EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION , C132

Selecting and Narrowing Your Topic

As you begin to prepare your presentation, you will first have to select and narrow your topic, keeping in mind the audience, the occasion, and your own interests and experiences. You may find helpful such strategies as silent brainstorming, scanning web directories and websites, and listening and reading for topic ideas.

What does it mean to be an audience-centered presentational speaker? How does the audience-centered model influence all aspects of the presentational speaking process?

Someone who considers and adapts to the audience at every stage of the presentational speaking process. They might choose to use pictures to help them communicate. They might select topics and use illustrations with universal themes such as family and friendship. They might adjust the formality of their delivery and even their dress to whatever is expected by the majority of the audience members. The fundamental communication principle of adapting to the audience is the key to the success of any presentation.

hard evidence

Statistics.

main ideas

Subdivisions of the central idea of a presentation that provide detailed points of focus for developing the presentation.

What are some strategies for developing and enhancing group cohesiveness?

Talk about the group in terms of "we" rather than "I"; stress teamwork and collaboration. Reinforce good attendance at group meetings. Establish and maintain group traditions. Set clear short-term and long-term goals. Encourage everyone in the group to participate in the group task. Celebrate when the group accomplishes either a short-term or a long-term goal.

relationship dimension

The aspect of a communication message that offers cues about the emotions, attitudes, and amount of power and control the speaker directs toward others; how something is said.

general purpose

The broad reason for giving a presentation: to inform, to persuade, or to entertain an audience.

stacks

The collection of books in a library.

Generating Main Ideas

The main ideas of a presentation support or subdivide the central idea. They are usually logical divisions of the central idea, reasons the central idea is true, or a series of steps or a chronological sequence that develops the central idea.

Describe three criteria that can be used to determine whether communication is competent.

The message should be understood as the communicator intended it to be understood. • The message should achieve the communicator's intended effect. • The message should be ethical.

illusion of transparency

The mistaken belief that the physical manifestations of a speaker's nervousness are apparent to an audience.

content dimension

The new information, ideas, or suggested actions that a communicator wishes to express; what is said.

lay testimony

The opinion of someone who experienced an event or situation firsthand.

expert testimony

The opinion of someone who is an acknowledged expert in the field under discussion.

source

The originator of a thought or emotion who puts it into a code that can be understood by a receiver.

channel

The pathway through which messages are sent.

receiver

The person who decodes a message and attempts to make sense of what the source has encoded.

context

The physical, historical, and psychological communication environment.

habituation

The process of becoming more comfortable as you speak.

human communication

The process of making sense out of the world and sharing that sense with others by creating meaning through verbal and nonverbal messages.

rhetoric

The process of using symbols to influence or persuade others.

feedback

The response to a message.

Overviewing the Presentational Speaking Process

The stages of the public speaking process center on consideration of audience members, who influence every decision a speaker makes. A speaker's tasks include selecting and narrowing a topic, identifying a general and specific purpose for speaking, developing the central idea of the presentation, generating main ideas, gathering supporting material, organizing the presentation, and rehearsing and delivering the presentation.

health communication

The study of communication that has an effect on human

organizational communication

The study of human communication as it occurs within organizations.

Encoding is

the process of translating ideas, feelings, and thoughts into a code. Vocalizing a word, gesturing, and establishing eye contact are means of encoding our thoughts into a message that can be decoded by someone.

Decoding,

the process that is the opposite of encoding, occurs when the words or unspoken signals are interpreted by the receiver.

trait approach to leadership

A view of leadership that identifies specific qualities or characteristics of effective leaders.

Boolean search

A web search that ties words together so that a search engine can hunt for the resulting phrase.

vertical search engine

A website that indexes information on the World Wide Web in a specialized area.

description

A word picture.

symbol

A word, sound, gesture, or visual image that represents a thought, concept, object, or experience.

classification

A type of definition that first places a term in the general class to which it belongs and then differentiates it from all other members of that class.

signpost

A verbal or nonverbal organizational signal.

