...Listening: An Essential Part of Communication Skills I. Introduction: Communication comes from the Latin word communis, meaning commonness. It is a process wherein knowledge, ideas, information, attitudes, and feelings are transmitted (Padilla et al, 2003 p. 3). Communication is a two-way process by which information is changed between or among individuals through a common system of symbols, sign and behaviour (Martinez, p1). It is an essential function of civilization. Basically it consists of writing, reading, speaking and listening. Listening is a skill that has to be practiced and learned. Among the four skills of communication, listening is the most ignored, yet it takes up the greatest amount of time in the study of these four skills (Igoy, 2004 p 85). Listening like any other skill, has to be practiced because we listen everyday and we think we know how to do it. Yet, like any other skill, we can learn to do it better and continue to improve our listening skills throughout our lives (Diaz, 2005, p. 28). At the end of the communication line is an indispensable element – the listener, the active participation of whom either makes or unmakes communication. How good at listening this element is, spells a big difference in the communication process. At this point, it part, comes though a constant awareness and study of how listeners respond. This is especially so if we consider the axiom that meaning is altogether in the mind of the listener. II. 1. What is the...
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...Importance of Speech in Personality Development Author: Exforsys Inc. Published on: 5th Feb 2010 In every aspect of our life, a good personality holds a very important value. Whether you are a budding professional, an established career person, or perhaps a home-maker, it is something that will help you develop and maintain solid relationships with others. One of the key facets of personality development is speech. This is the ability of a person to effectively communicate verbally. Some people are gifted with verbal communication skills, while others are simply to shy and unsure of their abilities to even want to try. Speech is important in so many ways; be it at home, at school, or at the workplace, you need to be able to articulate well the thoughts and ideas you have. In personality development, the importance of speech is summed up into two: perception, and expression. By reading further, you can acquire a better understanding of what we are talking about. Gaining Positive Perception from Others Human as we are, we often judge others by what we see. We easily have our own perception on what is going on around us. In the same way, our perception of others can be influenced by the way they speak and the message they are trying to relay. This is one of the reasons why speech is very important in personality development. You see, if we are careful with our speech, whether formal or informal, we can gain a positive perception from our peers, colleagues, and our superiors...
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...Communication is the foundation on which we built our world on. Without communication we would be nowhere near where we are today. It is the most important aspect of our lives; it has a factor in everything we do from socializing to getting out of a speeding ticket. Good communication skills will help anybody out with getting a good job and help them move up the ladder. Speeches are a very good way to improve your communication skills; it forces you to face your fears of speaking and ultimately improves your speaking. Speeches have never been my favorite assignment do to in class. I am a shy person and talking in front a group of people is a little nerve-racking. I am a great communicator when I am talking to my friends or family, but talking in front of a group of people is much harder. My parents say I mumble and I believe I mumble to. That is an issue I need to work on, and will only be fixed if I talk more. I also do not like reading work that I have done. I will gladly give a speech that was not written by me. I believe other people would describe me a good communicator even though I have never asked somebody if I am a good communicator. People get what I have to say so that is why I think I am a good communicator. I have never done public speaking only a few speeches in high school. I did not get good grades on those speeches in high school because I did not do enough research and did not pick topics that I knew. I hope I can improve my speeches a lot...
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...Public speaking is an important tool to master in real-life situations. If you are attending a job interview, you have to choose your words carefully to make a good impression on your interviewer. You could also give directions to a lost tourist who came from somewhere afar. Whether speaking informal or formal, public speaking is an everyday skill that an individual should have. A good speaker must be able to relate the purpose of their speech to the audience. A speaker must consider the age, culture, or socioeconomic qualities of the audience. For example, if the audience consist of mostly elementary children, then the speaker must use simple words for the children to understand thoroughly rather than words from a science article. However,...
