Public Speaking

In our last communication class we discussed some of our experiences with public speaking. Some people’s experiences were positive and some were negative.

Speaking in front of groups is not everyone’s favourite thing to do and for some people this can be a difficult thing

We had some in class exercises where we all had an opportunity to practice saying something in a group setting and two students gave speeches on two random topics peanut butter and nightmares.

The first speaker was Maxwell Miller who spoke about peanut butter and did a good job of it too. He mentioned so interesting fact about peanut butter and spoke clearly and at a good pace and used humor to keep his audience interested. The only feedback would be that Max was quite fidgety throughout the whole presentation and this distracted from the message he was trying to convey.

The second speaker was Anna Fawcett and she spoke about nightmares. The information presented was interesting and she used humour to get the audiences attention. Anna’s speech was great but at times she spoke too fast which made it hard to keep up.

There are a few good tips that you can use to make a little more bearable and save unnecessary embarrassment.

There are several steps of tricks to use to overcome the fear of making a mistake or looking foolish when you speak to a group:

1. Be well-prepared before speaking to a group
2. Practice your speech
3. Have a backup, in case you forget what you want to say
4. Reduce the fear of your audience
5. Relax yourself just before you speak
6. Dress appropriately

Below is a link to a website for further tips on being an effective speaker:

http://www.effectivespeaking.co.nz/

Public speaking needn’t be daunting and by applying some of these tips. And Remember, "He who fails to prepare is preparing for failure - so Prepare, Prepare, Prepare".

Listening

Being an effective listener is sometimes a difficult thing, because people are usually more focused on what they are saying than what they are hearing.

Now don’t fall in to the trap of thinking by giving the occasional nod of the head or uh huh, yup or yeah will make people think you are listening to them because they know you aren’t listening.

A good listener is someone who centers their attention on you when you are speaking to them and takes a genuine interest in what you are saying.

There are a few key things we can do to improve our listening skills:

• Decide to be a Better Listener
• Concentrate
• Give Feedback That You’re Listening
• Keep An Open Mind

http://changingminds.org/techniques/listening/good_listening.htm

The web link above gives more tips on how to become an effective listener and goes along with the handout we were given in class.

I have heard many people complain that people who speak English as a second language are impossible to understand. By listening carefully and concentrating, we can usually understand what is being said. As for myself I am not the world’s best listener and have often been accused of having selective hearing.

The Self

Recently in class we discussed the self- concept. This concept is made up of three key concepts:

Others images- How do significant others see me?
Social comparisons- How do I compare with my peers?
Your interpretations and evaluations- How do I evaluate my own feelings and behaviors

Along with the self-concept we also learnt about the Johari window which is a concept that deals with different parts of the self. The Johari window is made up of four parts.

Open self – shared information
Blind self – only known to others
Hidden self – only known to yourself
Unknown self – unconscious information

Below is a link to find out more about the Johari window:

http://www.noogenesis.com/game_theory/johari/johari_window.html

This concept is aimed at the positive aspects of the self and useful tool for illustrating and improving self-awareness.

There is also a Nohari window which focuses on the negative aspects of the self.

I find these concepts interesting for finding out things that you may not know or recognise in yourself.

On the other hand some people are apprehensive to take part in evaluating themselves with these types of concepts and often become defensive when the outcomes aren’t the ones desired.

I find that using these types of concepts that if you are honest with yourself you will be able to pin point the areas in yourself that need changing.

Unfortunately most people let their pride or ego stand in the way of this happening and the only one who loses out is them