principles of presentation in communication

7 Principles of Effective Communication in the Workplace

What is effective communication,  what are the 7 principles of effective communication, how to use the principles of effective communication in the workplace, principles of effective communication in the workplace, principles of effective communication faqs.

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Why does Effective Communication Matter to Managers?

• Improved understanding and clarity: Effective communication ensures that everyone is on the same page and that there is no confusion about tasks, goals, or expectations.
• Increased productivity: Clear and efficient communication reduces wasted time and resources, resulting in increased productivity.
• Enhanced teamwork: Good communication promotes collaboration and cooperation among team members, leading to a more cohesive and effective team.
• Better decision-making: Effective communication enables individuals to share information, ideas, and perspectives, which leads to better and more informed decision making .
• Stronger relationships: Good communication helps to build trust and mutual understanding, which leads to stronger relationships between people in the organization.

Team manager John holds a meeting to discuss a new project: Hi team, we are launching a new marketing campaign for the holiday season. Through this campaign, we want to focus on our young customers from the Gen Z and increase their presence by 10% over the next quarter . For this purpose, we will focus on an Instagram campaign and five live events . These tasks will be led by Anu and Manu , respectively.

Team manager Mark holds a meeting to discuss a new project: Hi team, we are launching a new marketing campaign for the upcoming season. This campaign focuses on customer acquisition through novel engagement channels . Our team leaders will handle the process.

Team manager Sarah presents a quarterly performance report: The marketing department led social media campaigns over the last quarter. We achieved 80% of our targets for Instagram performance by acquiring new followers and generating a quarterly high number of engagements . However, we can work more toward leading the users into our sales funnel more effectively.

Team manager David presents a quarterly performance report: The marketing department focused on social media over the last quarter. We failed to achieve some of our targets. But we can add more interactive elements to our Instagram posts. Overall, it was a decent performance . We also reached our engagement goals .

Emily delivers a challenging presentation: Good morning, everyone. The team has made significant progress over the past year. Let me walk you through the results, and I’m sure you’ll be as pleased as I am with what we’ve achieved. The positive impact on our business is evident; hence, the team seeks more support for our training initiatives.

In a similar presentation, manager Alex delivers the following message: Good morning, everyone. Our efforts over the last year have been substantial . We’ve made some progress , and I hope it’s in the right direction. Our strategy seems to align with our goals, but I could be wrong . Feel free to ask questions.

In a budget proposal, manager Lisa goes as follows: We can cut down on our purchase of office supplies. My team has surveyed the members to conclud e that reducing office supply expenses will result in 20% cost savings . We talked to everyone about the office supplies they typically use and their high openness to switching to sustainable alternatives.

Manager James offers the same suggestions differently: We should adopt sustainable alternatives to office supplies. We can shift a lot of our work online. It will be easy , and people can learn the new methods soon enough. We could save some costs as well.

Correctness

Daniel sent out the following email to share a financial report: Please find attached the report , which summarizes our revenue, expenses, and profitability. All figures have been cross-referenced with our financial records. I have included references to our independent auditor’s recent report. If you have any questions or require additional information, please do not hesitate to reach out .

Meanwhile, James shares the same report as follows: I’ve attached the quarterly financial report for the last three months. take a look when you have time .

Conciseness

Michael delivers a presentation as follows: Good morning, team. Today, I’ll provide a quick update on our project’s progress . We’re on track, meeting our deadlines, and have secured a new client. The critical action items are to finalize the budget and schedule a client meeting next week.

Sophia takes over in this manner: Good morning, everyone. I’d like to start by reviewing the project’s history , how it was initiated, and the challenges we faced. Then, we’ll delve into a detailed breakdown of our current activities. Then, we’ll move on to the strategies we considered for overcoming those challenges. And finally, we’ll wrap up by discussing our recent successes and plans for the next few months.

Manager Chris delivers constructive feedback in a 1-1: Hi Emily, I have noticed that you have missed several deadlines lately. How is everything going? Are you facing some challenges ? Is there any way I can help ? I can share a few time management strategies that have helped me earlier .

On the other hand, manager Linda discusses this in a group meeting: Emily, you have missed deadlines for a couple of weeks consistently. This is not how this team works . It is causing issues for everyone. It’s frustrating and unprofessional ; you need to get your act together.

• Clarity: Sarah starts by clearly outlining the project’s goals and how it aligns with the team’s overall vision.
• Coherence: She presents a well-structured plan, breaking down the tasks and timelines in a logical sequence.
• Confidence: Sarah exudes confidence in her approach, ensuring the team feels assured about their roles and responsibilities.
• Concreteness: She provides specific examples of successful past projects to demonstrate the potential impact and results.
• Correctness: Sarah double-checks her facts and data, ensuring that all the information she shares is accurate and up-to-date.
• Conciseness: She avoids unnecessary jargon and lengthy explanations, conveying the key points succinctly.
• Courtesy: Throughout the meeting, Sarah listens actively to her team’s input, appreciates their ideas, and addresses any concerns with respect and empathy.
• Awareness: Communication begins with self-awareness . To be an effective communicator, you need to be aware of your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and understand how they may impact how you communicate. Awareness of your communication style, strengths, and weaknesses can help you adapt and improve your communication with others.
• Responsibility: Responsibility is an important principle of effective communication. Effective communication requires taking responsibility for your message and the way it is received. This means being mindful of the words you use, the tone of your voice, and your nonverbal cues and ensuring that your message is clear, concise, and appropriate for the audience. It also means being willing to take responsibility for any misunderstandings or miscommunications .
• Respect: Respect is a fundamental principle of effective communication. This means treating others with dignity and courtesy and being mindful of their feelings and perspectives. It also means being open-minded and willing to consider different viewpoints and being willing to compromise and find common ground.
• Trust: Trust is a key principle of effective communication. It means being honest and transparent in your communication and building mutual trust and respect with your audience. Building trust is essential because it allows individuals to be more open and honest in their communication, leading to more effective problem-solving and decision-making.
• Creativity: Creativity is another essential principle of effective communication. It means being open to new ideas, thinking outside the box, and being willing to take risks. Creativity allows individuals to come up with new and innovative solutions to problems and communicate in engaging and memorable ways. This can be beneficial in marketing, advertising, or public speaking situations.

