Section 3.8: Delivering Your Message; Communication Skills
Communication refers in its widest sense to the interaction that involves the exchange
of ideas, feelings, information… at different levels. It is the process through
which ideas, emotions or knowledge are exchanged and transmitted through different
media.
The elements that take part in the process of communication are the sender, encoding,
the channel, decoding, the receiver, feedback and the context source, the message
and the receiver. A good communicator will carefully choose the elements of his/her
message and deliver them in a manner that is understandable and compelling.
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Figure 2. Elements that take part in the process of communication
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We have already made emphasis on the importance and means of structuring and creating
your message. What we list below is a series of tips to improve your verbal communication
skills:
- Before the activity, focus on the needs of your audience.
- Visualize yourself succeeding.
- Begin by breathing.
- Be professional. Enter the performance space with a confident stance. Acknowledge
the audience by smiling and making eye contact. Wait until you have their full attention.
Introduce yourself, and make a brief presentation and summary of the activity.
- Make sure your audience can see and hear you. Work as close to them as possible.
- The sound of your voice is your most important tool. Use a variety of tones of voice.
- Keep the message clear and concise.
- Be vivid when delivering the message.
- Keep your body language up-beat and expressive.
- Don't talk too fast. Slow down your speech to avoid showing that you are nervous.
- Pauses are effective.
- Tell the story naturally, as in a conversation with a good friend.
- Use deliberate movements and fill your space. Move in relation with your story.
Avoid nervous mannerisms like playing with your hair or moving back and forth. This
will distract your audience.
- Use your hands to emphasize your message. Do not put them in your pocket. Do not
cross your arms; arms crossed in front of your body say that you are insecure.
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Figure 3. The guide and visitors in a Visitor Center. The guide uses an active prop
to speak about geology in that area. Geopark Sobrarbe, Huesca, Spain
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- Use visual aids and props.
- If you forget your words, pause for a moment and remember your objective. While
the words may not come right back to you, this will help keep you on track and may
even help you to think of additional thoughts and ideas your audience will benefit
from hearing.
- Don’t mumble while speaking, pronounce each word clearly. People will judge
your capabilities through your vocabulary.
- Use the words you know. Don’t use any word, if you are not sure of the meaning.
- Engage your audience actively. Ask questions and try to have them involved in what
you are saying by maintaining eye contact and referring to their previous commentaries.
- End your story as a professional. Remember to summarize the main aspects of your
message and do not forget to thank your audience.
