HOW TO BE A GOOD SPEAKER

Causes of Public Speaking Phobia

According to World Book Online Research Encyclopedia, "Phobia is an unreasonable yet strong fear of a certain object, class of objects or a situation." People who suffer phobia have a compelling desire to avoid the object or situation that causes their stress.

Phobia may be classified into two types:

· Specific Phobia, such as fear of animals (i.e. Arachnophobia - Fear of spiders; Necrophobia - Fear of death or dead things).

· Social Phobia is an anxiety disorder where the sufferer fears being assessed adversely in front of a group. Thus, Public speaking phobia is an over-emphasized fear of speaking in front of a group.

According to World Psychiatric Association (1995), Social Phobia affects one to 10 people at some stage of their lives. Sufferers experience dizziness, muscle tension, trembling, blushing and/or sweating, and even heart palpitations when exposed to the feared object or situation. Others do not manifest physical symptoms but they are overtly conscious of how others react to them. They also have a tendency to underestimate their capability to overcome the feared situation.

Among the common effects of Social Phobia in a person are:

· Unstable employment record

· Have less or no friends

· Being single

· Having a low educational attainment

Studies show that public speaking phobia, and most phobias, develop in middle or late childhood stage. It usually starts from an unpleasant experience like being humiliated in front of the class; this unpleasant experience gets stored in the child's memory and is brought up when faced with similar situations.

Children who have been exposed to people with public speaking phobia, like their parents or friends, learn the phobia by hearing them. They immediately conclude that what they have heard of is true without actually verifying the facts.

Research also shows that genetics also play an important role in developing phobias. It has a tendency to occur in families. Phobias are mostly likely to occur in identical twins, than in fraternal twins.

Luckily, there are many ways to treat Phobia.

· PERSONAL MOTIVATION. There are many self-help books that can help you overcome your public speaking phobia. Your desire to overcome your fear is the most important factor of treatment.

· PROFESSIONAL TREATMENT. If self-treatment does not work for you, you can seek help from a professional. Exposure to therapy is a good example of this method, which focuses on the behavior instead of the thoughts of the sufferer.

· Other kinds of treatment include:

o Counseling - discussing your phobia with a professional.

o Hypnosis

o Medication - This method is used if the sufferer has other mental conditions that are affected by the phobia. The use of these drugs can only be used for a short period of time. Using medication alone cannot cure the phobia.

Can You Be An Effective Public Speaker?

Whether it is a group of 50 or 500, the question is still the same: Can you be an effective public speaker?

The answer is yes if you keep on mind some key points when it comes to communicating with your audience in public speaking.

- First of all, prepare as much as you can because you can’t under-prepare for anything.
However, for your sake (and everyone else’s), a lead-time of about 2 to 3 days should be enough for a 20 minute presentation (this includes rehearsal time and putting together decent visual aids, when applicable).

- Get to know your audience.
Are they mostly children or young adults? Company executives or day laborers? Is it comprised mostly of men or women? Asking salient questions about your audience gives you ideas on how to tailor your message to them specifically so they can better relate to the topic.

- People remember 20% of what they hear, 30% what they see, and 50% of an audio-visual presentation.
That said, as much as your topic and venue can afford you, incorporate visuals in your talk. It doesn’t have to be a PowerPoint presentation or an overhead projector all the time. Sometimes, a well laid out chart to serve as a visual guide to the presentation will do wonders because the audience can see where you’re going with the talk.

- Get participation.
When people participate in an activity, their retention rate jumps to as high as 80 to 90 percent depending on the activity. Ask a member of the audience to come up to participate in an example you’re illustrating or ask them to repeat the salient points. The latter alone adds about 40 percentage points.

Now, on to you – the speaker.

- Feeling nervous is fine and to an extent a good thing.
It shows you want to perform well but you must harness this energy and put it into your preparation and put excitement into your delivery. You’ll find that as you become more adept in controlling your nerves, you’re able to take on more advanced techniques that will help your public speaking skills.

- Visualize.
Even before you step up to the podium, imagine yourself speaking to the audience and being great at it. A technique commonly used in performance athletes, this approach has yielded positive results.

- Finally, learn to enjoy the experience and not dread it.
This point alone improves your skills by a 100% which is great not just for you, but for your audience as well.

Taken from→ http://publicspeaking.newbiz07.com/causes-of-public-speaking-anxiety.html

WRITING

Task 1

Writing about famous person that have given you the inspiration

Think about an imaginary person who you think has all the qualities of an ideal and amazing person. Write about him/her in at least two paragraphs. The following pointers may help you:

In the first paragraph, describe the person’s appearance.

- What does he/she look like? Consider the person’s…

- Complexion, height, weight, facial features, etc.

In the second paragraph, write about the person’s personality. What character traits does he/she have? Give illustrations or examples.

Task 2

Match the names in column A with the information in column B

A B

1. Alexander Fleming a. Prime Minister of Great Britain

2. Mahatma Gandhi b. Discovered America

3. George Washington c. The Founder of Modern Nursing

4. Chistopher Columbus d. The Founder of Scout Movement

5. Baden Powell e. America’s First President

6. Sukarno f. Modern India’s political Leader

7. Winston Churchill g. The first President of Indonesia

8. Lady Diana h. The Inventor of Stream Engine

9. Florence Nightingale i. The Discover of Pinicillin

10. James Watt j. Princess of Wales

GRAMMAR FOCUS

The Present Tense

The present tense shows clearly in English, tense is not the same as time. The present tense is not usually used to describe present time. In general, the simple present tense expresses events or situations that exist always, usually, habitually; they exist now, have existed in the past, and probably will exist in the future. Sometime the present tense is also called the present habitual. It is used for repeated, habitual actions. Adverbs of frequency are common time markers in the present tense. They tell how often an action is repeated: always, usually, often, sometimes, occasionally, seldom, rarely, hardly ever, never. The word ever is used in questions.