Suprabha Sharma

Suprabha, a versatile professional who blends expertise in human resources and psychology, bridges the divide between people management and personal growth with her novel perspectives at Risely. Her experience as a human resource professional has empowered her to visualize practical solutions for frequent managerial challenges that form the pivot of her writings.

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The 7 C’s of Effective Communication – Explained with Examples

An effective communication takes place when the message sent across by the conveyer is clear and easily comprehended by the receiver and relevant response is fed back to the one who conveyed the message and the flow continues similarly.

Source: Kurhan/Adobe Stock

Although communication takes place at all times, if it is done effectively is a matter of dispute. For the most part, people don’t communicate efficiently, and this has been one of the predominant contributors to interpersonal conflicts.

Lack of proper listening, psychological conditions, poor comprehension skills, absence of mind, ambiguity in the message conveyed, and improper usage of words are some of the most frequently occurring mistakes during conversations.

So what makes communication effective? What are some of the tips and strategies that can be applied when communicating in general?

We are constantly in touch with people, texting, sending emails, creating reports, attending conferences and whatnot. So how can we scale up our communication game? What would make us stand out and seem distinctive in this world swarming with competitors?

The 7 C’s of Effective Communication

The 7 C’s of communication is an excellent strategy formulated by Scott Cutlip and Allen Center in the year 1952 in his book “Effective public relations”. This came to be utilized by people across the globe and is one of the most operative strategies used to date.

It involves the following C’s:

• Completeness
• Correctness
• Conciseness
• Consideration
• Concreteness

These strategies apply to both written and oral communication . The one who is aware of and makes use of these 7C’s in a sensible manner can become a good and effective communicator.

1. Completeness

This is one of the most significant aspects of effective communication . Completeness refers to giving full information about something rather than just saying it in bits and pieces. It’s the right of the recipient to receive access to the whole chunk of information to be able to follow the sender’s line of reasoning in regards to the matter being discussed.

For example, when Peter told “write a short passage on data science and send me”, Shawn couldn’t understand the context whatsoever. He had too many questions in his head about the topic, its length and the style of writing, where this piece of writing go etc.

Instead, Peter could frame his instructions as “Shawn I want you to write a 100-200 word short essay on the recent trends in data science. Submit it to me by the end of this day. I need it for our blog.”

Completeness holds much higher salience during the delegation of tasks when the subordinates need detailed instructions to pursue a task at hand.

2. Correctness

The genuineness and the value of your speech lie in its correctness and authenticity. It’s better to keep quiet rather than talk about something that you aren’t so sure of. The correctness of the speech would reflect directly on your personality and so it should be given utmost prominence.

The legitimacy of the factual information, the language used and grammar are some of the aspects of correctness amongst others.

If your audience spots any errors or blunders in your speech, it is no longer valued and they are likely to be distracted. The credibility of the speaker would also receive a massive hit and therefore the effectiveness of the communication will be compromised.

Related: Language Barriers

3. Conciseness

Conciseness is to keep the speech short and crisp. Nobody likes listening to someone who delivers long and draggy speeches because people lose interest and attention very easily. When interacting or delivering the speech, the ultimate objective is to make sure that the message is received in its intended form. Lack of conciseness will lead to the loss of essence in the content. Make sure to keep your speech brief and precise.

For example,

Intended message: “could you please receive Amanda from the airport?”

Delivered method: “Yesterday was a tiring day. Last night I couldn’t sleep properly. My wife has severe migraine and she’s down. I couldn’t have breakfast in the morning and I am tired. Amanda has taken her flight from Indonesia last night. She would reach here in some time. It would be nice if someone could pick her up from the airport.”

In this example, the message was simple. Yet, the sender makes it seem complicated and leaves the recipient feeling puzzled, irritated or exhausted. Also, he may deny the request. Such delivery of a message makes the message lose its value.

Related: Semantic Barriers

4. Courtesy

Courtesy refers to communicating with politeness, genuineness and respect for the person on the other side of the conversation. It will naturally scale up the value of communication. Courtesy is a tendency which stems out of empathy for people.

To be courteous doesn’t mean just use polite, magical phrases like “thank you”, “sorry”, “please” and “excuse me”. It also means to be honest, respectful and empathetic of people and not make sarcastic or any other form of passive-aggressive remarks.

One classic example would be from the infamous movie “Mean Girls” where Regina would tell a fellow classmate about how she loves the skirt she was wearing. As the girl leaves, Regina would tell her friend Cady how that was the ugliest skirt she has ever seen. This is an example of how you should not communicate.

In many instances, people use the power of their intellect and status to belittle the plight of others. This is so especially among those who bully the perceivably weaker ones for their timidity, racial backgrounds, gender, and color among many other aspects.

The global star Priyanka Chopra narrates in an interview about her high school days when she was severely bullied by her schoolmates. She was called names like “brownie” for her skin color and her ethnicity so much so that she was forced to have lunch inside a toilet cubicle.

Related: Assertive Communication

Clarity is to transfer accurate and easily comprehendible messages to the receiver. Before choosing to talk, be clear about your goals for the conversation. Let the other person know what your objective is for the interaction. To make your speech clear, always use simple language rather than using intricate phrases that would make comprehension difficult.

The recipient shouldn’t be made to “read between the lines”. Even if the content is complicated in nature, try to divide your ideas, distill it and make it as simple and clear as possible as that would make it easy for the receiver to grasp the information well.

6. Consideration

Consideration is quite similar to that of courtesy. It means to consider the other person and to address them putting you in their place. In other words, you talk to someone in a way you would want someone to talk to you.

For example, if you prefer someone to talk to you with respect and politeness, you would exhibit the same behaviors towards others. Just as that of courtesy, one should be inherently empathetic to be able to show consideration for the other person. When you are considerate, you sincerely regard people’s interests and benefits.

