCE a lot of smog.

4. a. CONtract They negotiated a CONtract.

b. conTRACT Your muscles conTRACT when you exercise.

5. a. PROgress He made a lot of PROgress.

b. proGRESS Let‘s proGRESS to the next item.

6. a. OBject Handle the OBject carefully.

b. obJECT Did his boss obJECT to the change?

7. a. INcrease She got an INcrease in pay.

b. inCREASE They tried to inCREASE their profits.

8. a. SURvey Please answer the questions on the SURvey.

b. surVEY Let‘s surVEY the situation before we decide.

9. a. PROject WE completed the project.

b. proJECT Project the slides onto the wall.

10. a. CONduct The crowd‘s CONDuct was disorderly.

b. conDUCT We are planning to conDUCT an experiment.

Three-syllable words

Listen and tap the rhythm of the stressed and unstressed syllables. Then sing the melody using ―da.‖

Trace the pattern with your finger as you say the word in the box. The line is long and high because



the stressed syllable sounds longer and higher in pitch. Touch the dot lightly and quickly as you say

the unstressed syllables. Lower the pitch.

Task I

Three syllable words with the primary stress on the first syllable

‗Accident ‗Dangerous ‗Passenger

‗Advertise ‗Delicate ‗Permanent

‗Airplane ‗Difficult ‗Photograph

‗Agency ‗Discipline ‗Popular

‗Anything ‗Educate ‗Possible

‗Argument ‗Excellent ‗Practical

‗Article ‗Family ‗Prejudice

‗Avenue ‗Glorious ‗Probable

‗Beautiful ‗Hesitate ‗Property

‗Bicycle ‗Holiday ‗Punishment

‗Calculate ‗Industry ‗Quality

‗Capital ‗Instrument ‗Quantity

‗Century ‗Library ‗Recognize

‗Character 'Medical ‗Relative

‗Circular ‗Memory ‗Sacrifice

‗Citizen ‗Minister ‗Satisfy

‗Civilized ‗Moderate (adj) ‗Settlement

‗Company ‗Numerous ‗Sympathy

‗Confidence ‗Operate ‗Terrible

‗Cultivate ‗Ornament ‗Yesterday

Task II

Three Syllable words with stress on second syllable

Ac‘custom Di‘rection Im‘mediate



Ad‘vantage Dis‘cover De‘liver

Ad‘venture Dis‘cussion De‘partment

Al‘ready Dis‘tinguish De‘termine

Am‘bition Di‘vision De‘velop

A‘nother En‘courage Re‘member

Ar‘rival Es‘sential Sus‘pision

Ar‘tistic Ex‘amine To‘bacco

As‘tonish Ex‘ample To‘gether

At‘tention Ex‘ception To‘morrow

Be‘haviour Ex‘istence Con‘nection

Col‘lection Ex‘pensive Con‘sider

Com‘mercial Ex‘plosion Con‘tinue

Com‘mitte Ex‘pression Im‘portant

Com‘pletion Ex‘tension Pro‘duction

Con‘dition Fa‘miliar Re‘lation

Con‘fusion

Task III

Three syllable words with primary stress on the third syllable

‗After‘noon

‗Disap‘pear

‗Engi‘neer

‗Enter‘tain

‗Intro‘duce

‗Recom‘mend

‗Repre‘sent

‗Repro‘duce

‗Under‘stand

‗Dissap‘point

Word stress for poly-syllabic (Prefixed and Suffixed) words

Rule 1 Suffixes:-tion-sion



The stress is on the syllable just before the suffix

Task

‗appliCAtion ‗eduCAtion

‗associAtion I‘magiNAtion

atTENtion ‗inforMAtion

‗civiliZAtion ‗obserVAtion

‗converSAtion occasion

‗cultiVAtion ‗popuLAtion

deCIsion ‗prepRAtion

‗declaRAtion production

desTRUCtion ‗recogNItion

diVIsion ‗situAtion

Rule 2 Suffixes:-ic-ical-al

The stressed syllable is before the suffix.

MAGic AtLANtic iDENtical developMENtal acciDENtal

Practice these related words.

Symptom-symptoMAtic ALcohol-alcoHOLic ATHlete-athLETic

eCONomy-ecoNOMical

Task

artistic ‗patriOTic

eLECtric Political

eLECtrical ‗PRACtical

mechanical ‗scienTific

MUSical ‗sympaTHETic

Rule 3 Suffixes: -logy-ity

Stress the syllable before the suffix. The ―y‖ ending is unstressed.

bIOlogy eCOlogy reALity

Practice these related words

ACtive-acTIVity POSsible-possiBILity

NAtional-nationALity psychology- psychological



Task

activity ‗opporTUnity

‗curiOSity ‗possiBIlity

‗elecTRIcity QUAlity

eQUAlity Res‘ponsiBIlity

necessity simPLIcity

Rule 4 Suffixes: -ial-ially

The stress is before the suffix.

‗artiFIcial inDUSTrial

‗ceriMONial meMOrial

‗confiDENtial official

essential ‗presiDENtial

essentially ‗sacriFIcial

Rule 5 Suffixes: -ian

The stress is before the suffix.

CamBOdian INdian CoLOMbian CaNAdian

Rule 6 Prefixes: -a-in-un

The prefix is unstressed. The syllable after the prefix is often stressed.

aWAKE inTOLerant unhealthy

Tasks

The Echo Game

Many words in English have the same pattern as short phrases.

repuTAtion See you LAter Glad to MEET you How‘s your FAMily?

compreHEND in the END Make a FRIEND Pay the BILL

Example 1:

Speaker: fanTAStic Echo: It‘s PLAStic

Speaker: acQUAINTed Echo: He FAINTed

Speaker: underSTAND Echo: Hold my HAND



Example 2:

Speaker: conTENTed Echo: He SENT it Movement:

Speaker: interACT Echo: It‘s a FACT Movement:

Speaker: apPROpriate Echo: I NOticed it Movement:

Example 3:

Speakers: SatisFACtion Echo: It‘s the BLACK one.

Speakers: SatisFACtion Echo: a reACtion

Speakers: SatisFACtion Echo: after TAXes

4. Mark the stress point.

Speaker Echo Movement

comMITtee

comMITtee

committee

The City

She‘s PREtty

He‘s WITty

interRUPtion

interRUPtion

interruption

Let‘s have LUNCH now

He‘s my UNcle

In the MIDdle

accommoDAtion

accommoDAtion

accommodation

I‘m on vaCAtion

They‘re not related

An obligation

identifiCAtion

identifiCAtion

identification

He went on vaCAtion

Prescribe mediCAtion

I made the arrangements

inappropriate

inapPROpriate

inappropriate

I can HOPE for it

You can Open it

It‘s not Over yet

comPLEXion

comPLEXion

complexion

You GUESSED it

He CHECKS it

An Extra

aRITHmetic

aRITHmetic

aRITHmetic

A CHRISTmas gift

I LOOKED at it

He LIFTed it

interACT

interACT

interact

It‘s a FACT

Don‘t react

Here‘s your HAT



macaROni

macaROni

macaroni

Dozen DOnuts

Broken RECord

Slice of PIZza

contradiction

contraDICtion

contradiction

Pass the CHICKen

Here‘s the WINner

Science FICtion

Tasks

Presenting Choices - Which one do you prefer?

Example

A: Which do you prefer, chocolate, ice cream or chocolate cake?

B: I prefer chocolate cake.

Results: chocolate cake 1 person

Survey:

1. Which do you prefer, chocolate ice cream or chocolate cake?

Results: chocolate ice cream ________ chocolate cake _________

2. Which would you rather have, an interesting job or a good salary?

Results: an interesting job ________ a good salary _________

3. Which would you rather photograph with your new camera, interesting scenery or a beautiful

family?

Results: interesting scenery ________ a beautiful family _________

4. Which is better when you have a cold, several aspirin or homemade vegetable soup?

Results: several aspirin ________ homemade vegetable soup _________

Reading Numbers

Listening

Listen to your teacher say these numbers. Which one does she stress in each group?

1

21

321

4,321

54,321

654,321

7,65,4321



Practice

Try saying the following telephone numbers. Notice how your voice goes up after each group and

then drops as you come to the end of the whole number.

