Facing an Audience

For most of us, facing an audience is a rather harrowing experience. The person who is the focus of many eyes must work hard to stay composed and at the same time keep his mind on what he is saying. Simultaneously, the public speaker must be aware of his audience. He must know when they are amused, when convinced, when confused. Only then can he re-trace his steps if necessary, improvise if the situation calls for it, change tactics if has to.

The written word stands on its own; the spoken word is only part of a larger impression created by a speaker. For that reason, the relationship between speaker and audience is a complicated one. If the speaker hopes to gauge reactions and mold them, he must constantly be aware of the impression he is making on his audience.

Improving Your Speaking Skills

Unless you have somehow evaded the law of averages, you say about twenty thousand words a day and devote over 90 per cent of your language activity to talking. You probably do most of this talking without paying much attention to it. As you speak, your mind wanders, you interrupt yourself, your sentences trail off. Yet you do manage to be understood.

Speaking in public is a different matter. Your audience is captive. They are listening closely to what you have to say, and they are making judgments about you and your ideas. For that reason, you should try to improve your public speaking.

Speaking is a skill. This mean it can be studied, developed, and perfected. The effort, furthermore, is well worth it. For as your public speaking improves, your everyday speech will too. You will have now confidence and eloquence in talking to a college admissions officer, applying for a job, or conversing with friends.

This chapter will tell you how to recognize and combat some of the most common problems people have in speaking habits, using effective gestures, and controlling nervousness.

To Use Or Not To Use SLANG

There is no doubt that slang has its place. It is used freely in informal conversation, and some of it works its way eventually into accepted usage. An example is the noun jazz which has been admitted into the language because it stands for a new idea for which no standard work previously existed. Although slang may add color and vigor to informal communication, it should be avoided in formal speaking and writing.

If we wish to express ourselves clearly and forcefully, we should avoid slang as much as possible in informal conversation and in intimate social letter.

Improving The Way We Talk

Since we spend about ninety per cent of our walking hours in talking, we ought to give some time and thought to the improvement of the way we talk. You may be good-looking and intelligent, but your good qualities may be marred if your speech is careless. Improved speech frequently results from imitation; and the boy or girl is fortunate who hears only the best examples of speech at home, at school, or in the community. A person with excellent speech is more likely to succeed in whatever he does.

Breaking the stereotypes

It's common to hear stories of men being unfaithful. After all, they have the commitment issues, the biological urge to "spread their seed," and the oh-so-annoying habit of looking at younger women's short skirts. Wives, on the other hand, are usually painted as martyrs: waiting at home, taking care of the kids, loyally turning a blind eye.

But like all stereotypes, the black-and-white portrait of "Men Bad, Women Kawawa" is way of the mark. The movie Unfaithful, starring Diane Lane and Richard Gere, shows us that even Hollywood-the home of silly stereotypes-is beginning to accept that women have urges and are perfectly capable of acting on them. Even if it means cheating on their husbands.

Sister Harriet Hormillosa, President and Founder of Reintegration for Care and Wholeness (RCW) Foundation, Inc. says there is a remarkable rise in the number of women having extra-marital affairs. Of course, there are different degrees: it could be an office flirtation; a weekly rendezvous; or an open relationship where marriage is just a farce kept for the sake of the kids.

Think ahead, take advantage of sales and bazaars

Since December is fast approaching, take note of the "mall-wide" sales or monthly bazaars. Make your Christmas list and assign a realistic amount for each gift budget. Group names into "godchildren" or "friends" and buy reasonably priced unique gifts that are on sale now to ease spending during the end of the year.

Did You Know ?

Agricultural runoff and domestic wastes are largely responsible for the phenomenon known as EUTROPHICATION. The abundance of nutrients in the water causes profuse growth of algae and other water plants. As these die and decompose, the oxygen dissolved in the water gets depleted, virtually causing suffocation ( i.e., choking or death due to lock of oxygen ) of most aquatic life in the area.

Soap

Did You Know?

Soap manufactures add chemical called trisodium phosphate to detergents. This chemical, often referred to simply as phosphate, reacts with water, lowering its surface tension and thereby causing clothes to get wet faster.