Barriers to Effective Communication

Recognizing barriers to effective communication is a first step in improving communication style.  Do you recognize these barriers from your own personal and professional experience?

1. Language encoding and decoding - Encoding is how you word and phrase things. Decoding is being able to understand how another person words and phrases things. Inability to converse in a language that is known by both the sender and receiver is the greatest barrier to effective communication. When a person uses inappropriate words while conversing or writing, it could lead to misunderstanding between the sender and receiver.

2. Cultural Differences - Cultures provide people with ways of thinking - ways of seeing, hearing, and interpreting the world. Thus the same words can mean different things to people from different cultures, even when they talk the "same" language. When the languages are different, and translation has to be used to communicate, the potential for misunderstanding increases.

3. Psychological differences - people's state of mind, if someone has personal problems like worries about their health or marriage, then this will probably affect them.

4. Physical barriers - one of the major barriers of communication in a workplace is the physical barrier. Physical barriers in an organization include large working ares that are physically separated from others. One example is long distance communication by phone.

5. Environmental Condition

TOEFL Speaking

The speaking section of the iBT TOEFL consists of 6 parts. These are:

• 2 independent speaking parts (require more in the way of descriptions and references to personal experiences, or personal preferences and opinions) - where students give their opinion on a familiar topic. The test-taker is given 45 seconds to answer. 
• 4 integrated speaking parts (1 or 2 content sources in reading and listening format, and generally focus on comprehension and reporting skills) - where students talk for 60 seconds about written or spoken information.

Independent Speaking Sample Tasks

Describe something that you do keep your grades up. Explain why it is helpful. Include details and examples to support your answer.

• 15 seconds - preparation time
• 45 seconds - answering time

Tell of an important day in your life. Explain why it is important. Include details and examples to support your answer.

• 15 seconds - preparation time
• 45 seconds - answering time

Is it better for children to grow up in the country than in the city? Explain your answer. Include details and examples to support your answer.

• 15 seconds - preparation time
• 45 seconds - answering time

For examples of Integrated Speaking Tasks, follow the link below. Listen to the lecture and answer the prompt that follows.

http://global-english.lefora.com/2008/08/26/ibt-toefl-speaking-topic-16-integrated-task-academ/

Study the following sample from http://www.englishroleplay.com/study/152 

Part 1

How popular is the Internet in your country?


Part 2

In what ways do you think television influences people?


Part 3

Many people believe that physical exercise is the key to happiness. This is because sustained sessions of physical activity produces endorphins, also known as 'happy chemicals'.

What do you think about this information?


Part 4

According to current sociological data, people these days are living longer and  growing taller than people 50 years ago. This is in spite of the fact that consumption of fast food and obesity are on the increase.

What do you think about this information?


Part 5

There are now more non-native English speakers in the world than there are native speakers. In many cases this is changing the way that English is used. 

How do you think the English language is changing with the increase in numbers of non-native speakers?


Part 6

The number of student exchange programs being offered at universities around the world is increasing every year. This development has lead to a growing trend in globalization in the workplace, as well as changes in the way people socialize.

Can you give examples of how these trends are influencing societies around the world?  

IELTS Speaking Sample

There are three parts in the test

• Part 1: Familiar Topics (3-4 minutes): Home, Work, College, Hobbies, Holidays, Sports, Free Time
• Part 2: Long Turn (1-2 minutes plus 1 minute preparation): Describe a Person, Place, Thing, Picture, Movie, Book, Historical Figure, Friend, etc.
• Part 3: Discussion (3-4 minutes): Advanced discussion, analysis, prediction, description, evaluation, opinion, cause and effect, possibilities

In Part 1, you have to talk about THREE topics: (A) your home town OR your work/study AND (B and C) two more topics. The topics are familiar. You are expected to talk fluently and easily for a total of 4 or 5 minutes.

A

Choose ONE of the two green boxes below. 

