{"id":1555,"date":"2011-11-20T11:16:26","date_gmt":"2011-11-20T11:16:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.eltweekly.com\/elt-newsletter\/2011\/11\/105-article-speaking-skill-a-tool-to-success-by-shoba-rao\/"},"modified":"2011-11-20T11:16:26","modified_gmt":"2011-11-20T11:16:26","slug":"105-article-speaking-skill-a-tool-to-success-by-shoba-rao","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eltweekly.humbeestudio.xyz\/?p=1555","title":{"rendered":"#105, Article: ‘Speaking Skill: A Tool to Success’ by Shoba Rao"},"content":{"rendered":"

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ELTWeekly Newsletter<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/center><\/p>\n

ELTWeekly Vol. 3 Issue#105 | November 21 | ISSN 0975-3036<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\ufeffSubscribe to ELTWeekly (FREE)<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

It is rightly said that a person with a gift of the gab is successful. Speaking and writing are important and essential communicative skills in real life situations. Besides both these soft skills are essentially productive skills which can be honed through practice. It is not merely enough to have the knowledge of the alphabet, the vowels, consonants and vocabulary of a language, but it is equally important to use them accurately in speech\/writing which amounts to good communication. Teachers needs to very closely observe their students so as to pick out the best speakers in the class and use them for special programmes conducted in the school\/college. The low achievers in the class also need to taken care of and prodded to speak among the peer groups or pairs. In this way they come out of the fear zone and become independent speakers. The support given to the students\/peer group\/teachers plays a very important role in ushering confidence and better results.<\/p>\n

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What is Good Communication?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Good communication involves listening, speaking and writing. As communication involves two or more people it is very essential that the speakers understands the purpose of communication, how to communicate and what he\/she expects from the communication. In speech, it is essential that one uses correct speech sound, appropriate intonation\/stress\/pause, apt words, eye contact, and proper body language to suit the context. Some studies have revealed that body language and gesture takes a major role and one can be understood or misunderstood based on this non-verbal communication. Good communication involves putting across the message as simple as possible. As Dr.K.Alex (2011) rightly puts it in his book, Soft Skills, Communication (speaking) must follow the Kiss Principle<\/em> – \u2018K<\/strong>eep I<\/strong>t S<\/strong>hort and S<\/strong>weet\u2019. As good communication involves an array of skills, it becomes imperative that students are trained in these skills from the primary level itself. The skill involved in writing a resume is different from the skill involved in a live presentation. Therefore, it is through continuous training that students can excel in the art of communication.<\/p>\n

Identify the Barriers that Affect Communication<\/strong><\/p>\n

Miscommunication happens when communication is not understood well. To avoid misinterpretation of communication, the speaker must see that he\/she is intelligible and his\/her body language matches the context. It is necessary as a teacher\/lecturer to be aware of the barriers to\u00a0 good speaking, so that you can help them speak better.<\/p>\n

(1)\u00a0\u00a0 Language barrier<\/strong>– The most common barrier to good communication is the language. When the speaker\u2019s language is not understood by the listener there is all chances that he\/she takes the message differently and there is a chain reaction in which everything goes wrong. Example the second language learners may find it difficult to follow a native speaker instantaneously and answer back correctly.<\/p>\n

(2)\u00a0\u00a0 Cultural barrier<\/strong>– When the listener is not aware of the culture or cultural background, there is all probability that he\/she may not be able to understand what the speaker wants to convey. Example a person who migrates to another country may not be able to follow something that is culturally alien to him\/her.<\/p>\n

(3)\u00a0\u00a0 Hierarchical barrier<\/strong> \u2013 Information of the most senior boss may be misinterpreted if the people who take the information to the lowest cadre are not able to spell out correctly what the senior intends to communicate.<\/p>\n

(4)\u00a0\u00a0 Emotional barrier <\/strong>\u2013 Fear, shyness, inferior complex are quite among students in the school and college level .These \u00a0when allowed to grow becomes a stumbling block to good communication and success.<\/p>\n

(5)\u00a0\u00a0 Personal barrier \u2013<\/strong>Some personal attributes such as indifference, withdrawal, and negativism can make people poor communicators.<\/p>\n

All these barriers can be applied to writing as well as both of them comes under the umbrella term \u2018communication\u2019.<\/p>\n

Besides these, the teacher\/lecturer can identify other barriers that prevent free flow of language either in speech or writing.<\/p>\n

Guidelines for Good Speaking<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr.K. Alex (2011) prescribes a formula of seven Cs<\/strong> for good communication. They are<\/p>\n

(1)\u00a0\u00a0 Candid \u2013This is to be clear, frank, and straightforward in your conversation with other.<\/p>\n

(2)\u00a0\u00a0 Complete \u2013This makes it necessary for the speaker to be comprehendible and \u00a0speak complete sentences which have a complete thought.<\/p>\n

(3)\u00a0\u00a0 Concrete \u2013 This make it mandatory on the part of the speaker not to colour the information and state inappropriate facts.<\/p>\n

(4)\u00a0\u00a0 Courteous \u2013This expects you to be polite and courteous with the speaker so that he feels good speaking to you.<\/p>\n

(5)\u00a0\u00a0 Clear \u2013 This requires your conversation to be lucid so that the listener is able to understand your thoughts better.<\/p>\n

(6)\u00a0\u00a0 Concise \u2013This makes the speaker to keep in mind the KISS principle mentioned above.<\/p>\n

(7)\u00a0\u00a0 Correct \u2013 This makes it obligatory on the part of the speaker to be correct with regard to grammar and that the information is true in all sense.<\/p>\n

Reflecting on Speaking Skills<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>Get each student to reflect on his\/her speaking skills .This can be done in the following ways:<\/p>\n