HOWTOIMPROVESPEECHSKILLS_开题报告

The speech level in English is not optimistic at present. The problem is most of the students are not self-confident. Even they have the chance to give public speaking, they are not willing to do it. So it is difficult to improve their speaking skills. The English level of about 70% of the students is below Band Four or even following, 20% of the students can reach Band Six, and only about 10% of the students reach the high level, based on the investigation. It is clear that most of the students are beginners in English studying. They can’t express clearly due to their insufficient ability on written examination, thus the contents they want to present is incomplete. Most of the students do not study English on their own initiative. Passing the examination or getting a certificate, is why they study. Those who are willing to study on their own and use English as a tool can be counted on one’s fingers.  Most of the students are not positive on English speaking, and have no desire to make practices. About 80% of the students listen in English unconsciously only when they watch movies or listen to music. Few of them join English club or society, or take optional course to get training on pronunciation and public speaking skills. The speech level and express ability is rather low, as they are not interested to say. The importance of English speaking has been put forward and investigated by many scholars recently.

Public speaking in our modern world is for everybody, men and women, young and elderly. Whether giving a speech, delivering a presentation, or communicating an important idea to a client, good speaking and communication style build credibility and inspire others. There is no predicting how far the ability to speak on your feet will take you. The ability is an asset we look for in men moving to the top. In short, it will prepare you for leadership. However, many people of us have barriers when it comes to public speaking due to fear and anxiety.This is why I have chosen the topic of Public Speaking.

Public speaking can be one of the most stressful events, yet it seems to be one of the most unavoidable. Being able to verbally communicate effectively to other individuals or to groups is essential in business, school, as well as your personal life. This necessary life skill requires training, self-confidence, credibility, and personal attributes that can often times be difficult to exercise.

Many people fear public speaking, and in fact fear even thinking about the idea of speaking in front of any size group. This is a problem. Students can learn how to be an effective speaker by following the steps taught in books and most standard curriculums.

In the spirit of adult learning, I also employ two key perspectives to help the course content: the transmission perspective and constructivism. According to Mohammed (2010), the transmission perspective focuses on the content of the topic and how the information is delivered to the student. Constructivism is the theory that students need to discover, examine, construct, co-construct, and re-construct the new knowledge before applying it (Mohammed, 2010).

Public Speaking have One method which is known as Imagined Interactions. This practice can help reduce the fear of communication in which individuals use mental imagery before and after to prepare and review communication (Honeycutt, Choi, & DeBerry, 2009). This practice of visualization is also used in other public exposure type activities by athletes, musicians, actors, and comedians.

During the creation of a speech, it is tempting to apply humor in an effort to keep the perspective audience interested. In a study by Ubel, Routsong, Turk, Koesten, and Liang (2008), they discovered that the only factor that proved to be a significant predictor was the success of the humor applied to their speech. Their research indicates that humor makes people feel less stress and less anxious. Their study confirmed that the positive effect of successful humor is also present equally for men and women despite whether they planned or did not plan the humor in their speech.

Speech Organization and Preparation Coming up with a speech topic is only half the battle. Preparation and organization is essential in carrying out an effective speech and grasping the interest of any audience. In an article by Wiksell (1960), he provides a list of 25 tips on preparation and delivery in speech making. Suggestions like, “Choose a specific phase of a subject of special interest to your audience” and “Be sure you have had direct experience with your subject” is just a couple of the noteworthy ideas he provides to keep a speech writer on track toward a successful speech. We have often heard the metaphor of “Breaking the ice” as discussed by Brue (1985).

Icebreakers in a speech or public address can help set the tone of the meeting or adjust the climate of the room to the speaker’s advantage. Knowing the audience is just as important as doing well on the creation of a speech. In a training article by Magnecca (2009) he brings to light the importance of communicating a message to a listener in such a way that it draws the question of, “What’s in it for me?” After all, the message to the listener must be one that evokes Public Speaking thoughts of persuasion and even benefit in order to keep them interested. Practice, Practice, Practice This project is geared toward the adult student and, as such, certain techniques and practices should be followed. Jackson (2009) addresses the issue of adult students revisiting theories of learning through their now different adult lens.