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...Expression and Campus Speech Codes” Vs “Only Speech Codes Should Be Censored” Thesis: Both articles, “On Freedom of Expression and Campus Speech Codes” and “Only Speech Codes Should Be Censored” speak out against University speech codes and the need for free speech based on the purpose of the articles, the explanations for why speech codes exist, and the alternatives given in the place of speech codes. I. Introduction a. Describe what free speech is, and give a general importance of it. b. Thesis: Both articles, “On Freedom of Expression and Campus Speech Codes” and “Only Speech Codes Should Be Censored” speak out against University speech codes and the need for free speech based on the purpose of the articles, the explanations for why speech codes exist, and the alternatives given in the place of speech codes. II. Compare and Contrast both article’s main purpose. a. Both articles are against speech codes. b. Define the first amendment c. Describe the importance of free speech in institutions of higher learning d. Give examples from both articles, and how they feel that free speech is important. III. Compare and Contrast both article’s explanations for why speech codes exist. a. “On Freedom of Expression and Campus Speech Codes” believes that speech codes started with good intentions, but the institution cannot keep up. A. Give examples, and quotes. b. “Only Speech Codes Should Be Censored” believes that speech codes have an ulterior...
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...population. This report focuses on defining glossophobia, or more commonly referred to as public speaking anxiety (PSA), and elaborating on strategies/tips for overcoming this phobia. Symptoms of public speaking anxiety can be feeling intense anxiety prior to, or at the thought of having to verbally communicate to a group of people. Another symptom would be feeling physical distress, nausea, or feelings of panic in some cases. Possessing good public speaking skills is a very important skill one can possess and having this skill to speak efficiently and effectively to an audience gives a person numerous advantages throughout their lifetime. This report is to help our audience understand the different ways of overcoming PSA in hopes of achieving a better communication process during presentations, work environments, or any situation that may require speaking in a public setting. This report focuses on six strategies to accomplish this: 1) preparation, which focuses on preparation of the speech and content before the actual speech; 2) know your audience, which helps for a better communication process of the message; 3) creating an outline, which is beneficial to organizing the message’s flow; 4) evaluating the outline, helps to structure the message and the persuasiveness of the message; 5) strategies for presenting, which discusses indirect versus direct approaches of delivering the message; and lastly 6) using visual aids to communication the message non-verbally. Introduction ...
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...The Implication of Using Natural Reader Software to Increase Students’ Listening Comprehension Many students have difficulties with listening comprehension. Sometimes, they are bored, even complain that they get little bit benefit from listening class. That is why many of them need to practice listening basics, and it is necessary for English teachers to realize the importance of how to make listening class more interesting so that they can make progress in listening comprehension. Natural Reader software might be one of the solutions to solve the difficulties on listening comprehension class. Listening is a skill that is rarely taught in the classroom but is frequently used to communicate even in final exam at Senior High School. That is why listening is an important skill that empowers students to learn more deeply and effectively. A good situation in listening has to be created with proficiency of receiving, interpreting and reacting to the messages received from the communication sender. Practicing listening technique in most of Indonesian senior high school are plenty, but unfortunately, most of them are also ineffective. It occurs because most of the techniques that used in listening classes are common. According to Richard, “technique is implementational- that which actually take place in the classroom.” The techniques such as listening with tape recorder, radio tape, or dictation are not very effective in practice as many disturbances will occur. Like the media such...
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...is also quite a problem because being able to speak well in public is an important skill in many careers. Being able to speak well is also valuable in getting a good job in the first place. Learn public speaking skill from these articles and you will not only have more success on the job. Being able to get up in front of an audience and give a speech will greatly increase your confidence. The writer of these articles is a professional teacher with 20 years experience helping people speak more effectively. In addition to the articles, you can watch carefully chosen speeches, with comments added, that will show you how to be a great speaker. Before getting into details, here are five tips to help you get going: 1. Don't try to memorize a speech. Instead, use the "key points" approach, described in detail in Lesson 2. 2. Start strong with an interesting opening. It doesn't have to be brilliant, but it has to get the audience focused on your topic. Various ways to do this will be explained in Lesson 5. 3. Don't speak too fast! This is a very common problem as nervous speakers try to finish as quickly as possible. Instead, take your time, and your audience will listen more attentively. 4. Be careful when using visual aids, including (especially!) Power Point. They can be both distracting and confusing unless they are used appropriately. (See Lessons 11 and 14 for more on this topic.) 5. Close your speech strongly with a "call to action". These five tips will get you started...
