Communication
Module Aim:
To provide an overview and practise
the skills of effective communication
in the workshop/presentation
environment
Time allocated:
2 hours
General Outline: Workshop style, mostly in small
groups, with individual presentations
Talking with Body Language
1.
2.
3.
4.
Energy should reflect
content and desired mood
Use movement to maintain
interest
Remember you are the focal
point, use this to your
advantage
Use appropriate and diverse
eye contact
Voice Skills
1.
2.
3.
4.
Alter tone to keep interest.
Use volume to emphasise
mood
Alter speed to change mood.
USE A PAUSE ON KEY
POINTS AS AN
EXCLAMTION MARK
Congruency (making it all match)
The words you speak tell a story,
The tone and timing of your voice tells a story,
Your body tells a story…..
Are all 3 telling the same story?
Replace Fillers with Pauses
Are you aware of what filler you use to fill in the
space when you need to think?
• Ums and Aahs
• Face scrunches, finger twitches, tongue licks
• Repetitions of the same word……. “OK”
A nice little tool is to replace the ‘filler’ with
a pause and take a breath. The pause will
work to your advantage
Exercise: 1 minute story
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•
•
•
In small groups find an semi-private area and take turns
telling a story about the most exciting part of your week
last week.
Limit time to one minute
Don’t be shy, stand up and get actively involved.
One group member can act as facilitator to help review.
Take turns as facilitators for each different speaker.
Review each presentation, for example:
1. What things do you think you did well?
2. Any areas you could improve on?
3. Get feedback on key points from the group? (positive and things
would enable growth)
Super Challenge:
Speak convincingly on something you are not
passionate about for 2 minutes.
Some topics are listed below;
• Sport should be for recreational purposes only
• Team sports inherently revolve around 1 or 2 individuals
• Playing competitive sport is destructive to personal growth
Some other Tips
A few areas to be aware of that might create
difficulties;
• Jargon
• Slang
• Clarity with language difficulties (different
cultures etc)
Telling Stories
The difference between a good story and a great story is
how it is delivered;
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•
•
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Be authentic – the best stories are genuine
Under 2 minutes
Practise
Make sure it relates to the point
Stories about yourself are best received if showing
how you learnt from your flaws/errors
Giving Directions
Directions that are easily and well followed have
the following in common;
•
•
•
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Clear and concise
Simple
Lack room for (mis)interpretation
Have time allocated where applicable
Exercise; (in small groups)
• Each group has a pen and paper/flip chart etc,
one person in the group is nominated to receive
instructions (scribe).
• Each group is given a shape that must not be
shown to the scribe.
• The group must instruct the scribe to draw an
exact replica of the shape without explaining
what it is or what it might look like.
Creating Visual Aids
• Keep it Simple – simple is effective
• Easy to read – visible to whole audience
• 2 colours – 3 or more colours can be too busy
• Bullet points only (no more than 4 or 5 /slide)
• Add pictures where possible
Using Visual Aids
1. Talk to your audience not the screen
2. Explain the aid as soon as you show it
3. When finished with it get rid of it (on Power Point
tap key ‘B’ for blank and the screen goes black….tap any other
key and it comes back)
4. Be prepared to deliver content without the
visual aid
Using Handouts
1. Maximise time for active learning - Don’t
waste time or belittle your audience by reading
through handouts
2. Think of ways that your audience can get key
information from the handouts by doing
activities
3. Summarise key points if required.