The sentence pattern of the simple present tense

S + + V1-s /-es + O + Complement

Example:

- It snows in Alaska

- I watch television every day

- She puts papers away in the garbage

- Auxiliary (do, does) for questions and negatives.

Example:

- Does he work in an office?

- Do they go to the cinema with your sister?

- Erna doesn’t clean the bathroom

- We don’t buy those expensive bags.

Exercise

Change the following sentences into negative and question form!

1. The policeman arrests the thief

2. They study Biology at the laboratory

3. The old woman sleeps on the bench

4. The surgeon operates the patient

5. My mother buys a new stove in the supermarket

READING

Read the passage and answer the questions number 1 to 5.

Hydroponics is not a new process. A long ago as 1960, an English physician tried growing plants in water in a laboratory experiment. In 1800msome German researchers used the method to develop many formulas for plant nutrient solution which are still in use today. About a generation ago hydroponics moved out of the research laboratory into commercial use. In1936 a California physiologist, W.F. Gerick, published guidelines for hydroponics agriculture. One of the leading companies in this field of hydroponics is Hydroponics Incorporated of Glendale, Arizona. It operates about 200 greenhouses on a 48 hectare site. It produces more than 2,7 million kilograms of fruit and vegetables each year mostly tomatoes, but also cucumbers, lettuces and melons.

1. The main idea of paragraph 1 is….

a. hydroponics has developed since 1960

b. hydroponics is already used for commercial use

c. new techniques of growing plants have been developed

d. German researches have been involved in hydroponics

2. The topic of paragraph 2 is about….

a. hydroponics Incorporated of Glendale

b. the quality of the incorporated product

c. the advantages of growing plants in water

d. various products of Hydroponics Incorporated in Glendale

3. The hydroponics farming in Arizona is more….than soil farming

a. suitable c. beneficial

b. effective d. adaptable

4. It is understood that since 1690 hydroponics systems had been

undergoing….for more than a generation

a. changes c. development

b. expansions d. improvements

5. About a generation ago hydroponics moved out of the research laboratory into commercial use (paragraph 1), Research means a detailed….

a. study c. exploration

b. analysis d. description

READING

Task 1

Study the following dialogue then answer the question briefly!

Ani : Hello Ria!

Ria : Hello Ani!

Ani : I haven’t seen you during the vacation. Where have you been?

Ria : I spent my vacation with my parents in Surabaya and Blitar.

Ani : What places did you visit when you were in Surabaya?

Ria : I visited the ‘heroes monument’, Wonokromo zoo, and Kenjeran beach

Ani : Which is the most interesting for you?

Ria : I think the ‘heroes monument’ is the most interesting. It is used to commemorate the fallen heroes in the battle of Surabaya more than fifty years ago.

Ani : Oh, it is very interesting. May God bless and receive their goodness. And what did you visit in Blitar?

Ria : I visited the cemetery of Bung Karno, the proclamator and the first president of Republic of Indonesia. How about you? Where did you go?

Ani : I went to Imogiri about fifteen kilometers south of Yogyakarta to visit the

Cemeteries of the kings of Yogyakarta. Some of them are declared as our national heroes, such as Sultan Hamengku Buwono Ix and Sultan Agung.

Ria : So our vacation is really interesting.

1. Mention some places in Surabaya that Ria visited!

2. Which of the place was the most interesting for Ria?

3. Who is Bung Karno?

4. Where did Ani go?

5. Mention the kings who where buried there!

TONGUE TWISTERS

Tongue Twisters it is a phrase or sentence which is hard to speak fast, usually because of alliteration or a sequence of nearly similar sounds. It helps develop speech skills & helps in speech therapy. To get the full effect of a tongue twister you should try to repeat it several times, as quickly as possible, without stumbling or mispronouncing.

Here are some cool English Tongue Twisters, have fun!

- A good cook could cook as much cookies as a good cook who could cook cookies

- I saw a saw that could out saw any other saw I ever saw

- She sells sea shells on the sea shore she sells sea shells no more

- The owner of the inside inn was inside his inside inn with his inside outside his

- How much wood could a wood chopper chop, if a wood chopper could chop wood

- Kindly kittens knitting mittens keep kazooing in the king's kitchen.

- I wish to wish the wish you wish to wish, but if you wish the wish the witch wishes, I won't wish the wish you wish to wish.

- If two witches were watching two watches, which witch would watch which watch?

(Source: www.indianchild.com )

After you read that tongue twisters above, could you make it by yourself?. If you could please practice it with your friend several times until no mistake when you pronounce it.

Why and How to Create a Useful Outline

Why create an outline?

• Aids in the process of writing
• Helps you organize your ideas
• Presents your material in a logical form
• Shows the relationships among ideas in your writing
• Constructs an ordered overview of your writing
• Defines boundaries and groups

How do I create an outline?

• Determine the purpose of your paper.
• Determine the audience you are writing for.
• Develop the thesis of your paper.

Then:

• Brainstorm: List all the ideas that you want to include in your paper.
• Organize: Group related ideas together.
• Order: Arrange material in subsections from general to specific or from abstract to concrete.
• Label: Create main and sub headings.

Remember: creating an outline before writing your paper will make organizing your thoughts a lot easier. Whether you follow the suggested guidelines is up to you, but making any kind of outline (even just some jotting down some main ideas) will be beneficial to your writing process.

Taken from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/544/02/