Pointers to Review for Oral Communication PDF

Page |1 Pointers to Review for Oral Communication I. PUBLIC SPEAKING: KEY CONCEPTS AND TECHNIQUES 1. Speech Delivery Techniques Use of Pauses: Strategic pauses emphasize key points and engage the audience. Avoid Fillers: Fillers (e.g., "uh," "um") distract from the message and dimi...

Page |1 Pointers to Review for Oral Communication I. PUBLIC SPEAKING: KEY CONCEPTS AND TECHNIQUES 1. Speech Delivery Techniques Use of Pauses: Strategic pauses emphasize key points and engage the audience. Avoid Fillers: Fillers (e.g., "uh," "um") distract from the message and diminish professionalism. Connection with the Audience: Establish rapport through eye contact, relatable anecdotes, and an engaging tone. 2. Speech Types Manuscript Speech: Precise, rehearsed delivery (e.g., teleprompter usage during official speeches). Impromptu Speech: Delivered spontaneously without preparation (e.g., responding to sudden questions). Entertainment Speech: Designed to amuse or bring joy, often with humor or personal stories. Extemporaneous Speech: Semi-prepared with an outline, allowing spontaneity and adaptability. 3. Effective Speech Traits Prioritize connecting with the audience over intricate content. Observe skilled speakers to learn techniques like maintaining attention and creating impactful moments. Memorize key points and main ideas instead of every word for natural delivery. II. SPEECH STRUCTURE AND PURPOSE 1. Introduction Capture attention with relevant statistics, questions, or personal stories. Establish relevance and purpose early. 2. Content Focus Informative Speech: Share facts or knowledge clearly and logically. Persuasive Speech: Present compelling arguments, supported by evidence, to influence opinions. Entertainment Speech: Elicit emotions like laughter or enjoyment. 3. Conclusions Reinforce your key message and encourage action if needed. Avoid vague or inconclusive endings. III. GRAMMAR, MECHANICS, AND SEMANTICS 1. Prepositions A preposition is a word or group of words used before a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to show direction, time, place, location, spatial relationships, or to introduce an object. Some examples of prepositions are words like "in," "at," "on," "of," and "to." - ORAL COMMUNICATION IN CONTEXT -  Page |2 Prepositions in English are highly idiomatic. Although there are some rules for usage, much preposition usage is dictated by fixed expressions. In these cases, it is best to memorize the phrase instead of the individual preposition. A Few Rules Prepositions of Direction To refer to a direction, use the prepositions "to," "in," "into," "on," and "onto."  She drove to the store.  Don’t ring the doorbell. Come right in(to) the house.  Drive on(to) the grass and park the car there. Prepositions of Time To refer to one point in time, use the prepositions "in," "at," and "on." Use "in" with parts of the day (not specific times), months, years, and seasons.  He reads in the evening.  The weather is cold in December.  She was born in 1996.  We rake leaves in the fall. Use "at" with the time of day. Also use "at" with noon, night, and midnight.  I go to work at 8:00.  He eats lunch at noon.  She often goes for a walk at night.  They go to bed at midnight. Use "on" with days.  I work on Saturdays.  He does laundry on Wednesdays. To refer to extended time, use the prepositions "since," "for," "by," "during," "from…to," "from…until," "with," and "within."  I have lived in Minneapolis since 2005. (I moved there in 2005 and still live there.)  He will be in Toronto for 3 weeks. (He will spend 3 weeks in Toronto.)  She will finish her homework by 6:00. (She will finish her homework sometime between now and 6:00.)  He works part time during the summer. (For the period of time throughout the summer.) - ORAL COMMUNICATION IN CONTEXT -  Page |3  I will collect data from January to June. (Starting in January and ending in June.)  They are in school from August until May. (Starting in August and ending in May.)  She will graduate within 2 years. (Not longer than 2 years.) Prepositions of Place To refer to a place, use the prepositions "in" (the point itself), "at" (the general vicinity), "on" (the surface), and "inside" (something contained).  They will meet in the lunchroom.  She was waiting at the corner.  He left his phone on the bed.  Place the pen inside the drawer. To refer to an object higher than a point, use the prepositions "over" and "above." To refer to an object lower than a point, use the prepositions "below," "beneath," "under," and "underneath."  The bird flew over the house.  The plates were on the shelf above the cups.  Basements are dug below ground.  There is hard wood beneath the carpet.  The squirrel hid the nuts under a pile of leaves.  The cat is hiding underneath the box. To refer to an object close to a point, use the prepositions "by," "near," "next to," "between," "among," and "opposite."  The gas station is by the grocery store.  The park is near her house.  Park your bike next to the garage.  There is a deer between the two trees.  There is a purple flower among the weeds.  The garage is opposite the house. Prepositions of Location To refer to a location, use the prepositions "in" (an area or volume), "at" (a point), and "on" (a surface).  They live in the country. (an area)  She will find him at the library. (a point)  There is a lot of dirt on the window. (a surface) - ORAL COMMUNICATION IN CONTEXT -  Page |4 Prepositions of Spatial Relationships To refer to a spatial relationship, use the prepositions "above," "across," "against," "ahead of," "along," "among," "around," "behind," "below," "beneath," "beside," "between," "from," "in front of," "inside," "near," "off," "out of," "through," "toward," "under," and "within."  The post office is across the street from the grocery store.  We will stop at many attractions along the way.  The kids are hiding behind the tree.  His shirt is off.  Walk toward the garage and then turn left.  Place a check mark within the box. 2. VERB TENSES - ORAL COMMUNICATION IN CONTEXT -  Page |5 Present Tense Simple Present Tense In Simple Present, the action is simply mentioned and there is nothing being said about its completeness. For example:  I eat.  I sleep.  I play. Present Continuous Tense In Present Continuous, the action is on-going/ still going on and hence continuous. For example:  I am eating.  I am sleeping.  I am playing. Present Perfect Tense In Present Perfect, the action is complete or has ended and hence termed Perfect. For example:  I have eaten.  I have slept.  I have played. Present Perfect Continuous Tense In Present Perfect Continuous, the action has been taking place for some time and is still ongoing. For example:  I have been eating.  I have been sleeping.  I have been playing. Past Tense Simple Past Tense In Simple Past, the action is simply mentioned and understood to have taken place in the past. For example:  I ate.  I slept.  I played. Past Continuous tense In Past Continuous, the action was ongoing till a certain time in the past. For example:  I was eating.  I was sleeping.  I was playing. Past Perfect Tense Past Perfect is used to express something that happened before another action in the past. For example:  I had eaten. - ORAL COMMUNICATION IN CONTEXT -  Page |6  I had slept.  I had played. Past Perfect Continous Tense Past Perfect Continuous is used to express something that started in the past and continued until another time in the past. For example:  I had been eating.  I had been sleeping.  I had been playing. Future Tense Simple Future Tense Simple Future is used when we plan or make a decision to do something. Nothing is said about the time in the future. For example:  I will eat.  I will sleep.  I will play. Future Continous Tense The future continuous tense is used to express action at a particular moment in the future. However, the action will not have finished at the moment. For example:  I will be eating at 9 a.m.  I will be sleeping when you arrive.  I will be playing at 5 p.m. Future Perfect Tense Future Perfect expresses an action that will occur in the future before another action in the future. For example:  I will have eaten before 10 a.m.  I will have slept before you arrive.  I will have played before 6 p.m. Future Perfect Continuous Tense Future Perfect Continuous is used to talk about an on-going action before some point in the future. For example:  I will have been sleeping for two hours when you arrive.  I will have been playing for an hour when it is 5 p.m. - ORAL COMMUNICATION IN CONTEXT -