Talking and listening skills

We've just been looking at writing in a way that is easy for your readers to understand. Now we're going to look at speaking in a way that is easy for your listeners to understand.

When you speak, you should follow these simple guidelines:

• Speak at a speed that is not too fast and not too slow
• Speak so that everyone can hear you
• Make eye contact with your listeners
• Use the correct words for the occasion
• Speak so that the listeners understand
• Prepare your talk so that it's got a beginning, a middle and an end
• The beginning contains an introduction to your talk
• The middle contains the points you want to make
• The end contains your conclusion
• Think about what questions you might get asked, so that you will know what to say.

Plan your talk according to the occasion. If you're just talking to friends, you can be less formal and less organisation is needed. If you're delivering a presentation, you should be more formal and you need to be organised.