Effective verbal communication techniques

What you say is just important as how you say it. You may have some very important information to share but if participants have a difficult time to hear you or understand you then you are wasting your time.

• Speak loudly. Project your voice and change the tone from time to time. A monotone voice is difficult to pay attention to after even a short time.
• Repeat all participants’ comments. Question and answer in front of the group. it is very frustrating to be sitting in the back and have the facilitator respond to a question you did not hear.
• Maintain an appropriate pace. If you move too quickly, many people will have a hard time to follow. If you move too slowly, participants will become bored. If participants are getting restless, try a thirty-second stretch break before resuming.
• Pause for emphasis on important points and key words. A quick pause will focus attention on what you are about to say. And repeating key words will emphasize their important and help participants to remember.
• Pronoun and enunciate clearly. It is very distracting to listen to a speaker and not be able to understand what they are saying. This means keeping your mouth free from gum and food while talking.
• Use participant names as often as possible. People like to hear their name; they feel more involved in the session if they are called on personally.
• Use familiar terms and expressions. Your job is to inform people not to impress them with your rich vocabulary. If you do use a new term, be sure to define it for participants.
• Use lots of examples. You can use personal experiences, facts, anecdotes, quotes, photographs or ask participants to share an example of their own.
• Accept ideas and suggestions from participant. Be willing to accept input from participants even if it is contrary to information you are presenting. This shows an open mind and a willingness to look at other aspects of the topic.
• Use appropriate humor during your presentation. An occasionally laugh helps people to relax and be more interested in the topic.

 effective-communication_khm.pdf

By Kong Sophal