Effective Communication Skills: Mastering Research, Writing, and Speaking

1. Online PowerPoints to accompany Cornerstone: Discovering Your Potential, Learning Actively, and Living Well Fifth Edition Robert M. Sherfield Rhonda J. Montgomery Patricia G. Moody

2. CORNERSTONE:Discovering Your Potential,Learning Actively, and Living Well CHAPTER TWELVE COMMUNICATE: Fostering Your Research, Writing, and Speaking Talents

3. CHAPTER 12 OBJECTIVES This chapter can help you: • Develop research skills • Select topics for presentations • Appreciate the power of words • Gain employability skills • Analyze various types of audiences • Organize and deliver quality speeches

4. TEN STEPS TO COMMUNICATION SUCCESS • Topic selection • Audience analysis • Purpose statement • Research process • Organization • Writing process • Documentation • Outlining • Using audio-visual aids • Rehearsal and delivery

5. TOPIC SELECTION • What type of paper or speech are you writing? • What are your talents and interests? • Is there sufficient material? • Is your topic appropriate? • Can it be discussed in the time allowed? • Can the topic be narrowed?

6. AUDIENCE ANALYSIS • Race and gender • Sexual orientation • Values and beliefs • Religion • Attitudes • Politics • Marital or parental status • Socio-economic status • Occupation or interests • Level of education or understanding

7. SOURCES FOR RESEARCH • Personal interviews with experts • Electronic and print indexes • Books • Electronic library catalog and databases • The Internet • Periodicals • Newspapers • Reference materials • Government documents

8. ORGANIZATION • Spatial • Cause/effect • Chronological • Problem-solving • Topical/categorical • Compare/contrast • Importance/priority

9. ETHICS FOR WRITING AND SPEAKING • Share only what you know to be true • Be fully prepared and informed • Consider your audience’s best interest • Make your message clear • Don’t use words as weapons • Don’t “spin” information • Respect cultural diversity • Know you are accountable for your words

10. LANGUAGE USAGE • Use colorful, vivid language • Use unbiased language • Use simple language • Use concrete language • Use parallelism

11. CREATING AN EFFECTIVE INTRODUCTION • Tell a story or create a mental picture • Use startling facts or statistics • Refer to a well-known event • Ask pertinent rhetorical questions • Use novel ideas or striking statements • Use quotations • Use humor • Show a visual

12. CONCLUDING A PAPER OR SPEECH • Summarize main points • Make a final appeal to audience • Refer back to introduction • Complete the opening story • Re-emphasize the impact of your topic • Use a vivid analogy or simile • End powerfully

13. BE SURE TO DOCUMENT… • Direct quotations • Others’ opinions, judgments, insights • Information not widely known • Information open to dispute • Information not commonly accepted • Tables, charts, graphs, statistics

14. AUDIO / VISUAL AIDS • Physical objects • Models, drawings, maps • Photographs, slides • Graphs, charts, tables • Slick or chalkboards • Audio or video recordings • Posters, flip charts • Computer graphics or presentations • Real people, yourself

15. WHY WE FEAR PUBLIC SPEAKING • Fear of failure • Fear of the unknown • Fear of evaluation • Fear of attention • Fear of difference • Fear of cultural differences

16. CHAPTER REFLECTION • Use a comprehensive thesis statement • Use credible, documented research • Use Internet sources with caution • Rehearse speeches aloud often • Take opportunities to speak in public • Use logical organization • Use a variety of research sources • Develop an “I can” attitude • Choose topics you know • Use a keyword outline • Analyze and relate to the audience • Use vivid, colorful language • Use technology to complement your presentation

17. JUST FOR FUN !! Character Illustration by Christian O’Brien