Let’s talk about your home town or village. What kind of place is it? What’s the most interesting part of your home area? What kind of jobs do the people in your town/village do? Would you say it is a good place to live? Why? What changes would you like to make to your home town? Weather and Season Which season do you like best? Why? How's the weather in your country? Do you agree that weather could affect people's mood or personality?If yes, in what way? How does the weather affect your lifestyle?

or

Let’s talk about what you do. Do you work or are you a student? Work What’s your job? Why did you choose that kind of work? How long have you been doing it? What is a typical day like at your work? Are there things your don’t like about it? What are they? Study What subjects are you studying? Why did you choose those subjects? How long have you been studying them? Do you enjoy them? Why? Are there many job opportunities for you? What is the best thing about studying?

Now talk about BOTH of these green boxes.

In Part 2, you have to speak for 1-2 minutes by yourself, without stopping, on a topic the examiner will give you. You have one minute to get ready and make some notes.

You may write some notes on the paper the examiner will give you!
When the preparation time is up, or when you are ready, start talking.

You should talk for between 1 and 2 minutes.

Example Describe a teenager you know.  You should say:  who he/she is   how he/she looks like            what he/she does                 and explain the reason            why you want to talk about him/her

In Part 3, you and the examiner discuss some topics related to the topic you spoke about in Part 2. The time limit for Part 3 is about 3-4 minutes. The examiner will help you and move the conversation along.

So if your Part 2 (Long Turn) topic was "Describe something you bought recently," Part 3 might be about buying habits in the UAE, consumers, materialism, shopping, consumer protection, or differences between shops now and in the past, or a prediction about shopping in the future.

If your Part 2 (Long Turn) topic was "Describe a teacher you had in school," Part 3 might be about education, training, the internet and education, changes in education in the last twenty years, the importance of training, etc.
Example:

Topic in Part 2		Possible Related Topic in Part 3
Describe a teenager you know.		What the responsibilities of a teenager? What are the differences between a teenager and a child? Who have more influence on society, young people or old people? What is the relationship between the young and the old? What is the influence of money on teenagers?

Tips:

Comment on the question

• That's interesting. I was watching a program about that last week
• That's a big problem today. I heard Sheikh Mohammed talk about that in a speech in Dubai.
• Oh, that's very difficult to predict! I don't think anybody really knows what is going to happen.
• Wow, that's a tough question. It depends on your point of view.
• Yes, I've often thought about that.

 Relate the question to your own experience

• That's very important because I am getting married next month
• That's an interesting question because I work in computers, so I often wonder what the future of technology will be.
• That's a tough question because I am not an economist.
• That's funny -  the other day I was in Al-Ain and someone asked me the same question.
• My kids often ask me the same question 

 Divide up your answer

• Basically, there are three ways to look at this problem. One way is to imagine....
• I think there are several ways to solve this problem. I think one way would be to...
• It depends on how you look at it. For example, if you were a parent, you would have one opinion, and if you were a student, you might have another perspective.
• I think two very different things will happen. First of all, there might be...
• There have been several effects. One effect is that
• I suppose you could break it up into two or three areas. First...

 Use Modals

In the IELTS speaking test, Part 1 focuses on Present Tense, Part 2 on the Past, and Part 3 on the future and modals (can, could, might, may, etc.) You are expected to predict, guess, analyse, relate, suggest and evaluate (give your opinion) in this part.

sources: www.writefix.com/IELTS Speaking Part 3
               POST-base Series for IELTS Examination

A Summary of Stevan Javellana's Without Seeing the Dawn (The Lost Ones)

                                                                               photo from: www.wikipedia.org


Set in a small farming village called Manhayang, Sta. Barbara, somewhere in Negros. Like most rural baranggays, the hardworking and closely-knit village folk there had simple needs, simple wants, and simple dreams. They were living their own simple lives when the violence of war reached their place and brought death to their village, their homes and their hearts.