5849 3714 *612 9983 4721 *01223 460278 *33 76 49 52 98 *0412 613612

Speakers normally use an upward intonation if they have more to add and let their voice drop when

they come to the end of that piece of information.



Unit 3 – Communication Boosters

– Body Language

Objectives

To communicate with greater care and conviction

To gain confidence to achieve a positive response and

To develop and project a pleasing personal style

Introduction

Communication could be enhanced by our body language.

Gestures and Postures

Gesture: Brisk, erect walk

Meaning:?

Gesture: Standing with hands on hips

Meaning:?

Gesture: Sitting with legs crossed, foot kicking slightly

Meaning:?

Gesture: Sitting, legs apart

Meaning:?

Gesture: Arms crossed on chest

Meaning:?

Gesture: Walking with hands in pockets, shoulders hunched

Meaning:?

Gesture: Hand to cheek

Meaning:?

Gesture: Touching, slightly rubbing nose

Meaning:?

Gesture: Rubbing the eye

Meaning:?

Gesture: Hands clasped behind back

Meaning:?

Gesture: Locked ankles

Meaning:?

Communication Boosters – Body Language


Gesture: Head resting in hand, eyes downcast

Meaning:?

Gesture: Rubbing hands

Meaning:?

Gesture: Sitting with hands clasped behind head, legs crossed

Meaning:?

Gesture: Open palm

Meaning: ?

Gesture: Pinching bridge of nose, eyes closed

Meaning: ?

Gesture: Tapping or drumming fingers

Meaning: ?

Gesture: Steepling fingers

Meaning: ?

Gesture: Patting/fondling hair

Meaning: ?

Gesture: Quickly tilted head

Meaning: ?

Gesture: Stroking chin

Meaning: ?

Gesture: Looking down, face turned away

Meaning: ?

Gesture: Biting nails

Meaning: ?

Gesture: Pulling or tugging at ear

Meaning: ?

Gesture: Prolonged tilted head

Meaning: ?

They say a picture paints a thousand words – and the same can certainly be said for gestures. We all

subconsciously give away hints as to our true feelings, through our movements and gestures.

It is important to know the right body language or gestures to use together with verbal language for

increased effectiveness.

People should know that their level of confidence affects body language, very much like how real

words are pronounced and stressed. Each action, subtle or emphasized, should properly complement



the idea, whether or not you choose to use it with words. People will understand your body language

only if you confidently present and project.

Developing the body language of confidence can be really important when attending job

interviews, presenting, dealing with complaints and being involved in related activities. One

confident person differs from another in their body language but these are some general

guidelines.

1. Know that all body language is contextual

What is meant by "all body language is contextual"? It means that body language does not happen in

isolation, that interpreting it depends on the situation in which it occurs. It is influenced by the

cultures, places, people and situations involved. This means that trying to interpret or use a single

body movement or gesture without taking the context into account can result in misunderstanding.

2. Take up space

Confident people take up space. Don't twine your legs around the chair or sit in the smallest place at a

meeting.

3. Confident people are visible

Don't hide behind a table or lectern when presenting, don't get lost in a huge chair in an interview, be

visible.

4. Have soft, direct eye contact

Confident people look at people, in Anglo Saxon culture anyway. (This differs in other cultures.) Not

a hard staring gaze, but a soft gentle focus in the eyes.

5. Keep your chest up

Confident people keep their chests broad rather than collapsed and dropped. This doesn't mean they

stick their chests out, rather, that they keep the width across them. It also doesn't mean they fix them –

they still have supple flexible movement.

6. Confident people look comfortable in their bodies

Rather than tightening them in an aggressive way, they keep them supple and relaxed.

7. Breathe easily

Confident people breathe easily and deeply (unless of course they have a health problem that prevents

this). Rather than forced breathing or shallow fast breathing or irregular breathing they can breathe

easily.



8. Confident people hold their heads up

Holding your head up can be a physical thing and a psychological factor. Keep your head up. It

doesn't have to just forward or be tilted to the side. Keep your head high.

9. Stand on both legs

Confident people look as if they can support themselves by standing on both legs. It's fine to be able

to move from one to the other but also be able to have weight equally on both legs. This is in contrast

to people who bend one knee and drop their hip and stand on only one straight leg.

10. Have your facial expression match your emotion

If you are angry have your face look serious. I've seen people smile when angry, it doesn't fit. It can

undermine the emotion. It can send the wrong message. Have your body and words saying the same

thing.

Voice

From the sound of your voice, your listeners will make judgments about your attitude toward them

and the ideas you're presenting. They'll judge your sincerity and credibility in part by your voice. And

in turn that will affect how they respond to you and your message.

Vary the elements of sound for emphasis

If the pitch, volume, rhythm, and timbre of your voice never fluctuate, you'll be speaking in a

monotone. And you'll risk losing your audience as a result.

An expressive voice pauses and quickens ... changes pace ... lowers and raises both volume and pitch.

It carries emotion ranging from certainty to doubt ... surprise to assurance ... delight to disgust.

Work expression into your voic e by varying the elements of sound - volume, pitch, rhythm, and

timbre.

Adjust the volume

Use changes in volume to prevent your voice from slipping into monotonous sameness and to

alert your audience to the nuances of your message.

Always speak loudly enough so everyone in your audience can hear you. Speak a little more

loudly if the audience is large, even if you're using a microphone.

Lower the volume for an aside. Raise the volume gradually as you build toward a point.

Change your volume when you're changing an idea or an approach.



Refine the pitch

Pitch is the frequency of the sound waves you produce. It is about hitting high or low notes with

your voice.

Become aware of pitch and learn to refine it, phrase-by-phrase. Questions, for example, should

end on a higher note. Conversely, affirmative statements should end in a level or slightly lower

pitch. The ending of statements on a high pitch can create doubt in your listeners.

Vary your pitch throughout your presentation to establish and reinforce your message.

Alter the rhythm and tempo

Rhythm is the pattern of the sounds you produce. Tempo is the pace of your voice.

Use rhythm to carry meaning.

Slow the pace to emphasize certain ideas. Quicken the pace to show excitement or humor.

Pause to underscore major points or to give listeners time to absorb a complex idea. Pause also

when you're about to transition to another idea.

Control the timbre

Timbre is the emotional quality of your voice. It's the attitude behind a word or a phrase. Listeners

perceive a speaker's attitude and use their perception to build comprehension.

Use timbre to enhance your meaning or express the emotion or attitude you want to create.

Choose words and phrases that support that attitude.

Importance of Dressing Appropriately

Your dress code will largely depend on your work field. Consider your own industry and corporate

culture, then reconsider your wardrobe and try to put some life into it. Let us examine some of the

changes that are taking place rapidly in our corporate wardrobe. Advertising agencies, PR firms,

media and IT organizations have traditionally always adopted and supported a flexible dress code. But

they still frown upon employees going too casual. Round collared t-shirts are a no-no for most

organizations, even on a Friday. So are torn jeans, shorts, capris, tank tops etc. Some organizations

spell out their dress code explicitly while some leave it to the discretion of the employees, asking

them to see that their dressing doesn‘t offend any one else. However, the most flexible of firms will

insist that the employees respect client sensibilities. What this means is that if you are going to meet a

customer who is attired in a three piece suit, please do not visit them wearing your best pair of Levis.

In other words be as formal as possible.



However, the definition of formal is changing too. Gone are the days when formal meant, white or

cream full sleeved shirt with a tie and a well stitched suit. Now, organizations allow their employees

to even make presentations at seminars wearing a simple jacket.

Ladies can experiment with business suits, shirts or any attire that she feels is formal enough. While

dressing informally or casually, one needs to consider the sensitivities of their co-workers too. It‘s

great to feel comfortable wearing miniskirts on a Friday to office, but if that attracts unwanted

attention or makes other females squirm in discomfort, it‘s best not to take such liberties. For men, the

choice is less complicated. A simple full sleeved is nowadays considered formal enough for most

meetings. In some cases, one can even dress up informally. If you have already built a good working

relationship with your client it might even be acceptable to wear your favorite denim. However, in

case of conferences or first time meetings, wearing a suit is expected.

