Oral Communication: Modes and Speech

• Oral communication encompasses communication modes, listening skills, adjudication, as well as debate and argumentation.

Nature of Human (Speech) Communication

• Human speech is ever-evolving, transactional, irreversible, situational, contextual, complex, and symbolic.

Communication Modes

• The Semantic Triangle explains how symbols are used through a referent (physical object), thought (concept), and symbol (sign).
• Verbal communication uses structured language as symbols to represent human meaning.
• Language is arbitrary, ambiguous, and abstract, rule-governed by phonology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.
• As a symbol, language defines, evaluates, organizes perceptions, formulates hypothetical thoughts, and facilitates self-reflection.
• Verbal communication is assessed based on clarity, directness, appropriateness and vividness.
• Nonverbal communication uses symbols other than written or spoken language, manifested through body appearance and movements.

Body Movements

• Body movements include emblems, illustrators, affect displays, regulators, and adaptors.
• Body movements integrate with verbal messages through accenting, complementing, contradicting, regulating, or substituting.

Face Communication

• Face expressions can display happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, disgust, contempt, and interest.
• Facial expressions can be expressed as affect blends (mix of primary emotions).
• Facial management techniques include masking, intensifying, neutralizing, de-intensifying, or stimulating expressions.
• Eye communication involves duration, direction, and focus.

Listening

• Listening is a cyclical process: Receiving, Understanding, Remembering, Evaluating, and Responding.

Effective Listening Barriers

• Effective listening requires avoiding pseudolistening, selective listening, defensive listening, ambushing, insulated listening, insensitive listening, and stage hogging.

Effective Listening Strategies

• Listening actively involves listening for total meaning, with empathy, and with an open mind.

Types of Listening

• Types of listening include discriminative, appreciative, critical, and empathic.

Argumentation

• Argumentation involves logic and facts to support or refute a point within a disagreement.

Argument

• Arguments offer reasons or sets of reasons for or against something, comprising a premise, conclusion, and an unstated assumption.

Argumentation Theory of Reasoning

• Reasoning's primary function is to exchange arguments, often biased and simplified, aiming to convince others interactively.
• When evaluating arguments, reasoners are more objective, leading to better outcomes in debates and conflicts.
• Debate is a structured public speaking event where participants give and defend arguments.
• In standard debates, two opposing teams argue a specific motion, with one arguing for and the other against.

Debate Method: Asian Parliamentary

• In the Asian Parliamentary style, a motion is presented before the debate, requiring teams to argue for or against it.

Policy Motion

• Policy motions are normative, require no proof of enactment, and assume a fiat rule.
• The government presents a problem, defends the proposal, and explains its mechanics.
• The opposition defends the status quo or presents a counter-proposal.

Actor Motion

• Actor motions assess an actor's knowledge, value, and interest.
• The government establishes perspectives and defends alignment with student interests.
• The opposition argues for different student interests or challenges the government's proposal.

Value Judgement Motion

• Value judgement motions don't need a proposal or model.
• Key players and standards are important along with relevant context arguing for the truth.

Framework Analysis for Motions

• Define essential terms and standardize concepts. Convince others it's true; show how the Government failed to fulfill their standards if not true.

Speech Length

• Speeches are 7 minutes long, with a 15-second grace.
• Points of Information (POI) are allowed from the 1st to 6th minute and should not exceed 15 seconds.

Format: Asian Parliamentary Debate

• Government: Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Government Whip, and Government Reply.
• Opposition: Leader of Opposition, Deputy Leader of Opposition, Opposition Whip, and Opposition Reply.

Roles In Debate

• Prime Minister defines the motion, outlines arguments, and discusses the team's split.
• Leader of Opposition refutes arguments, provides alternative solutions, and discusses the split

Deputy Prime Minister

• Deputy Prime Minister refutes the arguments presented by the Leader of Opposition, further supports the government and extends rationale by elucidating the split or the arguments assinged.
• Deputy Leader of Opposition supports the rebuttals, arguments given by the Leader of Opposition, refutes/rebuts the Deputy Prime Minister and discusses and further supports opposition
• Government Whip supports government arguments, and refutes opposition, sums up arguments and discusses why those are better.
• Opposition Whip supports first two speakers, extends rebuttals and sums up arguments.
• Reply speakers provides the side's biased reasoning and points out technicalities.

Adjudicator

• Adjudicators are arbitrators or judges who deliver oral adjudications.

Point of Information

• A brief, up to 15 second, interruption offered with a verbal cue. It takes the form of a question, explanation, rebuttal.

Adjudication Standards

• At surface level, review the Burden of Fulfillment (better answers) and Likelihood (evidence of benefits) and consistency in reasoning.
• At a deeper level look for Substantiation (better explanation), Depth of Analysis (thorough logic), and Engagement (comparison of arguments).