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In public speaking a speaker presents a relatively continuous message to a relatively large audience in a unique context. Like all communication, public speaking is a transactional process, a process whose elements are interdependent; each element in the public speaking process depends on and interacts with all other elements. For example, the way in which one organize a speech will depend on such factors as the speech topic, the audience, the purpose one hope to achieve, and a host of other variables.
- The Speaker: One of the major components of any speech or presentation is the speaker or the source of the message. As a speaker one should look for the following factors.
Motivation in giving the presentation- what is motivating the speaker? – is it objective achievement or direct and indirect personal rewards like satisfaction and honorarium, part of the job chart, infrastructural facilities etc. These things make difference in motivation, thereby the presentation of the speech.
Credibility as a speaker- Credibility depends on trustworthiness, competence, good will and how well they are organized. Such persons are will usually be considered competent. The speaker who is attractive and dynamic will be seen as more credible than one who is not.
Deliver or speaking style - The delivery, the way the message is presented, should compliment the speech's objective. A well written speech delivered poorly can quickly lose effectiveness.
- The Message: The message refers to everything a speaker does or says, both verbally and non-verbally. The verbal component may be analyzed in terms of 3 basic elements:
- Content - is what one say about topic. It is important to consider the audience's needs, time factors, and other items as the content of speech or presentation is prepared and presented. Initially one has to search the information, distribute under different heads, then decide on how much to say about each head and finally the sequencing heads.
- Style – it is the manner in which the content of speech will be presented. Styles can vary from very formal to very informal. Most presentations fall between these two extremes and in every case, the style should be determined by what is appropriate to the speaker, the audience, as well as the occasion and setting.
- Structure - The structure of a message is its organization. There are many organizational variations, but in each case, the structure should include:
- The introduction should include:
- an opening grabber such as a quote or shocking statistic.
- an agenda
- the purpose or main message of your presentation.
- The body should include:
- main points or ideas.
- which support main message.
- The conclusion should include:
- a summary of main points.
- a closing grabber.
- time for questions & answers, if appropriate.
When speeches and presentations are poorly organized, the impact of the message is reduced and the audience is less likely to accept the speaker or the speaker's ideas.
- The Audience: The speaker should analyze about their listeners and then decide how to present the ideas.
This analysis should include considerations related to:
- Age
- Sex
- Marital Status
- Race
- Geographic location
- Group membership
- Education
- Career
Proper audience analysis will assure that the right speech to the right audience can be delivered. To properly customize the speech, most professional speakers send their clients a multi-page questionnaire in order to gather information about them and their speaking event.
- The Channel: The channel is the medium that carries the message signals from sender to receiver. When we communicate with our audiences, we use many channels of communication. This includes non-verbal, pictorial and aural channels. It is very important that you use as many channels as one can to communicate with their audience. The more channels of communication one can use at the same time, the better.
- Nonverbal
- Gestures
- facial expressions
- body movement
- posture
- Pictorial
- diagrams
- charts
- graphs
- pictures
- objects
- Aural
- tone of your voice
- variations in pitch and volume
- other vocal variety
- The Feedback: "Feedback" means the process through which the speaker receives information about how his or her message has been received by the listeners and, in turn, responds to those cues. The feedback process is not complete until the speaker has responded to the listener. This process includes the listener's reactions to the speaker's response and so forth. One can ask questions to the audience and even ask them what they understand form the speech. At the same time watch for non-verbal clues from audience and be prepared to respond to the reactions of the audience throughout the presentation.
- The Noise: Noise is anything that distorts the message and prevents the listeners from receiving the message as intended it to be received. There are two types of noise a speaker must contend with:
- External Noise - consists of sounds, people talking, coughing, shifting patterns, temperature (too warm, too cold), poor ventilation, and visual interference such as poor lighting, or an obstructed view.
- Internal Noise - if a speaker is confused or unclear about what he or she wants to express, this is do to internal noise. Internal noise can also arise if the speaker does not know or misanalyses the audience.
The most specific way a speaker can use to combat noise are:
- Use more than one channel of communication at the same time (verbal & non-verbal)
- Use repetition and restatement.
- The Setting: The place in which one deliver their presentation may be the one that enhances or interferes with the effectiveness of the presentation. Determine ahead of time what the facilities are like before the speech. This way one can properly plan the delivery or make adjustments, if necessary.
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