Here revolves the story of  Ricardo "Carding" Suerte, son of Juan Suerte. An industrious, strong and sometimes quick-tempered young man, he aspired to marry Lucia, the daughter of the teniente del barrio. Though his father thought he was not yet prepared and had wished to send him to school, he gave his blessing to the decision of his son. He consented to asking Lucia’s hand from her parents in the traditional pamamanhikan, accompanied by the village’s best orator and the godmother of the lass. After agreeing to the conditions of the village chief, the marriage was set. Tatay Juan gathered up almost all of his hard-earned savings for the dowry and expenses for the wedding feast. In the meantime, Carding excitedly built their house despite the advice of the elderly- that building one’s house in May will bring misfortune to its inhabitants.

And so it came to pass that after the grand wedding and the feast that followed- which was even attended by their representate- the newlyweds lived happily on the land entrusted to Tatay Juan by Don Diego, but not for long. Misfortune struck early when their first child was stillborn. A more difficult trial came when Lucing disgraced herself, her family and her husband by having an affair with Luis, the son of their landlord. Caught naked, he was beaten up by the strong, angry husband whose honor and pride were hurt. The couple patched things up, but the land that Carding and Juan Suerte had been tilling for a very long time was given to another tenant.

With no land to till, the pair tried their luck in the city. There, in Iloilo, Carding met Rosing and Nestong. The latter was his fellow stevedore and union member, and the former, a prostitute besotted with him, and also the reason why his wife left him and returned to their barrio. Soon, Carding followed Lucing with news that the representante entrusted them with land to till in Badlan. Lucing too, had news for her husband: she was again pregnant.

They moved to Badlan and worked harder than ever. They were blessed not only by a promise of a bountiful harvest, but also with a healthy son they named Crisostomo. Sadly, their landlord sold the land, and they were given time to harvest what they sowed. Misfortune was like a shadow though. A great flood destroyed everything that they had- harvest and carabao as well.

Wanting to own their own piece of land, they were convinced to move to Mindanao, but Carding was drafted for military service. When he returned, he found his wife heavy with another child. At first, the truth was kept from him. What he knew was that his father and his son died of some illness.  But later it was revealed that the Japanese soldiers who attacked their village killed his father and son and raped his wife. He was enraged when he learned the truth. As his neighbors, relatives and friends in barrio Manhayang were tortured, raped and massacred by the Japanese soldiers, Carding too became an executioner to his enemies, and not even his friend nor the brother of his mother-in-law were spared. He also almost killed the child that his wife had just delivered, were it not born dead. For that, Lucing was so enraged that she sent him away.

The Japanese ordered everyone to enter a collective barrio or else be considered guerrilla supporters and be shot. But the villagers of Manhayang also refused to be considered enemies of their own sons, and so they decided to evacuate in barrios farther away. However, Lucing was hesitant to go. She was waiting to see her husband despite everything, knowing that he will be leading the suicide attack to the Japanese garrison. When they did see each other, Carding asked for her forgiveness and left her what cash he had as he bade her farewell. In the end, Lucing refused to flee for she knew that she was still his wife, duty-bound to receive the corpse of her beloved husband.

Hinilawod: An Ilonggo Epic (summary)