To be considerate also means to acknowledge the situational factors of the audience that you address. If you are going to give a talk on astrophysics amongst a bunch of seven-year-olds, the only response you would receive would be the sound of yawning and snoring; maybe even a giggle here and there if you’re lucky.

So when you talk to someone, remember to acknowledge their background such as their age, language proficiency, culture, literacy level, mental state, character, interests etc. so that you may be relatable to your audience and your intended message reaches them successfully.

7. Concreteness

Concrete communication denotes your message being specific, meaningful and focused. You don’t beat around the bush to get to a point. Rather it is solid and concise. You avoid vague and ambiguous messages and only strive toward making your information well received by the recipient. Your speech is crisp yet brimming with beneficial information. You incorporate factual evidence and figures to enhance the authenticity of your speech.

For example, when you say “Depression is a global issue”, you don’t just bluntly make that claim but also pitch in the statistical values and empirical evidence to support your statement.

And now, for your upcoming presentations make sure to follow these strategies and show up your confidence. These effective strategies may take you to the place of success at your workplace.

Best of luck!

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• Conflict Management - Skills, Styles And Models
• Effective Listening Skills
• Most Important Social Skills - Explained With Examples
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these are the best or very good note that helps me in hawassa university while learning the business communication.

Assalamaoalikum ! Sir please give me full detail in one by one …thankyou

do you have complete intodution to 7Cs of effective bussiness communication?

I want to get detail of these seven c’s .Thank you

please whould you like to send thise cs in detail

please so the detail of 7c’s thanks …………………………………………………..

plz give me more detail

give more detail but notes is best

plz give me defination of each c’s

kindly give the explanation of these C’s.

Good post thank

I want to know more about the seven c’s

This is very very helpfull in my exam Thank you so much for all your efforts. This is best and very simple to understand.

This is very helpful, thanks for your post.

Ma sha Allah very gud and informative…

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Communication Theory

Effective Communication - The 11 Principles of great communicators

Effective communication is not easy, but once you master it you’ll find you can transcend industries, work with different people and really solve many business problems.

Excellent and effective communication skills are universal. They transcend careers, jobs and industries. They are wholly lacking from most workplaces. They will set you apart from others. They really can be a super power in the world of work.

In this post and associated video, we’re going to look at the 11 that I’ve used in my life. They’re also the foundation of the award winning Superpower at work Workshop . And there’s a reason it wins awards – I apply all 11 to the workshop too!

Here’s a video :

How did I come up with the 11?

I studied communication at School, College and University. I still study it today.

Early in my career though I knew the theory, but I couldn’t realise it in practice. It was holding me back.

So I studied great communicators in the workplace and deconstructed what they did. I added this to my theory to understand how it all pieced together in real life.

I started speaking on the conference circuit and sucked. So I deconstructed amazing talks I found online. I got rid of the superficial advice most presentation coaches teach and stripped it back to the science underneath. After all, for every presenter who had high energy and used structured arm movements (classic advice), there was a speaker who did the opposite but had an amazing talk. So it was more than just the classic advice – it ran deeper than that.

I came up with the 11 after years of studying high performers.

These 11 became the foundation of the Communication Workshop and Zero To Keynote workshops. They also became the foundation of myself.

There were two other reasons why I applied these. And when I understood these two – my career really took off.

Relationships are how the world works With good relationships you can have crunchy conversations, grow your network, influence people, inspire groups of people, play politics, get work done, discover opportunities others don’t get to see and be recommended for jobs, promotions and work. Relationships matter.

How do you build relationships? Through effective communication one person at a time – ideally face to face.

Many people focus almost entirely on business effectiveness (actually, plenty of people don’t focus here at all, nor on being liked but that’s for another post…..), often at the detriment to their relationships in work and life.

Getting business results is essential. But so too is being liked, admired, respected and trusted. And this is done through communication. Face to face. Person to person.

It’s about being consistent, clear, resonating with others and having the awareness to know when to be liked and when to be effective.

Sometimes we have to be effective and disliked. Sometimes we have to be liked at the expense of business results, for example if someone is not delivering because they are going through emotional challenges.

But most of the time we need to tread the line between the two. We must continuously balance being effective and liked.

Power is required for influence

There’s only one form of power (the ability to get stuff done) in an organisation that is sustainable and that is relationship power. ( Idea hat tip to Manager-tools. )

Role power is given by title and position (and many people don’t deserve either of these) but when role power is abused it becomes destructive and tyrannical.

Expertise power is useful and helpful, but without relationship power it can become corrosive, and when you are no longer the expert – what else do you have?

The third power in an organisation, is open to all of us, no matter what position or level in an organisation. Relationship power.

This is why I focus almost entirely on building, maintaining and supporting positive relationships. It’s how the world of work (and life) works.

The 11 principles of effective communication

Here are the 11 principles that underpin my view of effective communication.

All communication has a Purpose, Audience, Context

Be enthusiastic, communication is something the audience does, stories go where facts cannot, don’t waste the audiences time – know your content, practice is preparation, people remember how you make them feel, non-verbal is a superpower, people resonate with those who are like them, you can hack your body.

• Listening is the greatest compliment

Effective Communication – 1 – All communication has a Purpose, Audience, Context

My awesome professor at University made this his foundation for all he taught, and it stuck with me. He used to fall off stage. Or walk out of the room mid-sentence. Or drop his notes.He was the craziest lecturer I had at University.

But he got our attention every time he did one of his acts. It snapped us back in the room.

I’ll never forget him.

His lectures were the ones that stuck with me the most. He was an expert communicator – but then, what do you expect from a world-renowned lecturer of communication?

He taught us that everything we do (even when we stand still and say nothing) is a form of communication.

And communication always has a purpose, an audience and it happens in a context.

The more we become aware of our purpose the more chance we have of getting our communication right. The more purposes we try to shoe-horn into our communication – the harder it is to get it right.

Let’s say you’re putting together a talk for your team and your purpose is to get them excited for a new way of working. Being efficient, you also try to educate them about the new accounting system at the same time. You also see yourself as a cultural ambassador, so you also try to get them onboard with a new HR scheme around giving back to the community. But this new way of working is a big impact to them, and all you’ve done with the other items is water down the message.

