SpeakerThe speaker is one of the key elements of the basic speech communication model. Show
Learning Objectives Define the speaker in the basic speech communication model Key TakeawaysKey Points
Key Terms
Elements of Speech Communication: The Speaker-- Example image of a speaker The Speaker: President Barack Obama giving a speech in Accra, Ghana on July 11, 2009. The communication cycle offers a model for communication. In its simplest form, the cycle consists of a
sender, a message, and a recipient. Other models include the channel, which is the vehicle in which your message travels. For the purposes of speech communication, the speaker is you!
When you think about how you craft your speech, you're actually encoding your message. This doesn't mean that your speech is laced with cryptic clues for your audience to determine the meaning and purpose, rather, it gives you a way to think about your speech in a new light. Your message's recipient, the audience, will have to decode your message. With their brainpower, experience and
intellect, they need to make sense of the very message you're trying to deliver. This is why it's so valuable to understand the importance of your role as speaker, as the initiator of communication in the delivery of your message. MessageThe message is the most important and instrinsic element of all speech communication models. Learning Objectives Define the message of the basic speech communication model Key TakeawaysKey Points
Key Terms
Elements of Speech Communication: The MessageThe Message: What is the message that you're trying to get across to your audience? No matter which model of communication you study, every model includes the most
important element of all: the message. You can't have communication without a message. The word "message" actually comes from the Latin mittere, "to send. " The message is fundamental to communication. ChannelThe channel is the method (auditory and visual) that is used to transmit the message to the receiver. Learning Objectives Give examples of auditory and visual channels used in public speaking Key TakeawaysKey Points
Key Terms
Elements of Speech Communication: The ChannelA basic speech communication model includes a sender (that is, a speaker), a message, a receiver (that is, an audience), and a channel. Claude Shannon, who developed one of the earlier communication models, defined the channel as the medium used to transmit the signal from the transmitter to the receiver. In a face-to-face, in-person speaking situation, the channel will be primarily audio using sound and visual using light waves; in a speaking situation with a remote audience via videoconferencing, the channel will be computer mediated audio and visual. Communication Channel Model: The speaker uses the channel, or speech, to transmit the message to the audience. Face-to-Face, Co-Located Audience ChannelWhen speaking to an audience in person, a speaker uses both verbal and non-verbal methods to communicate the message. The sounds that a speaker makes are interpreted as words. The sounds are transmitted through an audio (or auditory) channel as sound waves and are received by the listeners in the audience. Speakers also use their hands to make gestures, change their facial expressions, and project images or words on a screen. These cues are received by the listeners through the visual part of the channel: their sense of sight. When the speaker and the audience are in the same room at the same time, the channels of communication are synchronous, in real time. Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) ChannelSpeakers also use communication channels that are mediated, meaning there is something between the speaker and the receivers. In some cases, the auditory and visual signal is mediated by a computer to convert what the speaker says and does into a digital signal that is transmitted to remote audiences. Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) is able to overcome physical and social limitations of other forms of communication, and therefore allow the interaction of people who are not physically sharing the same space. Computer mediated digital channels may be synchronous, when remote audiences are listening to the speech via computer conferencing or streaming audio and video at the same time the speech is being delivered. The channel might also be asynchronous, when audiences listen to the speech at some time after the speech was delivered, perhaps via a website like youtube.com or vimeo.com. The message delivered through CMC channels could be only audio, but is likely to involve both audio and video, which uses the auditory and visual senses of the humans to decode the digital signals and process the message. Shannon Weaver Communication Model: The channel in the middle links the speaker with the receiver of the message. AudienceYour audience represents one very important third in the basic model of communication. Learning Objectives
Analyze your audience based on demographics Key TakeawaysKey Points
Key Terms
Elements of Speech Communication: The AudienceAudience: The audience is the most important part in the model of communication. At its simplest, communication consists of a speaker, a message, and a receiver. Following this model, your speech represents the message. Naturally, this makes you the speaker. To whom you speak then, represents the receiver: in this case, your audience. When looking at this most basic model of communication, your audience represents one-third of the communication equation, proving it is one of the three most important elements to consider as you craft your speech. Elements to Consider About Your Audience Your audience may be represented by a variety of distinguishing characteristics and commonalities, often referred to as demographics. It is important to remember that you should not stereotype or make assumptions about your audience based on their demographics; however, you can use these elements to inform the language, context, and delivery of your speech. The first question you should ask yourself, before you begin crafting your speech, is this: "Who is my audience?"
