The Communication Process

Building Speaker Confidence

Types of Anxiety
Situational – anxiety caused by factors present in a specific speaking situation
Trait – internal anxieties an individual brings to the speaking situation

5 Stages of Listening
1. Sensing
- At this stage you listen to what is said (verbally and nonverbally).
Improving your listening reception:
o Focus your attention on the speaker’s verbal and nonverbal messages. Avoid
focusing your attention on what you’ll say next; if you begin to rehearse your
responses, you’re going to miss what the speaker says next.
o Avoid distractions in the environment
o Maintain your role as listener and avoid interrupting.

2. Interpreting
- After receiving the message, you process it; you extract the meaning from the
message.
Improve your interpreting/understanding:
o Avoid assuming you understand what the speaker is going to say before he or she
actually says it.
o Ask questions for clarification, if necessary; ask for additional details or examples if
they’re needed.
o Rephrase (paraphrase) the speaker’s ideas into your own words.

3. Evaluating
- Once you’ve received, understood, and have the message in memory, you need to
evaluate it.
- Resist evaluation until you fully understand the speaker’s point of view. This is not
always easy, but it’s always essential. If you put a label on what the speaker is saying
(ultraconservative, bleeding-heart liberal), you’ll hear the remainder of the messages
through these labels.
- Distinguish facts from opinions and personal interpretations by the speaker.

4. Responding
Of course, a speaker expects a response.
- Support the speaker throughout the speaker’s conversation by using (and varying)
listening cues, such as head nods and minimal responses such as “I see” or “mm-
hmm.”
- Own your responses. Take responsibility for what you say. Instead of saying,
“Nobody will want to do that” say something like “I don’t want to do that.” Use the
anonymity that most social networks allow with discretion.
- Avoid being a thought-completing listener who listens a little and then finishes the
speaker’s thought.

5. Remembering
 It would help little if you received and understood the message but didn’t remember it.
- Focus your attention on the central ideas.
- Avoid focusing on minor details that often lead to detours in listening and in
conversation.
- Organize what you hear; summarize the message in a more easily retained form, but take
care not to ignore crucial details or qualifications.
- Repeat names and key concepts to yourself or, if appropriate, aloud.

Selecting topic, purpose and central idea

- When a speaker is enthusiastic about his or her ideas, how do listeners usually react?
- List the six criteria discussed in this chapter for writing a specific purpose statement.
- What is the difference between the specific purpose and the central idea?

Guidelines for Finding a Good Topic

Select a topic that…
 Fits requirements of assignment
 Showcases your experiences and knowledge
 Interests you
 You can make interesting and valuable to your audience
.Defining the General Purpose
Establish a general purpose to help bring your topic under control.
 To inform
 To persuade
 To entertain
Defining the Specific Purpose
What exactly to you want to accomplish in your speech?
 Topic: Foodborne illnesses
 General Purpose: To inform
 Specific Purpose: To tell my listeners how to protect themselves from foodborne illnesses

Defining the Central Idea

What exactly to you want your audience to remember from your speech?
 Topic: Foodborne illnesses
 General Purpose: To inform
 Specific Purpose: To tell my listeners how to protect themselves from foodborne illnesses
 Central Idea: Monitoring food temperatures is a great way to avoid foodborne illnesses

Narrow your topic

LET’S USE FOOTBALL AS AN EXAMPLE
- Explain divisions / conferences
- Explain job of coaching
- Explain history
- Explain artificial vs. natural turf

Determine the Main Points

 Brainstorm for possible main points
 Narrow to 3 – 5 possible main points
Understanding Audience Types
Friendly
 Heard you speak before
 Positive to what you are saying
 Sold on your topic

Speaking to the Friendly Audience

 Any pattern of organization
 Audience participation
 Warm, enthusiastic delivery
 Verbal and visual supports

Neutral
 Consider themselves objective
 Open to new information
 Looking for logic and facts

Speaking to a Neutral Audience

 Problem-solution organization
 Controlled, authoritative delivery
 Expert, non-flashy verbal and visual supports

Uninterested or indifferent
 Short attention span
 Wish they were somewhere else
 Will be polite but probably will take a “mental holiday”

Speaking to an Uninterested Audience

 Three-point or brief organization
 Dynamic, entertaining delivery
 Humorous, colorful, and powerful verbal and visual supports

Hostile
Predisposed to dislike you or your topic
This audience is the greatest challenge
Speaking to a Hostile Audience
 Topical, time, or spatial organization
 Calm, controlled delivery
 Objective, expert supports; avoid narratives and humor

How to Use Audience Information

 Determine evidence and emotional appeals
 Select visual aids and attention-getters
 Improve credibility
 Relate topic to audience
 Motivate and persuade