Some handy tips

1. Use your personal style as a business communication tool. Your outfit speaks volumes about your

professionalism, so make sure it creates the right impression. Casual dress doesn't mean you never

have to iron again. Whatever you decide to wear, be sure it's wrinkle-free, in good repair, and

pulled together with unifying elements like matching belts and shoes.

2. Stand out, but blend in. A neat, tied-together look will help you stand out. Wearing too much

jewellery or t-shirts with logos will also help you stand out, but not in a positive way. Clothing

that distracts people and calls attention away from the business at hand is inappropriate to wear at

work. While noisy bracelets might be fun to wear on evenings or weekends, they can be annoying

at a team meeting.

3. Plan ahead. Step back before you get dressed in the morning and think about what you'll be doing

that day, where you'll be going, and who you'll be meeting. If you have to attend an important

meeting then definitely you have to be dressed appropriately for it. As an employee, you should

dress to reflect your company's culture, values, and industry.

HIGH FREQUENCY WORDS

Objectives

acquire new words, add vocabulary

and try to use them in daily speech and writing



Introduction

High frequency words are commonly found words in written or oral texts. These are mostly function

words (or structure words) such as conjunctions, pronouns, and prepositions. These words can be

referred to as, ―sight words,‖ since automatic recognition of these words is required for fluent reading.

Fill in the blanks with correct prepositions

1. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough demand _______ our product.

2. There has been a rise ____ prices recently.

3. The car collided______ a truck and blocked traffic.

4. She blames the lack of interest ______ the teacher's poor explanation.

5. She is the cause _____ all his problems.

6. She gave me a check ______ $50.

7. Jackson apologized ______ his rude behavior.

8. I did a lot of damage ______ my car the other day.

9. We have seen many increases ______ production levels.

10. I trust Bob ______ all of my financial information.

11. There is a real need _______ discipline in this class.

12. Jane succeeded _______ getting a new job.

13. The accountant charged him $400 ________ his advice.

14. We were invited _____ their wedding

15. Her reaction _____ his behavior was quite funny.

16. Jacques resigned ______ his position.

17. I prefer roast potatoes ______ French fries.

18. My relationship _______ Mary is wonderful.

19. The relationship ________ the two friends was very strong.

20. She is worried _______ her exams.

21. I am ________ the new regulation.

22. The exhibition is ______ the modern art gallery.

23. That book is ________ his experiences in Africa.

Fill in the blanks with personal pronouns (I, he, she, etc.), possessive adjectives (my, your, his,

etc.), possessive pronouns (hers, ours, his, etc.), or reflexive forms (myself, herself, etc.)

Matthew, a friend of ____, told ____ about the difficult time ____ had been having with ____ twenty-

year-old daughter, Jane. ____ lived in ____ own apartment in a nearby town, and, ____ stated,

seemed very unhappy. ____ insisted that ____ could deal with ____ problems ____ and didn't want

any interference from ____ parents. When ____ had last seen ____ , she was sad and unhappy. ____



told ____ to worry about ____ own problems. Both Tom and ____ wife Cynthia were worried, but

decided ____ should keep ____ concern to ____.

Long story short, this story reminded ____ of an experience of ____. ____ had a good friend who was

going through some difficult times. ____ told ____ that he could take care of ____. ____ respected

____ wishes and eventually ____ felt much better. However, one day while ____ were talking, ____

mentioned that ____ hadn't helped ____ much with ____ problems. ____ said, "But ____ asked ____

to leave ____ alone. ____ said ____ were ____ problems and that ____ could take care of ____ by

____!" to which ____ replied: "Never listen to what a depressed person says!"

____ turned to Matthew and said, "____ daughter needs ____. Don't let ____ take care of ____.

Insist!" ____ think ____ gave ____ a good piece of advice.

Fill in the blanks with suitable pronouns

Me herself myself us them himself ours

Me its him her my

yours theirs mine themselves his

1. Despite her parents complaints, she decided to live by ___ in New York City.

2. If you happen to see your parents this weekend, give ___ my best regards.

3. I can't understand ___ when she speaks German with ___ .

4. He should be ashamed of ___ .

5. Mary was worried about the children, so she convinced ___ husband not to accept the job abroad.

6. We came across a friend of ___ at the mall yesterday.

7. I can't find ___ pencil. Can I use ___ , Mary?

8. I cut ___ when I was peeling the potatoes.

9. This house is too expensive for ___ . We can't pay such a high rent.

10. Each plan has ___ merits.

11. He ___ said so.

12. I do my work and they do ___ .

13. Give it back to ___ . It's ___.

14. Despite ___ old age, he is very active.

15. They enjoyed ___ a lot at the cocktail party.

Fill in the blanks with the conjunctions

Whereas after by the time when since

while even though if until yet

1. They got married _________ they had to learn to manage their own home.

2. He went crazy _______ his wife burnt his breakfast.

3. You can hear what I'm saying _______ you keep quiet.



4. I won't invite my classmates to a party ________ I know them well.

5. _________ he arrived home I had already cleaned the house.

6. The first quiz was easy; ________ this one is extremely difficult.

7. ________ she's snobbish, people like her.

8. ________we're broke, we can't buy anything.

9. He failed; _________ he won't give up his ideals.

10. He fell asleep ________ he was watching the film.

Fill in the blanks

1. My teacher said that Warren works ____________ in our class.

A. harder than

B. the hardest

C. hardly

2. Barbara swims ____________ than Anna because she has stronger arms.

A. fastlier

B. fast

C. faster

3. I wish that I could explain things ____________ my teacher. I always understand what he says in

class.

A. clear

B. as clearly as

C. clearly

4. Do you think you speak English ____________? Yes, of course!

A. well

B. good

C. goodly

5. I want my children to behave ____________ to every person that they meet.

A. nicily

B. nicely

C. nice

6. Angelina is a ____________ student. She is kind and pleasant.

A. lovely

B. love

7. Do you think men drive ____________ women in your country?

A. more dangerously than

B. dangerously

C. more dangerously



8. The group found their hotel ____________ after they bought the map of the city.

A. easily

B. easly

C. easy

9. Megan is a very ____________ athlete. She loves sports.

A. seriously

B. serious

10. When he was a child, Tony spoke very ____________ and his friends couldn't understand him.

A. quietly

B. quieter

C. quiet

11. When they heard the bad news, they were very ____________.

A. sadder

B. sadly

C. sad

12. The girls had to finish their work ____________ because the teacher told them to stop.

A. quickly

B. Quick

Articles

Correct the mistakes made in the use of articles in the following Insert or remove one if necessary

There is essay competition on the 2nd June in our school premises. A students who are interested in

competition, can register their names in an school office. Winners will be awarded the cash prize of

Rs. 500. All participants will receive the participation certificate.

(Answer: There is an essay competition on 2nd June in our school premises. The students who are

interested in the competition, can register their names in the school office. The winners will be

awarded a cash prize of Rs. 500. All participants will receive a participation certificate.)

VERBAL CRUTCHES AND CONTEXTUALIZATION

Objectives

To identify the common verbal crutches

To decide when to avoid them in communication and

To become eloquent in communication.



Introduction

VERBAL CRUTCHES

―Um, uh, y‘know, like, and, and-um, basically…‖

This is what we say when we are thinking, lost, checking our notes or just any time we want to fill the

silence.

Most of us use these verbal crutches more than we should, and they can very easily distract our

listeners from our message. This may not affect us so much in our everyday conversations as it would

when we make presentations.

Eliminating crutch words is one of the fastest ways to improve yourself as a speaker. Not only does it

display confidence to your audience, but you become easier to understand as your message gets

across. It isn‘t easy to do, but if you can nuke those um‘s and ah‘s you are one step closer to winning

over the crowd.

Don’t Fear the Silence

Um‘s and ah‘s come because as a speaker you naturally want to avoid silence. You‘ve been

conditioned for two-way conversations. When you pause, you get feedback from the other person and

the conversation continues. On the stage, it is only you talking and the silence can be terrifying.

The first way to combat crutch words is to realize silence is a good thing. Some speakers talk too

slowly with too many pauses. Pauses help to emphasize points and give listeners time to understand

what you are talking about. Remember, although you may be an international expert and have a

memorized speech, the audience needs more time to interpret what you plan to say.

