Role of Communication in Effective Public Speaking

Communication plays an essential role in public speaking. There is a difference between speaking to someone in private and connecting to a large audience. Believe me; you fail as a speaker even if one individual in the audience goes back with the slightest doubt in his/her mind. Your job as a speaker is incomplete unless and until individuals return with a smile on their face. Effective communication in fact is the backbone of public speaking.

Effective communication ensures the message reaches the audience in its correct and desired form. Communication is incomplete if the recipients are not aware as to what the sender intends to speak. Speak clearly and make sure your content is relevant and makes sense. You may speak in any language but your audience needs to understand your thoughts and ideas. Choose the correct words in your speech. Avoid using jargons and slangs in official communication.

Speak with confidence. Your communication needs to motivate your audience to follow what has been discussed in the seminar or conference. Support your content with practical examples so that people can relate it with their daily lives.

Two way communication is of utmost importance. A scenario where only the speaker speaks and others either sleep or fiddle with their cell phones is not the ideal one. People sitting in first two rows are generally attentive but what about those who are on the last benches? Trust me, in most of the cases they are lost somewhere else.

An individual is considered to be a good and effective speaker only when questions and queries come from even the last benchers. Motivate your audience to ask questions in between. It is always better to revert later if you are not clear on something rather than lying.

Style of communication also plays an important role in public speaking. There are very few individuals who really bother about their pitch and tone. What is the use of an excellent presentation if it is not communicated well? Speak loudly but clearly. You do not have to shout but make sure you are audible to everyone. Check with your audience whether they can hear you clearly or not? Do not forget that you are not speaking for yourself but for everyone sitting in the room.

Do not try to copy others. Inspiration is alright but problem arises when people try to blindly follow their colleagues or bosses. Every individual has his/her own style and it is always better to stick to it. Speaking with a fake accent is a strict no no in public speaking.

Allow people to express their ideas and opinions. Do not expect a yes in everything you say. A session is effective only when every individual sitting in the forum agrees to the terms, conditions, policies and so on discussed in the session. Forcing your ideas on your audience does not make sense in today’s business scenario.

One needs to prepare well before a session but you just can’t predict everything your audience might ask. It is practically impossible to jot down everything you intend to speak. Fluency is of utmost importance and it comes with thorough practice. No one is born with effective communication skills but trust me, it comes with hard work, time, dedication and of course practice.

Use the right tenses. Take extreme care of your grammar. Take care of punctuation marks. Give pauses in between. For effective communication it is important to develop eye contact with your audience. Enrich your vocabulary. It helps in public speaking. Take care of your body language as well.

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