Understanding the Process

There are 7 important elements in each communication process, please read and visualize them as you go:

 

SPEAKER:

Your success as a speaker depends on you.

-          How much knowledge you have acquired in this field?

-          How prepared are you for the speech?

-          How sensitive are you towards the audience?

Message:

-          Whatever the speaker communicates to the audience is basically a message.

-          How you say is more important compared to what you say. Example: I am sorry (politely telling your friend vs I am sorry (for the sake of apologizing)

-          Messages are sent through verbally (requires research) and nonverbally (tone of voice, gestures, facial expression, and eye contact)

-          Make sure nonverbal message does not distract from verbal message. Example: I am excited! (Facial expression indicates the other way).

Channel:

-          The means by which a message is communicated. This is basically the bridge between the speaker and the audience. Usually, for public speaking, it is the mic, overhead projector, and any printed or soft copy handouts.

Listener:

-          The person who receives the speaker’s message.

-          Filtered through a listener’s frame of reference.

-          Speaker & listener are 2 different people. They can never have the same frame of reference.

As a speaker, you must be audience-centered all the time!

 

Feedback:

This is basically the message sent from a listener to a speaker. Remember it is almost always a TWO-WAY communication.
Examples:

1.       Lean forward in their seats, as if paying attention.

2.       Applaud in approval?

3.       Laugh at your jokes.

4.       Quizzical looks on their face?

5.       Shuffle their feet and gaze at the clock.

 

Feedback is affected by one’s frame of reference.
(Imagine: immediately after your speech, all your classmates started to rap their knuckles on the desks – oops!)

 

Let us move on to the activities(s).