Great communicators are clear about what they want to achieve. And they do the hard work (even if this means multiple messages) to get that purpose done.

I see people mixing purposes of communication all the time and it rarely works. Pick a single purpose – what’s the main point and stick with it. Make the communication about that propose and little else. There are other opportunities to communicate the other points.

Everything we do also has an audience.

Who are you seeking to communicate with? Who are you trying to reach? Who do you want to influence? And how do they like to be communicated with? And what do they want?

If you know a lot about your audience then tailor the communication for THEM, not for you. If it means using a different style to resonate with them, so be it.

The more audiences you have, the harder it will be to get it right. Narrow it down.

I once saw an amazing talk at a tech conference by a woman from corporate HR in a large tech company. She was brilliant and the talk resonated with me given my work in HR.

The problem was, the majority of the audience wanted a technical talk – they were developers there to learn about code and tooling. They were mostly less than impressed.

The feedback devastated her, but she was simply at the wrong conference, in-front of the wrong audience. It wasn’t her audience. Should she have tailored her communication? Maybe. More likely the conference organisers should have lined up someone else. Wrong audience, wrong conference.

Be sure you have the right audience. Be sure that when you do have the right audience, you tailor the message to them.

All communication happens in a context.

Are you communicating through a tweet, from the stage, in times of trouble, from the stage, in a group setting?

What dynamics are happening in the room, environment, audience? Is it a noisy room? Do you have people from different cultures? Is the medium the right choice? Is the company going through hard times or enjoying rapid growth?

As with Purpose and Audience, the more contexts that are at play, the harder it is to get your communication right. You’ve heard the saying “it was taken out of context”. Very real.

Great communicators get clear about what they are trying to do, who they are trying to reach and in what context that communication will happen – and they narrow down and get it right.

This might mean that they have to repeat the message in different communication mediums. But communication is hard. Don’t try to be efficient with communication at the expense of being effective.

I worked with a leader once who had to reduce his team size by 40%. A huge number. People were going to be made redundant. He wanted to send an email to announce this. Really?

Think about this.

Purpose  – to announce to a team of 100 people that they would all be under consultation for redundancy.

Audience  – his team of 100 people of different genders, races, religions and all likely oblivious to the drama about to unfold in-front of them.

Context  – they didn’t know this was coming, they would be upset, they would have questions, this was serious stuff.

An email doesn’t cut it. He wanted to send an email because:

• He preferred to send and receive information via email
• He didn’t like addressing crowds
• He didn’t want to have to deal with tough questions
• He wanted to send the message once to make it easier and more efficient

Think about the audience. What would they want?

So, I suggested:

• He calls a Town Hall meeting, present some of the facts, tell the story, look people in the eye and make the announcement.
• This was to be followed by a Q&A at the end of the session – for as long as it took.
• This was to be followed up with a neutral email including all the points mentioned and next steps.
• The following day he would run another Q&A session to answer any questions and concerns that people had after sleeping on it. He was to be joined by head of people and the HR business partner to field questions – both well prepped of course.
• He was then to spend time with each of his managers in a 1:2:1 session to explain next steps, arm them with the facts and single story. He was then to mandate that each manager have a 1:2:1 with each team member.
• This was then to be followed with a day blocked out for individuals to book a 1:2:1 with him to speak directly.
• This was then to be followed by another Town Hall to talk through the details, discuss next steps and field any more questions.

Your audience demands and deserves effective communication, and in this situation – empathy.

Think about what they want, and if you have to leap through rings of fire to make it effective – do it. It’s not about you. It’s about them.

Get clear about your purpose, audience and understand what context the communication will happen in. And spend time working on your message to get it right. It takes time, care and consideration, and few people put that sort of effort into what they do, say and send.

Effective Communication – 2 – Be Enthusiastic

When I ask people to be enthusiastic, do you know what they do? They start being animated and waving their arms around.

That’s not being enthusiastic, unless that’s your default behaviour. That’s being animated.

My suggestion is you spend some time on  Ted Talks  and watch 20 random talks.

Almost all of the presenters are enthusiastic about what they do, but they all have different ways of delivering it. Some are animated and have high energy, some are calm and confident, others seem shy and nervous, but you can tell they are passionate about what they are speaking about.

Most presentation training is nonsense. They’ll teach you to walk the stage, go big and go home with your hands and to add energy yada yada.

Not good advice for everyone. Watching talks online shows this.

Instead, be enthusiastic about what you’re communicating first, then address any flaws in your presentation style. Sure, some people need plenty of help to exude presence on the stage or in emails or in their blog, but we’ll cover many more principles in this post. But it all starts with being enthusiastic.

Enthusiasm is contagious.

Why do you need to be enthusiastic?

You’re highly unlikely to convince somebody of your argument or perspective without enthusiasm. If you’re not enthusiastic about it – why should they be?

And in most communication, we are indeed trying to influence someone to do something.

• “Support this new idea”
• “Give me some money”

Enthusiasm is not drama, acting, bouncing across stage. It is energy, focus, knowledge and intention on a subject. People can see it, feel it and be moved by it. People want to be around enthusiastic people.

How to be enthusiastic

Find something to be enthusiastic about.

This sounds stupid but many people simply aren’t enthusiastic about what they do. If that’s true – are you really doing the right things? It’s going to be tricky to be enthusiastic about something you are not enthusiastic about.

If you really aren’t enthusiastic about something, then act enthusiastically. Find something in what you’re doing to be enthusiastic about. Throw yourself in to your idea, work or thoughts. Find some way to drive out enthusiasm.

Or simply pretend – if that’s what you need to do. But be aware, people will see through fake enthusiasm quickly. And it will be draining to fake enthusiasm about something you have no care for. That’s not a life.

And if there really is nothing to be enthusiastic about in your work or message – then try to find something else to do.

It’s why the best salespeople in the world excel at selling things they believe in. After all, if you have a good product you believe in, you can sell it without any doubts. You’ll be enthusiastic about something you believe in.

Be aware though, sometime enthusiasm is not needed. For example, if you’re about to make 50 people redundant – try not to be too enthusiastic about it.

