communication Archives - Communication and Beyond

Why Effective Communication is Vital for Startup Founders

Uncovering the Power of Effective and Persuasive Communication Through Pitcher Zee 5’s Story! Effective communication is essential for any successful business. It is essential for building relationships, inspiring action, and getting results. Persuasive communication can help you to make a lasting impression on your audience and to get them to take action. A great example of effective and persuasive communication is the story of Pitcher on Zee 5. In this article, I will uncover the power of effective and persuasive communication through the Zee 5 series Pitcher. Introduction to Effective and Persuasive Communication Effective and persuasive communication is the art of connecting with an audience in order to influence their decisions or actions. It is a skill that can help you to build relationships, increase sales, and solve problems. It requires a deep understanding of the audience, their needs, and the message that you are trying to convey. It is important to be able to craft a message that is both clear and compelling. Persuasive communication is the art of using words, body language, and visual elements to create an impactful and memorable message. Effective and persuasive communication is essential for any business. Whether you are a small business owner or a corporate executive, you need to be able to communicate effectively and persuasively. Effective and persuasive communication will help you to make a lasting impression on your audience and to get them to take action. The Benefits of Effective and Persuasive Communication Effective and persuasive communication has many benefits. It can help you to build relationships and trust with your audience, increase sales, and motivate people to take action. It can also help you to explain complex ideas in a clear and concise manner. Effective communication is essential for any successful business. The Story of Pitcher on Zee 5 Pitcher is a story of a small startup enthusiast who had a great idea for a product that could help to solve a problem. He had been struggling to get his business off the ground and he needed to find a way to get the word out. He decided to create a powerful elevator pitch that he could use to convince potential investors to invest in his product. Naveen crafted an elevator pitch that was concise, clear, and compelling. He was able to effectively communicate the value of his product and why people should invest in it. He was able to make a lasting impression on his audience and get them to take action. The Art of the Elevator Pitch The elevator pitch is a short, persuasive speech that you use to communicate the value of your product or service to potential customers or investors. It is a powerful tool for convincing people to take action and invest in your business. An effective elevator pitch is concise, clear, and compelling. It is to be tailored to the specific audience and target their needs. The elevator pitch is an important tool for entrepreneurs, business professionals, and salespeople. It is important to be able to craft a compelling elevator pitch that will effectively communicate the value of your product or service. Analyzing Pitcher Zee 5’s Story The founder was able to use effective and persuasive communication to make a lasting impression on his audience and get them to take action. He was able to craft a powerful elevator pitch that was concise, clear, and compelling. He was able to explain the problem that he was trying to solve and the value of his product in a clear and concise manner. He was also able to focus on the benefits of his product and make it personal to his audience.

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Assertiveness – An Introduction || SkillsYou Need

