Drew is one of Chris' Spring 2012 Professional Speaking students at Carnegie Mellon. Here he writes about oral communication.
Oral
communication: it’s communication through the mouth - it’s a type of
communication that many of us do so much of, but also fear the most. According
to a management study guide, oral communication is quite interpersonal and
flexible; as the style can be instantly changed based on feedback from the
audience. The document also mentions that oral communication is responsible for
the energy of the matter being conveyed. [1] The types of material that oral
communications covers are large, as it can range from a private conversation to
communicating with a mass group of people. [2] Reading about oral
communications brings to mind one of my first real-world oral communication
experiences that tossed me in head over feat, unprepared and unskilled; but
once the spotlight was on, there was no turning back.
I was in the 10th grade at the time, I was techie
– into electronics, and somehow my hobby led me into mobile DJing. Since the 6th
grade I had DJ’ed at birthdays, school dances, pool parties and proms – but
today was different. Today I was DJing my first wedding, which meant I was
going to have to talk on a microphone in front of people, lots of people. I had
been so involved and worried about setting up the backend logistics of the
wedding that I didn’t even think about what I would have to be communicating over
the microphone in front of everyone until I was setup and testing all the
equipment. My mind went wild. I began to panic, doubting myself and questioning
what I got myself into – I had never even seen a wedding with a DJ perform, and
back then I didn’t have the luxury of YouTube to seek out examples. There was
no doubt; I needed to figure out something, and fast.
Being the thrifty 10th grader I was, I first tried
to get my assistant to do all the communications – he swiftly laughed a no at
me. There was no choice, I’m not a quitter; I was going to have to figure out
how to communicate all this wedding information and face my fear. So while the
venue was empty, I did a dry run of what I expected to occur during the
wedding. With one off my chest, I did a second dry run, except this time I listened
to what I was saying. I tried to imagine how what I was speaking would be
interpreted, was the tone and sound in my voice what I’d expect at a wedding?
Was it relaxed or forced? Was it “me”? By about the 11th run through
of my imagined script, I was beginning to think I might survive this ordeal.
The guests were arriving, finding their tables, getting
drinks at the bar, relaxed and having a good time. I was in the corner shaking,
wound up, and in no cheerful mood like the others in attendance. The bar tender
came over and asked me to announce that the bar would be closing in five
minutes so the reception could begin. Here goes nothing, I picked up the
microphone and made the announcement, trying to listen to myself at the same
time. It was shaky, timid, weak and un-authoritative. There was hardly even an
acknowledgement from the crowd. I thought, “What could be wrong?” I thought
back to my rehearsals and realized my communication was getting lost in my shyness.
I realized I was going to have to do something different when it was time to
announce the wedding party; I was going to have to sound confident, cheerful
and lively – I just wasn’t sure how I was going to do that yet.
Finally, the moment arrived. Shaking, I took a deep breath
and launched into announcing the wedding party. I gave it everything I could,
sounding confident, hiding my shaking body in front of a commanding voice. It
was working – almost. There was something missing though, and come about the
forth couple I started to realize what was missing. My smile. My smile was not
coming across in my communications, so as I began to announce the maid of honor
and best man, I smiled. The result of my smile (and adrenalin) gave my
communication the sound it needed. More importantly, it helped give me the
confidence to welcome the bride and groom to a room full of people.
Fast-forward several weddings later, I am now a masters
student and finally in a Professional Speaking course – a course that would have
come in hand many years ago. While I had informally improved my wedding
communication skills; learning tricks hear and there – and seeing mistakes on YouTube,
I am now beginning to finally learn the formal details of oral communication. The
details that would’ve allowed me to look like a professional and sound like a
professional.
The first few days in the communications class have already provided
a wealth of important notes; from maintaining appropriate demeanor, to the
physical body communication that compliments the oral communication. With oral
communication, the class has conveyed importance of standing up straight and
tall, without hands and fingers crossed or in our pockets. It is important that
our eyes make contact with the audience and that we read their reactions. We
also need to speak with confidence and appropriately project our voice. Along
with a good oral presentation, it was mentioned in class that listening is just
as important, by listening; we can adapt our oral communication style and
ensure the message is being conveyed. Looking at the short list for notes from
the class thus far, I could have really used it to help me at communicating
during the wedding reception!
From my experiences, the professional speaking class and the
research that I’ve done so far, I’ve learned that oral communication is one of
the most adaptable forms of communication and can be used from person to person
all the way to the masses. Most importantly, I’ve learned that oral
communications can be tailored on the spot to set the appropriate energy and
mood of the information being conveyed.