Again, what’s the purpose, audience and context? Understand these elements and apply enthusiasm at the right time and in the right doses.

Effective Communication – 3 – Communication is something the audience does

The listener does indeed share some responsibility for communication to happen, but when communication fails, it’s usually our own fault.

If we send an email, address a room, build a PowerPoint, drop a text message or have a face to face conversation and the listener does NOT understand/receive/interpret the message then we have failed to communicate.

It is our fault.

We must understand why our messages don’t land. A lot of this has to do with Purpose, Audience and Context, but we should also truly try to understand the other person(s) we are communicating with and move more to THEIR preference for communication.

This is where  DISC  becomes a really helpful tool – we start the  communication workshop  with DISC to discover our own preferences, strengths and weaknesses when it comes to communication. It’s a great tool for understanding others too.

But ultimately, we are looking for feedback from the receiver / audience of the message to show that they have received and processed the message. Without that, we’ll not know whether the message was received.

If the feedback is that they did not understand our message, what do we need to do differently?

Most people just shout louder, repeat the same message, force it, badger and they often get the same results.

It is our responsibility to ensure the message lands.

It is our responsibility to adapt the way we communicate. The listener shares some responsibility, but we should also work out how we can engage them better.

• Do we need to choose a different time? Different medium? Change the message?
• If you send an email and the person doesn’t do what you asked or respond – that’s your fault. Did they receive it? Did they understand it? Did they read it?
• If you stand on stage and deliver what you think is an inspiring and motivating talk, yet nobody moves into action. That’s your fault.

Communication is hard and sometimes people assume they have communicated just because they sent, said or broadcast something.

Communication happens in the head of the listener – it is what THEY do.

So, it’s your job to understand them, communicate in a way that resonates with them and then adjust as you go, always learning what works and what does not.

But you also need to work on yourself. Why do people listen to you? Why do they not?

The messenger is the medium in today’s world. It matters who is communicating.

Sad as it is, we sometimes believe people because of who they are, not what they are communicating. So, you must also work on yourself.

Become more effective by ensuring you’re projecting the right image, using the appropriate language and demonstrating presence – all can be learned. But you can only learn this stuff if you want to.

I meet too many people who think they are already brilliant at effective communication. And they believe the reason they are not heard is somebody else’s fault. It’s not – it’s on you.

Communication happens in the head of the listener.

Effective Communication – 4 – Stories go where facts cannot

Stories work. We are pre-wired to listen to stories. Hard facts are useful, but they rarely move people to action. Stories have characters we resonate with, obstacles we want them to overcome and personal growth that we can align around.

We want to know why we should put in effort at work to get behind new initiatives. Or why we need to change to support the goals of the business.

Stories are how we compel people into action. They are how we explain complicated ideas. Stories go where facts cannot. Stories are emotional. And emotion and motion come from the same place.

Metaphors, anecdotes, real-life stories, fiction, humour – they all play a part in telling compelling stories. Effective communicators tell stories. And stories resonate.

If you ever find yourself listing and presenting facts to people – turn them in to stories.

Not good at story telling? Practice. Practice. Practice.

Effective Communication – 5 – Don’t waste the audiences time

Good communicators don’t waste people’s time. Effective communication uses just the right amount of time.

Effective comnunications use just the right amount of time. Not too much or too little. They don’t use lots of words when a few will suffice. They don’t tell the whole story when only part of it is needed.

They don’t send essay emails when a one-liner will do. In fact, excellent communicators don’t often send emails 🙂

They know their purpose, audience and context and tailor the message for each, even if it means they have to communicate in different ways for different people.

Don’t try to be efficient in communication unless you are effective first though.

But don’t take up people’s time. In the spirit of this element, let’s move on.

Effective Communication – 6 – Practice is preparation

Effective communication takes practice. Practice is preparation.

• That tricky 1:2:1 with a low performing employee – practice what you will say and how you will say it.
• That talk at a conference – practice it. Walk through it, learn it, tie it your stage movement if you want.
• That sales pitch to the execs about a new way of working you want to embrace – practice it. Think about what questions will come back at you. And practice your response.
• Those listening skills that could be better – practice.

Practice is not perfection, it is preparation.

The real event will never go as you expect, but by being prepared you can deal with nerves, disturbances or other issues that pop up.

Practice writing by writing more. Practice presenting by presenting more. Practice listening by listening more. Practice non-verbal communication by studying others, studying yourself in the mirror or understanding someone’s eye colour during a conversation. Practice.

By being prepared, you’re already leaps and bounds ahead of others, but you’re also learning how to better yourself.

I always start the communication workshop with a giant caveat. I cannot teach you to be an effective communicator in one day. But I can give you the tools and techniques needed to move ahead, the rest is up to you – and that requires practice.

Effective Communication – 7 – People remember how you make them feel

We remember the highs and lows more than the in-betweens. Researchers believe we tie memory to emotion.

So, if you want people to remember you and what you say, try to make them feel something. Some people do this by making people feel bad. If that’s your brand, then go for it. I prefer to make people feel good.

We cannot make anybody feel anything – that is up to them. But we can deploy the various ideas in these 11 principles to try and move people to feel something.

I deploy a lot of positive language, good body language and positive interactions to ensure people feel good in my presence.

People remember how you make them feel.

Make them feel something, anything, and help them to remember your message. Tread carefully though, treat people like people and ensure everything you do is congruent with your values and ethics.

Think about the long term also. Feeling annoyed, frustrated and fed up with someone may aid memory, but people don’t like to feel like that on a long term, on-going basis. We seek to avoid painful situations, so tread carefully. Effective communication isn’t always about moving people into action but when you need or want someone to move into action, try deploying many of these principles to try and stir something inside them.

Effective Communication – 8 – Non-verbal is a superpower

Psychological safety, charisma, control, confidence, assertiveness, effective communication – they all require and utilise non-verbal cues and information. It’s why I focus so intently on non-verbal communication – it makes a huge difference to how effective you can be at work. And it can be learned. It can be studied. It can be improved. Effective communication is mostly made up of non-verbal communication. It’s why I call this particular behaviour a superpower.