Uncategorized / Archana Parmar

Assertive communication is a style of speaking that allows one to convey their demands and feelings in a straightforward but courteous way. Researchers have found that being assertive in communication leads to better results across the spectrum, from the academic achievement of elementary school students to the job satisfaction of experienced professionals. This blog post is to help you know more about assertive communication, how it differs from other communication styles, and how you may develop your own assertiveness. Continue reading to find out how speaking up politely can elevate your interpersonal and career interactions and help you accomplish your objectives. When we relate with people, we behave or communicate with them in three ways- Communication in the passive style reveals a lack of respect for one’s own demands and rights. The majority of passive people either don’t communicate wants at all, or they do so in a timid, apologetic way that makes them difficult to hear and dismiss. A subservient/passive individual may believe they have spoken clearly while in fact their message was completely misunderstood due to its ambiguity. However, the expression of feelings wants, and ideas in a hostile/arrogant/dominant manner is known as the aggressive mode. It is an “attack” or “move intended to cause harm.” The assertive form of communication enables a person to uphold their self-respect, express and pursue their wants clearly, protect their rights and personal space without dominating or abusing others, and keep their sense of self-respect. It validates one’s ability to exist in the world and express needs, wants, thoughts, and feelings. Let’s look at these three styles in detail- Understanding Passive style One upside of communicating in a passive manner is that it helps in avoiding conflict. The kind of conflict that can be extremely frightening to some people can be avoided, delayed, or at the very least hidden by saying ‘yes’. People are born assertive but are trained by their parents, elder siblings, teachers, and other adults to be passive/submissive/obedient. These are frequently complimented for their good behaviour; they are described as “kind,” “unselfish,” and “good sports.” “Nice” also carries a cost. People who are submissive comply with everyone’s preferences and demands rather than making their own decisions. Remember that every surrender is a repression of anger, and that anger eventually seeps into any affection that people may feel. Tragically, obedient people behave in this way in attempt to win someone’s love, but their very nature eventually leads to disagreement and separation. Understanding Aggressive Behaviour The person who is aggressive seeks to satisfy their desires, even at the expense of someone else. Three main ways that aggressive communication and behaviour pay off are that the aggressive person is more likely to meet their material demands, be able to defend their personal space, and appear to have control over both their own and other people’s lives. Aggression has a number of negative consequences as well. People that are violent are highly afraid; they act aggressively not because they feel powerful but rather because they feel vulnerable. Their propensity for making enemies ultimately leaves them more exposed and afraid. Aggressive persons frequently alienate others and are not well-liked or adored. The alienation is a very compelling motivation to address this problem. Understanding Passive-aggressive behaviour Individuals who communicate in a passive-aggressive manner frequently convey their ideas and emotions in a hazy or perplexing manner. These people may at first seem quiet, but they eventually respond angrily in indirect ways. People who use passive-aggressive communication styles may feel helpless, stuck, or resentful about their present situation, yet they may be unable to address it directly. Instead, they can use suppressed anger expressions to try to undermine the cause of their hatred. Outward collaboration and internal irritation and resentment are common characteristics of passive-aggressive behaviour. Understanding Assertive Behaviour The power to assert yourself is associated with higher self-esteem, and assertive people usually like themselves more than the other two categories. By making a person more at ease with themselves and hence more comfortable to be around, assertiveness typically promotes stronger relationships. Being assertive significantly lowers fear and anxiety, allowing people to discharge pleasant energy toward one another. Being aggressive increases a person’s chances of getting what they desire in life and from other people. Although being assertive doesn’t always ensure that you receive what you want or need, it’s still generally the best course of action. Does being assertive comes at a cost? Ofcourse, it does. Learning to be assertive requires work and can be challenging. It is difficult to change a regular communication style. Communicating your needs, wants, or feelings openly and honestly can be extremely unpleasant if it results in conflict or rejection. Being assertive is being prepared to take the chance of going through a fight in the hopes of creating a connection that is more genuine, satisfying, and intimate. It’s not an easy decision to decide to focus on being assertive. However, it is the only way to take control of one’s life and get out of a rut of compulsive tendencies picked up in unhealthy relationships. The ability to have and exercise choice, as well as learning to accept other people’s choices, are all skills that can be developed through assertiveness. Assertiveness for leaders: If I had to choose one skill for most leaders to work on, it would be assertiveness. Not because assertiveness is such a great quality in and of itself. Rather, because of its ability to accentuate a wide range of other leadership qualities. Every leader wants to be more self-assured, but very few know how to assert themselves. Being assertive lies somewhere between being passive and aggressive. You might come across as submissive if you don’t speak up when you have anything to say. And if you’re adamant about your point of view, you might appear unfriendly or, worse, a bully. You can express yourself without being passive or confrontational if you learn to be assertive, and you’ll have a better chance of receiving what you want. For all

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7 Easy Ways to Improve Your Verbal Communication Skills

