the reality of the second year English majored students public speaking ability

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1.

Background

Nowadays, in the greatly integrating world, to develop and affirm Vietnam’s position in the world,
Vietnamese people not only need to enlarge knowledge about education and culture but also know
how to express themselves to other people. Moreover, in cooperation between Vietnam and foreign
countries, Vietnam needs to show its strength in order to persuade and make them feel secure with
thier investment. In sum, presenting ideas in front of many people is very important. Whether we
are politicans, CEO, polices, a lawyers, engineers or teachers... public speaking skill is very
necessary for us.
Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel.
It is to bring another out of his bad sense into your good sense.
(Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803–1882)
In recent years, public speaking has become a subject in curriculum in English department at An
Giang university. However, it is a new subject, students has not reached the standard of a good
public speaker after the course. As a result, this study aimed to investigate the reality of the second
year English majored students public speaking ability at An Giang University. Hopefully, the study
can help the English majored students to improve their public speaking skill.
1.2. Research tittle: the reality of the second year English majored students public speaking ability
at An Giang University.
1.3. Rationale:
Public speaking is an important skill. Therefore, having a good English public speaking skill not
only is the key to communicate effectively but it also contributes to getting ahead in our life.
Public speaking is a vital skill in any area of success. If you are a student, speaking well in public
will enable you to explain your ideas and persuade others to your opinions. If you are pursuing a
career—in virtually any field—good speaking skills will enable you to advance far more quickly
than your peers (LearningExpress, 2010)
Despites such importance, lots of people get trouble with English speaking skill. According to

James McCroskey’s Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety, nearly three fourths of people
asked are at high level of anxiety when speaking in public:

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High anxiety

40%

Moderately high anxiety

30%

Moderate anxiety

20%

Moderately low anxiety

5%

Low anxiety

5%

Table 1.1: public speakers and anxiety
(Making Friends with your Public Speaking Anxiety Monster, n.d)
Public speaking is a big concern to everyone. English sophomores at AGU are not exceptions.
Public speaking is a very familiar subject to most of English students at AGU because it was added

to their curriculum for many years. Teaching and learning public speaking are carefully prepared
and carried out. Most of English sophomores are imparted basic skills and strategies for a good
public speaker. However, there is a paradox is that English sophomores’ public speaking still not
reach the standard of a good public speaking. English sophomores haven’t applied the skill and
strategies they had learned into study effectively. The evidence is that many English sophomores
give very poor presentations when asked to give a presentation in front of the class although they
know all the necessary skills and strategies for a good public speaking. A question is raised in this
situation is that why can’t English sophomores apply what they have learned about public speaking
into practice? This is also the reason why we launch this research.
This research is implemented to find out the reasons why public speaking skill of English
sophomores have not been applied to practice effectively and from that find out the solutions to
improve public speaking skills of English sophomores at An Giang University. Also, the study
helps English sophomores find the method to use public speaking skill effectively in different
contexts for various purposes and raise their ability of using the actual speaking skill, from that can
help English sophomores to express themselves eloquently and clearly in public.
1.4. The aim
This research aims to investigate (1) how the second year English majored students are aware of the
important of public speaking (2) the reality of the second year English majored students’ public
speaking ability (3) the difficulties and challenges facing the second year English majored students
when studying public speaking.
1.5. Research questions
1. How are the second year English majored students at AGU aware of the importance of public
speaking?
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2. What is the reality of the second year English majored students’ public speaking ability?
3. What are difficulties and challenges facing the second year English majored students in public
speaking?
1.6. Research hypotheses

1. Most of English majored sophomores at AGU have not been aware of the importance of public
speaking. 2. The public speaking ability of English majored sophomores at AGU is bad.
3. The English majored sophomores at AGU face many difficulties and challenges in public
speaking: (1) The English majored sophomores at AGU don’t have time for practicing public
speaking, (2) The English majored sophomores at AGU don’t have enough supporting equipment
and material

for public speaking, (3) The English majored sophomores at AGU don’t have

strategies for public speaking.

1.7. Methodology
1.7.1 Research design: descriptive methodology
1.7.2 Participants
1.7.2.1 Research population
There are 625 students majoring in English including 11 classes (DH10TA, DH10D, DH11TA,
DH11AV, DH12TA, DH12AV, DH13TA, DH13AV, CD35AV, CD36AV,CD37AV). Pedagogy
includes 7 classes (DH10D, DH11AV, DH12AV, DH13AV, CD35AV, CD36AV,CD37AV). There
are 40 English teachers with two teachers who teach public speaking.
1.7.2.2 Research Sample
Because of limited time and ability, this research cannot investigate on all English major students
and all English teachers. We just investigate on students in 12TA (40 students), students in 12AV
(54 students), English teachers: 40 teachers.
Because this research is about public speaking, we only chose the students who are learning public
speaking and some teachers who teach some subjects relating to public speaking to be our sample.
1.7.3 Data collection instruments:
To collect information for answering research questions, a questionnaire including 33 questions is
designed for 69 students from DH12TA and DH12AV. The reason why we choose DH12TA and
DH10AV is that they already learned Public Speaking and easy to contact to get information from.
Also, to collect information for this research, an interview sheet including 3 questions for an

English teacher: Bui Thi Khoi Nguyen.