Adventures of Datu Paubari and his Sons When the goddess of the eastern sky Alunsina (also known as Laun Sina, "The Unmarried One") reached maidenhood, the king of the gods, Kaptan, decreed that she should marry. All the unmarried gods of the different domains of the universe tried their luck to win her hand to no avail. She chose to marry a mortal, Datu Paubari, the mighty ruler of Halawod. Her decision angered her other suitors. They plotted to bring harm to the newlyweds. A meeting of the council of gods was called by Maklium-sa-t'wan, god of the plains, where a decision by those present was made to destroy Halawod by flood. Alunsina and Paubari escaped harm through the assistance of Suklang Malayon, the goddess and guardian of happy homes and sister of Alunsina, who learned of the evil plot and warned the two so they were able to seek refuge on higher ground. After the flood waters subsided, Paubari and Alunsina returned to the plains secretly. They settled near the mouth of the Halawod river. Several months later Alunsina became pregnant and told Paubari to prepare the siklot, things necessary for childbirth. She delivered a set of triplets and summoned the high priest Bungot-Banwa to perform the rites of the gods of Mount Madya-as (the mountain abode of the gods)to ensure the good health of the children. The high priest promptly made an altar and burned some alanghiran fronds and a pinch of kamangyan. When the ceremony was over he opened the windows of the north side of the room and a cold northernly wind came in and suddenly the three infants were transformed into strong, handsome young men. Labaw Donggon, the eldest of the three, asked his mother to prepare his magic cape, hat, belt and kampilan (sword) for he heard of a place called Handug where a beautiful maiden named Angoy Ginbitinan lived. The journey took several days. He walked across plains and valleys, climbed up mountains until he reached the mouth of the Halawod river. When he finally met the maiden's father and asked for her hand in marriage, the father asked him to fight the monster Manalintad as part of his dowry. He went off to confront the monster and with the help of his magic belt Labaw Donggon killed the monster and to prove his feat he brought to Angoy Ginbitinan's father the monster's tail. After the wedding Labaw Donggon proceeded home with his new bride. Along the way they met a group of young men who told him that they were on their way to Tarambang Burok to win the hand of Abyang Durunuun, sister of Sumpoy the lord of the underworld and whose beauty was legendary. Labaw Donggon and his bride continued on their journey home. The moment they arrived home Labaw Donggon told his mother to take care of his wife because he is taking another quest, this time he was going to Tarambang Burok. Before he can get to the place he has to pass a ridge guarded by a giant named Sikay Padalogdog who has a hundred arms. The giant would not allow Labaw Donggon to go through without a fight. However, Sikay Padalogdog was no match to Labaw Donggon's prowess and skill in fighting so he gave up and allowed him to continue. Labaw Donggon won the hand of Abyang Durunuun and also took her home. Before long he went on another journey, this time it is to Gadlum to ask for the hand of Malitong Yawa Sinagmaling Diwata who is the young bride of Saragnayan the lord of darkness. This trip required him to use his biday nga inagta (black boat) on which he sailed across the seas for many months, went across the region of the clouds, passed the land of stones until finally he reached the shores of Tulogmatian which was the seaside fortress of Saragnayan. The moment he set foot on the ground Saragnayan asked him, "Who are you and why are you here?" To which he answered, "I am Labaw Donggon, son of Datu Paubari and goddess Alunsina of Halawod. I came for the beautiful Malitong Yawa Sinagmaling Diwata." Saragnayan laughed. He told Labaw Donggon that what he wished for was impossible to grant because she was his wife. Labaw Donggon then challenged Saragnayan to a duel saying that whoever wins will have her. The challenge was accepted and they started fighting. Labaw Donggon submerged Saragnayan under water for seven years, but when he let go of him, Saragnayan was still alive. The latter uprooted a coconut tree and started beating Labaw Donggon with it. He survived the beating but was not able to surpass the powers of Saragnayan's pamlang (amulet) and eventually he gave up and was imprisoned by Saragnayan beneath his house. Back home Angoy Ginbitinan and Abyang Durunuun both delivered sons. Angoy Ginbitinan's child was named Aso Mangga and Abyang Durunuun's son was called Abyang Baranugon. Only a few days after they were born Aso Mangga and Abyang Baranugon embarked to look for their father. They rode their sailboats through the region of eternal darkness, passed the region of the clouds and the land of stones, finally reaching Saragnayan's home. Saragnayan noticed that Abyang Baranugon's umbilical cord have not yet been removed, he laughed and told the child to go home to his mother. Abyang Baranugon was slighted by the remarks and immediately challenged Saragnayan to a duel. They fought and Abyang Baranugon defeated Saragnayan and won his father's freedom. Labaw Donggon's defeat and subsequent imprisonment by the Lord of Darkness also angered his brothers. Humadapnon was so enraged that he swore to the gods of Madya-as that he would wreak revenge on all of Saragnayan's kinsmen and followers.  