Communication, Presentations, Public Speaking, Speaking Skills / Archana Parmar

It’s easy to get people’s attention, what counts is getting their interest.” — A. Philip Randolph If you haven’t been snoozing the past couple of years, you have likely also noticed an overabundance of electronic tools that are designed to steal your attention and interest. Social media platforms Facetime, Skype, zoom, Webex, teams whatsapp Video games, YouTube, and satellite or cable TV Email, blogs, vlog, podcasts and what not! All of these above-mentioned tools promise to give you a better choice to communicate effectively. My question to you is- What percentage of these attention-grabbing distractions also engages your sincere interest and make some meaningful contributions? Effective verbal communication Physical interaction is an inevitable part of life, and you have verbal interactions with hundreds of people every day. However, verbal communication in the office is very different from verbal communication in any other setting simply because you need to uphold a certain standard of decency or professionalism. Therefore, understanding how to enhance verbal communication abilities can be really beneficial. The word communication means sharing the same ideas. Or, the exchange of information, including facts, ideas, views, sentiments, and attitudes. The foundation of management is communication. Without good communication, the fundamental tasks of management (planning, planning, staffing, monitoring, and management) cannot be completed successfully. Transferring information or messages from one person or group to another takes place during two-way communication. This process continues with a minimum of one sender and recipient involved in the message transmission. These messages may take the form of any concepts, fantasies, feelings, or thoughts. It can be in any form, any medium. But nothing beats the impact that you make with verbal communication. There is no denying the significance of verbal communication. We don’t get much practise, though, in a time when it’s much simpler to pick up your phone and send a nameless text than to drive to a coffee shop for a face-to-face conversation. Sign up to gain access to Free Webinar Webinar on Assertive Communication, now for FREE Watch the webinar now Loading… Thank you! You have successfully joined our subscriber list. How can you improve your verbal communication skills in this hybrid world? Let me put forth some of the crucial techniques you may use on a regular basis to help you understand the elements of verbal communication and ensure that you make the most of the situation. These are the 7 methods for enhancing verbal communication: 1. Pay attention without distraction. Put your phone aside when someone is speaking to you. Even if you’re a master multitasker, pay close attention to what they’re saying and maintain an uninterrupted discussion. 2. Structure your thoughts. Speaking without a structure or mindlessly while communicating is perhaps the worst thing you can do, and you may not even be aware that you are doing it. When you are among family or close friends, it is perfectly acceptable to do this, but when you are working, it may be quite costly. Therefore, even though a moment of silence between two professionals can be a little unpleasant, taking a moment to reflect before responding or making a comment can actually help you communicate better. This little pause enables you to take in what is being said, process it appropriately, and formulate a response. 3. Keep it clear and concise. Written and verbal communication are very different from one another in a number of ways. One of the key distinctions that must be noted is that while redundancy is used in written communication, it is not used in vocal communication. This means that you should always attempt to communicate your ideas clearly and concisely anytime you are speaking with someone. Most of the time, you might only have a short amount of time to convey a message to an audience or your boss. Being brief helps because you don’t want to take up their time at that time. The easiest approach to achieve this is to first ask yourself some questions to understand how you can present this message/information in the least possible words. 4. Practice outside of your workplace Spend some time socialising with people outside of the workplace. The greatest method to improve your communication skills is to practise, so find a weekly activity in your community that involves interacting with new people. Instead of concentrating on just one social skill, it will automatically assist you in developing all of them. 5. Maintain Eye Contact for effective verbal communication When speaking to others, keeping eye contact is crucial. Even if you’re not self-conscious or disinterested in the discussion, if you can’t make eye contact with the person you’re speaking to or your eyes are darting all over the place, it can give the impression that you are. So, keep that in mind when conversing with others to look them in the eye. 6. Pauses are okay We’re taught to avoid awkward silences, although pauses for contemplation and thought are a common feature of the flow of discourse. If your conversation partner pauses, give them a moment to collect their thoughts before you speak to break the ice. To respond thoughtfully rather than with the first thought that enters your mind, don’t be scared to take a moment to yourself. 7. Keep Your Tone in Check Whether you are aware of it or not, your tone has a significant impact on verbal communication and how your audience responds to you. Always keep your voice cheerful, light, and warm, and always finish your sentences with a smile. This will emphasize your friendliness. On the other hand, watch out for sounding robotic or uninteresting. This is a simple way to turn off your audience and come out as uninterested in the subject at hand. Refining your communication abilities takes time. Furthermore, there is no ideal, universal approach to doing so. But the saying “practise makes perfect” holds a lot of merit, and improving your vocal communication abilities is no exception. Your tone, when combined with correct pronunciation, communicates the message with