How to Combat the Crutch

Here are some suggestions for becoming a pause artist and eliminating crutch words from your

presentations

1. Practice, practice, practice! - You should know your presentation backwards and forwards before

giving it. If you spend all your time thinking of what to say next, you can‘t put emphasis on

avoiding crutch words. Once you eliminate crutch words you can deliver unprepared speeches

more effectively, but it is hard to cut the um‘s if you aren‘t prepared.

2. Breathe In, Not Out - When you feel the temptation to ummm your way through a point, breathe

in. This may add a pause to your presentation, but it will be far better than an ugly crutch word,

which blurs sentences together.

3. Avoid them in Conversation – You speak all the time. Watch your crutch words when chatting

with friends and family. If it helps on stage it will help in a conversation. Plus you`ll get far more

practice.



4. Get a Counter - If you are giving an important speech, get a friend to count the amount of times

you utter an um or ah. Keeping numbers makes you highly aware of when you are using these

speech-killers.

5. Comma = 1 pause – Make a note whenever you are doing a presentation that every comma you

encounter should have a pause attached. You might want to run through a list of ten items as if

they were one thought. But force yourself to give a short count in between each item. Your

audience will thank you for the added emphasis and clarity.

6. Period = 2 pauses – The end of a sentence requires twice as much pause. There is a time-delay

between hearing your words and registering their meaning. Don`t cut over this step by blurring

together your sentences.

7. Double Underline - Underline key words and phrases and double underline especially important

ones. This is a technique I learned from a former radio broadcaster. It helps you to understand

where to slow down and emphasize an individual word. When you slow down to emphasize

words, this reduces the temptation to inject crutch words in between.

8. If You’reLost, Don`t Panic! – Um`s come in when you don`t have your next sentence ready.

Your mind is still constructing what you want to say next, so you feel throwing a few um`s will

fill the space until you are ready. Don`t do this! Instead take a quick pause before moving on. The

audience won`t notice and it will make your presentation smooth.

9. Enthusiasm Cuts Crutch - Imagine the presentation you have to give was the most critical

information the audience needed to hear. When you engage emotionally with your speech topic, it

becomes easier to emphasize points and avoid crutch words. If you aren`t engaged, you might feel

the urge to preface statements with crutch words to downplay their importance.

10. Plan Tricky Parts - Know your conclusions and introductions word for word. Also plan out any

tricky parts of a presentation you might have difficulty explaining. If you are preparing a business

proposal and want to cover a sticky issue delicately, know that section word for word.

Activity

Write words that rhyme with a certain word.

Write two antonyms, or opposites, for a given word.

Write as several synonyms as attainable for a given word.

Write alternate headlines for the most articles in your newspaper.

Write as several uses as attainable for common articles.

Write four-word sentences, the first letter of every word being given.

Write completions to short sentences.

Write as several interpretations of similes as possible.



CONTEXTUALIZATION

Listen to the following dialogue

Raghu: Hi! I am Raghu, Raghu Iyer. (s1)

Rajesh: Hello! My name is Rajesh Vellodi. I come from Kerala. (s2)

Raghu: Pardon me; I didn’t get your name. (s3)

Rajesh: Well, you can call me Rajesh. (s4)

Raghu: Could you repeat your surname as well? (s5)

Rajesh: Vellodi. I am Rajesh Vellodi. Can I ask you where you are

from? (s6)

Raghu: I come from Hyderabad. I was born in Tamil Nadu but I live

in Hyderabad now. (s7)

(A new person is seen approaching. He waves to Raghu and comes closer to the

duo)

Raghu: Hello Venkateshwarulu! How are you doing? (s8)

Venkateshwarulu: I am doing very well. Thank you for asking. How are you? (s9)

Raghu: I am fine. Rajesh, this is Mr. Venkateshwarulu.

Venkateshwarulu, meet Mr. Rajesh. (s10)

Rajesh: Hello! ...pardon me; I am unable to pronounce your name.

(s11)

Venkateshwarulu: Well, it is Ven–ka–tesh–wa–ru–lu, Venkateshwarulu. (s12)

Rajesh: Venka – tesh – warulu? (s13)

Venkateshwarulu: Yes, That’s right. (s14)

Raghu: Rajesh, he is my colleague. We work in Osmania University.

Where are you working? (s15)

Rajesh: I am a software engineer in Polaris. (s16)

Raghu Ok. See you later. Bye and have a nice day! (s17)

Rajesh: Thanks. I hope both of you have a nice day too! (s18)

Venkateshwarulu: See you sometime again. Good bye! (s19)

Activity

When you meet someone for the first time, what are the things that you need to do?

You should greet him/her first.

Second, you should introduce yourself.

Be polite if you have queries.

Be brief in your replies.

Use appropriate expressions.

At the close of the conversation, bid farewell.

We speak with different people differently, depending on our relationship with them.



Activity

How would the greeting and response be between the following pairs - a business manager and his

colleague, two teenagers, a man and woman in a party, two housewives.

Seeking Clarification

Activity

If you could not follow someone‘s speech or if you need clarifications what does one do? ―Always

begin by apologizing and then go on to seek clarifications.‖

Sorry. Could you please repeat your name?

Excuse me. I did not get your name.

Forgive me. I could not quite catch what you said.

Pardon me. Would you be kind enough to tell me your name again?

What do you do when you are introducing someone?

Dos:

• Begin with the person‘s name

• Mention your relationship with the person

• Give details of the person‘s qualification or profession

• Tell something positive about the person or what you like most about the person.

Don‘ts:

• Give any information that could embarrass the person

• Joke about the person or appearance of the person

• Pass sarcastic remarks on the person or ways of the person

• Belittle the person

While introducing someone, you could use the following pointers in any combination depending on

the situation and the people involved.

• Name

• Profession

• Ambitions

• Place of birth

• Age

• Details of family

• Likes



• Dislikes

• Hobby

• Others

Activity

Look at the following dialogue and identify the pointers used.

(Shankar introducing Sekar): Meet my friend, Sekar. Sekar and I have known each other for a long

time, ten years to be exact. We were in college together. Sekar and I always used to compete with

each other for the first rank. Those were golden days…

Asking for Information

Look at the following dialogue

Rita: Is it 25524848?

Velu: Yes.

Rita: I am Rita Dwivedi. I saw your Ad in today‘s newspaper.

Velu: Yes, I am Velu, the real estate agent. How can I help you?

Rita: Well, I am looking for an accommodation.

Velu: Which area are you looking at?

Rita: I want a place which will be close to Adyar as I work there.

Velu: Any preferences regarding the neighbourhood?

Rita: Yes, actually I work in night shifts and return in the early hours of the

morning. So I would prefer a place that is safe.

Velu: Then, I think a flat would be the best choice.

Rita: That‘s what I have in mind. A single bedroom flat which does not have water

scarcity.

Velu: Let me see what I can do for you? Do you have any pets?

Rita: I would love to have a dog but then I will be staying away from home most of

time. So I cannot feed it properly.

Velu: I know a place – a nice flat on the seventh floor. Of course, it has lifts but the

residents there are against pets.

Rita: Seventh floor! Oh no! I don‘t want to live in one of those tall monstrosities. I

would much rather prefer a three-storeyed building that houses not more than

six or seven flats.

Rita: And…oh! I forgot to tell you that I need a place that‘s close to the bus stand.



Velu: Hold on a minute. Let me give you the number of my brother who is also in

this trade. He might help you.

Rita: OK. I will wait.

Velu: His number is 24833329.

Rita: I‘m sorry. I didn‘t get it. Could you please repeat it?

Velu: Yes, Sure. 2483 3329.

Rita: OK. 2483 3329. Mr. Velu, you haven‘t told me his name.

Velu: My brother‘s name is Ramesh.

Rita: What time should I call him?

Velu: Call him after 6.00 p.m. as it is his residence number.

Rita: Does he have a mobile? If so, please give me that number as I have to be in

office by 6.00 p.m. and so I cannot call then.

Velu: Yes, it‘s 9841112345.

Rita: Thank you! Have a nice day!

Velu: You too! Bye!

Activity

You want a house and have seen an ad in the newspaper. Make enquiries about the same, including

details such as facilities for cooking, water, telephone, and also conditions of rent payment and

timings to be observed.

