Oral Comm Handout#1

1. Pronunciation Exercises
Reflect on this: “It is better to keep silent and let people think that you are a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”
A. Breathing
A 20% reductioninoxygen bloodlevelsmaybe causedbythe agingprocessandnormalbreathinghabits. Poorbreathingrobsenergy
andnegatively affects mentalalertness.Unlessbreathingisexercised,agingaffectsthe respiratorysystem as follows.
Exercise1 – LearningtoRelax
Find a comfortable place and lie on the floor. Close your eyes and concentrate on relaxing everypart of your body, starting with your feet
and legs and working upwards to your shoulders, neck and head. Now bring your attention to your breathing. Now try to imagine a place that
you can associate with calmness. Picture this place and hear the sounds, smell the smells. Once you have become familiar with recalling this
specialplace,itcanbesomewhere togo wheneveryou are feelingnervous – suchas just beforeyou go onstage to makea speech.
Learning to relax takes time but it will really help, especially if you do this exercise regularly. After a while, you'll be able to recall the
feelingsof relaxationanywhere.
Inhalethroughthe nose andexhalequicklythroughthe mouth. Inhaleslowly throughthe noseand exhaleslowlythroughthe mouth.
Inhalequicklythroughthe nose andexhaleslowlythroughthe mouth. Inhaleslowlythroughthe nose andexhalequicklythroughthe
mouth.
Do this 3 or 4 times.It helps slowthe build-upof adrenalineandreducesyourheart rate, therebydiminishingfeelingsofnervousnessor
anxiety.
Exercise2 – Centeringyourself
Stand with your feet shoulder-widthapart,your handshanging loose,shouldersdownandheadrelaxedon your neck.
First, try to collectyourthoughts and think in your head.Feelyourself becomelighter.
Nowtry to thinkin your stomach, andstart to feel yourself gettingrooted inthe ground. You are effectively 'thinking your centerof gravity'
downthroughyour body. Thisprocessiscalled'centering'andit may take a littlepractice.
Nowbreathe in, andfeel the breathgoingright downinto your center, i.e., to the bottom of your lungsand intoyour stomach. Breatheout
allowingyour diaphragm tocontroltheoutwardbreath.
Inhaleand say: I wentto the cinemayesterdaywithmy friendBen.
Inhaleagainandsay:
I went to the cinema yesterday with my friend Ben and his brother Bill.
I went to the cinema yesterday with my friend Ben and his brother Bill and we saw a very good film.
I went to the cinema yesterday with my friend Ben and his brother Bill and we saw a very good film at the Lido Cinema in Orchard Road.
Exercise3 – Getto knowyour space
Nerves often comefrom theunknown,so goto the room or hallwhereyou willbespeaking, and walkaroundit, rehearsing your speech
out loud. Nowsingparts of your speechandmovearoundallowingyourvoice to fill the space.
B. Phonation
Yawn gently but thoroughly, and note at the finish how the muscles of the jaw and throat feel when relaxed. This is the ideal muscle
situationfor speaking.Openyour mouthas if yawn, leave it wide open,andsay ‘highho!’
Inhaleto countto four; holdyour breathfor four; exhaleto four. Graduallyincreasethecountto twenty.
Inhale,hold your breath for two, andexhale to the soundof “Ah”. Inhale, holdyour breathfor two, andexhale to the soundof “Moo”.
C. Articulation- activate lipsand jaw
Dropyour jaw andpress your lipstogether-5x
pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa (slowspeed)
papa papa papa papa papa papa papa papa papa pa (a little faster)
papapapapapapapapapa papapapapapapapa papapapapapapapapa (rapidrate)
Move your tonguefrom right to left, left to right-5x
to to to to to do do do do todo todo todo todo
Tongue-tipandupperteethridge
tede tede tede tede tede tede tede run rat runrat run rat run rat run rat
D. Resonation-intensityof voice-loudnesstosoftness
Tryto keep the voiceat your average pitchas you vary the loudness.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (practice2x)
A B C D E F G H I J (practice2x)
Stand up Speakup Shut up I know
Where? Where? Where? Where can it be?
Qualities of a Good Speaking Voice
Undoubtedly, speech is the key to the personality of an individual. You can deduce a great deal about people’s values, attitudes,
emotional states, feelings and other traits from their manner of speaking. Experts, however, claim that the quality and clarity of the voice
reveal more about the people than their words. They note that even intelligence, knowledge and psychological condition can be revealed by
the voice. How thencan you enhance your communication? How can you project confidence and knowledge? How can you create a desirable
impression onothers?
How do you properlyprojectthefollowing?

2. Group Activity:Prepareacreativeandmemorablepresentationaboutthefollowingsuprasegmentals,e.g.,jingle,choralreading,role-play,etc.