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importance of paralinguistic in communication

Everything You need to know about paralinguistic communication

Communication, Non-verbal / Archana Parmar

Speaking allows you to accomplish a lot more than just talking. The impact of body language, facial expression, and nonverbal speech characteristics (pitch, speed, tone, accent, pronunciation and articulation are paralinguistic features of nonverbal communication) is much more than most people even realise. The breakdown of communication, according to studies from the 1960s that have been frequently verified and repeated, is 55 – 38 – 7. 55% of it is, body language (kinesics) 38% of communication is nonverbal yet vocal (paralanguage) 7% of it is language Therefore, only 7% of how you come across to others when you communicate is influenced by what you say. Everything else determines the other 93 percent of the effect you have. The exchange of information without using words is known as nonverbal communication. Nonverbal communication falls into two main categories: 1- Body language. 2- Paralanguage. Para-what? The term “Paralinguistic Communication.” Isn’t it a big load? What Paralinguistic Communication really means is: When you talk, what are you saying with your voice rather than your words? Let’s talk about paralinguistic elements of communication. Paralanguage is an essential part of non-verbal communication and as it is non-verbal, it does not consist of words but without it words do not convey the intentional meaning. Paralanguage refers to all non-verbal communication (anything spoken or done without using words). Para means “like,” hence “paralinguistic” is the systematic study of how a speaker verbalises. Paralanguage is literally “like language.” Paralanguage reveals what people are communicating even when the words are not spoken. Sign up to gain access to Free Webinar Webinar on Assertive Communication, now for FREE Watch the webinar now Loading… Thank you! You have successfully joined our subscriber list. Importance of paralinguistic in communication We’ve all heard people conversing in social settings, public spaces, and workplaces, as well as in rooms close by. Although we may not be able to hear what they are saying clearly, we can infer what they are discussing by the way they speak, including their voice, tone, pitch, and intensity. We may make out what they are talking about, i.e. is there some serious matter, or a joke, enjoyment or fight. This is the power of paralanguage that the voice communicates something beyond language. Body language describes a person’s postures, gestures, and facial expressions. Non-lexical aspects of speech, such as pitch, tone, intonation, volume, pauses, etc., are referred to as paralanguage. The primary distinction between body language and paralanguage is that one studies the nonverbal aspects of speech while the other studies the motions and poses of the entire body-aka-paralinguistic communication activities. Paralinguistic communication in business- Paralanguage is everything in your voice other than the actual words that you are saying. It can be helpful to know and appreciate how paralanguage affects clarity in order to have more productive conversations at work. Managers’ organisational influence and communication effectiveness can both rise when they can create higher degrees of logical consistency between the words they speak and the paralanguage that goes along with them. Writing and verbal communication abilities are indeed critical components of professional success, according to a number of studies. The appropriate use of language is linked to employee resistance, misinterpretation, lost employee effort, conflict, and general labour relations. As leaders gain greater influence and power, the idea becomes even more crucial. They will find it challenging to express their strategic visions effectively if they unintentionally send out conflicting messages that are viewed differently by various groups of society. To illustrate it further, when giving an employee praise, support, or helpful criticism at work, a manager’s tone can say a lot. A pleasant voice conveys respect, admiration, and a desire to assist. Workers love working for a motivated leadership whose words and actions are consistent. On the other hand, when talking with subordinates, managers who raise their voice or use a sarcastic or insulting tone may frighten workers. Make sure your tone of voice supports the message you want to convey while speaking to staff. Body language Body language is a form of nonverbal communication. Body language is the intentional or unconscious use of physical activity such as gestures, body posture, eye movement, and facial expressions to communicate sentiments and intentions. However, it’s also critical to remember that how body language is interpreted varies across nations and cultures. For instance, while making direct eye contact may be regarded as impolite in some cultures, it may also be seen as a sign of sincerity and honesty in others. Paralanguage, to understand the emotions being expressed through nonverbal aspects of speech, such as speech rate, pitch of voice, tone, volume, modulation, inflection, accent, and accentuation, are observed. For instance, speaking with a forceful tone and constant pitch gives the impression of authority. Anger is typically shown by speaking at a high pitch and in an accusing, spiteful manner. The study of paralanguage also includes the study of speech pauses, interruptions, and respiratory features like gasps and sighs. These characteristics also enable us to ascertain a person’s moods and emotions. For instance, gasps could signify shock, disgust, or disbelief. Conflicts There are often contradictions between our paralanguage and actual spoken language because we don’t always say what we mean. For example, a smile on the face may contradict an aggressive tone of voice, or we may express our enthusiasm for something while slouching, being preoccupied with something else, or adopting a defensive body posture. Two general guidelines are applicable when such disputes arise: People always accept the bigger figure; thus, they are more likely to believe your paralanguage than your words because the former accounts for 93% of your effect while the latter only accounts for 7%. People are skewed toward the negative, so if you speak in a positive tone but take an aggressive attitude, people are more likely to be swayed by that. Advantages of Paralanguage No oral communication is complete without paralanguage as it is closely connected to language itself. To a large extent, paralanguage indicates the position and situation of