Effective communicators can read others, control their own non-verbal (to an extent) and are aware of how their body language affects the messages and communication.

There’s lots to learn here, but let’s just sum it up. If you are not using your natural awareness of body language to be an effective communicator, there is a great deal to gain by understanding the basics.

And yes, I said natural ability. We all have it, all we do in the workshop is draw attention to it, tease it out and make you consciously study it.

So much so, that after the workshop people hate me for a few weeks, as they realise how many “tells” they give away. They start to study their own body-language and it can be clunky for a few weeks or months, but when you get it – it will seem natural.

Remember, non-verbal communication often communicates the emotional aspect of your message. Ensure it’s congruent with the words that come out of your mouth.

Effective Communication – 9 – People resonate with those who are like them

People resonate with those who look, sound and act like themselves.

Effective communication is about the exchange of information and it’s much easier to communicate with people like ourselves. Much easier. But we often don’t work with people who are like us.

We have a real diversity in the workplace (thankfully), so we must learn to adjust ourselves to move closer to the other person(s). DISC again is helpful, but so too is deeply understanding our purpose and audience.

We always have something in common with everyone.

It could be kids, a shared birthday, music we like, films we hate yada yada yada. Finding those connections and playing on them is a way to build rapport and trust and start a relationship. What might seem insignificant can lead to rapport. And the best way to build rapport is to sound like the people we are communicating with.

I’m not suggesting you start dressing in a totally different way and losing what it means to be you. Far from it. But if we’re serious about communication and using it effectively, we must learn to adapt to the audience.

If I am doing a talk at a company where jeans and t-shirts are the norm, I will dress a level above that and maybe stick a shirt on. If I’m consulting at company where suits and tie are the norm, I will dress in a suit and tie.

My goal is to resonate with the people I am talking to and appearance makes a big difference.

The language I use will resonate with the person I am talking to. I will use DISC to quickly try and work out who I am talking to and use language to resonate such as “I feel” or “I think” to sound like others.

I will use the same analogies as they do (war, sports, emotions etc) and I will try to move as close to their style of communication as possible, without losing what it means to be me.

It’s hard to do this, but when you see it in action – effective communication can take place. Effective communicators are like chameleons, able to shift and change to suit the audience. It’s great to see. But be careful not to lose yourself whilst trying to be like others. Remain true to you and your values. But learn to shift your delivery to resonate with different audiences.

Great communicators make this look seamless – the truth is, there’s years of studying and practice behind it.

Effective Communication – 10 – You CAN hack your body

Feeling down? Go and stand in front of a mirror and jump around whilst smiling stupidly – will you feel better? Chances are you will.

Head full of crap? Meditate for a few minutes or spend some time in nature. Will you feel better? I suspect you will.

There is plenty of research to suggest that how we talk to ourselves, who we hang around with and how to carry ourselves makes a big difference to how we feel. And how we feel makes a massive difference to how effective we are at communicating.

Learn how to hack your body and you will see your communication effectiveness change with it. Effective communication requires us to be in a positive and healthy state of mind.

Here are three techniques that I use:

• I listen to music I listened to as a child. It transports me back to a carefree time where my biggest worry was whether or not my VHS player was set to record Red Dwarf.
• I watch a funny video. My go to for instant feel-better vibes is  Rhod Gilbert and his suitcase .
• I find a mirror and smile at myself. Usually accompanied with music and stupid dancing.

Feel better? Yep. And you’ll be better at communicating also.

Effective Communication – 11 – Listening is the greatest compliment

Do you remember the person at a networking event who just talked at you all night? Unlikely, or maybe you do but for all of the wrong reasons. After all emotions tie to memory.

Or do you fondly remember the person who listened to you, asked you thoughtful questions and spoke very little? I always remember these people.

We want people to listen to us. We want to feel understood and considered.

And if you’re a manager or leader then listening becomes really important.

Listening really is the greatest compliment you could give someone.

Learning to listen is hard. It requires we give people our full attention, we look at them, we turn our whole body to them, we listen to every word, we don’t interrupt, we don’t assume we know what they are going to say next and that we wait for them to completely finish. We then digest, accommodate and assimilate what they’ve said – and then we thoughtfully respond.

Learning how to be a better communicator takes knowledge of ourselves, a deep study of other people and an ability to move closer to other people’s preferences for communication.

Most of all though, effective communication requires practice and an open mind to learning.

Nobody can teach you this in a day. It’s a long-term commitment to learning how to be better that will help you build relationships, be effective & liked in work and to yield the power that is open to every single person in every organisation – that being relationship power.

Take one of the 11 elements in this post and practice it, study it, learn it.

If you want to see how they all combine for different situations, learn in a group setting, improve your team’s communication or learn how to excel in your career, then give me a shout.  The Communication Workshop  is consistently ranked highly at conferences and events.

How I apply all 11 principles to my own Communication Workshop

I spend time researching your company and culture. I also ask you to complete a DISC profile before the session. I work with the room to understand what THEY want from the session and then plug in modules to satisfy your needs.

I walk an average of 15k steps during a comms workshop and get through around 4 litres of water (I’m sure that’s not healthy). The energy in a room comes from the presenter. It’s why I need two days off after each workshop 🙂

We repeat stuff. We repeat stuff. We repeat stuff. I need to be sure you learn, and the best way is to challenge your thinking, clarify my ideas and then repeat until we’re sure we all know it.

The whole day has stories from the last 20 years of my work weaved into it. I use examples to explain and I use stories to make the facts interesting.

We only cover what you need covering and I get to the point quickly. No fluff.

I have run over 100 editions of this workshop and I improve each time. I also know it like the back of my hand so you can be sure it’s well delivered and well-rehearsed.

Before we even start, I’m applying this so that when I make mistakes, or get tricky questions, or start flagging at any point you’ll still like me. I work very hard to make you feel good before, during and after the session.

I make an idiot of myself explaining the ideas around non-verbal. And I use them myself throughout. I make an interesting case study for you to learn from me as I teach.

