Speaking and Presentation Skills

GHANA INSTITUTE OF JOURNALISM
LANGUAGE AND STUDY SKILLS
Language and Study Skills:

Speaking and Presentation Skills
Outline
• Language Skills
• Speaking
• Sounds in English Language
• Presentation Skills
• Public Speaking
• Qualities of a Good Speaker
• Presentation Skills Checklist
Language Skills
Productive (bringing forth ideas through sounds and
symbols)
Speaking
Writing
Receptive (taking in/receiving ideas through a

conscious effort)
Listening
Reading
Speaking
• Speaking is a productive skill where already conceived
ideas/thoughts are passed on to a listener(s).
• Speaking is an act of conveying a message to a listener
through spoken words/speech.
• This language skill is realised through the oral cavity
(which includes lips teeth, tongue and hard palate).
Speaking Cont’d
• The message a speaker conveys comes in the
form of sounds.
• The sound system of most languages, including

English Language, comprises Vowels and
Consonants.
Sounds in English Language
• Vowels
• Pure vowels
• Diphthongs
• Consonants
Vowel and Consonant Charts in English Language
Sounds in English Language cont’d
• Classification of Sounds
• Voicing (Voiced and Voiceless sounds)
• Place of articulation
• Manner of articulation
• Eg /b/ voiced bilabial plosive

Public Speaking
• A formal face-to-face (or computer mediated)
communication where a speaker, through speech (scripted
or extemporaneous), addresses an audience.
• Types of Speech Delivery
Manuscript/scripted (eg. Rector’s address, Presidential speech)
Extemporaneous (seminar/group presentation)
Impromptu (vote of thanks, opening and closing remarks)
Memorised (role play/acting, poetry recital)

Activity
What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of
each type of speech delivery?
Qualities of a Good Speaker
• Composure (gestures, eye contact, etc.)
• Fluency (moderate flow, not too fast nor slow)
• Accuracy of pronunciation (appropriate use of
vowel and consonant sounds)
Let’s watch this video
Presentation Skills Checklist
Choosing the topic
• Decide on your topic. Think carefully about the
main point or points that you want to
communicate. You should be able to write these
clearly in one or two sentences.
• Think about the context of the presentation: who

are the audience, and what are their interests?
how big will the audience be? how long is the
presentation to be? what equipment is available
for visual aids? what about time for questions?
Cont’d
• REHEARSE your presentation, as often as
necessary! Rehearsing allows you to time your
presentation.
• If possible record yourself as you practise giving

your presentation. Replay and listen carefully to
what you said and how you said it.
• Think about the questions the audience may

want to ask you. Plan how you will answer them.
Cont’d
• On the day of your presentation, be calm and
organised. If you are unfamiliar with the location,
go beforehand to plan where you will stand and
where you will put your papers, and to see how the
projection works. Arrive in good time for your
presentation.
• Stand straight but not stiff. Balance your weight

evenly on both feet. Standing well allows your
diaphragm to move more easily to control your
breathing and voice production. So you feel better,
sound better, and look better.
Cont’d
• Too much movement is distracting; no
movement at all is boring and uncommunicative.
Therefore, use movements and gestures to signal
transition points or to stress points of
importance. Avoid meaningless gestures and
repetitive movements.
• Your facial expression must match your

message. If you claim something is interesting,
look as if you find it so. Relax your facial
muscles. If you look nervous, the audience will
not be comfortable.
Cont’d
• Speak a little louder than you think is necessary.
Project your voice to the back of the room.
• Eye contact creates a relationship between the
speaker and the audience. It encourages the
audience to listen and helps to relax the speaker.
So try keeping eye contacts with your audience.
• All these techniques and more contribute greatly

to making a presentation interesting to listen to.
Reflections
Watch the video on slide 13 again and identified which of these
techniques/ checklist were adequately used by the speaker.
Reference
• Pearson, J.C., Nelson, P. E., Titsworth, S & Hosek, A.

M. (2017). Human Communication. McGraw-Hill
Education.

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GHANA INSTITUTE OF JOURNALISM

LANGUAGE AND STUDY SKILLS

Language and Study Skills:

Receptive (taking in/receiving ideas through a

• The sound system of most languages, including

• Eg /b/ voiced bilabial plosive

communication where a speaker, through speech (scripted

or extemporaneous), addresses an audience.

• Types of Speech Delivery

Manuscript/scripted (eg. Rector’s address, Presidential speech)

Extemporaneous (seminar/group presentation)

Impromptu (vote of thanks, opening and closing remarks)

Memorised (role play/acting, poetry recital)

• Think about the context of the presentation: who

• If possible record yourself as you practise giving

• Think about the questions the audience may

• Stand straight but not stiff. Balance your weight

• Your facial expression must match your

• All these techniques and more contribute greatly

• Pearson, J.C., Nelson, P. E., Titsworth, S & Hosek, A.

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