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Speaking is controlled breathing. Did you know?

Presentations, Public Speaking, Speaking Skills, Uncategorized / Archana Parmar

Breathe in- Breathe out Rather I should be saying stomach in- stomach out. That’s how we were designed to breathe by default. The rhythm of breathing creates electrical activity in the human brain that enhances emotional judgments and memory recall, scientists have discovered for the first time. These effects on behavior depend critically on whether you inhale or exhale and whether you breathe through the nose or mouth.—study results (Northwestern University). Why am I talking about respiratory system today? Well, we all have seen, heard, experienced the benefits of deep-breathing ever since this pandemic happened. It might seem a common thing to discuss. But today, I am discussing this with reference to leadership communication. Yes, you read it right. Breathe Well You’ve been breathing since birth; it’s just that a majority of us breathe from lungs, including me, till a few years ago when I came to know of lungs’s functioning. The only thing that stuck with me – lungs- the main respiratory organs, I forgot the diaphragm’s contribution. The diaphragm is a thin skeletal muscle that sits at the base of the chest and separates the abdomen from the chest. It contracts and flattens when you inhale. This creates a vacuum effect that pulls air into the lungs. When you exhale, the diaphragm relaxes and the air is pushed out of lungs. –www.healthline.com My involvement with communication studies got me notice the role our posture, voice, and breath plays to make it effective. While working with my clients, I realized most people are completely unaware of what they’re doing with their breathing system, again because, they never cared just as we don’t pay attention to our feet while walking, or our teeth while chewing or even our heart while it is pumping. Breathing is so much more than just an auto programmed feature of our bodies. So if you want to sound inspired and inspiring, read on, and be ready to boost your influence. Speaking is controlled breathing Every time you speak your exhale. Hold your hand next to your mouth and speak- did you feel the warmth of your breath? Now, try to speak something as you inhale from your nostrils- see! Breathing well is the first step of speaking well. It means you need enough air in your lungs to breathe out words and sentences. This means that you need to breathe in adequately before you speak. It also helps you in producing a good and confident voice- we will be talking more on voice quality later. Check your breathing There is a very simple way to check your breathing pattern for yourself. Stand straight, place one hand on your belly and another hand on your chest. Watch yourself in the mirror. Breathe naturally and calmly, and notice which part of your body moves the most. If you breathe well you should find that most of the movement is in your belly. As you breathe in, your belly should expand outwards. Stomach out As you breathe out, your belly should retract. Stomach in That’s how the babies breathe. If you find a great deal of movement in your chest rather than your belly, or if your shoulders rise and fall as you breathe, this means you are not breathing effectively and indirectly it is preventing you from using your voice properly. How to breathe? Lie down on your back, knees bent up. Place one hand on your belly and another hand on your chest. Breathe out all the air from your lungs and close your mouth. Do not breathe in again until your body tells you to. Feel the vaccum. Now, let your body to breathe in for you, it will happen automatically. With this breath, you should start to feel your belly rising up and you may find that the breath you take is somewhat deeper. Breathe it all out again immediately and notice how your belly drops back to its original position. Wait for the next in-breath. Practise technique for about 10 minutes, and observe the sense of release and freedom in your belly as you breathe. You should start to feel calmer and more relaxed. Gradually you will practice this breathing pattern when you are sitting, then standing and then 24*7. Belly-breathing or diaphragmatic breathing gives you a skill, essential for successful and authoritative speaking. Breathe in- Breathe out Stomach in- stomach out Did you get your copy of my book- ‘Business English and Leadership Communication’? Available versions- kindle and paperback.

