Introduction: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

What I want to do this today is to talk to you about Communicating effectively in spoken English in selected social contexts. And about the questions part, there will be plenty of time for questions at the end. So perhaps we can leave any questions you have until the end? Now why it is so importance of speaking English for study and work purpose? As we all know English is an international language. It is used by people all around the world to communicate with each other. In fact, English is the official second language in Malaysia. However, some people do not take this matter seriously as they think that their own local language is just enough to be understood as they only communicate with people around them. This is absolutely an incorrect opinion. Imagine if you are promoted to go somewhere abroad, or go for your further study outside the country, and people can only understand you if you speak in English. It is going to be a very serious problem for you to communicate with other people and might end up getting yourself nothing but in huge trouble. The importance of English is increasing day by day. It is because English has become an international business and professional language. Yes, it is true whether you are a professional or a business man, your success might revolve around the English language. The better you speak English, the better are chances for you to grow. As we studying and learning English in school, college or university, we actually joined the approximately one billion other people around the world who are engaged in the same pursuit. Here are some basic principles of effective speaking and listening skills. Communication takes place when one person transmits ideas or feelings to another person or group of people. Its effectiveness is measured by the similarity between the idea transmitted and the idea received. The process of communication is composed of three elements: the source (sender, speaker, transmitter, or instructor), the symbols used in composing and transmitting the message (words or signs), and the receiver (listener, reader, or student). The three elements are dynamically interrelated since each element is dependent on the others for effective communication to take place. For my experience, the three most important basic principles of effective communication are: 1. Always listen when someone is talking, 2.Make sure that it is a two way process, 3. Affirm and acknowledge results. The most frustrating thing about communication is when the person whom you are talking to is not listening to you. Or before you even finish a sentence, he cuts you off. A lot of misunderstanding and

misinterpretation are caused by not listening to other party. Communication should always be two way process. Make it safe for other to express his views. Effective communication means ideas are exchanging freely. Effective communication is about the result you get. This is perhaps the most important thing in any communication. It means the person you are communicating to totally understands your point. And you also understand his point. So to ensure that your communication is effective, you must always confirm understanding. Thats the three most basic principles for an effective communication. It sounds simple but in the practice, it is perhaps the hardest principles to follow, and has to be constantly worked at. There are various forms of oral communication in English, for example interpersonal communication, small group communication and public communication or public speaking. These are the tree communication skills we will talk most today. How oral communication works: Carl Rogers (1952) says that: Real communication occurs, when we listen with understanding- to see the expressed idea and attitude from the other persons point of view, to sense how it feel to him, achieve his frame of reference in regard to the things he is talking about.

This is particularly apt in the case of oral communication as oral communication is not just speaking and articulating your thoughts well but also involves listening to what has been said and interpreting the message accurately as interned by the speaker. Oral communication occurs in many different settings during the course of successful innovation and change. These may be divided into three main types: The formal and informal networks in which peers exchange information, such as professional associations, work units, work teams, etc. The contacts established at team meetings, conferences, training courses, etc. Whether to use oral communication is a decision we all make frequently in the course of a workday. The change agent must be able to identify those situations in which oral communication is the most appropriate one to use. Don Kirkpatrick suggests the following guidelines for making such decisions. Use oral communication when the receiver is not particularly interested in receiving the message. Oral communication provides more opportunity for getting and keeping interest and attention. It is important to get feedback. It's easier to get feedback by observing facial expressions (and other nonverbal behaviour) and asking questions.

Emotions are high. Oral communication provides more opportunity for both the sender and the receiver to let off steam, cool down, and create a suitable climate for understanding. The receiver is too busy or preoccupied to read. Oral communication provides more opportunity to get attention. The sender wants to persuade or convince. Oral communication provides more flexibility, opportunity for emphasis, chance to listen, and opportunity to remove resistance and change attitudes. When discussion is needed, a complicated subject frequently requires discussion to be sure of understanding. When criticism of the receiver is involved, oral communication provides more opportunity to accomplish this without arousing resentment. Also, oral communication is less threatening because it isn't formalized in writing, when the receiver prefers one-to-one contact. Interpersonal communication: Interpersonal communication is usually defined by communication scholars in numerous ways, usually describing participants who are dependent upon one another and have a shared history. It can involve one on one conversations or individuals interacting with many people within a society. It helps us understand how and why people behave and communicate in different ways to construct and negotiate a social reality. While interpersonal communication can be defined as its own area of study, it also occurs within other contexts like groups and organizations. Interpersonal communication is the process that we use to communicate our ideas, thoughts, and feelings to another person. Our interpersonal communication skills are learned behaviours that can be improved through knowledge, practice, feedback, and reflection. Interpersonal communication includes message sending and message reception between two or more individuals. This can include all aspects of communication such as listening, persuading, asserting, nonverbal communication, and more. A primary concept of interpersonal communication looks at communicative acts when there are few individuals involved unlike areas of communication such as group interaction, where there may be a large number of individuals involved in a communicative act. Individuals also communicate on different interpersonal levels depending on who they are engaging in communication with. For example, if an individual is communicating with a family member, that communication will more than likely different from the type of communication used when engaged in a communicative act with a friend or significant other. Overall, interpersonal communication can be conducted using both direct and indirect mediums of