Making Suggestions

Look at the following dialogue between Rahul and his friends

Rahul: What are we doing this evening?

Akash: I think we should watch a movie. The new Jackie Chan film is being

screened at Satyam Cineplex.

Ashwin: We can watch the film next week. Let's go bowling at the new bowling

Alley, this evening. I'm told they're offering a fat discount in their opening

week.

Paul: In my opinion, we'd all enjoy the play being staged at the Music Academy.

It's Mahesh Dattani's 'Dance like a Man'. It's had rave reviews and played to

full houses in both Mumbai and Bangalore. What do you say?

Akash: I can't believe you prefer watching a serious play to a Jackie Chan comedy.

Come on; let's have some fun.

Rahul: No, I think Paul is right. We can go bowling or watch the movie another

time but the play is on only this evening and tomorrow. I've read the play

and it deals with gender and social issues that make for interesting reading.

I for one would definitely like to watch it. What do you say, Ashwin?

Ashwin: I'd much rather go bowling but what you say does make sense. Movie and

bowling can wait. I vote we head for the Music Academy this evening. Will

you come with us, Akash?



Akash: Oh! I'll just be a good sport and join the majority. Count me in.

Paul: Right, now that we're decided, what do we do about tickets?

Akash: The advertisement said they're available at the Pizza Hut outlets.

Rahul: I'll call Pizza Hut to find out if they have tickets before we leave.

Ashwin: Parking is a big problem at the Music Academy, so we'll take only one car.

If all of you wait at Rahul's, I'll pick you up.

Akash: Great! I dread the traffic at that hour. At what time should we be at Rahul's?

Paul: The advertisement requests the audience to be seated 10 minutes prior to the

commencement of the show. It starts at 8 p.m. so we'll be in our seats by

7.45. Aim to be at Rahul's by 7.15 p.m. all of you!

Ashwin: That's decided. We'll head home to freshen up and be at Rahul's by 7.15

p.m. I hope the play is as good as the reviews lead one to believe.

Paul: I'm sure it will. We'll discuss that over dinner later. Let's get going now.

Ashwin: Bye folks! Don‘t be late. I'm not the most patient of people.

Activity

Pick out the sentences where suggestion is offered and agreed with.

Ways to make a suggestion

a) Let's…

b) What do you say we…

c) How do you feel about my idea…

d) In my opinion…

e) If it‘s alright with you I'd…

f) I am all for…

g) I'd much rather…

Do not be impolite and offend others by saying

a) We must….

b) I want…

c) We will…

d) Let's…

e) What do you say we…

f) How do you feel about my idea…

g) In my opinion…

h) If it‘s alright with you I'd…



i) I am all for…

j) I'd much rather…

Inviting

Look at the dialogue between Rita and Anu

Rita: Hello! May I speak with Anu, please? (s1)

Anu: Speaking. Rita, is that you? Haven't seen you for a while. What's up? Let's meet,

shall we?(s2)

Rita: Oh, Anu! Exactly what I was about to say. Are you free tomorrow evening? (s3)

Anu: Yes, I am (s4)

Rita: Let's meet at "The Canton" for dinner, tomorrow evening, shall we? (s5)

Anu: Sounds good to me. I love Chinese food and I've been wanting to try "The Canton".

I've heard their food is superb. They do both Cantonese and Schezuwan styles of

cooking. I'm game for it. What time tomorrow? (s6)

Rita: 8 o‘clock tomorrow evening? Will that be fine with you? By the way your brother

and sister-in-law are visiting you, aren't they? Bring them along too. I'd love to meet

them. (s7)

Anu: Thanks Rita. I think I will ask them to join us. I haven't been able to spend much

time with them and they're leaving at the end of the week. (s8)

Rita: Sure. It'll be fun. So see you tomorrow evening at 8 p.m. at 'The Canton'. Thanks

Anu, I'm looking forward to it. (s9)

Anu: I should thank you for taking the trouble to call and set up a date. I can't wait to see

you. Bye then. (s10)

Rita: Bye, until tomorrow evening. (s11)

Activity

Identify the sentences where an invitation is extended and accepted/rejected.

Offering and Accepting/rejecting help

The following phrases are used when we offer help:

May I...

Could I...

Would you want me to...

Is there anything...

Would you like a hand...

Do you need help...

We use the following when we accept or reject help:

Yes, please, if you don‘t mind...

So kind of you...

Oh, thanks a lot...



It‘s Ok, thank you...

No, it‘s alright, thank you...

Activity: Using the above expressions, write a dialogue between Nita, who is looking for her friend‘s

house and Ravi, a resident of that neighbourhood

Function of Cultural Codes in Presentation


Unit 4 – Function of Cultural

Codes in Presentations

Objectives

To identify cultural codes

To avoid negative cultural markers

To develop sensitivity and poise while making a presentation

Introduction

It is important that we understand that communication is not just about the speaker – it‘s also about

the listener or the audience. Tuning according to the culture of the listener or the audience is what

would be dealt in this unit.

In modern times, there is a need to communicate across cultures. There are three main components to

any communication.

subject matter

medium of delivery

cultural considerations

Cultures are like icebergs; some features are apparent to anyone not in a fog, while others are deeply

hidden. Above-the-surface features include overt behaviours.

How people

dress

eat

walk

talk

relate to one another

conduct themselves during public ceremonies such as weddings or funerals.

Global communication, transportation, and changes in living styles have begun to blur many of the

surface distinctions between different cultures. Many cultures are adopting Western dress, for

example.



The deeper differences remain. For example, compare the respect due to elders in some Asian, Latin,

and African societies--still true today even in modern urban environments--with the way seniors are

viewed in many Western countries.

Therefore, know your audience(s) well enough to be able to anticipate their reaction to your

communication. It is impossible to learn all the cultures you must communicate with, especially, if

you are developing something for export to many countries. The best you can do is trying to find a

common denominator and work from there.

Basically nonverbal communication is sending and receiving messages in a variety of ways without

the use of verbal codes (words). It is both intentional and unintentional. Most speakers / listeners are

not conscious of this.

It includes:

touch

glance

eye contact (gaze)

volume

vocal nuance

proximity

gestures

facial expression

pause (silence)

intonation

dress

posture

smell

word choice and syntax

Why is non-verbal communication important?

Basically, it is one of the key aspects of communication (and especially important in a high-context

culture)

It has multiple functions:

Used to repeat the verbal message (eg., point in a direction while stating directions.

Often used to accent a verbal message. (eg., verbal tone indicates the actual meaning of the

specific words)

Functions of Cultural Codes in Presentation


Often complement the verbal message but also may contradict. eg., a nod reinforces a positive

message (among Americans), a ―wink‖ may contradict a stated positive message.

Regulate interactions (non-verbal cues convey when the other person should speak or not speak).

May substitute for the verbal message (especially if it is blocked by noise, interruption, etc.) —

ie., gestures (finger to lips to indicate need for quiet), facial expressions (ie., a nod instead of a

yes).

Note the implications of the proverb, ―Actions speak louder than words.‖ In essence, this underscores

the importance of non-verbal communication. Non-verbal communication is especially significant in

intercultural situations. Probably non-verbal differences account for typical difficulties in

communicating.

Cultural Differences in Non-verbal Communication

Different norms regarding the appropriate degree of assertiveness in communicating can add to

cultural misunderstandings. For instance, some white Americans typically consider raised voices to be

a sign that a fight has begun, while some black, Jewish and Italian Americans often feel that an

increase in volume is a sign of an exciting conversation among friends.

1. General Appearance and Dress

All cultures are concerned for how they look and make judgements based on looks and dress.

Americans, for instance, appear almost obsessed with dress and personal attractiveness. Consider

differing cultural standards on what is attractive in dress and on what constitutes modesty (eg.,

differences between dressing seen in Western movies and the way we dress). Note ways dress is used

as a sign of status.

2. Body Movement

We send information on our attitude towards a person (facing or leaning towards another), emotional

state (tapping fingers, jiggling coins), and desire to control the environment (moving towards or away

from a person).

We can make more than 700,000 possible motions— so it‘s impossible to categorize them all! But

we just need to be aware that body movement is a key ingredient in sending messages.

