Everyday communication involves the use of various speech categories depending on specific settings, aims, and participants. The choice of appropriate speech types can help reach collaborative goals, facilitate interpersonal communication, and gain or share knowledge. As I demonstrate in this paper, verbal communication in the school or university environment can affect an individual’s performance and career due to psychological, behavioral, and intellectual factors. Specifically, I will analyze three different categories of speech that I undertake in my daily life: Social, Classroom, and Professional types of communication.
I aim to demonstrate how “the use and abuse” of these categories has helped me grow in or, conversely, hurt my academic life. For example, while preparing a group assignment for one of the courses with my classmates, we utilized several communication strategies and categories of public speech. So, in communication with each other, we practiced Opinion Speech, which helped us in informal chatting and brainstorming. When we were preparing the final presentation on the project, we improved our classroom presentation skills. This experience will help us be convincing and successful in a professional and informative speaking in the future. Therefore, it is essential to distinguish and understand the socio-cultural context and apply the most appropriate category for using various types of speech in one’s favor.
As my own public speaking experience in school demonstrates, the use of Social Speech in a casual setting might contribute to academic success because it is flexible and informal. In addition, it broadens the student’s worldview and assists in research and classroom activities. Just as small talk is necessary for business negotiations, social communication with informal elements is crucial for networking in academia. As its name implies, Social Speech takes place in a social setting and involves public speaking. In an academic environment, such a speech can occur on various occasions, including presenting or receiving an award, opening a new sports club, or on a classmate’s birthday.
I use Social Speech in order to improve my communication skills and present my ideas in a semi-formal or informal environment. For example, once accepting an athletic achievement award, I started with words of welcome and gratitude, such as “express my deepest gratitude” or “thank for the honor.” Additionally, I preferred to personalize my message with a relevant anecdote to not sound scripted. Like giving a toast at a friend’s wedding, a speech in front of peers and colleagues benefits from being both entertaining and carefully outlined. Subsequently, such a speech can build your fame and confidence as a convincing and skillful speaker and a successful person. Thus, Social Speech depends on the occasion and serves as an instrument for informal communication of ideas and knowledge.
As a college student, I gained much experience from classroom speaking. In my opinion, Classroom Speech ensures effective problem-solving strategies, teacher-student communication, and peer collaboration, as it combines casual elements of Social Speech and academic vocabulary. For example, confident participation in round tables and discussions sharpens argumentation skills and demonstrates to colleagues your ability to participate in public performances. In addition, in-class discussion of important topics helps develop skills of solving conflicts, as well as proper debating involves being polite and not interrupting classmates. At the same time, a teacher, arbitrator, or moderator may notice your skills and give you a chance to represent the school in larger competitions.
Presentation ‘literacy’ is one of the most academically valuable skills I have learned in college. Giving an oral presentation and getting your ideas across to the public can be stressful but rewarding in your future career. I prefer to step out of my comfort zone and fight the fear of in-class speaking. Giving presentations in various subjects helped me to assimilate better and structure the material, as well as to become more self-confident. To prepare for a public presentation, I first analyze the audience in front of which I would need to speak and, accordingly, identified the vocabulary — if it should be more formal or, in reverse, more casual. Organizing and having a speaking strategy is also helpful when preparing a presentation for the class. Writing presentation notes and practicing in front of friends help me memorize the text and build greater confidence. Thus, the role of Classroom Speech and, in particular, making presentations and participating in classroom debates are essential for successful academic interactions.
One of the crucial experiences that a student can learn in an academic setting is Professional (or Informative) Speaking. My experience of attending classes and extracurricular lectures and workshops demonstrates that Professional Speech promotes an impartial and objective approach due to its formal and impersonal nature. Lecturing, speaking at conferences, or organizing training are examples of professional speaking. One of the differences between Professional Speech and Social Speech or Opinion is that the speaker represents the professional community. The speech by an expert in the classroom or, for example, at TED Talk is characterized by the level of information verification and the use of special vocabulary. Attending and participating in such events elevates your status in academia and gives you experience interacting with experts.
As a college student with experience in making presentations and participating in various workshops, I consider the development of informative and professional speaking especially vital for my future career. In some of the classes, I had an opportunity to conduct my research and report on the work. In the report, I tried to explain complex terms in simple words and be as clear as possible in delivering the message. At the same time, in my presentation, I sought to avoid information overload and present the study’s purpose and outcome. During preparation, I learned a lot through watching TED Talk, which is a valuable source for accessing the lectures delivered by professionals. I am especially inspired by Professional Speeches made with energy and enthusiasm and in which the speaker engages the audience. Such performances can become a model for my own public performances in the future. The use of appropriate professional communication tools to reach academic goals seems to be especially important in delivering such speeches.
In summary, it should be pointed out that engaging in different categories of speech is necessary for academic advancement and success. In an academic setting, the most widespread types of speech are Social, Classroom, and Professional. As a college student, I often practice delivering in-class presentations, which provides me an opportunity to improve my communication skills and to enrich my professional vocabulary. Participating in debates and round tables helps me develop effective argumentation schemes and problem-solving strategies. Giving reports and informative speeches at various events increases my status and qualifications in the academic environment. A successful public speaking experience involves interaction with the audience, enthusiasm, and professionalism in discussing the topic. In a more informal setting, the ability to persuade and convince, show self-confidence, and have profound knowledge of the topic will help win over the audience’s sympathy.