Humadapnon prepared to go to Saragnayan's domain. He employed the aid of Buyong Matanayon of Mount Matiula who was well-known for his skill in swordsmanship. For their journey they rode on a sailboat called biday nga rumba-rumba. They travelled through the region of the clouds, passed by the region of eternal darkness and ended up at a place called Tarambang Buriraw. In this place was a ridge called Talagas Kuting-tang where a seductive sorceress named Piganun lived. Piganun changed herself to a beautiful maiden and captured the heart of Humadapnon. Buyong Matanayon begged with Humadapnon to leave the place with him but the latter refused. After seven months passed, Buyong Matanayon remembered that they have brought with them some ginger. One evening at dinner time Buyong Matanayon threw seven slices of ginger into the fire. When Pinganun smelled the odor of burning ginger she left the dinner table because sorcerers hated the odor of ginger. Immediately Buyong Matanayon struck Humadapnon, who became unconscious. He dragged his friend with him and they were able to escape. They continued with their trek and everywhere they went they exacted revenge on all of Saragnayan's people and relatives. One day they reached a place called Piniling Tubig who was ruled by Datu Umbaw Pinaumbaw. There was a big gathering in the village and when they asked what was going on they were told that the datu was giving his daughter for marriage to whoever could remove the huge boulder that rolled from a mountain into the center of the village. Many men tried their luck but no one so far was able to even move the stone. Humadapnon took off his magic cape and used it to lift the stone and threw it back into the mountain. The datu kept his word and Humadapnon married his daughter. During the wedding feast Humadapnon heared about the beauty of the goddess of greed Burigadang Pada Sinaklang Bulawan from a guest minstrel who sang at the celebration. After the wedding Humadapnon went to seek the hand of the goddess in marriage. Along the way he encountered Buyong Makabagting, son of the mighty Datu Balahidyong of Paling Bukid who was also travelling with the same purpose in mind. Upon learning of Humadapnon's intent, Buyong Makabagting challenged him to a duel. They fought and Buyong Makabagting was no match to Humadapnon's strength and skill. The fight ended when Buyong Makabagting surrendered and even promised to aid Humadapnon in his quest. Humadapnon married the goddess and brought her home. Meanwhile, right after Humadapnon left to seek Saragnayan's followers and relatives his brother Dumalapdap left for Burutlakan-ka-adlaw where the maiden Lubay-Lubyok Hanginun si Mahuyokhuyokon lived. For the trip he brought along Dumasig, the most powerful wrestler in Madya-as. Several months later they came to a place called Tarambuan-ka-banwa where they encountered the two-headed monster Balanakon who guarded a narrow ridge leading to the place where the maiden lived. With the aid of Dumasig, Dumalapdap killed Balanakon. However, upon approaching the gate of the palace where the maiden lived he was confronted by Uyutang, a batlike monster with sharp poisonous claws. There ensued a bloody battle between the Humadapnon and the monster. They fought for seven months and their skill and prowess seemed to be equal. But on the seventh month, Humadapnon was able to grab on to Uyutang's ankle and broke it. Then he took his iwang daniwan (magic dagger) and stabbed Uyutang under the armpit. Uyutang cried out so loud that the ridge where they were fighting broke into two and there was an earthquake. Half of the ridge became the island of Buglas (Negros) and the other became the island of Panay. Dumalapdap married Lubay-Lubyok Hanginun si Mahuyokhuyokan and then took her home. Datu Paubari was very happy when he was reunited with his three sons and he prepared a feast in their honor. After the celebration, the three brothers left for different parts of the world. Labaw Donggon went to the north, Humadapnon went south, Dumalapdap to the west and Datu Paubari remained in the east. The Adventures of