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CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Introduction
The first section of this chapter will talk about the definition of some key terms that will be the
basic for better understanding the followings. The second section will give some information about
how to become a good public speaker. The third section shows the roles of public speaking.
2.2. Definition of key terms:
2.2.1. What is public speaking?
There are many definitions of public speaking. According to Arina Nikitina (2011), public speaking
is a process, an act and an art of making a speech before an audience. Another definition is that
Public speaking involves talking in front of a group of people, usually with some preparation. It can
be in front of people that you know (e.g. at a family celebration) or a crowd of strangers. Unlike a
presentation there normally isn’t a lot of opportunity for interaction between the audience and the
speaker – the speaker speaks, and the audience (hopefully) listens (Public speaking skills, 2010).
According to James O’Loghlin’s view (2006), Public speaking isn’t just standing up at a wedding
or giving a presentation in a lecture theatre. It is what you do every time you talk to a group of
people. If there are six people at a staff meeting and you speak, then you are public speaking.
Besides, Public speaking is also viewed a transactional process in which a speaker addresses a
relatively large audience with a relatively continuous message (Introducing to public speaking, n.d).
2.2.2. Different types of speech:
Three are 8 types of speech: (1) prepared, (2) project, (3) personal, (4) presentations, (5)
demonstrations, (6) impromptu, (7) introduction, (8) reports (discovering the treasure of public

speaking, n.d).
Three are also another classification is that (1) Informative Speeches (2) Demonstrative Speeches
(3) Persuasive Speeches (4) Special Occasions (Public speaking success, 2010).
2.3 How to become a good public speaker:
To become a good public speaker, we need to captivate the audience instantly and hold their
attention during our speech. By the end of the presentation make the listeners change their beliefs,
even their actions. According to David Harrington & Charles Lebeau (2009), we need to do well in
three fields: (1) The physical message is that the way we stand, where we look, how we use our
hands and vary our voice send a message as well and (2) the visual message is that speech is not
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just about what you say. What you show and how you show it is as important as what you say or (3)
the story message is that a speech is like a story. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end, all
connected together into a single message.
BEEBE Susan, BEEBE Steven (n.d) stated that there are 9 ways to become a good public speaker
including (1) " Speaking with confidence; (2) the Audience-Centered Speechmaking Process; (3)
ethnics and Free Speech; (4) listening to Speeches; (5) analyzing our audience; (6) developing our
speech; (7) gathering supporting material; (8) supporting our speech and Organizing our speech".
Another idea is that to speak in public effectively, learning characteristics of a good speaker is very
important; it makes our speeches have great effect on the people who hear them. There are 10
characteristics to become a good speaker (1) knowledge; (2) preparation; (3) message; (4) language;
(5) self-confidence; (6) enthusiasm; (7) listening skills; (8) sense of self; (9) integrity; (10) sincerity
(Preparing yourself for public speaking, n.d)
Dr. Tony Alessandra (2006) also talks about the essential characteristics of an effective speaker. He
shows that there are 6 characteristics of a good public speaker: (1) understands the needs of his
audience. (2) Attempts to meet those needs as effectively as possible. (3) Is the expert on his subject
and has breadth of knowledge in other areas. (4) Is constantly growing and improving in his
understanding of his areas of expertise and his ability to present his material effectively. (5) Is
enthusiastic about his subject and sincere about conveying his message to the audience. (6) Has a

pleasing voice and appearance.
The Princeton Language Institute and Lenny Laskowski mentions that to become a good public
speaker, we need to use body language efficaciously, including these: (1) Proper speaking posture;
(2) Gestures; (3)Body movement/walking patterns; (4)Facial expression; (5) Eye contact; (6)Your
overall appearance
All in all there are many characteristics to become a good public speaker. It is almost the same
methods. Public speakers are not born. They are made. Someone who is a bad public speaker can
become a good public speaker. And a good public speaker can create as much pleasure as a bad one
can create pain. Good public speakers can inspire, they can move, they can cause the listener to
laugh, cry and give money. Sometimes they can even change a listener's life (James O'Loghlin,
2006)

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2.4. The roles of public speaking:
Public speaking brings many benefits for a person. It can open up very good opportunities for us.
Many college graduates look back on all the courses they took in college and say that public
speaking was one of the most valuable. Here are some of the reasons why this course is
considered so important. (The McGraw−Hill Companies, 2004)
2.4.1. Public speaking and communication
Public speaking is interrelated with communication skills and can be described as a form of
communication. Public speaking does not always mean that you have to give a speech to a large
audience. When you go for an interview, and speak to a group of interviewers or when you are
giving a class presentation; all these are also forms of public speaking. In such situations, if you
have the ability to communicate properly, it can help you shape up your future. (The importance
of public speaking n.d)
Although public speaking is speaking to groups, but you learn also apply to communication with
individuals. Throughout your life-time you will be obliged to talk in situations such as this: You
sit down with a bank executive to ask for a loan so that you can buy a new car. The skills of