Introducing and Concluding Your Presentation

A carefully planned introduction will get your audience's attention, introduce your topic, give the audience a reason to listen, establish your credibility, state your central idea, and preview your main ideas. An equally carefully planned conclusion will summarize your presentation, reemphasize the central idea in a memorable way, motivate your audience to respond, and provide closure.

literary quotation

A citation from a work of fiction or nonfiction, a poem, or another speech.

group

A collection of people who have a common goal, feel a sense of belonging to the group, and influence one another.

analogy

A comparison between two ideas, things, or situations that demonstrates how something unfamiliar is similar to something the audience already understands.

figurative analogy

A comparison between two seemingly dissimilar things that share some common feature on which the comparison depends.

literal analogy

A comparison between two similar things.

declarative sentence

A complete sentence that makes a statement as opposed to asking a question.

specific purpose

A concise statement of what listeners should be able to do by the time the speaker finishes the presentation.

operational definition

A definition that shows how a term works or what it does.

central idea

A definitive point about a topic.

Outlining Your Presentation

A final step before beginning to rehearse your presentation is to prepare a detailed preparation outline and speaking notes. Your preparation outline should follow the instructions provided by your instructor.

rule

A followable prescription that indicates what behavior is required or preferred and what behavior is prohibited in a specific situation.

periodical index

A listing of bibliographical data for articles published in a group of magazines or journals during a given time period.

preview

A statement of what is to come

explanation

A statement that makes clear how something is done or why it exists in its present or past form.

illustration

A story or anecdote that provides an example of an idea, issue, or problem the speaker is

online database

A subscription-based electronic resource that may offer access to abstracts or the full texts of entries, in addition to bibliographic data.

public speaking (presentational speaking)

A teachable, learnable process of developing, supporting, organizing, and orally presenting ideas.

What are some criteria for evaluating the credibility of Internet resources? Why is it important to evaluate sources for credibility?

Accountability, Accuracy, Objectivity, Date, Usability, Diversity

Compare and contrast communication as action, interaction, and transaction.

Action Human communication is linear, with meaning sent or transferred from source to receiver. Interaction Human communication occurs as the receiver of the message responds to the source through feedback. This interactive model views communication as a linear sequence of actions and reactions. Transaction Human communication is simultaneously interactive. Meaning is created based on mutual, concurrent sharing of ideas and feelings. This transactive model most accurately describes human communication.

How might a speaker adapt to a diverse audience?

Adapt your supporting materials. Adapt your visual support Adapt your speech organization. Adapt your delivery style.

exploding

Adding or multiplying related numbers to enhance their significance.

speaker anxiety

Also known as stage fright; anxiety about speaking in public that is manifested in physiological symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, butterflies in the stomach, shaking knees and hands, quivering voice, and increased perspiration.

systematic desensitization

An anxiety management strategy that includes general relaxation techniques and visualization of success.

performance visualization

An anxiety management strategy that involves viewing a videotape of a successful presentation and imagining oneself delivering that presentation.

hypothetical illustration

An example or story that has not actually occurred.

mediated communication

Any communication that is carried out using some channel other than those used in face-to-face communication. example cell phone or internet

recency

Arrangement of ideas from least important to most important or from weakest to strongest.

primacy

Arrangement of ideas from most important to least important or from strongest to weakest.

complexity

Arranging ideas from simple to more complex.

other-oriented

Being focused on the needs and concerns of others while maintaining one's personal integrity.

Under what circumstances is each organizational strategy most appropriate?

Chronology Organization by time or sequence Recency Most important material last Primacy Most convincing or least controversial material first Complexity From simple to more complex material Specificity From specific information to general overview or from general overview to specific information "Soft" to "hard" evidence From hypothetical illustrations and opinions to facts and statistics

mass communication

Communication accomplished through a mediated message that is sent to many people at the same time.

nonverbal communication

Communication by means other than written or spoken language that creates meaning for someone.

synchronous communication

Communication in which messages occur in real time—when you speak or write, someone immediately responds to your message.

asynchronous communication

Communication in which timing is out of sync; there is a time delay between when you send a message and when it is received.

Why Study Communication?

Communication is essential for life. It is important to learn about communication, because being a skilled communicator can help you• Obtain a good job.• Enhance the quality of your relationships.• Improve your physical and emotional health.

Communication Characteristics

Communication is inescapable, irreversible, and complicated; it emphasizes content and relationships; and it is governed by rules.

Identify five characteristics of communication.

Communication is inescapable, irreversible, and complicated; it emphasizes content and relationships; and it is governed by rules.

