The Benefits of Developing Communication Competence and Confidence

Suppose that you had to promote an idea at work or speak about an important issue to a community group or make an oral presentation in class.  How would you feel? Excited? Nervous? Confident? Terrified? Would you know how to prepare? Would you just “wing it”? Or would you try to avoid the situation all together?

Most of us admire those who can speak in front of others with energy, poise, and confidence.  We may think that these people are “naturally born speakers” who have never known a moment’s nervousness.  This is far from the truth.  Just like actors, singers, musicians, athletes, and even teachers, effective presenters started with learning and practicing the basics, learned more skills and practiced often, and then learned and practiced some more.

The development of effective communication behavior comes from learning appropriate skills and putting in lots of practice; effective communication does not just happen naturally.  Think for a moment of another “natural” skill: breathing.  Have you ever taken singing lessons, learned a musical instrument, or taken up running or a sport like soccer or swimming? One of the skills needed to do well in any of these activities is proper breathing.  Even though you have been breathing since the moment you entered this world, you need to learn how to breathe more effectively for that particular situation.

It is the same with speaking and listening.  The average person spends 75% of each day listening and speaking, and only 25% percent reading and writing. (Berko 1994) However, just because we spend a good portion of our day speaking and listening does not necessarily mean that we are doing it well or have the ability to communicate competently in a variety of situations.

Perhaps the most significant impact of building your presentation skills is the development of your competence and confidence as a speaker.

Effective communicators work to develop communication competence.  Communication competence is “[more than] a capability of performing certain communication skills”. (McCroskey 1985) A competent communicator draws from a wide range of possible communication behaviors and selects and uses those that are appropriate and effective based on the situation, the purpose of the interaction, and the cultures of the listeners.

Also, competent communicators are flexible and adaptable to the ever-changing dynamics of the communication context.  They use self-monitoring during the interaction and self-reflection before and after, and thus continue to develop their skills for subsequent interactions (Butland 2012; O’Hair and Weimann 2009; Wood 1998)

In addition to communication competence, it is also important to build communication confidence.  Confidence means feeling sure of yourself and your abilities; it means having an inner knowledge that you are capable.

Remember, what you have to say has value, and so it matters that you express yourself in ways that help others engage with your ideas.  The formal instruction and practice in presentation skills that you will have in this course will help you do this; it will help you become a more competent and confident communicator.

The purpose of this workbook is to help you learn how to give a presentation with poise and focus, and to assist you with building your own communication competence and confidence in a public speaking situation.

Many of you are taking this course because it is required for a program you are in, or because it will fill a prerequisite or transfer requirement.  Some of you are in the course because other courses you wanted to take were full.  There may even be some of you who want to become better public communicators.  Regardless of what brought you here, you can be certain that this will be one of the most relevant and useful courses you will ever take.  It will help you realize that

• you have important things to say, and it matters that you learn to express those ideas well.
• improving your speaking and listening skills will help develop your critical thinking skills.
• you can benefit from effectively listening to the ideas of others.
• you can contribute to the growth of others by learning how to offer them focused, relevant feedback.

Developing effective presentation, listening, thinking and feedback skills will be beneficial to you in all areas of your life.  For instance, effective public communication skills are needed when you

• Interview for a job, a promotion, a scholarship, or other interview situation. An interview is essentially a series of mini presentations.  When you respond to questions like “Tell me about yourself” or “Describe a time when you handled a difficult situation”, you are responding publicly in an intentional, organized, listener-focused manner.  Your ability to speak clearly and listen well can greatly influence your success in an interview.
• Communicate at work. In any job, you must communicate with customers, clients, co-workers, and supervisors.  Employers consistently rate oral communication skills among the most important factors in hiring and promoting employees (SCANS 1991; Chauhan 2014; Sledd 2015; NACE 2016).  In fact, if you were to read through the thousands of job descriptions on any popular job search website, you would quickly see that effective communication skills are needed in all jobs, whether at entry level, in middle management, or as a CEO.  Many career counsellors advise their students to build their communication skills long before thinking of applying for a career level job.  (Woodcock n.d.)
• Participate in discussions. You will be able to organize your ideas and think more effectively in class, in meetings, and in other work and social contexts because you will have developed your mental organization skills, and you will be better able to assess what is appropriate and effective communication for each situation.
• Present your ideas outside of the classroom. There will be numerous opportunities outside of this classroom for you to apply the communication skills you are learning.  By giving a well-prepared presentation, you can have an impact on the decisions and events in another course, in a club or organization, at work, at your city council, or in a community action group.  All of these are situations where you will need to communicate your ideas effectively.
• Speak at a special occasion. You may be asked to give a toast at a wedding or say a few words at a funeral.  You may be asked to present an award or extend good wishes at a special event.  With experience and training in public communication, you can provide an enjoyable and meaningful message.
• Write for school or work. You may be surprised to learn that developing your oral communication skills will enhance your writing skills. The skills you develop while preparing an oral presentation will help you write essays, essay exams, and work- related writing in a more organized, reader-focused manner.

These are just a few of the many situations where effective public communication skills are needed.  When you can express yourself in a clear, organized manner, listen attentively, and give useful and appropriate feedback, you will cultivate a feeling of confidence and well-being in personal and work-related situations.  The experiences of hundreds of students like you who have taken classes in public speaking confirm this.