nonverbal communication (such as eye contact and facial expression) that you learn in a public
speaking course should help you convey to the banker that you are a trustworthy and reliable
person who will repay the loan. (The McGraw−Hill Companies, 2004)
2.4.2. Public speaking and confidence
Surveys have revealed that most people are afraid of public speaking more than their fear of
death. You can reduce your anxiety to a large extent, if you gather a thorough knowledge of the
subject matter on which you are going to speak. As a result, when you face the audience you just
have to share with them whatever you have learned. The more you practice speaking in public,
you will realize your anxieties and fears associated with it going down quite remarkably. (The
importance of public speaking n.d)
The inherent lack of confidence is something that always acts as a deterrent to effective public
speaking. Such courses, help in building up your confidence. This is done by enhancing a
person’s specific skill sets to generate maximum impact. A person is shown how to maintain eye
contact with the audience, and the various aspects of voice modulation. This will go a long way
in making the person confident about his/her abilities. One of the more important aspects of
confidence building is to have content that is relevant to the topic in question. Moreover,
speakers should also be comfortable with the content and all that is asked from them. (5 reason
why public speaking training is important)
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While attending a funeral service for a beloved aunt, Karen Walker heard the minister give a
brief eulogy and then say, “Would anyone like to say a few words at our ‘open mike’?” A few
people went to the microphone and shared some reminiscences, but most audience members
were silent. “I wanted to pay tribute to my aunt, but I was too scared,” said Walker. “Most of my
relatives had the same reaction. I felt really bad because there were a lot of important things
about my aunt and her life that were never said.” A few years later, Walker took a public
speaking class, and a year or so afterwards, she attended another funeral—for her grandfather.
“This time I vowed that I would not pass up the opportunity to honor a wonderful person. I asked
to be part of the service, and I spoke about my childhood memories of my grandfather.” The

eulogy, said Walker, was enjoyed and appreciated by her family. “A lot of my relatives told me
that I expressed beautifully what they would have said if they had had the courage and skills to
stand up and speak. It gave me a good feeling to know that I could represent the family in this
way.” Being able to speak in public—offering a toast, sharing information, providing
encouragement, attempting persuasion—can bring pleasure and joy to yourself and to others.
Walker said that her success was possible because of what she had learned in her public
speaking class. (The McGraw−Hill Companies, 2004)
2.4.3. Public speaking and promotion
If you want to be a leader, you had better be able to communicate, says corporate communication
professor Paul Argenti. (Kirk Kardashian, 2012)
You develop the oral communication skills that are prized in the job market. When you go to a
job interview, which of the following is most likely to influence the employer when he or she
decides whether to hire you? (1)The reputation of your school: (2) Your grade-point average.
(3) Letters of reference. (4) Technical knowledge in your field. (5) Oral communication skills—
speaking and listening. (6) Written communication skills—reading and writing. (The
McGraw−Hill Companies, 2004)
Research shows that “oral communication skills” is the correct answer—a finding that surprises
many students. Surely “technical knowledge in your field” is the most important factor for jobs
in science and technology, isn’t it? Not according to employers. “Good grades and technical
skills are important, of course,” says Marilyn Mackes, executive director of the National
Association of Colleges and Employers, but they are not as highly prized as oral communication
skills. You can be brilliant in your field, she says, but if you can’t communicate successfully

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with co-workers and the public, your brilliance is of little value. (The McGraw−Hill Companies,
2004)
Once you have a job, being a good communicator can help you win pro-motions. “If a dozen
equally skilled technicians are competing for the job of manager, the winner is most likely to be