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Are you Suffering from Mute English?

29 Comments / Communication, English language, Speaking Skills / Archana Parmar

Mute English Let’s talk about some moments that can make or break your impression especially the first one. You have been waiting for this moment! You are supposed to introduce a new idea/product to your audience. Excitement!!! You are called by your manager to discuss the appraisals forms. This is the interview, you’ve been preparing for! You finally managed to schedule a meeting with that special someone! You are with a premium potential client you’ve been eyeing on. It is time to talk about what you have been planning for a long time. You know what you are going to say, you are confident of the facts and figures that you are going to talk about. BUT… your brain freeze of words. The words simply refused to come out of your throat!!! You feel like words are choking inside!!! Have YOU EXPERIENCED this? It feels nerve wrenching! Yes, you have. Don’t worry… I know how it feels as I have experienced this couple of times. I am writing this for you to help you overcome the ‘MUTE ENGLISH’ also known as ‘DUMB ENGLISH’. It hasn’t helped you so far, trust me it isn’t going to help in future as well, at all. Mute English is a term coined to describe a phenomenon where a person can read and understand the English language as a second, third or foreign language but cannot speak it well. Now you understand what I am talking about. Don’t you? Next I want to bring your attention to the reason behind this. Why do we get stuck for words or why do we go mute while speaking? It happens for reasons such as : • You can’t think of an appropriate word for what you want to say next. • You experience momentary brain freeze of words and phrases. • You haven’t been working on your active vocabulary. • You experience nervousness or anxiety. • You have a fear of being wrong/fear of being judged/fear of saying something right in a wrong way. None of these deserve to become a hurdle in your way to success. Mute English occurs because you have been told to put an emphasis on literacy, grammar, and correctness in language education. What you need to remember is that you are using a language which is not your first language. So the easiest approach to break the pattern of mute English is to build and practice your active vocabulary. All of us have two types of vocabulary: passive as well as active. Active vocabulary: words from the target language that we use actively in the speech producing skills i.e., speaking and writing. Passive vocabulary: we understand many words as and when we come across them while reading, listening, but we don’t use them while speaking or writing. This results in the loss of retaining that word in our active vocabulary. You need to bring more and more words in your active vocabulary; frequent use of these words will make you comfortable with the usage and retention of the same in your active list. Remember: Rome was not built in a day. Developing active vocabulary will require time and dedication. * Start adding 6 new words a week (trust me it is practical and possible). * Learn the words in association (do not just learn the meaning but also the usage) * Learn new words in relation to the context. * Start with learning synonyms of most commonly used words. For example: the word ‘important’ is the one that I use frequently, so I started developing my active vocabulary by learning 6 synonyms of the word “important”. Important * essential *vital *significant *crucial *influential *necessary Next, I looked at the usage and purpose of all these words. • Building the list of active words and practising the same is important to build vocabulary. • Building the list of active words and practising the same is essential to build vocabulary. • Building the list of active words and practising the same is influential to build vocabulary. • Building the list of active words and practising the same is necessary to build vocabulary. • Building the list of active words and practising the same is crucial to build vocabulary. • Building the list of active words and practising the same is vital to build vocabulary. * Building the list of active words and practising the same is significant to build vocabulary. (www.thesaurus.com has played an important role in helping me overcome the phenomenon of mute English). Stages of learning a second, third or foreign language Stephen Krashen divides the process of second-language acquisition into five stages: 1. Pre-production 2. Early production 3. Speech emergence 4. Intermediate fluency 5. Advanced fluency The first stage, pre-production, is also known as the silent period. Here, the learners start with a receptive vocabulary of up to 500 words all basic ones, but they do not yet speak their second language. Surprisingly, not all learners go through a silent period. Some learners start speaking straight away, with the distorted meanings most of the time, but they are able to recall those few words. In the second stage, the learners are able to speak in short phrases of one or two words. They can also remember chunks of language, although they may make mistakes when using them. Vocabulary is around 1000 words. The third stage learners have their vocabulary increased to around 3000 words, and they can communicate using simple questions and phrases with grammatical errors. Stage four learners have a vocabulary of approximately 6000 words, and can use complicated sentence structures. They are also able to share their thoughts and opinions in the second language, English here. At the fifth or the final stage, the learners can function at a level close to native speakers. The overall process of learning and mastering a second or a foreign language is more of a thought process and the development of self-awareness, rather than academic qualifications or certifications. Be observant of your