communication such as face-to-face interaction, as well as computer-mediatedcommunication. Successful interpersonal communication assumes that both the message senders and the message receivers will interpret and understand the messages being sent on a level of understood meanings and implications. Remember a basic principle of communication in general: people are not mind readers. Another way to put this is: people judge you by your behaviour, not your intent. a) Interpersonal communication is inescapable. The very attempt not to communicate communicates something. Through not only words, but through tone of voice and through gesture, posture, facial expression, etc., we constantly communicate to those around us. Through these channels, we constantly receive communication from others. Even when you sleep, you communicate. a) Interpersonal communication is irreversible. You can't really take back something once it has been said. The effect must inevitably remain. Despite the instructions from a judge to a jury to "disregard that last statement the witness made," the lawyer knows that it can't help but make an impression on the jury. A Russian proverb says, "Once a word goes out of your mouth, you can never swallow it again." b) Interpersonal communication is complicated. No form of communication is simple. Because of the number of variables involved, even simple requests are extremely complex. Theorists note that whenever we communicate there are really at least six "people" involved: 1) who you think you are; 2) who you think the other person is; 3) who you think the other person thinks you are; 4) who the other person thinks /she is; 5) who the other person thinks you are; and 6) who the other person thinks you think s/he is. We don't actually swap ideas; we swap symbols that stand for ideas. This also complicates communication. Words (symbols) do not have inherent meaning; we simply use them in certain ways, and no two people use the same word exactly alike. c) Interpersonal communication is contextual. In other words, communication does not happen in isolation. There is:

Psychological context, which is who you are and what you bring to the interaction. Your needs, desires, values, personality, etc., all form the psychological context. ("You" here refers to both participants in the interaction.)

Relational context, which concerns your reactions to the other person--the "mix."

Situational context deals with the psycho-social "where" you are communicating. An interaction that takes place in a classroom will be very different from one that takes place in a bar.

Environmental context deals with the physical "where" you are communicating. Furniture, location, noise level, temperature, season, time of day, all are examples of factors in the environmental context.

Cultural context includes all the learned behaviors and rules that affect the interaction. If you come from a culture (foreign or within your own country) where it is considered rude to make long, direct eye contact, you will out of politeness avoid eye contact. If the other person comes from a culture where long, direct eye contact signals trustworthiness, then we have in the cultural context a basis for misunderstanding.

Small group communication: Small group communication is, of course, the communication that is carried out within a small group. A small group is generally defined as a group that consists of at least three members and at the maximum around twelve to fifteen members. A group that has just two members or more than fifteen members would not come in the category of a small group. A small group may be a professional group, an educational group or a social group. The members belonging to it will have a common bond or interest or goal that brings them together. The functional approach to small group communication is concerned with the results or outcomes of group behaviours and structures. This perspective sees communication as the tool group members use to solve problems and make decisions. Communication helps group members by promoting rational judgments and critical thinking, as well as preventing group members from faulty decision-making and flawed problem solving. Thus, communication is instrumental because it provides the means by which group members can achieve their goals. From a functional perspective, researchers are concerned with identifying the specific aspects of group communication and structure that produce the group's desired outcomes. Research conducted from this perspective suggests that several conditions must exist for group members to make appropriate decisions and effectively solve problems. For example, group members must:

commit to making the best decision, identify resources needed to carry out the group's charge, determine procedures for the group to follow, articulate procedural rules and interaction practices, and review the decision-making process and make any necessary adjustments to the decision.