the one with the best communication skills,” says Cristina Silva, human resources manager of a
plant in Los Angeles. (The McGraw−Hill Companies, 2004)
2.4.4. Public speaking and Personality Development
When you successfully deliver a good speech, the kind of personal satisfaction you experience is
unparalleled. If you have a sense of self-worthiness, a positive response from the audience can
help you feel more confident. Thus, it can bring about a lot of improvement in your overall
personality. (The importance of public speaking n.d)
2.4.5. Public speaking and relationships
Once you develop good public speaking skills, a marked improvement can be seen in your
interpersonal skills, which in turn, will help you maintain a healthy relationship with your
friends and members of your family. Even in your professional life, an effective interaction with
your boss, clients or subordinates will help you enhance the possibility of your advancement in
your chosen profession. (The importance of public speaking n.d)
Therefore, at any point of time in your life, if you get an opportunity to learn public speaking
skills, grab it without giving it any second thought. Once you learn them, make sure you use the
speaking skills as often as possible, as you can sharpen the skills further by means of more
practice only. The most distinguishing feature of public speaking is to deliver the speech with
full confidence, credibility and conviction. However, when public speaking is not done properly,
there is a possibility of miscommunication that can lead to a lot of misconceptions. (The
importance of public speaking n.d)
There are various minute facets of public speaking that you might not know about. Things like
creating a great first impression, when to give a pause, how to be interactive, the small but
critical mistakes are all brought to a person’s attention in a training program related to public
speaking. (5 reasons why public speaking training is important)
A person should know how and when to use humor in the speech. This would keep the audience
interested and attentive. You can only know about these facets through a public speaking
training course. (5 reasons why public speaking training is important)
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2.5 Public speaking theory:
There have been lots of studies carried with the aim of helping people to enhance public speaking
skill. These studies give very clear guides about how to speak in public best. Helping learner easily
approach a successful speech, David Harrington and Chales LeBeau divide communicative activity
of speech in to “The three messages”. The first one is the physical message. So, what is physical
message? Briefly, physical message is the way we stand; where we look; how we use our hands and
vary our voice send a message. Physical message includes four skill areas: posture, eye contact,
gesture and voice inflection (David Harrington and Chales LeBeau, 2009). David Harrington and
Chales LeBeau(2009) also mention that physical message is an important part of a good public
speaking because it sends a confident, positive, energetic and enthusiastic message to the audience.
The second message is the visual message. The reason why visual message is important is that even
if we stumble over sentences, mispronounce words, or get the numbers wrong, the audience will
still understand. Conveying visual message means using images to convey the information we want
to send to our audience instead of using words. By this method, we can impress the audience; pull
their attention to our speech. “One picture is worth a thousand words” (David Harrington and
Chales LeBeau, 2009). Not only showing them visuals, we must explain to guide them through the
visuals. David Harrington and Chales LeBeau(2009) also show the glossary of visuals including
graphs (consist of vertical bar graph, horizontal bar graph, pie graph, line graph), pictures ( consist
of photograp, illustration, map, diagram), charts (consist of title, overview, bullet, flow). The third
message is the story message. The story message is the way we put our information together into a
standard presentation (David Harrington and Chales LeBeau, 2009). According to David
Harrington and Chales LeBeau, the story message includes three parts: the introduction (where we
get our audience’s attention and preview our story), the body (where transitions connect our visuals
into a story), and the conclusion (where we tell our audience what to remember from our story).
From Paul N. Edwards’s point of view (1998-2004), “No rule applies always and everywhere. But
the following principles work almost all the time”:
1) Talk rather than read. Written academic language is too complex and too awkward for
reading aloud .Just talk — it’s easier to understand, and it allows you to make genuine
contact with your audience. Furthermore, it ultimately helps you to think more clearly, by
forcing you to communicate your points in ordinary terms.

2) Stand up unless you’re literally forced to sit. People can see you better. Standing also
puts you in a dominant position. This may sound politically incorrect, but it’s not.

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Remember, you’re the focus. The audience wants you to be in charge. Listeners need your
help to maintain their attention.
3) Move around, rather than standing still. It’s easier to keep focused on someone who’s
moving than on a motionless talking head. (Hand gestures are good, too.). It’s possible to
overdo this one, though. If you jump around like a pop star you'll distract people from the
content of the talk. Simply walking back and forth from one side of the room to the other
every three or four minutes is probably enough.
4) Vary the pitch of your voice. Monotones are sleep-inducing. Many people don’t
realize they do this. Get a trusted friend or colleague to listen to your delivery and give
you honest feedback. (This is an important principle in itself!) Even better, tape or
videotape yourself and check out how you sound.
5) Speak loudly and clearly, facing the audience. Be careful, especially when using
visual aids, that you continue to face the audience when you speak. An important element
of vocal technique is to focus on the bottom (the deepest pitch) of your vocal range, which
is its loudest and most authoritative tone. (This can be especially important for women.)
Speak from the gut, not the throat. Breathe deeply — it’s necessary for volume, and will
also help you keep your mind clear.
Tip: here are two effective vocal “special effects.” First, when you come to a key phrase
that you want people to remember, repeat it. Second, pause for a few seconds at several
points in your talk; this breaks the monotony of a continuous flow of speech. It also gives
you a chance to sip some water.
6) Make eye contact with the audience. If this is anxiety-inducing, at least pretend to do
so by casting your gaze toward the back and sides of the room. Be careful not to ignore
one side of the audience. Many speakers “side” unconsciously, looking always to the left

or to the right half, or only to the front or the back, of the room.
7) Focus on main arguments. Especially in a conference situation, where talks are short
and yours is one of many, your audience is not going to remember details. In such a
situation, less is more. Give them short, striking “punch lines” that they’ll remember. They
can always read your written work later, but if you don’t get them interested and show
them why it’s important, they won’t want to.
8) Use visual aids. This is one of the most important principles of all. At a minimum,
have an outline of your talk. Some people seem to think they’re giving everything away
by showing people what they’re going to say before they’ve said it. But the effect of a
11


