THE SPEECH COMMUNICATION PROCESS

In order to give a better speech, you need to understand what goes on during the process of communication. There are seven elements that we need to consider –

1. Sender (Speaker)
2. Message
3. Channel
4. Receiver (Listener)
5. Feedback
6. Interference
7. Environment (Situation)

SENDER

The sender is the speaker. A sender starts with what message he or she wishes to express and then must encode that idea into symbols (words) and signs (facial expressions, tone of voice, etc).

Your success as a public speaker depends on:
• Knowledge of the subject
• Your personal credibility
• Your preparation
• Your manner of speaking
• Your sensitivity to the audience and environment
• ENTHUSIASM!


MESSAGE

The message is whatever a sender (speaker) communicates to someone else (receiver).
• Your goal - to have your intended message be the message that is actually communicated.
• This depends on what you say (verbally) and how you say it (body language)
• Body language involves tone of voice, appearance, gestures, facial expression and eye contact.
• Make sure your body language does not distract from your verbal message.
• All messages are carried by a channel.

CHANNEL

• The channel is the means by which a message is communicated.
• For example the telephone, face-to-face, radio, television, email, etc.
• Public speakers may use one or more of several channels, each of which will affect the message received by the audience.


RECEIVER

• The receiver is the listener. The receiver receives the communicated message through the channel.
• Everything a speaker says is filtered through a listener’s frame of reference.

A frame of reference is the total of a person’s knowledge, experience, goals, values and attitudes. No two people can have exactly the same of reference, so the meaning of a message will be never be the same to a listener as to a speaker.

• A speaker must be audience-centered.


FEEDBACK

• Feedback is the signs the receivers projects while the sender is sending a message.
• Feedback allows the sender to know how his or her message is being received.
• Feedback is affected by one’s frame of reference.


INTERFERENCE

• Anything that impedes the communication of a message.
• It can be external or internal.
• External interference – traffic from outside the building, the clatter of the air-conditioner, students talking in the corridors, etc.
• Internal interference – a bite from a mosquito, worrying about a test coming up in the next period, a stomachache, etc.
• As a speaker, you must try to hold on to your listener’s attention despite these interferences.


ENVIRONMENT

• The environment is the time, place and emotional context the communication takes place in.
• Environments can place expectation and constraints on communication.
• Public speakers must be alert to the situation and occasion. Certain ceremonies need special speeches.
• Physical setting is also important – indoor, outdoor, in a small classroom, in a gymnasium, etc.