I can adapt to make this workshop work for you. Years of delivering this workshop to different audiences means I can weave in appropriate stories for your company. The study I do about your organisation also means I can pitch it right, straight from the start. But like an effective communicator, I learn as I go also – adapting throughout the day to you to ensure you learn and come away better prepared for your communication challenges.

Watch me during the day. I stand tall, maintain good posture, do a power-pose before the session and keep smiling. Smiling is contagious.

Listening is the greatest compliment

Most of all though I will listen. Listen to you, listen to the room and listen out for ways to make the session better. Understanding your needs and wishes with the workshop will help us all.

If you’re interested in the workshop, here are more details about it. 

Personal Knowledge Management - Joplin, Zotero and cheap notebooks

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The 4 Primary Principles of Communication

Tune in to these elements to dramatically improve your communication skills..

Posted February 13, 2017 | Reviewed by Abigail Fagan

Effective communication is a connection between people that allows for the exchange of thoughts, feelings, and ideas, and leads to mutual understanding.

This exchange is evidenced when a speaker sends a message to which a listener responds. It seems simple, but it isn’t.

People tend to take the communication process for granted. We generally figure that the communication between two or more people is no big deal. It just works. However, the reality is very different—the process of communication is actually impressively complex.

There are many factors that ultimately determine whether a particular communication experience is likely to be successful or not. There are internal factors that affect each person participating in the communication process individually, interactional factors that affect how information is sent and received between two or more people, and external factors that affect the extent to which the physical environment is conducive to effective communication.

There are also certain principles inherent in the communication process, as well as skills people can learn and practice. When people are aware of these principles and apply this information, they significantly decrease the likelihood of misunderstanding and conflict and increase the chances of successful and skillful communication.

There are four primary principles of communication:

1. The message sent is not necessarily the message received.

We often assume that just because we said something (or thought or intended something) that when another person doesn’t understand what we mean, it’s their fault. After all, the person who sends the message knows exactly what he or she meant. However, what the person on the receiving end of the message hears and understands may be quite different. In contrast to being anyone’s “fault,” this is simply one of the ways the communication process can go off track.

The message sent may not be the message received because it must pass through a filtering system of thoughts and feelings—for both the sender and the receiver. As a result, when an adult comes home frustrated or angry about his or her workday, he or she may communicate anger or impatience to his or her partner or children, even though that isn’t his or her intent. The message must also pass through the listener’s own filter of thoughts and feelings. If a partner or child expects the sender of the message to be angry or impatient, he or she may hear neutral or even positive statements as harsh or angry.

There is considerable room for misunderstanding between what the speaker intends to say, what he or she actually says, and what the listener hears. The less conscious attention the speaker and/or the listener is paying (the more distracted they are) when the message is sent and the more emotionally charged the subject is, the more likely it is that there will be a disconnect between what the speaker intends to say, what he or she actually says, and what the listener hears.

The only way to be certain that the message you send is the same one the other person receives is through the process of feedback. This is more critical when what your communication is of special importance or you sense from the other person’s reaction—whether verbal or nonverbal—that he or she is unclear.

Checking out the accuracy of your communication involves literally asking what the other person heard you say. If what he or she reports hearing does not match up with what you intended, you can then clarify your message by sharing—specifically—what it was you intended to say. Then you can again ask for feedback, checking out what he or she heard this time.

This process may seem cumbersome, but it results in more clear and accurate communication. Sometimes this process may go through two or three rounds to ensure the speaker and listener are on the same page. The more matter-of-fact this process is the more successful it will be.

2. It is impossible to not communicate.

All actions—both intentional and unintentional—communicate certain messages. For example, deliberately ignoring someone is not “not communicating.” Quite the contrary (as you know if you’ve been on the receiving end), this action sends a strong message. Moreover, verbal communication (the words used) is only one part of the larger communication process that includes body language , facial expression, tone of voice, and voice volume.

3. Every message has both content and feeling.

Every message consists of content and feeling. The content is what the message is about based on the words used. The feeling connected to the content is expressed through nonverbal cues—body language, gestures, facial expression, tone of voice, inflection, and voice volume.

Whenever there are discrepancies between a message’s content and feeling, confusion is created for the listener—especially if the content and feeling seem to contradict each other. A classic example of this is when one person tells another “I’m not mad at you” (the content) in a loud angry voice (the feeling). Such communication cannot help but result in a certain degree of confusion.

Electronic communication—via email, text, and other forms of instant messaging—can be so challenging and easily misinterpreted precisely because the words used are isolated from any and all of the nonverbal cues that provide essential information and clarification.

4. Nonverbal cues are more believable than verbal cues.

Whenever there is a discrepancy between the content (verbal) and feeling (nonverbal) of a message, the person on the receiving end will almost always give more weight to the feeling. In other words, if the words a speaker uses don’t match up with his or her tone of voice, facial expression, body language, and other nonverbal cues, the listener will pay more attention to and believe the nonverbal behavior.

Consider how you react when someone gives you what sounds like a compliment: “You look great,” but with a tone of voice that you perceive as sarcastic. Are you more likely to believe the verbal (words used/content) or the nonverbal (tone of voice/feeling)?

These four qualities of the communication process are universal—whether the topic is the post-election political economy, Valentine’s Day planning, or simple sharing of the events of one’s day with others. Paying conscious attention to these four aspects of the communication process—regardless of whether you are on the sending or receiving end—will improve the quality of your communication by making it more skillful, effective, and successful.

Dan Mager is the author of Some Assembly Required: A Balanced Approach to Recovery from Addiction and Chronic Pain and Discover Recovery: A Comprehensive Addiction Recovery Workbook.

Copyright 2017 Dan Mager, MSW

Dan Mager, MSW is the author of Some Assembly Required: A Balanced Approach to Recovery from Addiction and Chronic Pain and Roots and Wings: Mindful Parenting in Recovery .

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Sticking up for yourself is no easy task. But there are concrete skills you can use to hone your assertiveness and advocate for yourself.

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Oral Presentations

Presentation basics, key elements of good presentations.