As you design and deliver your presentation, you will be learning and practicing many essential communication skills; you will learn more about each of these skills as you work through this book and develop a presentation.

Similarities between Essay Writing and Presentation Skills

As you learn how to prepare a presentation, you will find many terms and recommendations that are similar to information you have learned about writing an effective essay.  A presentation and a written essay have a lot in common: both are designed to present an audience or reader with specific information in a planned, developed, and organized way using language and examples that have been selected based on the purpose, the topic, and the awareness of the audience/readers for whom it is being prepared.

Of course, there are also several significant differences.  A piece of writing is tangible; if the reader misses a point, is uncertain about a word, or just wants to reinforce some information by rereading it, the reader can not only reread the piece of writing but also can write questions and comments to refer to later.

An oral “essay”, on the other hand, occurs in real time and, unless it is recorded in some way, cannot be reviewed if the listener misses or is confused about an idea.  Even if the presentation is recorded, the recording cannot be experienced in the same way as in the real-time, direct interaction between speaker and listener.  Also, unlike some lectures, where the audience can ask questions as they occur, your presentation must be completed before the audience can ask questions.

This unique quality of an oral “essay” heightens the need for both speaker and listener to prepare accordingly.  The speaker must be sure the information, organization, and delivery are all designed to enhance the understanding of the information for the listener.  The listener must be prepared for the presentation and apply intentional focus and attention.  (You will find more about how to develop effective listening skills later in this workbook.) Nonetheless, if you think of a presentation simply as an oral equivalent of a written essay, the similarities will make planning your presentation easier.

Extemporaneous Speaking: The Most Versatile Speaking Style

There are four ways to deliver a presentation: manuscript, memorized, impromptu or extemporaneous.  Extemporaneous is the most versatile and thus the best to learn; the following information explains why.

• Manuscript presentations are written word for word in advance, and then read out loud. Many politicians and others in the public eye use manuscript speaking, as they need to be exact and careful about what is said publicly.  While many students believe that speaking from a manuscript will help them to do a better presentation, the opposite is true: beginning speakers end up reading to the audience rather than speaking to them, and the presentation becomes flat and boring. Also, by relying on a manuscript, you are not developing essential communication skills that can be used in other contexts.  Avoid writing your presentation word for word regardless of how tempting or “safe” it may seem! 
• Memorized: Many students also believe that they will do a better job if they memorize their presentation, but this is not the case. When the presentation is memorized, the speaker is focused more on “seeing” the presentation in his or her mind’s eye rather than communicating with the audience.  The presentation will sound “robotic”, and if a mistake occurs, the presenter is often flustered and has no flexibility to correct the error.  The audience will know within seconds that you are focusing more on recalling your words than speaking to them.
• Impromptu presentations are those where you have only a minute or two to develop your ideas. While often fun and energizing, this type of presentation is best saved for after you have experienced giving a few extemporaneous style speeches first.  You will then have a much better idea of how to quickly plan and present an impromptu presentation.
• Extemporaneous: The most versatile and effective way to give your presentation is extemporaneously. This is when you plan, organize, and rehearse your ideas in advance, but the exact wording occurs at the time of delivery.  The presentation will be a bit different each time you practice it, which is fine.  Extemporaneous speaking allows you to prepare in advance, yet also allows sufficient flexibility to adapt to and engage the audience in the real time of the presentation.

The material in this workbook is designed to help you develop your extemporaneous speaking ability.  An extemporaneous presentation allows you to develop a plan for the presentation in advance, yet it also has a degree of flexibility that allows you to engage with greater immediacy with the audience and respond easily to information or changes that may occur just before or during the presentation. By developing your extemporaneous speaking ability, you will have a set of public communication skills that you can use in other presentations, at work, in class discussions, and in a job interview.

A Word About Nervousness

The thought of giving a presentation evokes anxiety or nervousness in many of us.  Feeling nervous is normal for nearly everyone, whether a first-time or experienced speaker.  For some, the nervousness is moderate and can be managed easily.  For others, the degree of nervousness may range up to full glossophobia (the fear of public speaking).  Regardless of where you place yourself on the nervousness scale, the information in this workbook will help you manage it productively.  You will find detailed guidance on how to handle nervousness later in this workbook, starting on page 35.

Ethical Communication: Freedom of Speech and Responsibility

We are fortunate to live in a country that allows freedom of speech.  However, this freedom comes with responsibilities for both speakers and listeners. The National Communication Association, in their “Credo for Ethical Communication” (1999) states that “ethical communication enhances human worth and dignity by fostering truthfulness, fairness, responsibility, personal integrity, and respect for self and others.”  The Credo also identifies several principles of ethical communication. (See Appendix A) These principles are summarized here.

As a speaker, it is your responsibility to

• speak truthfully and accurately; present the facts honestly
• demonstrate respect for your audience in the topics you choose, the words you use, and the delivery style of your presentation
• avoid topics that advocate harming another’s person, property, or safety
• speak with the goal of contributing to and benefitting the knowledge and experience of the audience

As a listener, it is your responsibility to participate actively in the communication process by

• preparing yourself to listen
• removing distractions
• postponing judgment on the topic, viewpoint, and ideas of the speaker until the presentation is finished
• listening to the full presentation before you decide what you agree or disagree with, like or dislike, and so on.

The principles of ethical communication should guide every step of the speech design, development and delivery process as well as the listening and feedback process of each member of the audience.