Let us consider group communication with regard to the workplace. Most companies and organizations have people working in small teams. This has been found to be more effective and productive than a single individual toiling away at a project. When you have three or four more people working on an issue, you have the advantage of having access to more ideas and solutions for the project, of having more checking safeguards against any flaws in the plan, and of being able to establish more network connections. A group is also more likely to take on and complete largescale, complex projects. However, for the team to operate smoothly there must be open and efficient communication between the members of the team. Group communication is important for the following reasons

Project-related information needs to be shared. Each member of the team needs to be acquainted with the team goal and his/her role in the team.

Each team member has specific skills and knowledge that must be utilized and imparted to other members in the course of the work.

Any questions or issues about the project must be broached and shared in order to resolve them.

Effective and open communication lines create feelings of trust and of belonging to the team. The more the members feel valued the more dedicated they are likely to be, and this in turn makes it easier for the team as a whole to achieve its goals.

On the other hand, poor communication between team members can unnecessarily botch up an entire project.

The members may not understand what is needed and may waste time and energy in doing what is not required.

The members may misunderstand one another and develop personal animosities. This can affect their desire to work together and thereby the quality of the work.

The members may not be clear of the sequence of the things to be done and this can either hold up the project or play havoc with the deadlines.

The members may not know what to change or how to change to make themselves more efficient.

You can foster effective group communication in your small group by a mix of old-fashioned good manners, good attention and open-mindedness. Here are a few tips

Ask input and feedback from all members. Listen carefully to what the other person is saying. Don't interrupt until someone has finished talking. Give feedback on what they've said. Speak slowly and clearly. Make your points in a clear, logical manner. Include facts and details, and make sure they are all accurate. Make sure every member of the group gets the chance to speak. Be open minded. If you've come to the meeting with your mind already made up, there's little point in having a discussion.

When responding to someone's question or statement, repeat it to make sure you have heard and understood correctly.

If you are taking a certain stand, take full responsibility for it. Watch your body language. It is more effective than what you say. So if you are angry and look angry, that is going to convey itself to the other members in your small group.

If there are any misunderstandings, clear them up in a calm manner. If you don't understand any point, speak up and ask questions. Get it clarified before you all move on.

When considering the pros and cons of any issue, consider the exact pros and cons, not opinion of the majority.

If you have an opinion, express it as such, with the reasons behind it, not as an iron-clad fact.

Be polite at all times.

Public communication (or public speaking): Public communication involves the sending and receiving of messages on a large scale to and from the general public. Public communication includes mass

media, public relations and public speaking, but can include any form of sending a message to a large group of people. Effective public communication is a skill that is learned and perfected over time. Public communication is the sending and receiving of messages on a large scale that impacts groups of people. For the communication to be considered effective, the messages must be clearly and accurately sent and received with full comprehension. The purpose of effective public communication differs based on the intention of the message. For example, a public relations representative might use mass media to repair a companys public image after an alleged scandal breaks out. In this situation, effective public communication is intended to inform the public. On the other hand, a billboard's intention is to entice an audience to buy a product or service. Effective public communication is used to inform, educate, persuade and inspire the audience. Effective public communication can manifest itself in different ways. Public speaking in any form is considered public communication. This can be a school assembly, a business meeting or a presidential speech. Mass media, the use of TV, radio, newspaper or any other mass-produced medium, is another type of effective public communication. The result of effective public communication is the successful delivery of a message to a large group of people where each individual is impacted and moved to take action. Effective public communication is able to relate to the individual needs of the listeners while speaking to the masses. Effective public communication causes listeners to respond to the public communications message. Effective public communication must refrain from biased words, philosophies and ideologies. For example, when the president is making a speech, his words and thoughts need to be portrayed in a universal way so that one group does not feel isolated or left out. Effective public communication keeps statements generic and neutral to gender, race and religious beliefs.

Conclusions: The ability to communicate effectively is essential for all human kind. However, communication does not occur automatically even though the person has a high level of technical knowledge in a particular subject area. The person must understand the complex process involved in communication, and become aware of the common barriers to effective communication. Mere awareness of these factors is not enough. The person must also develop a comfortable style of communication that meets the goal of conveying information to other. In everyday life, we also communicate with people from different cultures. Many of the principles of cross-

cultural communication need to be observed in both domestic and international communication. Domestic communication is confined to within ones own country. Bear in mind that Malaysia is a multi-cultural country consisting of people of different ethnicities. International communication goes beyond ones national boundaries like when we communicate with people from the rest of the world. Effective communication happens only when you understand and have respect for cultural differences. You must also be prepared to be accommodating and adaptable in such social situations. That is why we need for a speech training, so that we could communicate effectively and avoid getting misunderstanding.