Communicating Effectively

Communicating Effectively

In this paper I will be briefly describing five ways to ensure that one is communicating effectively. These sections will include the choices a speaker can make when preparing a speech, how delivery methods change how to construct a presentation, the differences between hearing and listening, the different parts of a speech, and how to effectively use one’s voice and body.

The Speakers’ Five Choices

When planning a speech there are five choices that the speaker can make. These choices are style, delivery, memory, arrangement, and invention. Invention has the speaker generate materials for their speech using a “combination of analysis, research, and judgment” (Zaretsky, 2011). While doing research on the presentation topic there will be decisions made on what should and should not be included in the speech to support the thesis. These types of choices also have to be made with the audience in mind. Arrangement is when the speaker takes the gathered information and shapes it in their speech in order to ensure that there is a good flow between the introduction, body, and conclusion of their speech. Style is what defines how the speech is conveyed to the audience. Zaretsky (2011) stated that style “may make a speech recognizable or memorable” (p.18). Delivery is the way in which the speech is being presented. The delivery of the speech will entail the effective use of tone, expression, movement, and both visual and audio aids. Memory in today’s speeches refers to ensuring that the key points of the speech have been covered and addressed. Today most speakers will either use a presentation outline to ensure a smooth flow of the presentation or they will read a written script. However, written scripts can be lacking in style and can sound monotone.

The role of the delivery method when constructing a presentation

The delivery method will play a large part in the construction of the presentation. If the presentation will be delivered online, the speaker will have the chance to pre-record their presentation and go over it numerous times to ensure that the speech is perfected and that it is meeting its predefined timeline. For a video conferencing presentation it will be a lot harder for the speaker to make sudden changes to their presentation to better connect with their audience. Because of this the speaker has to ensure they utilize their voce, which includes tone, enunciation, and pitch, to convey their message. When doing a face to face presentation, the speaker can do research on the individual that the presentation is for. This would allow the speaker to customize their speech to the interests, desires, and expectations of that individual. This, however, cannot be done when doing a presentation to a conference room of people as there will likely be a diverse number of interests within the audience.