The following is an article contributed by Richard Sng, DTM.
If you are living in Singapore, you are welcome to visit our Kowloon-Singapore Toastmasters Club (KSTMC).
Guests are welcome to visit us!
It’s free of charge and there is no obligation that you have to join our club.
Just come, relax and see what toastmasters are all about!
Yetti
Club President 2007-2008
Kowloon-Singapore Toastmasters Club
“Helping You To Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking and Speak With Confidence!”
Website: http://public-speaking-singapore.com
Blog: https://blog.public-speaking-singapore.com
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Speaking Well – Projecting Our Vocal & Verbal Image
The Visual Image
We take great care, if not, great pains, to dress well, to look presentable and well-groomed.
We are conscious about our dressing and our grooming; our clothes, hair care, skincare ………….
We walk, we dine and we socialise with grace and charm.
We engage an image consultant, spending hundreds, if not, thousands of dollars to project a visual image.
We work hard to keep up with the latest trends in fashion and grooming.
We look like a million dollars !
We can blow the image we have worked so hard to create, with the Giorgio Armani suit
or the Calvin Klein dress, the moment we open our mouth to speak.
That is, when we mispronounce or otherwise misuse words.
Our value and credibility drop tremendously.
Just as bad, while our wardrobe and looks may be in fashion, our vocabulary,
the way and manner we speak may simply be out of date.
The Vocal & Verbal Image
We have an image problem; our vocal and verbal image.
Wouldn’t you want, not only to look great, but also to sound pleasant and to sound right ?
Do we take pride in our spoken language ?
Do we sound lifeless, listless, lethargic and lazy ?
Posers for YOU to Ponder
Do you speak sloppily and slovenly ?
Do you get understood or misunderstood ?
Is there clarity and coherence when you speak ?
How well do you vocalise and verbalise yourself ?
Have you ever given any thought to your vocal and verbal image ?
Are you embarrassed by the way, the manner and style you speak ?
Do you get misunderstood through poor pronunciation and enunciation ?
“ We can be MISUNDERSTOOD through MISCOMMUNICATION
and MISCOMMUNICATION can cause MISUNDERSTANDING. ” : Richard Sng
Speaking Clearly
Do you think speaking clearly is important ?
It is not just about audibility, but also the IDEA? of pronunciation,
that is, intonation, diction, enunciation and articulation.
It is also about the importance of clarity and coherence.
Do we show the quality of expressing our ideas and thoughts in a clear way ?
Is what we say easily heard, pure and distinct, easily understood and free from doubt or difficulty ?
Speaking Correctly
Do you think speaking correctly is equally important ?
It is not just about grammatically correct English,
but also the choice of words, word usage and sentence construction.
Is it free from clichés, redundancies and ambiguity ?
Speaking Creatively
Do you think speaking creatively is just as important ?
Preferably, especially if you wish to impress and impress upon the audience
of your poise, polish and professionalism in the usage of the language.
The Web of Speaking
We may be speaking socially or casually, having a conversation.
We may be delivering a speech, making a presentation of just speaking before a group.
When we speak clearly, correctly and creatively, we are sure to speak confidently.
( Three small ‘c’s < seas > make a great ‘C’ < sea > . )
“The ability to communicate clearly, correctly and confidently is critical and crucial. ” : Richard Sng
We are judged, not by just what we say, but also by the way we say it, and the way we speak.
Nobody is too old to change the way he/she speaks.
It is all a question of mindset, our attitude and our outlook.
“ When we talk we give ourselves away.
We reveal our true character in a picture which is more true and
realistic than anything an artist can do for us. “ : Dr Ralph C. Smedley
Article contributed by Richard Sng :
Richard is a Language Coach and a Vocal & Verbal Image Consultant/Trainer.
(m) 976 22 951 sngrichard@yahoo.com