good talk outline is exactly the opposite: it makes your audience want to hear the details.
At the same time, it helps them understand the structure of your thinking. Slides should be
extremely concise and visually uncluttered. 7 lines of text per slide is good; 10 lines is a
lot; 15 lines is pretty much unreadable. Pictures, graphs, and other images are especially
helpful (if they are related to your topic!) People are visual creatures. The old adage that a
picture is worth a thousand words is especially apropos in the context of a talk. Always
choose white or light-colored slide backgrounds. To see dark slides, you’ll have to turn off
the lights. This will make it hard for you to see your notes, and will also tend to put your
audience to sleep. Really, If at all possible, do NOT turn off room lights or close window
shades! Light-colored slides can usually be read with lights on. Don’t talk to the screen. If
you do, not only will the audience be looking at your back, but also they’ll be unable to
hear you. Have a paper version of your outline in front of you; speak from that, rather than
from the one on the screen. This takes practice.
About PowerPoint:
Microsoft PowerPoint — now standard issue in many presentation settings — can be a
great tool, not least because its default presentation formats encourages brevity. But
beware: PowerPoint’s fades, transitions, backgrounds, sound effects, and so on can be a
real pitfall. Preparing glitzy presentations can be a serious time sink for you. Worse, they

can give your audience the impression that you care more about surface than substance.
My recommendation: choose simple, light-colored backgrounds with relatively dark type,
and limit the use of special effects. If you haven't completely mastered the software, don't
use it. Nothing irritates an audience more than watching somebody fiddle with a computer.
Since they introduce many possible points of failure, Murphy's Law applies in spades to
computerized presentation. Something can, and usually does, go wrong with the computer,
the projector, the software, the connector cables, or your presentation itself. One of my
worst experiences as a presenter happened the day my hard disk crashed, permanently, on
slide number 3 of a one-hour talk. What I learned from that: if you insist on using a
computer, bring backup. That's backup, backup, backup. There is no more basic
principle of operating in a high-tech environment. Bring printed notes or outlines. Have a
copy of your presentation on a CD-ROM, a USB key, or some other format that most
computers will accept. Finally, always be mentally prepared to deliver your talk without
the slides, just in case.

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9) Finish your talk within the time limit. Don't make your audience feel tired by running
overtime. Never go on longer than 45 minutes — most people’s maximum attention span.
If you exceed this limit, you’ll lose them at the crucial point, namely your conclusion. In
conference settings, exceeding your time limit is also incredibly rude, since it cuts into
other speakers’ allotted time and/or the discussion period. Don't rely on panel chairs to
enforce time limits; do it yourself. You can make real enemies by insisting on continuing
after your time is up — but nobody has ever been criticized for finishing two minutes
early.
Timing is also crucial. Nothing is more embarrassing — for both you and your audience
— than getting only halfway through your talk before hitting the time limit. The only way
to be sure you time things right is to rehearse your talk. Timing is a complicated, learned
skill that requires a lot of practice — so practice where it's easy, i.e. at home. You are (or

are becoming) a professional presenter. So invest in a watch especially for this purpose.
Some digital watches have countdown timers. These are better than ordinary watches
because you don't have to perform mental math to know how much time remains. But they
only work if (a) you remember to use the timer, (b) the numbers are large and well-lit, so
you can read them while talking, and (c) you're paying attention, so you can turn off the
timer before it begins to beep. An analog watch with large, easy-to-read hands can be
almost as good.
Tip: If you use power point or some other presentation system, you can develop a good
sense of timing by always using the same slide format. After you’ve given a few talks with
the same format, you’ll know about how long it takes you to talk through each slide, and
you can gauge the length of your talk this way (at least roughly).
Another tip: Say you have 20 minutes to talk. When you're rehearsing, mark your notes at
the 5, 10, and 15 minute points, and maybe also the 18-minute point as well. This way you
won't be caught by surprise if you start to run overtime.
My last tip on timing: until you've really mastered presentations, never, ever improvise in
front of an audience. This doesn't mean you can't interrupt yourself to tell a joke or a story,
or digress a bit from the main thread — those can be important techniques for maintaining
attention. What it does mean is that when you're rehearsing, you must rehearse those
things as well, because they take time. If you haven't practiced, you won't know how long
they take. Like a professional comedian or actor, you need to rehearse everything you plan
to do.
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10) Summarize your talk at the beginning and again at the end. “Tell them what
you’re going to tell them; and tell them what you told them”: this ancient principle still
holds. Following this rule helps your audience get your main points. Even more important,
it helps them remember what you said.
11) Notice your audience and respond to its needs. If people seem to be falling asleep
or getting restless or distracted, the problem may not be you. Is the room too hot or too

cold? Is it too dark, or too noisy? Can people see you? Is the microphone on? Is something
outside the room distracting people? Don’t hesitate to stop talking in order to solve these
problems. Alternatively, you may have gone on too long, or you may need to speak
louder.
Whatever the case, notice what’s happening and use it as feedback. If you can’t figure out
why your audience is responding poorly, ask somebody later and fix the problem next
time. If you’re not sure whether people can see or hear, ask someone in the back row
directly. (This is also a good technique for setting up initial communication with your
audience. It makes listeners feel included, and puts you in touch with them as human
beings.)
Tip: NEVER let someone else take control of room conditions. Many audiences —
thinking they’re being helpful — react to slide or computer projectors by jumping up to
turn off lights and close window shades. Unless this is truly necessary, avoid it at all costs,
especially at conferences, which often take place in exceedingly dim rooms. Taking
charge of the talk environment is part of your job as a speaker.
12) Emulate excellent speakers. Perhaps the best way to become an excellent speaker
yourself is to watch really good, experienced speakers and model your talks on theirs.
Notice not just what they say, but what they do: how they move, how they use their
voices, how they look at the audience, how they handle timing and questions. If you find
an excellent model and work hard to emulate that person, you can't go wrong.