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...The Importance of Public Speaking 1. What is public speaking? a. Why is important? b. Why some people don’t do well in public speaking? c. Why is this important to my profession and myself? 2. Challenges and benefits of public speaking. a. How to improve public speaking? b. How to become an effective public speaker. c. What are the qualities of a good public speaker? 3. The foundation of public speaking. a. Inventing and development of public speech. b. Arrangement of the styles in the speech. c. The uses of public speaking. “The Importance of Speech; there never have been in the history of the world a time when the spoken word has been equaled in value and importance by any means of communication. If one traces the development of mankind from what he considers its earliest stage he will find that wandering family of savages depended entirely upon what its members said to one another. A little later when a group of families made a clan or tribe the individuals still heard the commands of the leader, or in tribal council voiced their own opinions. The beginnings of poetry show us the bard who recited to his audiences. Drama, in all primitive societies a valuable spreader of knowledge, entertainment, and religion, is entirely oral”. (Holt & Stratton, 1924) (Holt & Stratton) As the author stated public speaking is important because this is how our public figures and leaders communicate with us. Public figures in sports...
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...The Benefits of Debate Why Supporting High School Debate is a Worthwhile Project The core of competitive high school debate is to examine every side of important and controversial issues in an atmosphere of reasoned argument and respectful discourse. The enormous effort that students put forth to succeed in this intellectually exciting activity is truly inspiring. They devote a huge number of hours to research, discussion, case writing, and practicing for competitions. They spend countless evenings and weekends at tournaments competing for their schools and teammates. The benefits they accrue as a result of all their hard work are numerous. Here are just a few: Rigorous and Critical Thinking Perhaps the most important skill debaters learn is the ability to think rigorously and critically. A number of studies have reported that participation in debate increasing the critical thinking of debate students.1 Debate participation promotes problem solving and innovative thinking, and helps students to build links between words and ideas that make concepts more meaningful.2 Debate students are taught to synthesize wide bodies of complex information, and to exercise creativity and implement different ways of knowing.3 Learning to think well has far reaching effects into every aspect of a student’s life. Academic Skills Many studies show marked improvement in a wide variety of academic skills as a result of participation in competitive debate. Debate students excel in written...
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...What is Competitive Debating? AN INTRODUCTORY COURSE ON COMPETITIVE DEBATING SKILLS Introduction Debating is about developing your communication skills. It is about assembling and organizing effective arguments, persuading and entertaining an audience, and using the language to convince people that your arguments outweigh your opposition's. Debating is not about personal abuses, irrational attacks or purely emotional appeals. A debate usually involves two sides talking about a topic (often called a motion). As a competition, teams of debaters attempt to show the adjudicators that they have the best debating skills. Being the best debater does not mean that the debater's opinion has to coincide with that of the adjudicators. After attending this course and the course on specific debating formats, it is expected that the trainee would be able to conduct their first competitive debate properly. Understanding Formats To ensure proper conduct of the debates in a competitive setting, competitions usually enforce what is called a format. In collegiate level competitive debating, these formats are usually based on the debates conducted in a parliament, such as Australian Parliamentary, British Parliamentary, and Asian Parliamentary. Aspects regulated by a format include: • number of teams in each debate; • number of debaters in each team; • duration of speeches • order of speeches; • roles of speakers (what is expected from each speaker); • allowance/prohibition...
