What is communication?  Communication: an exchange of information that occurs anytime someone else sees and/or hears you

Encoding/Decoding  Encoding: Putting words together in phrases and sentences to represent feelings and ideas  Decoding: Listeners interpret words by sorting out ideas they create in their own minds

Important Aspects of Communication  How loudly/quickly you speak  How high/low your voice is  Appearance

Considering your audience  Keep your audience in mind  Messages: thoughts and feelings we express  Codes: Commonly agreed-upon language and behaviors

Getting in the way of communication  Noise  Physical: fan blowing, lawn mower, bells  Psychological: audience is bored/distracted  Physiological: Room temp, voice too loud/soft  Field of experience  Evaluate your audience for their knowledge/attitudes  Context  Environmental/chronological factors  Historical/seasonal/temporal setting  Geographic location

Informal vs. Formal Communication  Informal communication  Is usually spontaneous  Examples: making introductions, talking on the phone, answering questions in class, chatting with friends/family  Formal communication  More structured, prepared in advance  Examples: interviews, giving a speech, taking part in a debate, theater productions

Nonverbal communication  Facial expressions  Hand gestures  Eye movements  Head and body movements (nodding, shrugging, shuffling)  Posture  Smiling or frowning

Choosing a topic  Choose a topic that interests you  Find sufficient material on your subject  Make sure your topic is appropriate to you, your audience, and the occasion  Make sure you have enough time to research the topic and that you have enough time

Analyzing your audience  Have some idea of what they already know about your topic  Decide how much background information to give  Generate interest

Credibility  Credibility: the perception that a speaker is trustworthy, knowledgeable, and dynamic  Listeners want to know you understand your topic  Listeners also want to know you have their best interests at heart and that you feel strongly about the speech’s content

Determining your purpose  Purpose: overall intention, the reason you’re making the speech  Three main categories of speeches  Inform, entertain, persuade  Determine your purpose by asking yourself what reaction you want from the people who hear you

Creating the body of your speech  Identify your main ideas  Choose between two-five (2-5) main points  Create your thesis  Thesis: A one-sentence statement that clearly and concisely explains what you’re going to talk about in your speech

Tips for creating a thesis  Make sure your thesis is a complete statement, not a fragment  Form your thesis as a statement, not a question  Be sure your thesis does not imply that you will discuss more that you can cover in your allotted time  Make sure your thesis has enough substance to distinguish your presentation of the topic from anyone else’s

Gathering materials  Use reliable resources! No Wikipedia  Provide supporting materials to explain/back up your ideas with evidence  Look for:  Quotes  Statistics  Examples/anecdotes  Definitions  Song lyrics  Poems  Lines from plays/films

Visual Aids  Make sure the visual aid adds to what you’re saying  Practice with the visual aid  Types of visual aids:  Photos  Videos  Graphics  Selected objects pertaining to your speech  Assistants  Models

Introducing your speech  Get your audience’s attention with your introduction  Refer to the purpose of the speech  Ways to grab the audience’s attention:  Pay the audience a general compliment  Open with a story  Refer to a recent incident  Use a quotation  Open with a novel idea or a striking statement  Refer to a preceding speaker  Ask pertinent and challenging questions  Combine 2 or more of the techniques

Introducing your speech  Prepare and open the minds of your audience for the thoughts to come  Important if the audience is hostile toward your topic  Indicate the direction and purpose of the speech and to illuminate what end it will serve  Dullness, cliché ideas or language, false leads, and fillers have no place in an introduction

Introducing your speech  Your speech begins before you start talking  Starts with…  Remaining calm and comfortable  Remaining seated calmly  Rising quietly when it is your turn to speak  Surveying the scene

Crafting your conclusion  Your conclusion brings together all the thoughts, emotions, discussions, arguments, and feelings  Your conclusion should make a powerful impact on the audience  No weak remarks!