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2.6 Strategies for learning public speaking
Public speaking has been concerned thousands years ago. It has been teaching and studying with a
variety of methods. The number of methods of public speaking is increasing day by day. Many
well-known public speakers have many good methods to practice public speaking. Here are some
examples.
Chalmers

There is a rugged type of speaker who transcends and seemingly defies all rules of oratory.
Such a man was the great Scottish preacher Chalmers, who was without polished elocution,
grace, or manner, but who through his intellectual power and moral earnestness thrilled all
who heard him.
He read his sermons entirely from manuscripts, but it is evident from the effects of his
preaching that he was not a slave to the written word as many such speakers have been.
While he read, he retained much of his freedom of gesture and physical expression,
doubtless due to familiarity with his subject and thorough preparation of his message.
John Bright
You can profitably study the speeches of John Bright. They are noteworthy for their
simplicity of diction and uniform quality of directness. His method was to make a plain
statement of facts, enunciate certain fundamental principles, then follow with his argument
and application.
His choice of words and style of delivery were most carefully studied, and his sonorous
voice was under such complete control that he could speak at great length without the
slightest fatigue. Many of his illustrations were drawn from the Bible, which he is said to
have known better than any other book.
Lord Brougham
Lord Brougham wrote nine times the concluding parts of his speech for the defense of
Queen Caroline. He once told a young man that if he wanted to speak well he must first

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learn to talk well. He recognized that good talking was the basis of effective public
speaking.
Bear in mind, however, that this does not mean you are always to confine yourself to a
conversational level. There are themes which demand large treatment, wherein vocal power
and impassioned feeling are appropriate and essential. But what Lord Brougham meant, and
it is equally true to-day, was that good public speaking is fundamentally good talking.

Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke recommended debate as one of the best means for developing facility and
power in public speaking. Himself a master of debate, he said, "He that wrestles with us
strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill. Our antagonist is our helper. This amiable
conflict with difficulty obliges us to have an intimate acquaintance with our subject, and
compels us to consider it in all its relations. It will not suffer us to be superficial.
Burke, like all great orators, believed in premeditation, and always wrote and corrected his
speeches with fastidious care. While such men knew that inspiration might come at the
moment of speaking, they preferred to base their chances of success upon painstaking
preparation.
(Grenville Kleiser,2006)
Public speaking is the one skill no successful person can afford to be without. (Anonymous, n.d)
Good practice in teaching presentations includes three key points - dealing with anxiety and fear of
speaking, guiding learners in preparation and performance stages, and delivering feedback after
performance. Students need to learn (1) use language structures easily and fluently, adapt language
usage to a variety of situations; (2) take part in discussion and express opinions in a culturally
acceptable way, be flexible and be able to respond appropriately to unforeseen situations; (3)
demonstrate the ability to apply learned vocabulary accurately and use a right style, tone, register,
body language, etc. (Galina Kavaliauskiene, n.d)
According to surveys, people are more afraid of public speaking than dying. And, we’re not just
talking about a conference with 500 people. We find employees are just as afraid to present to five
people as they are to 500! There are four tips on how you can incorporate comedy skills into
successful presentations: (1) use Storytelling to Engage Your Audience; (2) Read the audience; (3)
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make Nervous Energy Work in Your Favor; (4) show vulnerability. (Brad Phillips
@MrMediaTraining, 2012).
According to Paul de Burger it has been said that the number one fear for people is public speaking.
Death, apparently, ranks lower on the list. Therefore, as the old Seinfeld joke goes, if you find

yourself at a funeral you would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy.
Here are seven public speaking tips for beginners: (1) Know your material; (2) Know your
audience; (3) presence is everything; (4) practice, practice, practice; (5) be a storyteller; (6) check
out the room before you speak; (7) have fun.
5 Foolproof Ways to Boost Your Public-Speaking Skills: (1) study with the best; (2) pick a passion;
(3) plan ahead; (4) use examples; (5) practice makes perfect. (Matt Villano, 2012)
When learning Speaking of Speech, we need to regard the structures of each unit and catch the
systematically explain (1) what the target skill is; (2) why it is important; (3) how to use the target
skill, and give activities to practice the target skill; (4) having more time interacts how and practice
sections. The Emcee's physical skills, his posture, eye contact, facial expressions, and gestures
make him a great model for students to emulate. (David Harrington Charles LeBeau, 2009).
According to Andrew Dlugan every public speaker must have the 25 public speaking skills: (1)
research a topic; (2) Focus; (3) Organize ideas logically; (4) employ quotations, facts, and statistics;
(5) master metaphor; (6) tell a story; (7) start strong and close stronger; (8) incorporate humor; (8)
vary vocal pace, tone, and volume; (10) punctuate words with gestures; (11) utilize 3-dimensional
space; (12) analyze your audience; (13) connect with the audience; (14) connect with the audience;
(15) interact with the audience; (16) conduct a Q&A session; (17) lead a discussion; (18) obey time
constraints; (19) craft an introduction; (20) exhibit confidence and poise; (21) handle unexpected
issues smoothly; (22) be coherent when speaking off the cuff; (23) seek and utilize feedback; (24)
listen critically and analyze other speakers; (25) act and speak ethically. (2007).
2.7. Practicing public speaking
According to Jenny (2011), there are 8 ways to practice and improve our public speaking skills
1. Download a free recording app on your phone. Practice saying something at your
normal pace, then practice slower, then EVEN slower. Playback so you can hear for yourself
what the three sound like, and even ask a friend which is most clear.
2. Take three deep breaths before starting. For non-yogis: this means taking a slow, steady,
even inhale through the nose (fully engaging your lower belly, ribs, and chest/throat), then
exhaling slowly and evenly through the nose. During both the inhale and the exhale, practice

