Using strategies that capture and retain the interest of an audience

Use of voice

Our voices have an incredible range – we can vary our manner of speaking a great deal to ensure that our audience understands our message and that it is kept interesting.

Key elements of our oral communication that relate to delivery:

Pace	The speed at which one speaks and the degree of urgency or sharpness  with which one delivers a message.  We determine the pace of delivery. We can have a rapid-fire delivery (fast  pace), an even, well-modulated mode of delivery (medium pace)  or a very  deliberate rate of delivery (slow pace). Sometimes we use  different paces for different parts of the delivery.
Pause	A small break in our delivery. A pause is the verbal equivalent of a  comma or full stop. A pause can be used to emphasise  an important point, it can show that we have reached the end of one  point and are about to move on to the next, it could indicate a small   break between each item in a list of things or it could give the audience  time to absorb the previous point.
Stress	To stress a word or phrase is to emphasise it. It is the equivalent in  word processing of using the Bold function.  We can stress the most important word in a phrase, or we can stress the  most important phrase in a sentence.
Volume	Volume refers to the amount of sound we make. We may speak very  quietly (low volume) or use a middle-range volume (medium volume) or  we may speak very loudly (high volume). We must always choose the  appropriate volume for our audience.  It is important  that we can be heard at all times and it is generally  inappropriate to shout at people.
Intonation	Intonation refers to the pitch of the voice. The rising (high) or falling  (low) pitch of the voice when we say a word or syllable or the rising  and falling pattern of speech generally. We need to vary our pitch or  intonation in order not to sound boring and monotonous.

 

When we address an audience we always have a message to put across or convey. Whether or not we do this successfully will often depend not only on the content of our message but also on the delivery. The elements given above all refer to delivery.

 

Non-verbal Communication

This topic is also called body language. Our gestures, facial expressions, mannerisms, and the way we hold ourselves convey different messages to our audience.

Facial Expressions

Facial Expressions 

A very clear indicator of a wide range of emotions.
We can of course also control our facial expressions to not show any emotion or to show an emotion we are not feeling.

Examples:

Happiness or pleasure – smiling
Anger or displeasure – frowning
Amazement – raising eyebrows
Disgust or disapproval – turn down corners of the mouth
Surprise – widening our eyes

 

Gestures & Body Posture

Body Language

 

This is the way we hold our bodies. The definition of a gesture is a body movement made to express meaning or emotion or to communicate an instruction. Gestures send visual signs to onlookers and also transmit information. Our gestures are sometimes unconscious. Gestures like touching your hair can be distracting to your audience and prevent your communication from being effective. Gestures can also be used to emphasise what you are saying.

Examples:

Throwing our hands in the air.
Wagging a finger in the air.
Shrugging our shoulders.
Signalling the waitress to bring the bill.

 

Plan for Formal Oral Presentations

Formal oral communications are always planned in written form first.

You do not write out the entire oral presentation word for word but you need to have a very detailed plan of what you are going to say written down. This means you should plan what you are going to say in your introduction, in the main body of your oral communication, and what you will say in your conclusion.

The introduction is always important as this is how you capture the audience’s attention from the start. A dull, boring introduction will cause the audience to lose interest and their attention may start wandering. You may want to briefly explain the purpose of your presentation.

The plan for the main body of the presentation should be very detailed. You need to plan in terms of paragraphs, each one of which contains a separate important idea, or set of facts. You must ensure that there is a logical link between each of the ideas you present.

The conclusion represents your closing comments. It is the last impression you will leave the audience with. You may want to briefly summarise what you have covered in the main body of your presentation or you may wish to pose questions for the audience to think about.

When planning an oral presentation you need to be prepared to practise it out loud to check how long it takes to present. You need to be very clear about what the time constraints for any oral presentation are and ensure that you stick to these.

 

Visual Aids

A visual aid is a visible instructional or educational aid, something such as a model, chart, film or video, that is looked at as a complement (addition) to a lesson or presentation.

It is often helpful to use visual aids, as these will enhance your presentation and make it more effective. You should always ensure that the aids you choose are appropriate to your topic and the context of your audience.

Examples of visual aids:

Key points to bear in mind while using visual aids:

• Ensure that the visual aids are clear and understandable.
• Prepare all your visual aids well in advance and know exactly where in the presentation you are going to use them.
• Make sure that all the equipment you will be using is in good working order.
• Ensure that the visual aids are suitable for the venue by checking that they are visible from everywhere in the venue.
• Ask yourself whether these visual aids will make your oral communication more effective.

 

Audience Interaction & Continuity

Now we look at what happens in an actual presentation. How, while you are presenting, do you maintain continuity and interaction?

Continuity refers to the flow of your presentation and interaction refers to what happens between you and members of the audience. Continuity needs to be maintained at all times and interaction is to encourage your audience.

 

Here are some of the elements you need to be aware of:

How do you respond to queries? Responding to queries positively is critical. Members of the audience might ask you to tell them more about something you have said, may want to know where to go for more information or may query some of your opinions. Always try to respond positively to a query. Thank the person for asking the question. Attempt to answer the question as clearly and as concisely as you can. If you are not sure of the answer do not pretend that you are – rather tell the questioner where he or she could find the answer or tell them you will get back to them with the correct answer. If you are not sure that you have understood the question that has been put to you then reword it and check whether you have clearly understood what you are being asked.

The way you time your speech or presentation is also important. Make sure that if you have two main points to put across, to be effective you should allocate more or less equal time to both issues. Timing techniques in your actual presentation are also critical. Never give the impression you are rushing over a point or are not prepared to give enough time to audience queries. This will lead to ineffective audience interaction.

 

How you should respond when you believe that audience contact is being lost?

Body language gives us clues to how people are feeling. You must, when presenting, be responsive to your audience.

Here are some clues that contact is being lost:

• Members of the audience are restless.
• People are looking at their watches.
• People are not maintaining eye contact with you.
• People are yawning.
• People are whispering to one another.
• People are scribbling on their papers.

This is the time for you to consider using some of the techniques you have learned. You could: