Speech Communications ENGL 300 – Study Notes September to
October 2019
Section 1: Introduction on Speech Communication
1) Definition
It is the study of how & why people communicate. It includes both spoken language and non-
verbal messages.
2) Elements of communication:
A) Speaker:
● Is the person who delivers the message
● Should be convincing & possess authoritative knowledge
● Should show enthusiasm
B) Message:
● Is what the speaker is trying to share
● Effectiveness of a message depends on the organizational skills of the speaker
● Main ideas should be clear & understanding
● Supporting details-should be crafted in a way that produces maximum impact
C) Listener:
● Person or audience receiving the message
● Speaker must be able to empathize with the listener
● Speaker must find common ground with the audience
D) Channel:
● Medium through which a message is shared.
○ Example: phone, TV, radio, internet, & verbal speaking
E) Feedback:
● Messages delivered by the listeners to the speaker through facial expressions &
body language
○ Example: leaning forward → interest while crossing arms → disagreement
● Speaker should monitor this & make necessary adjustments during the
presentation to ensure the full engagement of the audience or to convince them
(according to the speaker's goal)
F) Interference:
● Anything that affects communication while speaking
● Is of 2 types:
○ External. Example: construction noises
○ Internal. Example: one of the audience is sick
G) Situation:
● The context or event in which the communication takes place
○ Example: speaking at a party is different than at a funeral
● Speaker should take into consideration the situation when preparing
1
, Section 2: Tone, Pitch, Intonation, and Stress
1) Pitch:
● It the degree of highness or lowness of a person's voice (frequency of the voice).
2) Tone:
● Refers to the emotion conveyed in the voice
● Shows anger, impatience, etc.
3) Intonation:
● Reflects the degree of monotony of the voice
● It is the music of a language; that is how a voice rises & falls over a chuck of speech
● Speakers whose 1st language is not English should learn the value of intonation
because they might sound boring & monotonous when speaking English
○ Example: using a certain intonation, a speaker may sound like he/she is looking
for agreement
4) Stress:
● Is the degree of emphasis given to a sound or syllable in speech.
● Also called lexical or word stress.
● In English, stressing a word alters its meaning.
Section 3: Developing Your Speech
Selecting a topic is one of the essential steps in preparing for your speech. After all it's the
reason you are presenting.
A) Select and Narrow Your Topic:
It is the first thing you do when preparing for a speech.
1) Guidelines for Selecting a Topic:
a. Consider your audience
Find out about the place where you're going to present & the people to
whom you're going to present.
Keep in mind each audience's interests & expectations.
Know the middle ground upon which you can stand.
Topic should be relevant to their interests.
o Example: a university's president might talk about new university
programs during a civic presentation OR a police officer speaking to an
elementary school's PTA addresses the audience's concern for the
safety of young children.
Speaker should take into account the knowledge of the audience about a
certain topic and that matters to them.
b. Consider the occasion
The topic should be appropriate for the occasion as well as the audience.
o Example: Mark Twain telling a joke about his friend while attending his
birthday.
c. Consider yourself
The best topic are those that reflect your personal experience or interests.
o Describe your family or ancestors.
2
October 2019
Section 1: Introduction on Speech Communication
1) Definition
It is the study of how & why people communicate. It includes both spoken language and non-
verbal messages.
2) Elements of communication:
A) Speaker:
● Is the person who delivers the message
● Should be convincing & possess authoritative knowledge
● Should show enthusiasm
B) Message:
● Is what the speaker is trying to share
● Effectiveness of a message depends on the organizational skills of the speaker
● Main ideas should be clear & understanding
● Supporting details-should be crafted in a way that produces maximum impact
C) Listener:
● Person or audience receiving the message
● Speaker must be able to empathize with the listener
● Speaker must find common ground with the audience
D) Channel:
● Medium through which a message is shared.
○ Example: phone, TV, radio, internet, & verbal speaking
E) Feedback:
● Messages delivered by the listeners to the speaker through facial expressions &
body language
○ Example: leaning forward → interest while crossing arms → disagreement
● Speaker should monitor this & make necessary adjustments during the
presentation to ensure the full engagement of the audience or to convince them
(according to the speaker's goal)
F) Interference:
● Anything that affects communication while speaking
● Is of 2 types:
○ External. Example: construction noises
○ Internal. Example: one of the audience is sick
G) Situation:
● The context or event in which the communication takes place
○ Example: speaking at a party is different than at a funeral
● Speaker should take into consideration the situation when preparing
1
, Section 2: Tone, Pitch, Intonation, and Stress
1) Pitch:
● It the degree of highness or lowness of a person's voice (frequency of the voice).
2) Tone:
● Refers to the emotion conveyed in the voice
● Shows anger, impatience, etc.
3) Intonation:
● Reflects the degree of monotony of the voice
● It is the music of a language; that is how a voice rises & falls over a chuck of speech
● Speakers whose 1st language is not English should learn the value of intonation
because they might sound boring & monotonous when speaking English
○ Example: using a certain intonation, a speaker may sound like he/she is looking
for agreement
4) Stress:
● Is the degree of emphasis given to a sound or syllable in speech.
● Also called lexical or word stress.
● In English, stressing a word alters its meaning.
Section 3: Developing Your Speech
Selecting a topic is one of the essential steps in preparing for your speech. After all it's the
reason you are presenting.
A) Select and Narrow Your Topic:
It is the first thing you do when preparing for a speech.
1) Guidelines for Selecting a Topic:
a. Consider your audience
Find out about the place where you're going to present & the people to
whom you're going to present.
Keep in mind each audience's interests & expectations.
Know the middle ground upon which you can stand.
Topic should be relevant to their interests.
o Example: a university's president might talk about new university
programs during a civic presentation OR a police officer speaking to an
elementary school's PTA addresses the audience's concern for the
safety of young children.
Speaker should take into account the knowledge of the audience about a
certain topic and that matters to them.
b. Consider the occasion
The topic should be appropriate for the occasion as well as the audience.
o Example: Mark Twain telling a joke about his friend while attending his
birthday.
c. Consider yourself
The best topic are those that reflect your personal experience or interests.
o Describe your family or ancestors.
2