3. Posture

Can you list cultural differences with respect to:

Bowing

Slouching



Hands in pocket

Sitting with legs crossed

Showing soles of feet.

4. Gestures

It is impossible to catalog them all. But we need to recognize: 1) the incredible possibility and

variety and 2) that an acceptable gesture in one‘s own culture may be offensive in another. In

addition, amount of gesturing varies from culture to culture. Some cultures are animated; other

restrained. Restrained cultures often feel animated cultures lack manners and overall restraint.

Animated cultures often feel restrained cultures lack emotion or interest.

Even simple things like using hands to point and count differ.

Even simple things like using hands to point and count differ.

Pointing: US with index finger; Germany with little finger; Japanese with entire hand (in fact

most Asians consider pointing with index finger to be rude)

Counting: Thumb = 1 in Germany, 5 in Japan, middle finger for 1 in Indonesia.

5. Facial Expressions

While some say that facial expressions are identical, meaning attached to them differs. Majority

opinion is that these do have similar meanings world-wide with respect to smiling, crying, or showing

anger, sorrow, or disgust. However, the intensity varies from culture to culture.

Note the following.

Many Asian cultures suppress facial expression as much as possible.

Many Mediterranean (Latino / Arabic) cultures exaggerate grief or sadness while most

American men hide grief or sorrow.

Some see ―animated‖ expressions as a sign of a lack of control.

Too much smiling is viewed in as a sign of shallowness.

Women smile more than men.

6. Eye Contact and Gaze

In USA, eye contact indicates: degree of attention or interest, influences attitude change or persuasion,

regulates interaction, communicates emotion, defines power and status, and has a central role in

managing impressions of others.

Question: How do different cultures perceive eye contact?



7. Touch

Touch is culturally determined! But each culture has a clear concept of what parts of the body one

may not touch. Basic message of touch is to affect or control — protect, support, disapprove (i.e.

hug, kiss, hit, kick).

Question: Why do we touch, where do we touch, and what meanings do we assign when someone

else touches us?

Illustration: An African-American male goes into a convenience store recently taken over by new

Korean immigrants. He gives a $20 bill for his purchase to Mrs Cho who is cashier and waits for his

change. He is upset when his change is put down on the counter in front of him.

What is the problem?

Basic patterns: Cultures (English, German, Scandinavian, Chinese, Japanese) with high emotional

restraint concepts have little public touch; those which encourage emotion (Latino, Middle-East,

Jewish) accept frequent touches.

To communicate across cultures, bear the following in mind.

Learn from generalizations about other cultures, but don't use those generalizations to stereotype,

"write off," or oversimplify your ideas about another person. The best use of a generalization is to

add it to your storehouse of knowledge so that you better understand and appreciate other

interesting, multi-faceted human beings.

Practice, practice, practice. That's the first rule, because it's in the doing that we actually get better

at cross-cultural communication.

Don't assume that there is one right way (yours!) to communicate. Keep questioning your

assumptions about the "right way" to communicate. For example, think about your body

language; postures that indicate receptivity in one culture might indicate aggressiveness in

another.

Don't assume that breakdowns in communication occur because other people are on the wrong

track. Search for ways to make the communication work, rather than searching for who should

receive the blame for the breakdown.

Listen actively and empathetically. Try to put yourself in the other person's shoes. Especially

when another person's perceptions or ideas are very different from your own, you might need to

operate at the edge of your own comfort zone.

Respect others' choices about whether to engage in communication with you. Honor their

opinions about what is going on.



Stop, suspend judgment, and try to look at the situation as an outsider.

Remember that cultural norms may not apply to the behaviour of any particular individual. We are all

shaped by many, many factors -- our ethnic background, our family, our education, our personalities -

- and are more complicated than any cultural norm could suggest. Check your interpretations if you

are uncertain what is meant.

STRATEGIES FOR PRESENTATIONS

Objectives

To plan your presentation effectively

To structure your presentation

Introduction

It has been documented that fear of speaking in public is rated as the highest after fear of snakes and

of death!

This being the case, let us understand a little more about what a presentation is all about and what

strategies we can use to ace a presentation. The next module deals with overcoming stage fright. Here

we focus more on the preparation for a presentation.

Ask yourself the 5 W‘s and 1 H.

Timing is important here. Develop a sense of timing, so that your contributions are seen and heard as

relevant to the issue or matter at hand. There is a time to speak and a time to be silent. ‗It‘s better to be

silent than sing a bad tune.‘

What is the physical context of the communication in mind?

Why

Could be for any of the following:

Inform

Inspire / Persuade

Entertain

Introduce

Accept

Pay Tribute



What: This depends largely on the ‗who‘.

Who:

These factors are to be considered:

Size

Demographics: This refers to the composition, that is, the age group, sex, educational level,

economic status, knowledge level, and so on.

Beliefs and Values: What are their interests, presuppositions and values? What do they share in

common with others; how are they unique? This would depend to a large extent on the

composition.

Receptive/Antagonistic: Are they here voluntarily or is it a compulsion? What is their attitude to

the speaker?

Once you have analyzed the audience, you adapt to the situation accordingly.

Where:

It is a good idea to get as many details about the venue as possible. You may have time to visit the

room, for example, and rearrange the furniture. Check for availability and visibility if you are using

audio or visual aids.

Consider the following:

Indoor/outdoor

Size and shape of room

Arrangement of seating

Equipment available

Lighting

Acoustics

When

We need to consider the following:

Time available for preparation

The time duration

The time of the day

How

This has to do with:

Structuring

Methods



Time

Resources

The trainer can discuss the points for the 5 W‘s with examples. Let us now look at the ‗how‘ of the

presentation.

We need to understand the following aspects of speech making.

Researching the Topic

There are several sources for material such as books, periodicals, newspapers, the internet, and so on.

Organizing and Structuring Your Speech

Don't have more than two or three main points, and preview in the beginning what those points will

be.

With each point, have two or three pieces of support, such as examples, definitions, testimony, or

statistics. Visual aids are important when you want your audience to understand a process or concept

or understand a financial goal. Line graphs are best for trends. Bar graphs are best for comparisons

and pie graphs are best for showing distribution of percentages.

Include a "wow" factor in your speech. Something in your speech should make your audience think,

"Wow!" It could be a story, a dramatic point, an unusual statistic, or an effective visual that helps the

audience understand immediately.

With a "wow" factor, you then have something to look forward to in the speech that you know will

have an impact on your audience. You'll become a more enthusiastic speaker because the "wow"

factor will get you as well as your audience pumped for the speech.

Tell your own story somewhere in the presentation

This applies especially in a technical presentation. Include a personal experience that connects to your

speech content, and the audience will connect with you. You want to help the audience link

emotionally with what you are talking about, and the personal experience does that.

To add interest and understanding to your speech, include a visual aid. A visual aid could be an

object, a flip chart, a PowerPoint presentation, overhead projector slides, or a dry erase board.

Whatever visual you are using, make sure everyone can see it. The best way to insure this is to put the

visual where you will be speaking and then find the seat farthest from it and determine if you can read

the visual from that seat.



Introduce the visual properly rather than simply throwing it at your audience; explain what the visual

will do before you unveil it. Don't allow the visual to become a silent demonstration.

You can follow any of these patterns to structure your presentation:

Chronological: eg., Indian cinema down the years

Simple – complex: eg., Speaking vs Writing

Climax: Here, ideas are presented in the order of increasing importance

News story: Main points are stated and then each discussed in detail

Problem – solution: eg., The Importance of Saving

Introduction: An introduction is very important as is the conclusion. This is the time for you to grab

the attention of the audience and for them to feel there is something to look forward to.

There are several effective types of introductions, such as,

Anecdotal story: For example, "Two weeks ago as I was driving to work a car pulled out in front

of me..."

Rhetorical question: "How many of you feel our society spends too much on medical care?" might

be a way to begin a presentation about curbing costs.

Quotation

Humor

Claim or statistic

Identification with audience

Reference to situation

Statement of purpose

Statement of importance of topic

Functions of an Introduction

Get attention

Introduce topic

Provide motivation

Establish credibility

Preview speech

Conclusion

Finally, leave the audience with something to think about. People remember best what you say last.