Crafting your conclusion  Your conclusion must be…  Carefully worded  Carefully organized  Carefully rehearsed  Committed to memory  To deliver a great conclusion, your body, your mind, and your spirit must work together in harmony

Crafting your conclusion  Use direct eye contact, appropriate gestures and actions, alert posture, and your most sincere voice  Thank the audience for their attention  Hold the floor for a few moments in case there are questions or comments

Effective strategies in developing a conclusion  Summary  Restate the speech title, the purpose, a particular phrase that you’ve used throughout the speech, a quote from literature that sums up what your speech has been aiming toward  Recapitulation  Restate the points in a order  May become monotonous  Can be highly effective when done correctly

Effective strategies in developing a conclusion  Using a striking anecdote, analogy, or simile  Can use them separately or combine them into a summary or recapitulation  Emotionally charged or idealized statement of the thesis  Pour emotion into restating your thesis  Powerful restatement of the thesis

Effective strategies in developing a conclusion  Vivid illustration of the central idea  Paint a picture in the mind of your audience  A call for action from the audience  Encouraging your audience to get involved in your cause

Titling your speech  Your title should be…  Provocative  Brief  Relative to your subject  Interesting

Delivering your speech  Your speech should reflect your point of view and your personality  Two methods of wording your speech  Rehearse aloud from an outline  Memorize the introduction and conclusion  Don’t memorize the speech word-for-word  Memorize the main points  Recording yourself helps to see what changes you need make  Write your speech out in full  Make brief notes to refer from when giving your speech  Recording yourself helps as well

Preparing speaker’s notes  Put a few words or points on a card or sheet of paper  Prepare a full-sentence outline  Notes should be a guide, not a crutch

Rehearsing your speech  Most speakers need 4-6 rehearsals  Standing in front of a mirror helps you to observe your posture and other body language  Videotaping helps for self-evaluation

Improving vocal quality  Proper breathing  Nervous speakers breathe too shallowly  Project your voice-breathe using the muscles of your lower chest and abdomen  Breathing the wrong way leads to hoarseness  Articulation problems  Problems speaking clearly  Mumbling, dropping the ends of words, mispronunciation

Improving vocal quality  Pacing your presentation  Nervousness can cause you to speak too fast  Resist the temptation to get the speech over with in a hurry  Take a few deep breaths when walking to the podium or the front of the room  Keep your speaking rate steady regardless of your nervousness  Don’t sound monotone either  Speak normally and conversationally

Understanding body language  Body language consists of…  Movements  Facial expressions  Postures  Gestures  Body language can be…  Conscious: aware that you are doing it  Unconscious: unaware that you are doing it

Using visual aids  Make sure it serves a purpose  Should illuminate one or more of your speech’s main points  Use color to emphasize details and to compare and contrast  Practice with your visual aid  Make sure everyone in the audience can see it  Keep your visual aid out of sight until you are ready to use it; when you are finished, remove it from view

Listening-Audience Dos and Don’ts DODON’T Arrive on time for the presentation and sit quietly Roll your eyes and make faces Turn off your phone or anything that makes noise for the whole presentation Sigh or yawn loudly Remain attentiveShuffle or fidget, tap your foot, crack your knuckles, drum your fingers Take notes when appropriateSpeak or whisper Applaud the speaker once the presentation is finished Eat or drink

Traits of a good listener Relating what you hear to your own experience Taking notes Using prior knowledge to understanding new ideas or information Using eye contact and good posture to show the speaker that you’re paying attention Thinking of questions you would like the speaker to answer Asking questions when it’s appropriate Making associations and creating vivid mental images to help you remember the information Analyzing your response to the presentation afterward

Barriers to listening  Physical and mental barriers  Hunger  Thirst  Fatigue  Environmental barriers  Temperature  Noise  Lighting  Overcrowded conditions

Listener bias  Keep an open mind  Being closed minded prevents you from learning something new  Try to remain as objective as possible

Taking notes  Jot down items the speaker emphasizes or repeats  Write key words and phrases  Jot down questions to ask the speaker

Evaluating the speaker  Oral evaluation  Given aloud in front of the class  An atmosphere of trust is most important  Everyone must provide constructive feedback  Begin with something positive  It gives the speaker confidence  When giving negative feedback, don’t point out everything the speaker failed to do; choose 1 or 2 points that might be improved  Make suggestions  Make your feedback as specific as possible

Evaluating the speaker  Written evaluation  More detailed  Can use a rubric  Being evaluated by your peers  Keep an open mind  Don’t get defensive  Ask for clarification if needed

Evaluating the speaker  Evaluating yourself  Look at the content of your speech and your delivery  Create a rubric for yourself (or use one provided)