Articulation The art of Being Understood.

Every letter is important! OOOOn the weekends I like to catch a bus and go out on the town.  On the weekends I like to catch a buz and go out on the town.

Speaking vs. Articulation Speaking-our ability to form sounds and use them to communicate abstract ideas and feelings Articulation-shaping of speech sounds into recognizable oral symbols that go together to make up a word

Major articulators:  Tongue  teeth  lips  hard and soft palates

Other Articulation information  Vowels-formed by changing the size of oral cavity and shape of mouth i.e.  Consonants-formed by using the tongue, lips, and teeth i.e. (m, l)

 English alphabet- 26 letters 26 letters  English language Sounds- 45 different sounds 45 different sounds 25 consonant sounds25 consonant sounds 20 vowel sounds20 vowel sounds

Improving Vocalization  Pitch-highness or lowness of sound you make  Melody-variations in pitch that help to give expression to person’s voice  Monotone-melody pattern that consists of 1 tone

 Volume-loudness or intensity of voice  Rate-speed at which you talk…normal speed is from 120 to 160 words a minute

 nasality-too much nasal resonance of vocal sounds  breathiness-too much unvoiced air escaping through vocal cords when a person is speaking 4 common quality problems with the voice

 harshness-unpleasant or grating sound that may sound hard or metallic…speaking with too much tension in larynx area i.e. people who play sports, who are used to keeping neck muscles tense,have this problemi.e. people who play sports, who are used to keeping neck muscles tense,have this problem  hoarseness-thickness of sound or a muffled or rasping sound

4 common articulation problems  leaving out a sound i.e. dropping “L” in the word help or dropping “D” in the word friendi.e. dropping “L” in the word help or dropping “D” in the word friend  substituting one sound for another i.e. alright becomes awrighti.e. alright becomes awright

 adding an extra sound i.e. adding r’s to the end of words like “idea” becomes “idear”i.e. adding r’s to the end of words like “idea” becomes “idear”  transposing sounds i.e. ask becomes aksi.e. ask becomes aks

Sending effective messages  breathe properly  use standard English  articulate clearly  use vocal variety and appropriate emphasis

Dressing for Success! Suggestions not rules… Career oriented dress suggestions

Dressing for Success! Navy BlueMost persuasive color is Navy Blue Dress will depend on place of employment, but suggested to not dress less than Khakis Be conservative and neat in appearance

Males Navy Blue Suit Red Tie Clean Shave No Jewelry (except watch and wedding ring) Quality Shoes

Females Navy Blue or Beige Suit Heels no higher than 2 inches Skirt length should not be more than 2 inches above the knee Jewelry should be kept to a minimum