Humadapnon A message from his spirit friends, Taghoy and Duwindi, came to Humadapnon in his sleep. In his dream he was told that a lovely maiden named Nagmalitong Yawa lived in a village by the mouth of the Halawod river. Humadpnon was the chief of the Sulod Nation whose people occupied an area close to the source of the Pan-ay river. Humadapnon went to look for the maiden. He rode his golden boat for the journey. One day his boat was taken by a mysterious force that led it to a stagnant sea where the water was the color of human blood. It took Humadapnon and his crew seven months to cross this body of water. They all thought they were safe until a strong wind came upon them and the boat was blown into a passage near the mouth of the Saruma river where two islands continuously hit each other at intervals. With the help of his spirit friends Humadapnon was able to navigate his boat through the channel safely. One day they came upon an island called Tarangban which was inhabited by beautiful women headed by a sorceress named Ginmayunan. Through the use of her charms and magic she persuaded Humadapnon to stay. Later Humadapnon and his crew were imprisoned by the women in the island for seven years. Taghoy and Duwindi went to seek the help of Nagmalitong Yawa to free their friend. Nagmalitong Yawa, disguised as a man named Buyung Sunmasakay, won the freedom of Humadapnon and his crew. Afterwards Buyung Sunmasakay performed a ritual which removed the charms of Ginmayunan on Humadapnon. When Buyung Sunmasakay transformed back into Nagmalitong Yawa, Humadapnon was struck by her beauty and immediately asked for her hand in marriage. The maiden, who also was in love with him, told Humadapnon that she has to go back home to ask the blessings of her parents before she gets married. So they proceeded to Halawod. Along the way Humadapnon encountered Buyung Paglambuhan who ruled an island fortress in the middle of the sea. He vanquished the latter. Humadapnon and Nagmalitong Yawa were married in Halawod. During the wedding feast, Dumalapdap met Huyung Adlaw, the daughter of one of the guests, Nabalansang Sukla who was the god of the Upperworld. Dumalapdap requested his brother Humadapnon to help him talk to the maiden's parents. They planned to go to the Upperworld after the wedding feast. The journey took seven years. Matan-ayon, Humadapnon's mother suggested to Malitong Yawa that she should marry again for it seems that her husband is not coming back. Nagmalitong Yawa decided to re-marry this time to a man named Buyung Sumagulung, son of Mamang Paglambuhan who ruled an island fortress. The wedding ceremony was about to start when Humadapnon and Dumalapdap returned. At a distance Humadapnon blew his horn to signal his arrival. Those who were gathered for the ceremony grew fearful and some of the men went to the shoreline to meet the brothers and inform them of what was happening. The two were so angered that they killed all guests and the groom. Humadapnon confronted his wife about her treachery. She explained that it was his mother who made the suggestion for her to re-marry. Humadapnon stabbed his wife to death. Later his conscience bothered him for what he did to his wife. His spirit friends also told him that his wife was not at fault and that what he did was unjust. With remorse in his heart he approached his sister Labing Anyag and asked for her help for she had the power to bring back life to the dead. Seeing that her brother was genuinely sorry for what he did, she complied and brought back Nagmalitong Yawa from the dead. Nagmalitong Yawa also felt shame for what she did to her husband so she ran away from him and went to the Underworld which was ruled by her uncle, Panlinugun, who is lord of the earthquake. Humadapnon followed her to the Underworld killing the eight-headed snake that guarded the channel leading to the place. She ran towards the Upperworld but half-way between the Middleworld and the Upperworld she was spirited away by a young man riding on the shoulders of the wind. Humadapnon caught up with them and challenged the stranger to a duel. They fought for seven years with no one gaining the upperhand. The long fight was being witnessed by Alunsina from above. She got tired watching the contest so she came down to settle the case. During the deliberations it was revealed to everyone's surprise that the stanger was Amarotha, also a son of Alunsina who died at childbirth but was brought back to life by her to keep her company. Alunsina decided that each man was entitled to a part of Nagmalitong Yawa so she ordered that the latter's body be cut in half. One half went to Humadapnon and the other to Amarotha. Alunsina then turned each half into a whole live person. Humadapnon brought his wife back to Panay and ruled the island for centuries.

