Look Your Audience In The Eye; Never Speak In A Monotone; Be You – Your Communication Tips Of The Day

I speak to lots of different audiences.  I listen to a fair number of speeches.  And I listen to a whole lot of student speeches at the Community College level.  There are some wonderful surprises from some unexpected students.  (And, yes, there are plenty of students that need to refine both their preparation and their delivery skills).

Here are my most recent observations, after listening to some really good, and some not-so-good, student speeches.  Call them my Communication Tips of the week.

#1 – When you speak, let your personality shine through.  I have a few students who seem to lose their personality when they get up to speak in front of their classmates.  They become less, energetic, less animated, less…human.  They are “fulfilling an assignment,” rather than communicating to their classmates.  So my advice is this:  do not forget your personality when you get up to speak.  Be you when you speak – let your personality shine through.

#2 – Please look your audience in the eye.  Eye contact (eyeball-to-eyeball) is such a huge part of the connection process.  The more tied you are to your notes, the more you look down at your notes, the more you miss that eye-to-eye contact that enables a genuine human connection.  Look your audience in the eye.

#3 – Never speak in a monotone.  Speak up, pronounce your words clearly, and be sure to use a lot of vocal variety and verbal punch.  Punch your key words; emphasize your key thoughts with vocal “enthusiasm.”  Never speak in a monotone. 

Get these right, and you have a much better chance of communicating your message in a successful way.  To teach, to inform, to persuade, you first have to connect.  Work at connecting – and start wit