How to Teach/Learn Everyday and Challenging Kinds of Speech

• Include Statistics, Reasons, Examples & Other Details That Make the Point Clear

• Include “Anecdotes That Teach”

• Demonstrate When Helpful

• Organize Your Presentation for Clarity

• Follow Your Plan

• Check for Comprehension or Mastery at Intervals & at the End.

Part Six: Narration (Story-Telling)—True Stories & Fiction:

• Use Narration to Report, to Make Conversation, and/or to Entertain

• Tell Events in a Clear Order & Style

• Use Your Voice Skillfully to Make Meaning Clear

• Use Facial Expressions & Gestures to “Punctuate” Dialog

• Perfect Your “Timing” 

       

But what about other (more complex or more challenging?) kinds of speech—those that could be perceived as difficult or controversial? Again, from Speaking: Oral Language Skills for Real-Life Communication, here’s a summary of the pedagogy—a recap of the main pieces of advice—for four other kinds of oral communication.

And again, if you click on the underlined title of each relevant section—or on the visuals below (the four first pages of the excerpts), you’ll get the original article in a “Mini-Lecture” text format. It may be followed by a Sample Conversation or Speech; Oral Practice (an activity designed to rehearse lesson principles); and/or instructions for making a Mini-Speech of the same kind of your own. 

Here are some rules and practices that used to be accepted and effective in these more "dangerous” kinds of speech:

Part Two: Problem-Solving Talk—the Language of Situational Advice: 

• Describe Circumstances Clearly, Honestly, & Briefly

• Tell Why the Situation Is a Problem

• Explain Why Attempted Steps Haven’t Produced a Solution

• Ask for Specific Advice or Help

• Use Active Listening Skills

• Converse for a Constructive, Positive Purpose.

Part Four: The Language of Conflict Resolution—Disagreements, Disputes, Legal Talk:

• Never Try to “Win” a Dispute by Overpowering “Opponents”

• Listen First—Honestly—to Others’ Feelings & Opinions

• Pause Before Answering Someone Else’s Argument

• State Your Own Case Directly, Accurately, Moderately, Briefly

• Help Others to “Save Face” in Ending the Dispute

So that it doesn’t become confrontational, here are more specific techniques for use in verbal interchange:

• First, Mirror what Your Partner Says

• Keep Asking for More Info about the Situation or Dispute

• When Your Partner Has Finished Presenting His/Her “Case,” Validate His/Her Feelings or Thoughts

• Ask for What You Can Do to Help Solve the Problem

• Ask for What You Want (If Anything) in the Situation

Part Seven: The Language of Selling--Persuasive Speech:

• Avoid  “Hard Sells”

• Change Your Goal of “Getting a Sale at Any Cost” to Finding a Mutually-Agreeable Basis for Business or Cooperation

• Create an Atmosphere of Mutual Interest, Respect, & Trust

• Ask Real Questions & Sincerely Consider their Answers

• Stress Benefits Over Features

• Handle Objections Through Acknowledgement & Solutions

• If Appropriate, “Close the Sale”

Part Eight: The Language of Debate—Supporting Opinions with Informational Reasoning:

• Make Sure You’re Discussing the Same Question or Issue

• Using “Deductive” Rather Than “Inductive” Reasoning: Begin with Your Conclusions. Then Explain Your Rationale.

• Concentrate on One Point at a Time. Don’t Confuse with Irrelevant Info or Reactions

• Organize Your Points So That Listeners Can Follow Your Logic

• Summarize Each Point Right Away or at the End of Your Presentation

      

So those are the conventional rules and procedures for learning to understand what others mean to say and to express yourself in eight kinds of speech. Do they still hold today?

Does the attempt to “Teach/Learn/Improve Language Based on ‘Truth in Abnormal Times’ in an Always Evolving ‘Age of Alternative Facts” change our conversation about ourselves, our environment, other people, and the situation of our world?

How are these 8 kinds of speech adjusting? Which styles of attempted communication are going out of style? Which are being added to our repertoires? 

Here are some first attempts to articulate the kinds of rules, procedures, and practices that could be added to what works in oral exchanges:  

Part Unnumbered: The Language of Our Changing World:

• Agree to Agree on Definitions of Basic but Controversial Words like “True,” “Facts,” “Proven,” “Real,” “Positive,” “Useful,” “Understand,” etc.)

• Make It “Illegal” or at Least “Immoral” to Try to Win by Defeating Others   ·  Take the Most Direct Route for “Getting to Yes” by Applying Any & All Rules That Have Worked Before

• Discover, Try Out, & Expand New, Even More Effective Practices & Technique