Define communication and explain why it is an important course of study.

Communication is the process of acting on information Developing leadership skills. To improve your employ-ability, relationships and health.

impersonal communication

Communication that treats people as objects or that responds only to their roles rather than to who they are as unique people.

noise

Interference, either literal or psychological, that hinders the accurate encoding or decoding of a message.

initial preview

First statement of the main ideas of a presentation, usually presented with or near the central idea.

Building Your Confidence

Focusing on your audience and message and giving yourself mental pep talks can help you become a more confident speaker, as can knowing how to develop a presentation, being well prepared, and seeking out opportunities to speak.

Define and describe communication in interpersonal, group, and presentational communication contexts.

INTERPERSONAL Communication that occurs simultaneously between two people who attempt to mutually influence each other, usually for the purpose of managing relationships. GROUP The transactive process of creating meaning among three to about fifteen people who share a common purpose, feel a sense of belonging to the group, and exert influence on one another. PRESENTATIONAL Communication that occurs when a speaker addresses a gathering of people to inform, persuade, or entertain them.

soft evidence

Illustrations, descriptions, explanations, definitions, analogies, and opinions.

reference resources

Material housed in the reference section of a library, such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, almanacs, and books of quotations.

statistics

Numerical data that summarize examples.

Identifying Your Purpose

Once you have a topic, you need to identify both your general purpose and your specific purpose. General purposes include to inform, to persuade, and to entertain. Specific purposes are determined by the general purpose, the topic, and the audience.

Organizing Your Main Ideas

Once you have found supporting material, you are ready to organize your ideas and information. Depending on your topic, purpose, and audience, you can organize the main ideas of your presentation chronologically, topically, spatially, by cause and effect, or by problem and solution.

spatial organization

Organization according to location, position, or direction.

cause-and-effect organization

Organization by discussing a situation and its causes, or a situation and its effects.

problem-solution organization

Organization by discussing first a problem and then various solutions.

chronological organization

Organization by time or sequence.

topical organization

Organization determined by the speaker's discretion or by recency, primacy, or complexity.

specificity

Organization from specific information to a more general statement or from a general statement to specific information.

List and explain five fundamental principles of communication.

Principle One: Be aware of your communication with yourself and others. Principle Two: Effectively use and interpret verbal messages. Principle Three: Effectively use and interpret nonverbal messages. Principle Four: Listen and respond thoughtfully to others. Principle Five:Appropriately adapt messages to others.

adapt

To adjust both what is communicated and how a message is communicated; to make choices about how best to formulate a message and respond to others to achieve your communication goals.

dyad

Two interacting people.

supporting material

Verbal or visual material that clarifies, amplifies, and provides evidence to support the main ideas of a presentation.

What are three questions that a speaker should consider when selecting a topic for a presentation? How might each of these influence a choice of topic for a public speaking occasion?

Who is the audience? classmated, older adults What is the occasion? Veteran's day patriotism What are my interests and experiences? Hobbies, trips.

Organizing Your Presentation for the Ears of Others

With your presentation organized, you will want to add signposts—previews, transitions, and summaries—to make your organization clearly apparent to your audience.

message

Written, spoken, and unspoken elements of communication to which people assign meaning.

organizing Your Supporting Material

You can often organize supporting material according to one of the same patterns used to organize main ideas. Supporting material can also be organized according to the principle of recency, primacy, complexity, or specificity; or from soft to hard evidence.

Gathering Supporting Material

You have at least four potential sources of supporting material: yourself, the Internet, online databases, and traditional library resources. Personal knowledge and experience increase the likelihood that the audience will find you a credible speaker. To supplement your own knowledge and experience, you can turn to the vast resources of the Internet. Online databases provide both bibliographic information and full texts to subscribers. And most likely, you will still use traditional library resources—books, periodicals, newspapers, and reference resources—as sources of supporting material. The types of supporting material you can use in a presentation include illustrations, descriptions and explanations, definitions, analogies, statistics, and opinions. Simple guidelines can help you use each type of supporting material effectively and cite your sources correctly.

Developing Your Central Idea

Your central idea will focus on the content of your speech. It should be centered on your audience; reflect a single topic; be a complete declarative sentence; and use direct, specific language.