Education Leadership

Ask anyone about what makes a good leader and they are sure to put the ability to communicate high on the list of necessary skills.  Yet all to often communication is simply seen as the ability to speak.

Listening – actively is an incredibly powerful tool at times rather neglected.

I stated working with… who said, “I   feel really frustrated.  I often suggest ideas at meetings but others get the credit! I am really keen to get promotion and want to impress”

Was keen to do well.  He wanted his superiors to recognise his potential and felt it was important to come up with the goods. At meetings…always tried to get in first. He was quick to speak, often cutting across others and interrupting.

By doing so there were a number of consequences quite different to his original intention:

Bosses lost their train of thought; they found the interruptions irritating.

Concentrated far more on what he was going to say rather than internalising what was being said by others.  His contributions were not focused on the matter at hand, or were shallow because he had not taken the time to analyse what had been said

Thoughts were articulated before they were completely formulated.  Others picked up on the idea, thought them through logically and re-articulated them as their own, gaining lots of brownie points with the bosses

The problem was premature articulation, a very common problem.  The solution is easy to identify but requires practice on a regular basis if the new behaviour is to become second nature.

Together we considered how to manage the problem.
I asked… to make a conscious decision to act differently at the next meeting.

To remain quiet, listening carefully and to contribute only when their opinion was asked for.

Planned strategies for listening, ordering thoughts and recording ideas were put in place.

It was agreed that ideas were to be offered after enough thought had taken place to ensure they were logical ordered and listened to.

The result was amazing… felt more in control and  was ready with  positive, well thought out contributions which were accredited to him.

Found the situation in meetings was less stressful and frantic as the pressure to perform was lessened.  Listening attentively, taking time to get his thoughts together before offering a contribution has taken a bit of effort but well worth while.

The benefits of communication are evident from the least sophisticated creatures to the most advanced as in humans.

Perhaps, among the creatures especially endowed with the power of communication, humans make use of them more intensely and with a purpose that each speech made has had some effect on the people who hears them.

Not only do humans use communication in everyday survival but uses it for a variety of reasons. It is used to inspire and to deliver important messages in a well-structured and equally measured manner.

Public Speaking

In a recent survey, more than 90% among the 1000 American individuals interviewed are afraid of hosting a speaking engagement. 20% of them have at least done such acts and never want to do it again while 75% commented that there are people who are endowed with such skills and that public speaking should be reserved solely to them.

In a monologue lecture, one has to inform, influence, and convince people. This can only be done through the use of speech that is well crafted, revised and edited.

The above criteria can only be met if the speaker has a main purpose in mind, a tool to convey the very same purpose with a full consideration of the recipient audience.

In order for your speech to become as effective as you want it to be, you have to consider the four elements of the above activity, and tailor activities and strategies that will effectively drive your audience into believing everything you have to say.

Who/whom – Your audience is your best resource when considering in what manner you would want to conduct your speech. You should deliberately come up with a verbal address that is appropriate to your audience. Consider their age, level of education, place in the society, and your level of relationship with them.

Ron Kurtus, an experienced speech master, commented that your first and primary purpose of speaking is to communicate ideas that you think your listeners would like to hear; something that they want to internalize and be part of their lives and something which can they can use for their daily living and gain rewards along the way.

What – Your topic will provide you an effective idea and help you develop a talk which is most appropriate, timely and equally-relating to your listeners and spectators. Your topic can be as complicated as you want it to be as long as your audience is aware of the main topic at hand.

When – As you go along making your speech, you may want to ask yourself if the subject of your talk is timely or something which your audience could probably relate to.

You do not want to explain the science behind Alzheimer if you are talking to business folks who are looking for ways on how they can develop a procedure for managing their business and get warranted results.

In a sense, one has to consider if one has the opportune time to talk about things to their audience that will make a direct impact on how they view the world and the concepts surrounding your topic.

How – As today’s world becomes a place for entertainment, people expect their speakers to be lively and use strategies that will arouse their interest and help them better understand the complexities by which your topic is founded.

Dr. Stephen D. Boyd says that a 20 or 200 person audience is similar in terms of maintaining their interest on what you have to say. Speakers battle on the external factors which play in getting the attention of your listeners.

Listeners expect their client speaker to speak with vigor, humor, vitality, confidence, and animation. This can be in the form of creating something catchy like a surprising and unusual story, an unbelievable figure and/or your personal experiences.

If you are tired and emotionally stressed, your listeners can feel it. It is evident in your voice, in your actions and the way you move your hands and body. You will be physically restricted and repressed and could hardly do more to stir excitement among your audience.

While these and other factors affect the way you conduct your speech, it is important to follow several recommendations that will help you combat the consequences of your audience finding out your true physical state.

Vary your pace of speaking
Pause to make a point
Demonstrate gesture that is relevant to the idea that you are trying to point out
Employ facial expressions
Make sensible and purposeful movements