Communication - Area of Improvement - Essay Example

One very important area of communication where I feel the need for personal improvement is oral and public communication. Oral and public communication forms a major part of our lives as the communication that takes place, the majority of them takes place in oral form. Thus, it is very important to focus on this part of communication as it can really make or change our lives. There are many examples in our daily lives that can be linked to this type of communication. For instance, a relationship manager in a bank is responsible for approaching customers and developing a relationship with them through this type of communication. Similarly, a lecturer in a university transfers most of the data to its students by communicating orally. A politician a leader or a reformer addresses the public by communicating with them orally. However, what if a manager is not able to communicate with the customers effectively because of poor oral and public communication skills, a lecturer fails to make his student understand the topic or a politician fails to draw the attention of the mob toward what he has to say? In order to avoid this scenario, we must focus on certain aspects that can make us better at oral and public communication. The following things should be kept in mind for oral communication:

Voice

A speaker should always use an appropriate volume level. It should not be too low so people have difficulty listening to you and it should not be too high. The volume should be adjusted according to the situation for instance when addressing a mob speaker must be loud and clear so that he can effectively transfer his message. Similarly, if we are talking to a person who is standing near us then we should talk with a polite tone. The main goal should be to ensure that everyone understands what we want to say without straining their ear or irritating them by speaking too loudly.

Assertive Approach

The speaker should be assertive in what he has to say. For instance, the speaker should use “I” statements while sharing his opinions or feelings with others, so the listener may not feel that he is being accused and at the same time, he has delivered the message. This approach is very effective when a sensitive topic is under discussion. At the same time, the speaker must also try to control his emotions and only portray what he wants the listeners to know.

Body Language

Body language is a very important part of verbal communication as it complements what we say perfectly. Good body language can often overcome the weaknesses in our oral speech but good oral speech with bad body language will spoil the mood of the audience. Proper eye contact should be maintained with the listener at all times as it sets the mood for a better understanding of what the speaker has to say (Thayer, pg. 102).

Appropriate Language

The speaker must use appropriate language that can be understood by most of them. In addition, the speaker must choose simple words so they can be understood by everyone. He should also try to convey his message clearly to the audience so the basic theme of the message can reach comprehensively to the listener (Thayer, pg. 109).

All these factors if worked upon can enhance our ability to communicate effectively in our daily lives, thus opening endless opportunities for ourselves.