1. Voice--Your voice is an important factor in your success as a communicator. In fact, most people will judge you by the way you sound. You
mustuse your voiceto beheard andto be understood.What type of voiceis idealfor communication?
First, the voice must be pleasant enough to convey a sense of want, sincerity, and amiability. Second, it must be loud enough to be
heard clean.Third, it must be impressive enough to convey the emotional and intellectual meaning of what is being said. Fourth, the rate must
be fast enoughto convey enthusiasm andamiability.
2. Quality--If the throat is free from tension or construction, a pleasant tone usually follows. Thus, before speaking, try to relax. Tension and
stage fright produceseitheraharsh hoarse,breathy, or disembodiedvoice.
3. Volume--Some people speak too loudly. Perhaps, it has become a habit for them or perhaps theyare assertive or aggressive bynature. At
the other extreme are people who fail to project their voice, making it inaudible. Such people project a timid or fearful nature. Modulate your
voiceaccordingtothenumberof peopleyou are communicatingwith.Themorepeopleyouaretalkingto, the louderyour voice shouldbe.
4. Pitch--To convey emotions appropriately, you must vary the pitch of your voice. Avoid a high pitch because it implies excitement or
nervousness. Also, avoid using low pitch because it might just lull your listeners to sleep. Start with a normal pitch and rise every time you
want to be emphatic orforceful.Loweringthepitchonceinawhilecanalsoachievethe sameeffect.
5. Rate--The normal speaking rate is between 125-160 words per minute. If the rate is too slow, you will sound monotonous; it if’s too fast,
you willnot be understood.You must vary your speakingrate to createmeaningfulpauseandemphasis.
The voice can be developed and improved to make it clear, well modulated, flexible, and pleasant. Deep breathing, exercises and
vocalization will help you achieve not onlybreath control but also amore resonant and flexible voice. The word ‘pleasant’, of course is relative.
What could be pleasant to you may not be pleasant to others. Most will agree, however, that a hoarse, harsh or shrill voice c annot be
considered pleasant. What kind of voice do you have? Is it resonant and pleasant or harsh and difficult to listen to? To find out, record your
voiceand ask a friendto commentonit.
6. Articulation--You can further your communication through proper articulation.The secret to a clear articulation is the 3M Formula, in which
the three M’s stand for more mouth movement. This simply means that one must get rid of poor speaking habits such as slurring and
mumbling. Modern speech training no longer requires non-native speakers of English to speak exactly like an American, a British or other
native speakers of English.Thefocusison approximatingthepronunciationandintonationofaneducatedandculturesfluentspeaker.
To improve your articulation, you must first be familiar with the speech mechanism. Second, you must be able to produce the sounds of
Englishcorrectly.
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SoundsofEnglish—ThesoundsofEnglisharegroupedintothree. Thesearevowel sounds,consonantsounds,anddiphthongs.
Vowel Sounds
Vowels may be defined as those sounds, which are produced without blocking or constricting the passage of air. The movement of
the tongue and the lips forms them. These sounds are further classified into three depending on which part of the tongue is active in their
production.Theyare front vowels if the front part of the tongue is active; central vowels if the middle part is active; and back vowels if the rear
part is active.
These sounds may also be described either as high, mid, or low depending on the height of the jaw when they are produced.
Furthermore, they may be considered as rounds, spread, and neutral depending on the shape of the lips as they are produced. Finally, they
mayalso be described as tense or lax depending on whether or not there is a tightening in the throat. Vowels form the core of most syllables.
Theyalso carryinformationaboutstress(Pennington,1996).
Vowel Chart
Front Central Back
High Tense
Lax
i (beat)
I (bit)
u (boot)
U (book)
Mid Tense
Lax
e (bait)
E(bet)
Ʌ (but)
ə (about)
O (boat)
(paw)
Low æ (bat) a (pot)
Notice that your lips should spread as you produce the
following vowels:
/i/ as inbeat, leak,key, meet,seat, amoeba,Ceasar,Phoenix
/I/ as in bot, hit, lick,kit, sit, grill,been, captain,marriage,delicate
/e/ as inabate, hate, Kate, sate, Cay, mate, cape,goal,gate
/E/ as in bet, bread, let, set, any, second,jeopardy,Leonard,spread
/æ/ as in bat, hat, lack, sat, anger, sack, cap, jam, hamburger
Your lipsshouldbe neutral(neitherspreadnor rounded):
/ə/ as in about, particular, lesson, solution, towel, sofa
/ / as in mother, love, onion,
/a/ as in dark, father, arm, party, psalm,balm,calm
Thistime,round your lips as you producethefollowing:
/u/ as inboot, balloon,soon,taboo, cocoon,pool,groom
/U/ as inpull, hood,cook,look wood
/ / as inbought, caught,hawk, pawn,jaw, law, saw, draw,thought