Factors to be Considered in Speaking

Fluency and Coherence



This refers to talking at the right speed and connecting ideas together. This is a fairly general criteria which includes evaluating the relevance of the answers. Speakers need to be able to understand and follow the rules of language at a word, sentence and text level.


Lexical Resource


This refers to how much vocabulary the speaker has and how well they use it. As well as the rules of language at a word level, this criteria considers the communicative functions of speech and the social meaning of speech.


Grammatical Range and Accuracy


This refers to language structures and how well they are used. Again, as well as the rules of language, this criteria considers the communicative functions of speech.



Pronunciation

This refers to how well the language is pronounced, as well as the consideration of  the communicative effect of  pronunciation. It considers the amount of  strain it causes on a listener, and how noticeable the accent is - although accent itself is not a problem. This criteria also refers to speakers' need to be able to produce the phonological features of speech.




reference: The British Council
































































































































Written by Paul Kaye





















British Council

IELTS 9-Band Scale

IELTS 9-Band Scale

IELTS is scored on a nine-band scale, with each band corresponding to a specified competence in English. Overall Band Scores are reported to the nearest half band.


The nine bands are described as follows:

» 9 Expert user

Has fully operational command of the language: appropriate, accurate and fluent with complete understanding.

» 8 Very good user

Has fully operational command of the language with only occasional unsystematic inaccuracies and inappropriacies. Misunderstandings may occur in unfamiliar situations. Handles complex detailed argumentation well.

» 7 Good user

Has operational command of the language, though with occasional inaccuracies, inappropriacies and misunderstandings in some situations. Generally handles complex language well and understands detailed reasoning.

» 6 Competent user

Has generally effective command of the language despite some inaccuracies, in appropriacies and misunderstandings. Can use and understand fairly complex language, particularly in familiar situations.

» 5 Modest user

Has partial command of the language, coping with overall meaning in most situations, though is likely to make many mistakes. Should be able to handle basic communication in own field.

» 4 Limited user

Basic competence is limited to familiar situations. Has frequent problems in understanding and expression. Is not able to use complex language.

» 3 Extremely limited user

Conveys and understands only general meaning in very familiar situations. Frequent breakdowns in communication occur.

» 2 Intermittent user

No real communication is possible except for the most basic information using isolated words or short formulae in familiar situations and to meet immediate needs. Has great difficulty understanding spoken and written English.

» 1 Non user

Essentially has no ability to use the language beyond possibly a few isolated words.

» 0 Did not attempt the test

No assessable information provided.

TOEFL Speaking Rubrics

Effective Public Speaking

Survival Language

In  giving presentations, stage fright sometimes sets in and gets us off track. One way to avoid this, is by looking for a friend in the audience. Face your audience as people and connect with them. Of course, some of them would give the "impress me" look.So don't focus on those people too much. Look around for people with the "you can do it" look and be encouraged. To feel comfortable, you would need confidence. Those kind ladies with inspiring smiles have the ability to give you that. And when you get all the confidence you need, then you may remember the following language to handle situations effectively.

If you get your facts wrong.

• I am terribly sorry. What I meant to say was this.
• Sorry. What I meant is this.

If you have been going too fast and your audience is having trouble keeping up with you.

• Let me just recap on that.
• I want to recap briefly on what I have been saying.
• If you have forgotten to make a point.
• Sorry, I should just mention one other thing.
• If I can just go back to the previous point, there is something else that I forgot to mention.

If you have been too complicated and want to simplify what you said.

• So, basically, what I am saying is this.
• So, basically, the point I am trying to get across is this.
• If you realize that what you are saying makes no sense.
• Sorry, perhaps I did not make that quite clear.
• Let me rephrase that to make it quite clear.

If you cannot remember the term in English.

• Sorry, what is the word I am looking for?
• Sorry, my mind has gone blank. How do you say 'escargot' in English?

If you are short of time.