Public speaking can serve the purpose of transmitting information, telling a story, motivating people to act or some combination of those. Public speaking plays a large role in the professional world; in fact, it is believed that 70 percent of all jobs involve some form of public speaking. I would encourage anybody to do more public speaking and assist people in feeling more proficient and confident in their public speaking abilities. 

II．Outline

Title: HOW  TO  IMPROVE  SPEECH  SKILLS

English  Abstract

（一） Introduction

Two Strategies to Succeed in Public Speaking

（二）Achieving Your Speaking Goals

Developing Confidence

Keep Your Goal Before You

Seize Every Opportunity to Practice

（三）Preparation Is The Key

Select A Topic For Your Speech

Use The Audience Centered

Outlining Your Speech

（四）Conclusion

There is no such animal, in or out of captivity, as a born public speaker. Please desire amounting to enthusiasm, persistence to wear away mountains. Speak up! Speech can take you out of yourselves into a richer and fuller life.

Ⅲ、References:

Adrienne B. Hancock,Matthew D. Stone,Shelley B. Brundage,Mark T. Zeigler. Public Speaking Attitudes: Does Curriculum Make a Difference?[J]. Journal of Voice,2008,24(3).

Anna Carolina Ferreira Marinho,Adriane Mesquita de Medeiros,Ana Cristina Côrtes Gama,Letícia Caldas Teixeira. Fear of Public Speaking: Perception of College Students and Correlates[J]. Journal of Voice,2017,31(1).

Brue, C. (1985). Breaking the ice. Training & Development Journal, 39(6), 26. Retrieved from ://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=tfh&AN=9082843&site=ehost-live

Honeycutt, J. M., Choi, C. W., & DeBerry, J. R. (2009). Communication apprehension and imagined interactions. Communication Research Reports, 26(3), 228-236. doi:10.1080/08824090903074423

Hotimir Tivadar. Speech Rate In Phonetic -Phonological Anal Ysis of Public Speech (Using the Example of Political and Media Speech )[J]. Journal of Linguistics/Jazykovedny casopis,2017,68(1).

Magnacca, M. (2009). Do you have a "so what" mindset? T+D, 63(11), 66-67. Retrieved from ://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=tfh&AN=45590181&site=ehostlive

Mohammed, M. R. (2010). Don't give me a fish; teach me how to fish: A case study of an international adult learner. Adult Learning, 21(1), 15-18. Retrieved from ://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=trh&AN=51469681&site=ehostlive

Sharynne McLeod,Linda J. Harrison,Cen Wang. A longitudinal population study of literacy and numeracy outcomes for children identified with speech, language, and communication needs in early childhood[J]. Early Childhood Research Quarterly,2018.

Ubel, S., Routsong, T., Turk, C., Koesten, J., & Liang, H. C. (2008). The impact of gender,success and planning of humor on public speaking apprehension. Conference Papers --National Communication Association, , 1. Retrieved from ://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=44853051&site=ehostlive

Wiksell, M. J. (1960). How to make a speech. Today's Speech, 8 (2), 5-8. Retrieved from ://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=18675659&site=ehostlive

Wrench, J. S., Brogan, S. M., McCroskey, J. C., & Jowi, D. (2008). Social communication apprehension: The intersection of communication apprehension and social phobia. Human Communication, 11(4), 409-429. Retrieved from ://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=34999595&site=ehostlive

边楠楠.大学生英语学习状况分析与研究[J].河南教育（高教），2013（6）.

黎皓咏.卡耐基演讲说话技巧 [M].中国纺织出版社 (2003-09出版)

琼·戴兹、冯丁妮、马军.成功演讲技巧 [M].海南出版社 (2008-06出版)

王海梅.演讲技巧探析[J].昌潍师专学报,1997(06):60-62