It could be any of the following,

Anecdotal story



Rhetorical question

Quotation

Humor

Summary

Quotation

Personal reference

Challenge to audience

Offer vision of the future

Functions of a Conclusion

Summarize speech

Re-emphasize main idea

Motivate response

Provide closure

The above can be discussed with examples.

Rehearsing the Speech

Recreate setting

Practice without memorizing

Time the speech

Practice out loud

Practice standing up

Watch yourself

Practice gestures

Practice eye contact

Practice volume

Delivering the Speech

Beginning

Walk calmly with confidence to the dais

Establish eye contact

Smile naturally

Deliver introduction



During

Use effective eye contact

Use effective language

Use effective gestures

Be enthusiastic

Use conversational style

Use notes as needed

Use audio visual aids as needed

Ending

―Frame‖ the speech

Pause before returning to seat, but don‘t ask questions

Accept applause

Elements of Vocal Delivery

Speech rate and pauses

Volume

Inflection and pitch

Quality of voice

Pronunciation and articulation

Appearance

Posture

Facial expression

Eye contact

Movement

DELIVERING PRESENTATIONS

Objectives

To prepare yourself at personal and professional levels for a presentation and master the

techniques of presentation

Introduction

Stage fright is a phenomenon that you must learn to control. Actually, stage fright isn't the most

accurate term for the nervousness that occurs when considering a speaking engagement. In fact, most

of the fear occurs before you step on stage. Once you're up there, it usually goes away. Try to think of



stage fright in a positive way. Fear is your friend. It makes your reflexes sharper. It heightens your

energy, adds a sparkle to your eye, and color to your cheeks. When you are nervous about speaking

you are more conscious of your posture and breathing. With all those good side effects you will

actually look healthier and more physically attractive.

Many of the top performers in the world get stage fright so you are in good company. Stage fright

may come and go or diminish, but it usually does not vanish permanently. You must concentrate on

getting the feeling out in the open, into perspective and under control.

Remember nobody ever died from stage fright. But, according to surveys, many people would rather

die than give a speech. If that applies to you, try out some of the strategies in this section to help get

yourself under control. Realize that you may never overcome stage fright, but you can learn to control

it, and use it to your advantage.

Symptoms of Stage fright

Dry mouth

Tight throat

Sweaty hands

Cold hands

Shaky hands

Nausea

Fast pulse

Shaky knees

Trembling lips

Below are 10 steps you can take to reduce your speech anxiety.

1. Know the room - Become familiar with the place in which you will speak. Arrive early and walk

around the room including the speaking area. Stand at the lectern, speak into the microphone.

Walk around where the audience will be seated. Walk from where you will be seated to the place

where you will be speaking.

2. Know the Audience - If possible, greet some of the audience as they arrive and chat with them. It

is easier to speak to a group of friends than to a group of strangers.

3. Know Your Material - If you are not familiar with your material or uncomfortable with it, your

nervousness will increase. Practice your speech or presentation and revise it until you can present

it with ease.



4. Learn How to Relax - You can ease tension by doing exercises. Sit comfortable with your back

straight. Breathe in slowly, hold your breath for 4 to 5 seconds, then, slowly exhale. To relax your

facial muscles, open your mouth and eyes wide, then, close them tightly.

5. Visualize Yourself Speaking - Imagine yourself walking confidently to the lectern as the

audience applauds. Imagine yourself speaking, your voice loud, clear and assured. When you

visualize yourself as successful, you will be successful.

6. Realize People Want You To Succeed - All audiences want speakers to be interesting,

stimulating, informative and entertaining. They want you to succeed - not fail.

7. Don't apologize For Being Nervous - Most of the time your nervousness does not show at all. If

you don't say anything about it, nobody will notice. If you mention your nervousness or apologize

for any problems you think you have with your speech, you'll only be calling attention to it. Had

you remained silent, your listeners may not have noticed at all.

8. Concentrate on Your Message - not the medium - Your nervous feelings will dissipate if you

focus your attention away from your anxieties and concentrate on your message and your

audience, not yourself.

9. Turn Nervousness into Positive Energy - The same nervous energy that causes stage fright can

be an asset to you. Harness it, and transform it into vitality and enthusiasm.

10. Gain Experience - Experience builds confidence, which is the key to effective speaking. Most

beginning speakers find their anxieties decrease after each speech they give.

Delivery Techniques

Eye contact

The eyes communicate powerful cognitive messages. Presenters should not underestimate their ability

to persuade an audience with their eyes.

Following are tips to achieve better eye contact with an audience:

When speaking from notes, follow these rules.

Look at your notes

Absorb one idea

Make eye contact with individuals in the audience

Speak your full idea

Repeat this pattern

If it is a small audience, you can look at each person in a short period of time. If it is a large audience,

look at the audience in small "clumps" and move from one clump to another. Mentally divide the

room in 3-5 equal sections, and make eye contact with each section.



One way to insure good eye contact is to look at your audience before you start to speak. Go to the

lectern and pause, smile, look at the audience, and then speak. This will help you maintain good eye

contact throughout your presentation as well as commanding immediate attention.

Facial expressions

Facial expressions also communicate cognitive messages and emotions. They enhance your verbal

communication by producing "feeling tone," the impression that you care about what you're saying.

The following tips will help you use facial expressions to increase your persuasiveness.

Smile before you begin speaking

Don't be either mechanical or melodramatic; act naturally

Think about what you're saying and react with facial expressions to match or enhance the thought

Voice

It's well known that a continuous monotonous voice tone will gently lull you to sleep.

You can use the volume of your voice to emphasize important points, and to make statements more

dramatic. For instance a phrase such as "Opening a door with a BANG" would benefit from increased

volume on the word BANG!

You can use the pitch and tone of your voice to help emphasize descriptive sections of your speech,

helping you create pictures in the minds of your audience. For instance, a phrase such as "the wind

rushing through the trees" would benefit immensely if you emphasis the word 'rushing' and imitate

that rushing sound in your voice.

Hand gestures

Hand gestures are important to emphasize words and emotions, illustrate verbal messages, or even

replace verbal messages altogether.

Following are the tips on using better hand gestures.

Keep your hands by your side or neutrally in front of you, unless you can use them to make a

point.

Avoid doing the following with your hands

Putting them behind your back

Putting them in your pockets

Putting them in front of you

Using them to fidget

Keep most gestures at chest level



Think about what you're saying and react with hand gestures to match or enhance your message

Posture

Posture is an important element of your body language because it can communicate your message

with confidence.

Following are the tips for achieving better posture.

Before your presentation, sit or stand straight

Walk confidently to the podium

Assume the "basic speaker stance," which is as follows,

Feet 12-18 inches apart and turned slightly outward

Weight evenly distributed over the balls of both feet

Body leaning slightly towards the audience

Hands at sides

Elbows loose

Improvising

No matter how well you prepare a presentation, problems sometimes occur. If this happens, you must

improvise to salvage your presentation.

It is important that you remember the following when problems occur during your presentation.

Problems should be ignored, if possible

Extra audience attention should not be called to the problem

Quickly solve the problem, but if you cannot, move on

Avoid breaking the flow of your presentation when a problem occurs

If you have to delay your verbal presentation, remind the audience what you were talking about

before the interruption, and then continue

Following are ways to handle specific problems that occur during presentations.

Microphone problems

If you experience feedback, popping noises, or distortion, you may be too close--move back

If the microphone problem continues, fill your lungs with air and speak without a mike

Audio-visual support problems

You cannot depend on audio-visual supports for presentation success and you must be prepared to

proceed without them



If an audio-visual problem arises during your presentation, choose the path that is least distracting

to the audience to correct the problem

Dropped note cards

Continue without them, if possible

If you cannot continue without them, stop, pick them up, and continue

Unfriendly audiences

Answer hostile questions briefly, without becoming defensive, and then take another question

Address unfriendly audience members by first stressing areas of mutual agreement or

understanding

Handle hecklers by pausing, making eye contact with the heckler, but not saying anything.

Usually an audience member will address them. If this fails, ask the heckler to speak to you after

your presentation is over. If you are heckled a third time, request that the heckler be removed

from the room

Evaluate your presentation afterward

Once you finish presenting, evaluate yourself within 24 hours. If you have ideas on how to strengthen

your material, make the changes immediately while the ideas are fresh.