• So just to give you the main points.
• As we are short of time, this is just a quick summary of the main points.

Signposting

When you are giving a presentation, there are certain key words to use to ’signpost’ different stages in our presentation. These words are not difficult to learn but it is absolutely essential that you memorize them and can use them when you are under pressure giving a presentation.



When you want to make your next point, you ‘move on’.

• Moving on to the next point.
• I’d like to move on to the next point if there are no further questions

When you want to change to a completely different topic, you ‘turn to’.

• I’d like to turn to something completely different.
• Let’s turn now to our plans for next year.

When you want to give more details about a topic you ‘expand’ or ‘elaborate’.

• I’d like to expand more on this problem we have in education.
• Would you like me to expand a little more on that or have you understood enough?
• I don’t want to elaborate any more on that as I’m short of time.

When you want to talk about something which is off the topic of your presentation, you ‘digress’.

• I’d like to digress here for a moment and just say a word of thanks to Bob for organizing this meeting.
• Digressing for a moment, I’d like to say a few words about our problems in the department of education.

When you want to refer back to an earlier point, you ‘go back’.

• Going back to something I said earlier, the educational system of this country needs reform.
• I’d like to go back to something Jenny said in her presentation.

To just give the outline of a point, you ’summarize’.

• If I could just summarize a few points from John’s report.
• I don’t have a lot of time left so I’m going to summarize the next few points.

To repeat the main points of what you have said, you ‘recap’.

• I’d like to quickly recap the main points of my presentation.
• Recapping quickly on what was said before lunch,……

For your final remarks, you ‘conclude’.

• I’d like to conclude by leaving you with this thought ……
• If I may conclude by quoting Karl Marx …….

source: http://www.effective-public-speaking.com/

Starting a Presentation

The Basics:

 In modern English, presentations tend to be much less formal than they were even twenty years ago. Most audience these days prefer a relatively informal approach. However, there is a certain structure to the opening of a presentation that you should observe.



1.Get people's attention


2.Welcome them


3.Introduce yourself


4.State the purpose of your presentation


5.State how you want to deal with questions



Get people's attention

• If I could have everybody's attention.
• If we can start.
• Perhaps we should begin?
• Let's get started.

Welcome them

• Welcome to Calgary State University.
• Thank you for coming today.
• Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
• On behalf of Intel, I'd like to welcome you.

Introduce yourself

• My name's Jane Davis from Human Resource.
• For those of you who don't know me, my name's James Bon.
• As you know, I'm in charge of public relations.
• I'm the new Marketing Manager.

State the purpose of your presentation

• This morning I'd like to present some additions to the school policy.
• Today I'd like to discuss the shortcomings of the traditional approach in education and suggest innovations.
• What I want to do this morning is to talk to you about the Montesorri method. 
• What I want to do is to tell you about our successes and failures in introducing new working patterns.

State how you want to deal with questions.

• If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them as we go along.
• Feel free to ask any questions.
• Perhaps we can leave any questions you have until the end?
• There will be plenty of time for questions at the end.

Of course, these are only suggestions and other language is possible. Even within this limited group of phrases, just choose a few you feel comfortable with and learn and use those.
 
Note: As the heading reads, these are just the basics, the main parts of a presentation. Bear in mind that the best known presentations are those that starts well and ends well. Try  to come up with a good introduction and an impressive conclusion.
 
Tips:
Presentations/talks/discussions may be started with an anecdote, a joke or a quote from a famous person. And they may be concluded by doing the same, depending on the nature of the talk.
 
In Gen. Douglas McArthur's Farewell Speech to Westpoint, he started with

    General Westmoreland, General Groves, distinguished guests, and gentlemen of the Corps. As I      was leaving the hotel this morning, a doorman asked me, "Where are you bound for, General?" and when I replied, "West Point," he remarked, "Beautiful place, have you ever been there before?"







reference: http://www.effective-public-speaking.com/starting/menu.php

how can i tell you that i'm always thinking of you