Online Resources for Teachers
Teaching materials, lesson plans and articles on different aspects of methodology for English Language Teaching.
Be Vocal!!
by Guy Perring
A key skill in effective communication in business situations is to recognize the importance of voice characteristics in your speech patterns and to be more aware of how to use the vocal channel to aid workplace success.
When we learn our first language, our ‘mother tongue’, we are about 2 years old when we say our first recognizable word. Yet we have been hearing, and then listening, to this language for 2 years. As a baby we somehow identify patterns in the sounds we hear and eventually we can produce these sounds ourselves. As adults we are so used to these sounds that they are automatic and part of us. This vocal channel, can account for 38% of the signal received. Last time we looked at that remaining 62%, the visual channel. Can you sharpen your vocal skills to be a better communicator in the workplace? It’s not easy.
Sentence stress plays a key role in this. Look at the sentences below. Say aloud and notice how the meaning changes as the stress shifts from word to word. The suggested meanings are in brackets underneath.
1 I think you’ve done a good job
(but nobody else does)
2 I think you’ve done a good job
(but I’m not sure, give me some proof)
3 I think you’ve done a good job
(but not Tim)
4 I think you’ve done a good job
(even though your planning was lousy)
5 I think you’ve done a good job
OK!
6 I think you’ve done a good job
(but the plan?)
7 I think you’ve done a good job
OK?
8 I think you have done a good job
(could sound patronising)
Make the most of your voice and the vocal channel:
Guy Perring is Director, Professional Development Unit (PDU), at the British Council Malaysia. The PDU offers a wide range of learning opportunities from management and communication skills training to developing English skills. Visit our website at www.britishcouncil.org.my or email me at guy.perring@britishcouncil.org.my
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