17

making the sound of the ocean in your throat. These breaths are always incredibly calming
for me and help clear any nervousness in my system.
3. Make it a challenge for yourself to bring more awareness to your speech in every day
interactions. Sometimes even when I’m talking with friends, I will practice not saying “um”
and other speech quirks that come across as unprofessional. Even though these are lowstakes situations, it helps me change my default speech to something that works in any
setting.
4. Give yourself a rating on scale of 1-5 after every class you teach (or training, or
meeting you present at). How do you do? This will bring awareness to the area/s you are
hoping to improve and help you track progress over time.
5.Pretend you are speaking to a non-native English speaker or a five year old. Does your
pacing change? Another trick I use: pretend you are on The Today show, or speaking for the
president, or some other super important thing with high visibility. How would you talk?
How do you want to sound or come across?
6.Channel /observe a speaker or teacher you really respect. What do they do well? Ask if
you can observe them at future events/meetings (if they live locally) – or look for more
examples and videos on YouTube or TED. Bookmark the speeches/speakers you most want
to emulate.
7.Probably most important: ASK FOR FEEDBACK – often! Make sure you have people
who are willing to be honest with you. Ask them one thing you did well, and one area you
can improve (if you just say, “what’s your feedback?” they’ll be hesitant to share
development areas). You might also have people track when you speed up (certain
segments?) and when you slow down, so you get more granular data about where to focus.
8. Clench and release a muscle several times before going up to speak. Try making your
fists into tight balls (or any other muscle — ahem, butt cheeks work too), then release and
repeat. This will give your adrenaline something to do, and often helps stop shaking (which
makes you appear more nervous than you really are) by the time you start.

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CHAPTER 3
METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction
This chapter describes the methodology of the research. In order word, this chapter describes the
instrumentations and process by which data were collected and analyzed during the study to answer
the three research questions:
1. How are English majored sophomores at AGU aware of the importance of public speaking?
2. What is the reality of English sophomores’ English public speaking ability?
3. What difficulties and challenges English majored sophomores have to face in public speaking?
This chapter consists of six sections. The first section of this chapter states the research hypotheses
are mentioned. The second section presents the research population and the research sample which
states who belongs to this section and why they are selected. The third section provides the
information of what instrumentations were applied to carry out the study, and gives the evidences of
their reliability and validity. The two next sections present the data collection and data analysis
process. The last section describes how the researchers can control the validity of the
instrumentations in particular and the study in general and how to settle the reliability of the
instrumentations as well.
3.2 Research design
3.2.1 Participants
The Research population of the study is divided into 2 groups: a group of 2 instructors and a
group of 69 students of 12AV and 12TA in DFL at AGU.
The first group consists of 2 instructors of English (both of them are female) from the
Department of Foreign Language at An Giang University.
The second group includes 69 students of 12AV and 12TA. They are the second-year students
of the Department of Foreign Language. Overall, they are at the ages of from 21 to 23 and have
studied English for an average of 7 years; i.e. they are supposed to have an intermediate level of
English as a foreign language. These students are also considered as the research sample. They have
already learnt Public Speaking 3 time per week. Definitely, both students and teachers frequently

