Speaking for Yourself: A Guide for Students / Edition 1

by Robert Barrass

Overview

As a student, and in any profession based on your studies, you need good oral communication skills. It is therefore extremely important to develop your ability to converse, to discuss, to argue persuasively, and to speak in public. Speaking for Yourself provides clear, straightforward advice that will help you:

• be a good listener
• express yourself clearly and persuasively
• contribute effectively to discussions
• prepare talks or presentations
• prepare effective visual aids
• deliver effective presentations
• perform well in interviews.

In short, it will help you to express your thoughts clearly and persuasively - helping to achieve your short and medium-term goals as a student and your career goals.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415378567
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	05/28/2006
Edition description:	1ST
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Robert Barrass has many years experience of helping students on degree and diploma courses at the University of Sunderland to improve their writing and other key skills. His other highly successful books on key skills, also published by Routledge, include Students Must Write: A Guide to Better Writing in Coursework and Examinations and Study! A Guide to Effective Learning, Revision and Examination Techniques.

Table of Contents

List of figures and tables     xi
Preface     xiii
Acknowledgements     xv
Speaking for yourself     1
How you speak     3
Be brief     4
Be clear     4
Be sincere     6
Be polite     7
What you say     8
Be accurate     8
Be appropriate     10
What you do     11
Improve your performance     11
Use Standard English: a world language     11
Reflect on the importance of good oral communication skills     14
Conversing     16
Active listening     17
Be attentive     18
Speaking     19
Be responsive     19
Improve your performance     21
Take opportunities to converse     21
Know what you are trying to achieve     21
Organise your thoughts     22
Distinguish between facts and speculation     23
Keep good records     24
Discussing your work     26
Asking questions     26
Asking questions in lectures and seminars     27
Getting the most out of group work     28
Tutorials     29
Seminars     29
Self-help groups     35
Teamwork     37
Arguing a case     38
Be forceful     39
Be persuasive     40
Be precise     41
Disagreeing without causing offence     41
Improve your performance     43
Assessing your performance     43
Serving on a committee     44
Recording lines of communication     45
Video conferencing     45
Preparing a poster presentation     47
Choosing the right word     48
Use the right word     48
Some words that many people confuse     48
Other words that many people misuse     50
Keep it simple     53
Avoid grandiloquence     53
Improve your performance     54
Use a dictionary     54
Choose words with care     55
Avoid specialist terms     55
Avoid abbreviations, contractions and acronyms     56
Using words effectively     57
Say what you mean     57
The position of a word     57
Repeat a word if it is the right word      59
Emphasise important points     60
Express your own thoughts     61
Use only necessary words     62
Reasons for verbosity     66
Use comment words and connecting words     70
Improve your performance     70
Editing the work of others     70
Writing precis and summaries     71
Listening to yourself     71
Preparing a talk or presentation     72
Think     73
Decide what your audience needs to know     73
Plan     74
Design your message to suit your purpose     74
Consider the differences between speaking and writing     74
Communicate your purpose     76
Do you need any audio-visual aids?     77
Do you need any handouts?     79
Interest your audience     80
Any questions?     82
Write     82
Write all you plan to say in full     83
Prepare to speak from notes     83
Check     84
Rehearse your talk     84
Revise your notes for your talk     85
Improve your performance     85
Using a computer when preparing a talk or presentation     85
Practising speaking in a group     87
Learning from experts     88
Avoiding stress     89
Preparing visual aids     91
Some basic advice     91
Preparing to use a chalkboard, a marker-board or a flip chart     95
Preparing to use an overhead projector     97
Preparing to use a slide projector or a liquid crystal display projector     98
Speaking to an audience     100
Delivering a talk or presentation     100
Before you begin     100
Start your stop watch     101
Make sure everyone knows your name     101
Speak so that everyone hears every word     101
Say what you are going to talk about     102
Maintain the momentum     102
Use your notes as reminders     102
Keep everyone interested     102
Provide handouts only when you need them: not before     103
Allow people time to study each visual aid     104
Do not display one visual aid when talking about another     104
Speak only when facing your audience     104
End effectively     105
Ask questions     105
Answer questions      105
Finish on time     106
Leading a discussion     106
Be prepared     106
Question     108
Summarise     109
Improve your performance     109
Prepare a set of instructions     109
Assess your own performance     110
Feedback forms     111
Finding information     114
Sources of information     114
Dictionaries     114
Encyclopaedias     115
Handbooks     115
Standards     115
Directories     116
Books     116
Reviews     117
Specialist journals     117
The Internet     118
Other sources of information available in libraries     120
Improve your performance     121
Read to some purpose     121
Make notes as you read     121
Cite sources of information     123
Speaking in an interview     125
Selection interviews     125
Choosing a college or university course     125
Applying for vacation employment or for a permanent post     126
Being interviewed      127
Taking an oral examination     131
Counselling     132
Bibliography     133
Index     136

Editorial Reviews

'Every chapter explains very clearly the most appropriate steps and tasks to achieve good oral communication.' - Physical Sciences Educational Reviews, The Higher Education Academy

From the Publisher