READING PRACTICE TEST - MATCHING HEADINGS – TEST 2 A. Use Silence E. Distinct and Audible Speech B. Gestures and Posture F. Consider Context C. Audience Awareness G. Speaking Through Eyes D. Sensible Dress H. Strategic Listening Q1. The first thing that a good speaker does is looks at the audience and takes a pause before beginning his speech. This helps to create a good impression on the audience. Throughout the speech, the speaker should maintain eye contact with the listeners, otherwise they will feel that they are being ignored and it is quite likely that they also ignore whatever he is trying to convey. Q2. Proper variation in emotion and tempo of the voice improves the quality of performance. Accurate pronunciation of words with due stresses wherever required must be done. One more important thing while communicating is that your voice must be clear and loud enough for the audience to hear it. A loud voice can be a strong point for being an effective speaker. Q3. Concentrate on your ideas and do not get distracted by the activities performed by the audience, for example, smiling or whispering. To make your communication successful get the clue about the listeners and their interests. Think over the age, sex and back ground of the people. See whether the audience is patient enough to handle you for hours. Check out if they are friendly or hostile. Q4. Facial expressions reveal what thoughts are running through a person’s mind. So while communicating, make sure that your facial expressions reveal your interest for the subject on which you are communicating. The body movements while speaking must coordinate with your convincing power. They must add to the things which are more effectively caught visually than verbally. Q5. If you are trying to improve your own communication, concentrate on ways to make your nonverbal signals match the level of formality necessitated by the situation. Some situations require more formal behaviour that might be interpreted very different ly in any other setting. So when you are communicating with others, always take into account the situation in which the communication occurs. Q6. Don’t be afraid to pause and breathe. Listeners need time to reflect on what you are saying. Just like we need ‘white space’ and punctuation on the written page, we need pauses when we speak. Talking nonstop is a huge drawback. Having the confidence to pause for a few seconds in between sentences commands attention rather than diverts it. Q7. The appearance plays an important role in presenting ourselves to society. The people who wear clothes suitable to their body structure look attractive. A person’s physical appearance creates a definite impact on the communication process. Our clothes should not be too modern for the people whom we are interacting with. However, they should be able to create a positive impression on them.
This story happened to Mr. Brown who lived in the suburbs of one of the towns in England. One evening he was walking home from the railway station. The road was dark and lonely. Suddenly he heard someone approaching him from behind and thought he was being followed. Mr. Brown was terribly frightened and started running. The footsteps still followed him. The man ran into an old cemetery and threw himself on the grass near one of the graves. Lying there Mr. Brown thought, ‘If he comes here there will be no doubt he wants to rob me’. The man behind really came there too. Mr. Brown wondered what he wanted and why he was following him.
The stranger said that he was going to Mr. Robertson's and he had been told that Mr. Brown lived next door to the Robertsons. That's why he decided to follow him. And the stranger thought it was a sort of exercise Mr. Brown used to do in the evenings.