Adapting Nonverbal Behavior to Your Presentations

Accent –

a particular way of pronouncing. The term ‘accent’ in this sense is distinguished from dialects which refers to a variety of language that differs from other varieties in grammar and vocabulary.

Articulation –

the production of speech sound by moving parts of our body, using the contraction of muscles.

Aspiration –

noise made when a consonantal constriction released and air is allowed to escape relatively freely.

Attitude –

a particular emotion or feeling on the part of the speaker.

Auditory –

perceptable characteristics of the message one can hear and identify.

Career speech –

the type of speech that is expected in a career in which oral communication plays a significant role.

Combined Tunes –

combination of intonation groups of a single utterance.

Compound Tunes –

intonation groups with two or more kinetic tones.

Contour –

a movement of the pitch of the voice in speech. Many syllables are said with a level tone, but the most prominent syllables are with kinetic ( falling or rising) tonal contour.

Delimitation –

division of spoken message into phonopassages, phonetic blocks, intonation groups.

Diaphragmatic breathing –

abdominal breathing recommended for career speech. In this type of breathing, a downward movement of the diaphragm is accompanied by an expansion of the lower ribs.

Ear – training –

developing one’s ability to hear very small differences between sounds and intonation patterns.

Enclitics –

the unstressed syllables to follow the stressed one

Euphony –

sound harmony and melodious flow of phonation.

Head –

one of the components of the tone unit (tune). If one more stressed syllable precedes the tonic syllable (nucleus), the head comprises all syllables from the first stressed one up to the tonic.

Hesitation –

involuntary pause in speech. Hesitations are often the result of recalling a word or phrase. Hesitation pauses may be filled by voiced sounds.

Intensity –

a physical property of sound phenomenon, dependent on the amount of energy present.

Intonation –

the pitch of the voice to convey linguistic information. In a broader and more popular sense, equivalent to prosody.

Kinetic tones –

tones of varying pitch.

Loudness –

the auditory impression of the amount of energy present in sound.

Nonverbal Communication –

speakers physical behaviour on the platform

Nuclear tone –

the tone carried by the most important word.

Pitch –

variation in the height of the voice in the speech continuum.

Pitch pattern –

melody contour of different length and structure.

Phonetic style –

different models of pronunciation.

Pre – tonic stress –

pre – nuclear stress.

Proclitics –

the initial unstressed syllable(s), preceding the stressed one.

Projection –

the carrying power of the voice. The foundation of projection is the proper use of breath. It is very important to learn to control exhalation.

Prominence –

characteristics of the syllable which is more noticeable than others.

Pronunciation –

the act of producing the sounds of language.

Prosody –

features of speech that can be added to the basic segments, usually to a sequence of more than one sound.

Rate –

temporal characteristics of spoken messages.

Received Pronunciation ( RP) –

standard accent of British English, known as the “Oxford or “ public school” accent.

Rhythm –

recurrence of stressed and unstressed syllables.

Signposts –

carefully worded phrases and sentences to enable listener to follow a movement of ideas.

Simple tunes –

intonation contours having one kinetic tone on the tonic (nuclear) syllable.

Static tones –

tones of unvarying pitch.

Stress – timing –

the characteristics of languages which have a tendency for stressed syllables to occur at equal time value.

Speech environment –

person communicates with another, regardless of the occasion ( a public speech, telephone call, conversation or theatrical performance).

Syllable – timing –

the characteristics of languages in which all syllables tend to have an equal time value.

Tonic stress –

nuclear stress.

Vegetative breathing –

it keeps the organism alive.

Voice volume –

degree of loudness.