use English to communicate with each other in their classroom setting and outside activities as well.
All of these English majoring juniors are not very confident to speak in public and communicate
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with other people in English. A large number of them sometimes admit that they have a limited
preparation which usually is a barrier to have successful speeches or presentation in classroom. In
addition, students’ body language and eye contact are inadequate to express their speech messages
effectively. Their lack of confidence and preparation when communicating also drives them not to
speak fluently and naturally. Besides, Public Speaking with its big issues is rather difficult for
students talk about so it sometimes can frustrate students from achieving the high effectiveness of
communication. However, with these big issues, students have more opportunities to practice their
Public Speaking skill. As a result, their Public Speaking skill may be improved more and more.
In short, the section consists of the background information of the research population of the
students and teachers and the supplement of an explicit description of their communication ability.
3.2.2 Instruments:
3.2.2.1 Questionnaires for students:
The questionnaire for students consists of two parts:
The first part of the questionnaire gives us some personal information of students.
The second part of the questionnaire include in three parts with 33 questions. The questions focus
on the student’s awareness about the importance of public speaking, the reality of English
sophomores’ English public speaking ability, and what some difficulties and challenges of English
sophomores’ English public speaking ability are. Particularly, the first seven questions ask the
students’ awareness how important public speaking is and its role in life. The four next questions
refer to the physical message which the students use in public speaking. The two next questions
discuss on the students’ attitude when they speak in front of the crowd. How the students
’preparation in public speaking are refer in two next questions. The 2.9 question investigate the
students’ appearance when they are in public speaking. The 2.10 question asks whether the students
add humor in their speech. The two next questions ask the students for using the visual message
effectively or not. The question 2.13 talks about transitions and sequencers. The 2.15 and 2.16

questions explore the students’ attitude answer their audience when they get confused some
information. The 2.14 and 2.17 questions talk about the ways help students present their speech
effectively. The three next questions check whether the students’ performance is good. Question
2.21 and 2.22 refer to activities to improve the students’ public speaking. The final four questions
discuss the difficulties the students deal with speaking in front of the crowd.

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3.2.2.2 Informal interview with teachers
The purpose of these interviews is to explore teachers’ ideas about the reality of public
speaking ability of English majored sophomores. An interview checklist including 3 questions were
designed to ask 2 the teachers teaching English majored sophomores public speaking. The three
questions were in Vietnamese, and the interviews were taken in friendly and comfortable
atmosphere so that the teachers could feel free to share their ideas. Besides, the researchers also told
them in advance the information they provided will be kept in secret. The researchers listened to the
teachers’ answers carefully and took notes at the same time.
The questions for informal interview with teachers included these following questions:
How do you think English majored sophomores are aware of the importance of public speaking
skill? How do they learn in class?
What is your idea about English majored sophomores’ public speaking ability?
In your opinion, what difficulties English majored sophomores have to face in public speaking?
3.2.3 Study time-frame
Table 3.1: Study time-frame
No.
1
2
3

Contents

General outline for the proposal
Designing and piloting the instruments
Delivering the questionnares and making the

Time
07/01/3013 to 13/01/2013
18/02/2013 to 24/02/2013
25/02/2013 to 03/03/2013

survey
4
5
6

Analyzing the data
Writing the result report
Getting ideas from supervisor and

11/03/2013 to 17/03/2013
29/04/2013 to 05/05/2013
06/05/2013 to 12/05/2013

7
8

experts in the field
Revising / Printing
Report the result

13/05/2013 to 19/05/2013

20/05/2013

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3.3 Validity and Reliability
The study is believed to be valid and reliable because of the following reasons:
Firstly, the questionnaires for students and teachers were designed carefully in order to answer the
research questions.
Secondly, the collected data from the students and teacher, and the informal interview with the
teachers were synthesized and analyzed by SPSS software. Therefore, the findings were really
precise and suitable.
In conclusion, this chapter has discussed the information of collecting and analyzing the data from
both the instructors and the students. The validity and reliability could be surely guaranteed. The
next chapter will show the results of this survey.

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CHAPTER 4
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Introduction:
This chapter presents the results of the research derived from the survey at An Giang University.
The discussion of the obtained results is organized in three main parts. First, that is the discussion
of findings from the teachers and students’ questionnaires. The second part focuses on the test
results. The last part analyzed the data collected from the informal interview with the teachers and
the students
4.2 Findings and discussion:
4.2.1 Findings from the questionnaire for students
4.2.1.1 General information

According to the survey, the amount of females (84.1%) is more than the amount of males (15.9%),
because the majority of students in English department are females. There are only a small number
of males studying English.
It can be seen clearly in chart 1:

Chart 1: Students’gender

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From the research, 60.9% of students in the sample are in class 12AV. The remainder is in class
12TA, it accounts for 39.1%. It was easier to get the information from students 12AV, because we
studied in Chinese class with them.
It can be shown clearly in chart 2:

Chart 2: Students’ major

Through the survey, there are 63.6% of students has studied English for 7 to 9 years. 36.4% of
students has studied English for 10 to 13 years. Many students came from countryside, so they did
not have chance to study English early as students in the city. It can be seen clearly in chart 3:

Chart 3: How long the students have studied English
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4.2.1.2 Students’ awareness about the important of public speaking
In general, the students had various ideas or feelings around the importance of Public Speaking. It
was reflected through the questionnaires investigating the students’ opinion. But the majority of the
students high evaluate the importance of Public speaking. 94.2 % students believe that public
speaking is very important for their study as well as their future job. There is a very small amount

of students give the opposite opinion. Only 1.4% students think that Public speaking is not
important for their future job, 2.9% students think that Public Speaking is not important for their
study. This can be seen clearly in the two charts below:

Chart 4: Students’ opinion about importance of Public speaking in their future job.

Chart 5: Students’ opinion about importance of Public speaking in their study.
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