You have to be sensitive to your
audience; they will be selective about what they
choose to hear. You should motivate them to listen by
giving them reasons for wanting to learn from what
you have to say. David Zarefsky talks about three
different levels of motivation that the speaker can
provide to listeners
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:
-
Listeners will be more motivated to pay
attention if the speech is personally meaningful and
important to them.
Give examples or
illustrations that listeners will
recognize. Describe experiences
listeners might have had. Anticipate
questions your audience may be forming
like “So what?” or “Why should I want
to hear this?” or “What difference
will it make to me?”
-
Listeners will attend to messages that
stand out.
Contrasts catch people’s
attention. These may be contrasts
between what a speaker is expected to
say and actually says, differences
between one speaker and another, or
changes in pitch, volume, or rate of
delivery within one speech.
-
The less effort required to pay
attention to a message, the more likely it is that
it will be attended to.
As a speaker, you can do
several things to make listening to
you “less work” for the audience:
- Repeat key ideas and main points,
signaling to the audience that these are important
and should be attended to.
- Be sure that your speech is well
organized, so that listeners will not have to
struggle just to determine what the main ideas are.
- Speak at a rate that will sustain
interest but that is not so rapid that it passes the
audience by.
- Pause to suggest the natural transitions
in the speech.
- Identify the main ideas so that
listeners can easily tell what they are.
Relational speaking means
building a relationship with your
audience. Focus on friendly faces in
your audience. Maintain eye contact
with your listeners while you speak;
you will find encouragement and
support from their smiles and
approving nods.
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View your audience as an ally instead of an
adversary. Douglas Gibb explains the
concept of relational speaking as
making a vital, interpersonal
connection:
The relational
view emphasizes mutual awareness:
“I see you seeing me.” We give the
other person our full attention.
Relational speaking has to do with
connections, and when everyone
connects, there isn’t less of
anybody. With its focus on
relationships, it helps everyone
obtain new knowledge more quickly
and easily. It is the celebration
of each person’s contribution,
large or small, and a recognition
of our differences. As each
snowflake is special, so are we.
We must remember that we are a
part of the whole. We have a duty
in public speaking to be unique,
competent, committed, and
cooperative in all that we do.
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