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...develop certain behaviors, habits, skills etc. at our own pace. This type of development is normally done from the time we are born until we are toddlers, typically around age three. One of the skills we learn is language because it allows us to communicate with other humans who share the same or similar language. While not everyone speaks a second language, in a globalized world like today, it is certainly not unusual for someone to speak more than one language. Those who do are either simultaneous bilinguals—learn two languages at once—or are sequential bilinguals—learn a second language after learning the first one. Since language is an acquired skill, we all vary in language development, meaning facing language delay is to be expected in some toddlers. For toddlers raised in bilingual households, who is more likely to face language delay and who faces it to a greater extent – simultaneous bilinguals or sequential bilinguals? Before beginning to talk about the extent of language delay among simultaneous and sequential bilinguals, it is important to distinguish what type of language delay is being discussed in this particular context and why it is important to look out for language delay in any child. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “delay” as “a situation in which something happens later than it should.” So, if a child is facing a delay in language, he has not reached the expected milestone of his age group. These milestones are how speech therapists determine whether or...
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...even the president himself did not love getting up early for school in his youth. The little story also works as an icebreaker with the punch line of the joke coming in the end, when Obama says he had to get up at 4:30. Having established a contact and gained some trust through his intro, Obama goes to a more serious tone in his speech. This is obvious when he says: “But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.” He starts out by assuring the students that he does everything in his power as the president to give them the best conditions in their schools. This brings him to the core of his speech; the responsibility of the students. Responsibility is a word he brings up several times throughout the speech from that point. Obama brings up the importance of education for every kind of career out there. He relates to something all the young people understand when he says: “Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone [...]”. This brings the speech closer to the students because they recognize the iPhone from their everyday lives. It keeps the interest of the audience...
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...interest in our speech. It is very important to have a good attention material because it keeps interactive with the audience because they get curious to know about the topic and it makes a boring topic to interest topic. It has the power to grab attention from audience and makes the speaker so easy to make his conversation great. Answer for Question 2(Critical Thinking): Is there any other way to stop the destruction of American forest? The part of the introduction designed to capture audience interest Capture and hold audience attention Prepare audience intellectually and physchologically for the body of speech Q.1) Review Question: Why it is important to have attention material at the beginning of the speech? Answer: Attention material is used to assemble an introduction to grab the attention of the audience. It is a statement pertinent to your topic which will gather your audience’s attention on hearing it. It could be a court, stating a statistical figure, or giving a controversial statement, anything that inspires your audience attention towards your speech. Attention material plays an important role in every speech because first impression makes a superior impression. It is designed to capture the audience interest. In order to grab audience attention, begin the speech with something surprising question and making them to think about the question and it will make them more interesting about the speech. Q.2) Building Critical Thinking Skills: Create a...
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...Yuliya Bondarchuk Essay Why do we sleep? Russell Foster Speak in public is very hard work and not many people can possess this skill. Neuroscientist Russell Foster opens a session of TEDGlobal all about us, asking the question: Why do we sleep? Thirty-six percent of our lives are spent asleep, which means, if you live to 90, you’ll have slept for 32 years. But we don’t appreciate sleep enough, says Foster. He quotes Thomas Edison — “Sleep is a criminal waste of time, inherited from our cave days” — and Margaret Thatcher — “Sleep is for wimps.” Simply put, says Foster, not only do we not appreciate sleep, but we treat it like an illness and an enemy. Of course this simply shouldn’t be the case. In fact, some areas of the brain are more active during the sleep stage than while the body is awake. But the essential question that we — ahem — lose sleep over: Why do we sleep? There is no real consensus, but Foster gives three popular answers: 1. Sleep is for restoration, to replenish and repair metabolic processes. Indeed, a whole host of genes are “turned on” only during sleep — genes associated with restoration and metabolic pathways. 2. Sleep is for energy conservation, to save calories. This may seem an intuitive answer, says Foster, except that the difference between sleeping and quietly resting is about 110 calories a night, the equivalent of a hot dog bun. Not a very gob od upshot for such a complex process. 3. Finally, sleep is for brain processing and...
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