If you have ideas on how to strengthen your performance, make notes and implement these ideas with

your next presentation.

Review any evaluations that you receive. Do not dwell on negative comments, but focus instead on

your overall scores and averages in each category.

Keeping the above points and the ones learned in the previous section, students make presentations,

both extempore and rehearsed, on various topics.

Activity

With the additional inputs, students once again choose topics and speak for a few minutes.



SPEECH ACT

Objectives

To grasp the principles of speaking

To initiate a conversation in any situation

To sustain the flow of conversation.

Introduction

In spontaneous speech, you use a particular word group only because nothing better occurs to you

readily — and not because you know that that particular word group is the most appropriate one. You

see, when you start speaking, the information that you want to convey is not available in an organized

form or set in words. So, the only option you have is to speak on by using such word groups as occur

to you as suitable on the spur of the moment —whatever they may be. You‘re not definite that you‘re

using word groups that are absolutely right. You want to try them out, feel them out, experiment with

them. You want to see what‘ll happen. Then you refine and edit what you‘ve said — words, word

groups, structures, and everything. These processes ‗trying out‘ and ‗editing‘ go on — one after the

other.

In other words, when you speak spontaneously, you speak exploratorily. You see, it‘s like this: How

will you move from one end of a room to another in the dark? You feel the ground; you feel the walls;

you move your hands around or hold them in front of you in order to feel your way; you move step by

step — pausing here and there. You retrace your steps. You change your direction, you stumble and

regain balance. The more familiar the room and the objects in it, are to you, the less your difficulty. In

spontaneous speech also, you proceed almost in the same way. More familiar the subject-matter is to

you, the less your difficulty.

Therefore, the only way to be a good speaker is to acquire fluency through practice. In the previous

section, you were given practice with certain situations such as introducing another person, extending

an invitation, accepting/rejecting it, asking for clarification and so on. Here, you will be given more

practice with some other situations to encourage speaking.

Introductions

When we introduce ourselves, we use the following pointers in any combination:

1. Name

2. Education / Profession

3. Ambition

4. Place of birth



5. Age

6. Details of family

7. Likes and dislikes

8. Hobbies, etc.

While introducing oneself or someone else, the purpose of the introduction and the context is most

important. Not always does one introduce oneself with the person‘s profession and ambition or any/all

of the other listed items. In fact, they may be inappropriate in many occasions.

Listen to the following self introductions.

My name is Radhakrishnan. I am from Chennai. I was born and brought up here. My father is a retired

government official. My mother is a homemaker. I have a younger sister who is studying in sixth

standard.

My name is Mahana Desai. I have done my B.E in Electronics. It is my desire to do MBA preferably

from one of the IIMs. I have been a diligent and hardworking student. So I think I will make it.

When you introduce someone or address someone, do not say use Mr or Mrs with the first name. A

title is not appropriate when you introduce yourself.

Asking Favours

There may be various situations in which we need to ask favours from others.

They may be anything, such as,

Opening a window or door

Helping to move something

Borrowing someone‘s bike

Dropping us home

When we do, we use pointers such as:

I was wondering if…

Would/Do you mind….

Can I/you……

Complaining

There are a number of formulas used when complaining in English. It's important to remember that a

direct complaint or criticism in English can sound rude or aggressive. It's best to mention a problem in

an indirect manner.



Here are some of the most common,

• I'm sorry to have to say this but...

• I'm sorry to bother you, but...

• Maybe you forgot to...

• I think you might have forgotten to...

• Excuse me if I'm out of line, but...

• There may have been a misunderstanding about...

• Don't get me wrong, but I think we should...

Fluency

Sentence Stress

English is considered a stressed language while many other languages are considered syllabic. What

does that mean? It means that, in English, we give stress to certain words while other words are

quickly spoken.

Basically, stress words are considered CONTENT WORDS, such as,

Nouns eg., kitchen, Peter

(most) principle verbs eg., visit, construct

Adjectives eg., beautiful, interesting

Adverbs eg., often, carefully

Non-stressed words are considered FUNCTION WORDS, such as,

Determiners eg., the, a, some, a few

Auxiliary verbs eg., don't, am, can, were

Prepositions eg., before, next to, opposite

Conjunctions eg., but, while, as

Pronouns eg., they, she,

Mark stress in the following dialogue

Ben: Honey, I‘m home!

Maria: Hi! How are you? How was your day at work?

Ben: It was great! I got a promotion! I‘ll have more responsibilities in the office, but the best

news is that I‘ll have more money at the end of each month.

Maria: That‘s great! Congratulations! I‘m really happy.

Ben: Unfortunately, I have to go to a conference this weekend so I won‘t be able to go to dinner

with your parents this Friday. Sorry to let you down.



Maria: You‘re sorry? You‘re sorry?!?! I‘m afraid ―sorry‖ isn‘t good enough. I told them you‘re

going, Ben!

Ben: I know, I know. And I am sorry about it. But as long as you have the chance to see them it‘s

okay, right?

Maria: Fine. But we‘re going to dinner with them next Friday. No excuses

Mark the stressed words in the following sentences

After you have found the stressed words, practice reading the sentences aloud

1. John is coming over tonight. We are going to work on our homework together.

2. Ecstasy is an extremely dangerous drug.

3. We should have visited some more castles while we were travelling through the back roads of

France.

4. Jack bought a new car last Friday.

5. They are looking forward to your visiting them next January.

6. Exciting discoveries lie in Tom's future.

7. Would you like to come over and play a game of chess?

8. They have to work hard these last few months on their challenging experiment.

9. Shakespeare wrote passionate, moving poetry.

10. As you might have expected, he has just thought of a new approach to the problem.

Intonation

Intonation is about how we say things, rather than what we say. Without intonation, it's impossible to

understand the expressions and thoughts that go with words.

Listen to somebody speaking without paying attention to the words: the 'melody' you hear is the

intonation.

Intonation is variation of pitch while speaking. Rising intonation means the pitch of the voice

increases over time. Falling intonation means that the pitch decreases with time.

Consider the difference between

You're going. (statement)

You're going? (question)

Say: 'It's raining'.

Now, say it again using the same words, but giving it different meaning. You could say it to mean

'What a surprise!' or 'How annoying!' or 'That's great!' There are many possibilities.



Some examples to understand intonation are,

What-word questions: falling intonation: When are you coming? Where are you going?

Yes/No questions: rising: Are you coming today?

Statements: falling: Yes, I am

Question-Tags: 'chat' - falling; 'check' – rising: One chocolate (fall), one strawberry (fall).

Anything else? (rise)

Lists: rising, rising, rising, falling: C: Yes. One chocolate (fall), one strawberry (fall), and one

vanilla (fall-rise).

Now look at these examples

Is that John over there?

You know it as well as I do.

This room is more expensive than that one.

You want a chair, don't you?

I looked down, and there were my keys.

What a beautiful day!

Activity

Say the following in five different ways.

Goodbye

Hello

How are you?

Do we have to speak English, teacher?

I never watch TV



Unit 5 – Models of Presentation

Objective

Group discussion

Interviews

Public speaking

Introduction

To develop our presentation skills we need to understand the various aspects involved in different

forms of presentation.

1. What is a GROUP DISCUSSION? How important is GD in an interview process?

______________________________________________________________________________

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2. What qualities are important in an effective Group Discussion?

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

3. What is the importance of having a positive attitude when you participate in a GD?

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4. How would you crack the Group Discussion?

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Models of Presentation


5. Do first impressions make the best impressions? Explain in your own words.

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6. Why is it important to attend interviews?

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7. How would you dress for an interview?

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8. The handshake is a catch at an interview. Do you think so and why?

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9. When do you call to cancel for an interview? How would you do it?

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10. When do you reschedule an interview and how?

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11. What is an extempore? Is extempore and public speaking the same?

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12. Is humour an effective way to strike a chord with your audience? If so, why?

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

13. What is public speaking? How important is it?

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

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14. What characteristics are important when you speak in public?

______________________________________________________________________________

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15. Who is an effective public speaker? Briefly state in your own words and substantiate your answer.

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Documents

Essentials of Presentation Skills