Feedback: Visual and Verbal CuesYour audience can provide you with immediate feedback; pay attention to the visual and verbal cues they give you in the moment. Learning Objectives Define feedback and describe how you can receive audience feedback in the moment Key TakeawaysKey Points
Key Terms
Elements of Speech Communication: FeedbackFeedback: You audience might give you visual, non-verbal cues that signal how they might be receiving your message. The simplest model of communication relies on three distinct parts: sender, message and receiver. More complex models throw in a fourth element: the channel via which the message is sent. The most advanced communication models include a fifth element: feedback, that is, a return message sent from the receiver back to the sender. Feedback could be as formal as handing out a presentation evaluation following your speech or presentation. Typically though, you can gauge feedback as your speech is happening by paying very close attention to the visual and verbal cues your audience may be giving you while you speak. Verbal and Visual Cues Verbal and visual cues refer to those sounds and reactions you may hear and see made by your audience. If you tell a joke or a funny anecdote, you expect laughter as your feedback. One good way to tell if your joke bombed--no laughter. And, as awkward as it can be in the moment, you get that instant feedback on how you may need to correct course and potentially deviate from your scripted approach in order to make that connection with your audience. Noise and InterferenceNoise and interference can block your audience's ability to receive your message. Learning Objectives Identify methods to cut down on internal and external noise and interference Key TakeawaysKey Points
Key Terms
Elements of Speech Communication: Noise & InterferenceNoise: Noise and interference can distort the meaning and delivery of your message. What Are Noise and Interference? Typically, you know it when you hear it. Noise may be jarring and unpleasant and is usually an interruption or distraction when it occurs. Noise and
interference block the sending or receiving of a message. When it comes to public speaking, noise and interference can be a major issue for both you as message sending and for your audience as your message receivers. Learning How to Tune It All Out With regard to external noise, double check to see if there are any ways to boost your volume. You might need to physically project your voice a little more to be heard over a low din. You might even need to call attention to yourself so that your audience pays attention. And it's okay to ask your audience before you speak: "Can you hear me in the back? " PresentationHow you deliver your speech presentation may be just as important as the speech itself. Learning Objectives Demonstrate how to appropriately present
yourself when giving a speech Key TakeawaysKey Points
Key Terms
Elements of Speech Communication: The PresentationPresentation: How your message comes across is just as important as the message itself. The delivery of your message may be just as important as the words you speak. There are a number of factors to consider when delivering your speech that can help or hinder your efforts to an effective overall presentation. Appearance You may have heard the phrase, "Dress to impress. " This couldn't be more true when getting up to deliver a speech. While some speech venues and settings might be
more casual, chances are, you should be dressed in business attire. While fashion may change as quickly as the seasons, some basic tips regarding business professional or business formal attire hold true: Verbal Communication: Your Words and IdeasThe actual words that you say certainly influence your presentation. Make sure that you rehearse often so that the words feel comfortable in your mouth as you speak them aloud. Be on the lookout for phrases that might trip you up or leave you tongue-tied. Practice your speech in front of another person or small group of people: ask them if what you're saying--from the ideas to which you're trying to get across to your phrasing, tone and style--make sense to them. Non-Verbal Communication: Your Body Language Your non-verbal communication is equally as important as the words you have to say. Your body stance and posture and your eye contact (or lack thereof) can be crucial in making yourself relatable to your audience. You'll want to keep an
assertive body posture: stand up straight and maintain eye contact when you can (if you're not reading from prepared remarks). Be mindful of gesture: don't overdo it, but don't stand there rigidly, either. Gesture and movement build visual interest for your audience. If you're able to get out from behind a podium or lectern, do so. Situational and Environmental ContextIt is important to understand the environmental and situational contexts in which you are giving a speech. Learning Objectives Define situational context, environmental context, and situational awareness Key TakeawaysKey Points
Key Terms
Elements of Speech Communication: Situational and Environmental ContextEnvironmental and Situational Context: The environmental and situational context in which you give a speech is important. Just as you consider your audience when crafting your
speech, you'll also want to consider the context in which your speech will be given. While context certainly includes your audience, it also encompasses many other factors that are important for you to consider as you craft your speech. Context of Culture and GenderUnderstanding the cultural and gender context of your speech is vital to making a connection with your audience. Learning Objectives Define gender and culture in relation to public speaking Key TakeawaysKey Points
Key Terms
Elements of Speech Communication: Cultural and Gender ContextBoth culture and gender play key roles not only in how you perceive your audience, but in how your audience perceives you. Understanding GenderWhen we think of gender, we often think of male or female; that's only half of understanding gender. The denotations of male and female actually refer to biological and physiological sex. Gender is a sociological construct of values, ideals, and behaviors about what it means to be either male or female, and are often regarded in terms of masculine or feminine, respectively. Many people use sex and gender interchangeably, but one does not have to be male to identify as masculine, and vice versa. Understanding CultureIn the example above, we have both a biological, physical characteristic (sex) with a superimposed cultural construct (gender). The same applies to both race and culture, respectively. Race refers to groups of people who are distinguished by shared physical characteristics, such as skin color and hair type. Culture refers to the customs, habits, and value systems of groups of people. People of the same race may not share the same culture; similarly, a culture isn't necessarily comprised of people of the same race. How Gender and Culture Can Impact Public Speaking When considering both gender and cultural contexts, we often encounter bias, both intentional and unintentional, and implicit or explicit. We may have presumptive judgments or opinions about those cultures and races that differ from our own, which are often the result of our own upbringing. And as much as you might be biased toward or
against certain gender and cultural groups, your audience will have just as much bias as you, and in different ways. Cultural and Gender Context: The speaker's gender and cultural identity and the audience's cultural and gender identities invariably influence one another. Licenses and AttributionsCC licensed content, Shared previously
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What does dialogue communication mean to the speaker to the audience?Dialogic communication is an approach to communication that focuses on promoting a dialogue between a speaker and their audience. Dialogic communication encourages speakers to be assertive (calm, respectful, and open) in presenting their ideas to an audience.
What is it called when a receiver sends a message back to a source?Feedback. When you respond to the source, intentionally or unintentionally, you are giving feedback. Feedback is composed of messages the receiver sends back to the source.
What is the source of the message in public speaking?In a public speaking situation, the source is the person giving the speech. He or she conveys the message by sharing new information with the audience. The speaker also conveys a message through his or her tone of voice, body language, and choice of clothing.
What do you call to the response of the receiver or audience?This response of a receiver to sender's message is called Feedback.
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