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How to learn the rhythm of English Language

25 Comments / Communication, English language / Archana Parmar

Whether we like it or not, people who articulate well, both privately and in front of a group, are generally perceived to be more intelligent and possess greater leadership qualities. -Zig Ziglar English is a language of rhythm where the speaker alternates between stressed and unstressed words at regular intervals, with the stresses falling within content words. Learn to identify the content words and syllables to be stressed in those words. Rhythm- the way stressed and unstressed syllables make patterns in speech. While speaking in English language, we usually give more stress to content words, mainly nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs, and less stress-to the supporting words, such as pronouns, determiners, prepositions, conjunctions and auxiliary verbs. The content words help us create an image in our head; they give us the main idea of the story and tell the listener where to focus his or her attention. Practising this helps our listener to be able to grasp the main content of our speech. Hence, it is highly recommended that we make the content words easier to hear by bringing attention to them, i.e, by stressing them. Samantha is going to chair the meeting. On the other hand, the supporting words (also called the grammatical support or function words) are the words that are used to make our sentences grammatically appropriate. If we do not make the appropriate use of the supporting words in our sentences, our listener would still get the main idea of what we are saying with little bit of difficulty but it certainly will not make us a proficient user of English Language. Samantha chair meeting. Once you learn to differentiate between content words and function words and use the same appropriately, it will be easier for you to learn the rhythm of speaking English Language by focusing on the stressed and unstressed syllables of those content words. In every sentence we have stressed (content words) and unstressed (supporting words) words, it is the combination of these two that creates the melody or the rhythm in the language. The stressed words are the ones where we emphasize or say a syllable or word more strongly as compared to the other parts of the word or sentence, which makes those “stressed” syllables and words more noticeable. While unstressed remain unnoticeable or they are not supposed to stand out from the rest of the words in a sentence. When it comes to ‘stressed words’, they are put in two categories: Syllable stress Word stress According to the Oxford dictionary, “syllable is a unit of pronunciation having one vowel sound, with or without surrounding consonants, forming the whole or a part of a word; for example, there are two syllables in water and three in inferno.” While speaking English language, stressed syllables are louder than non-stressed syllables. Also, they are longer and have a higher pitch.Whereas grammatical words (such as auxiliary verbs, prepositions, pronouns, articles,…) usually do not receive any stress. Ironically, there is no rule about which syllable is stressed in a word with more than one syllable. You will need to learn the stress of words by heart. Word Stress: While stressing syllables in words, we use the following features. Such as: The stressed syllable is l-o-n-g-e-r The stressed syllable is LOUDER The stressed syllable is pronounced more clearly -The vowel sound is purer. The stressed syllable engages larger facial movements – especially wide opened mouth/jaw/lips. The stressed syllable has a Change in pitch, which means it is spoken at a higher pitch than the syllables coming before and afterwards. While the word stress is accent on one syllable within a word, Sentence stress is accent on certain words within a sentence, which gives a rhythm to spoken English. It gives music to the language and at the same time it changes the speed at which we speak or listen to the language. Given below is an example of how the sentence stress can change the meaning altogether. Veronica is driving to the venue. Veronica is driving to the venue. Veronica is driving to the venue. Veronica is driving to the venue. Veronica is driving to the venue. Veronica is driving to the venue. A learner who can balance the rhythm of the language is more likely to sound both natural and fluent speaker of English Language.

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