PART 1 - THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS Explain if each of the below situations is communication citing which of the 7 speech communication element(s) is present or missing. (10points) Far out in space, so

CHAPTER #1 – SPEAKING IN PUBLIC

What is public speaking? Public speaking is a way of making your ideas public, sharing them with other people and more importantly often influencing people.

Some examples of past and present national and international public speakers: (for better or worse)

Franklin D. Roosevelt – guided our nation through the Great Depression, convinced Congress to undertake public works projects to get people back to work, guided us through WW2.

Billy Graham – an evangelist who inspired countless people regardless of religious affiliation.

Ronald Reagan – movie screen actor, Governor of California, the ‘great compromiser’ President who was able to work and enact legislation without a congressional majority.

Martin Luther King – the great civil rights leader instrumental in curtailing segregation in the south.

Nelson Mandela – jailed South Africa leader who was instrumental in stopping segregation in his country.

Bill Clinton – U.S. President who many believed talked his way out of impeachment.

Barrack Obama- An eloquent presidential public speaker.

Hitler – influence an entire nation to go to war.

Public speaking is a form of empowerment, a method of influencing other people such as a job interview.

A handful of men, delegates to the Philadelphia Continental Congress were responsible for drafting the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights and Constitution: Thomas Jefferson, John Handcock, John Adams and Ben Franklin – influenced our written Constitution.

Public Speaking is like talking, having a conversation

1. It organizes your thoughts logically

2. It tailors your message to the audience

3. Tell your story for maximum impact

4. Adapt to listener feedback

Some differences between public speaking and having a conversation

1. Public speaking much more highly structured (time limits, more preparation, planning)

2. Public speaking requires more formal language (no slang, bad grammar, polish up diction)

3. Public speaking requires a different method of delivery (good posture, voice, we see you)

Dealing with nervousness

1. Acquire speaking experience – practice, practice, practice!

2. Preparation – talk about a topic or subject you are familiar or knowledgeable about

3. Think positive – especially about yourself

4. Use power of visualization – picture yourself in your own mind going through the speech process (a track start at starting block visualizing himself going through a 100 yard dash)

5. Know that nervousness is not physically visible from the audience most of the time

6. Don’t expect perfection – we all make mistakes

Some tips to avoid nervousness: squeeze hands together then release, take a couple of slow, deep breaths before speaking, utilize visual aids to take focus off speaker

The Seven Elements of the Speech Communication Process:

1. Speaker – person presenting an oral message to a listener either one on one conversation, telephone conversation, in a public forum setting

2. Message – whatever you communicate to someone else

3. Channel – the means by which a message is communicated (telephone, radio address, television, telegram)

4. Listener – the person who receives the message (friend on phone, audience in public forum, students in a classroom setting)

5. Feedback – usually the nonverbal message sent from the listener to the speaker (facial expressions, grunts, rolled eyeballs, frustration with hands in air)

6. Interference – anything that impedes the communication process (noise in classroom, music over classroom PA system, excessive sneezing)

7. Situation – time and place in which communication takes place (auditorium setting, classroom, church service

Cultural Diversity and Public Speaking

Meanings and gestures are different throughout the world – what we perceive something in the U.S can have an entirely different meaning on the other side of the world. This is especially important during an international business trip.

Avoid ethnocentrism – the belief that one’s own group or culture is superior to all other cultures. Unfortunately, as U.S citizens we think we are better than everyone else which is a wrong perception. Always respect the cultural customs and beliefs of another nation.