There are three key elements of good presentations: Content, Organization, Delivery.  Your audience needs interesting and appropriate content in order to pay attention, especially at the start of a presentation.  Logical organization helps retain your audience’s attention – they need to be able to follow your train of thought and predict where you are going with your ideas.  Delivery also is important, as your own engagement with the information helps your audience engage.

Content deals with the substance of your presentation. Your ideas and information should be original and significant.  Use accepted and relevant sources in your research, and reference those sources as needed.  Offer a clear analysis that’s comprehensive and concise at the same time – strive for the right amount of information for your audience’s needs and the allotted presentation time. Make sure that your content is relevant to your audience, so that they understand immediately why they should pay attention to your presentation.

Garr Reynolds, in his book Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery , identifies characteristics of presentation content that create what he calls SUCCES(s): [1]

• Simplicity – reduce information to key points and essential meanings
• Unexpectedness – pose questions, offer interesting statistics, “make the audience aware that they have a gap in their knowledge and then fill that gap”
• Concreteness – use specific language, provide real-life examples
• Credibility – use sources, facts, statistics to back up your content; deliver information confidently; know your information well
• Emotions – engage your audience to feel something about your content
• Stories – use examples and illustrations to create a “story element” to the presentation

Finally, to make your content effective, repeat key information throughout your presentation. A memory research pioneer, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus, found that we forget approximately 50 percent of new information within 18 minutes, with retention falling to 35 percent after a week. However, Ebbinghaus also discovered that repetition of the new information at key intervals can change this trajectory, a discovery known as the spacing effect. The lesson for presenters: work repetition into your presentation content.

Organization

Good organization requires a clear beginning, middle, and end. Link your ideas logically throughout the presentation to lead to an ending that resolves the problem or summarizes the situation you presented at the start. If you’re presenting based on a formal report or proposal, you may want to follow the order of the longer written document, but you don’t have to; as long as you include main ideas, it’s up to you to determine your presentation’s organization based on your audience and purpose. Strive for clear transitions between individual points, slides, and topics.

Delivery involves a range of factors from body language and word choice to vocal variety. A good presenter has a passion for the subject and an ability to convey and perhaps elicit that emotion in the audience. Audience engagement through eye contact, facial expression, gestures, and/or vocal tone contributes to an effective presentation. Delivery also deals with the confidence and professionalism with which you deliver the presentation.  Hesitations, “ums,” and other types of vocal fumbling will distract your audience, while a clear, confident presentation helps to engage them.

Content, organization, and delivery work together and are equally important aspects of presentations.

The following two videos provide basic tips for creating effective presentations in terms of content, organization, and delivery.  As you view them, consider their similarity of information and dissimilarity in presentation style. What can you infer about the presenter and intended audience of each presentation?  Which video resonates more fully with you personally, and why?  In terms of conveying information to a general audience, which video do you think is most effective, and why?

Planning Presentations

As you can see based on the video examples, presentations always require a situational analysis in the planning stage.  Identify your audience, purpose, context, and all of the communication variables that you need to consider in order to make choices that will result in an effective presentation for your purpose and audience. For example, your purpose – the one, main idea that you want to convey through your presentation – can influence your content, organization, delivery, and overall approach.  Identifying your audience can help you with what may be the most critical aspect of your presentation, making your information relevant to your audience.  Analyzing communication variables for your presentation also will help you determine if you need supplemental materials or handouts, how to arrange a room for an in-person presentation, how best to structure a virtual presentation, and more.

Even if you are creating a presentation based on a formal report or proposal for which you have already done a situational analysis, do another situational analysis for your presentation, as your audience, organization, language, and overall approach may differ based on the different communication mode.

Planning Online Presentations

In addition to doing a situational analysis, online presentations may require some additional planning time in terms of how you present information.  A real-time, in-person audience may pay attention to your presentation simply because you are present, and you may be able to adapt your presentation to audience reaction.  However, it’s more difficult to capture the attention of a virtual audience, either real-time or asynchronous, so online presentations need to be thought through very deliberately in terms of their content, organization, look, and approach.

The following video, while written for online instructors, nonetheless offers important points to consider for any type of virtual, online presentation.

Understanding Presentation Audiences

Audiences are egocentric, meaning that they operate under the principle of WIIFM: what’s in it for them. Don’t expect your audience to meet you where you are; meet them where they are and then take them where you want to go together. According to Lucas, audiences “pay closest attention to messages that affect their own values, beliefs, and well being. Listeners approach speeches with one question uppermost in mind: ‘Why is this important to me?’ … What do these psychological principles mean to you as a speaker?  First, they mean that your listeners will hear and judge what you say on the basis of what they already know and believe.  Second, they mean you must relate your message to your listeners–show how it pertains to them, explain why they should care about it as much as you do.” [2]

Also, audiences have relatively short attention spans, and often decide whether or not to give you their attention within the first minute or so of a presentation. Various research studies indicate a five – twenty minute attention span for any type of presentation (note that results of studies vary). An article titled “ Neuroscience Proves You Should Follow TED’s 18-Minute Rule to Win Your Pitch ” discusses the concept of “cognitve backlog,” or the idea that the more information you provide, the more information your audience will tune out and not remember. [3]

These audience characteristics lay the groundwork for presentation strategies identified in the videos, strategies such as starting with and continuing a story, engaging attention with an interesting statistic, and more.  The point to remember is that you need to make conscious, reasoned decisions about ways to engage your audience.  Keeping audience attention span and egocentrism in mind, strive for the following presentation basics:

• Conciseness
• Connection with audience

Expectations for Presentations

The 10/20/30 rule, generally attributed to venture capitalist Guy Kawasaki, is a good guideline to help you achieve a “just right” balance in your presentations. Geared for entrepreneurs pitching their business, his advice is a discipline that would improve the quality—and, effectiveness—of most presentations. In brief, 10/20/30 translates to a maximum of 10 slides, a maximum of 20 minutes and a minimum of 30 point font. [4]

While this rule is a good starting point, it does not overrule your audience analysis or understanding of your purpose. Sometimes, you may need more slides or have a more involved purpose—like training people in new software or presenting the results of a research study—that takes more than 30 minutes to address. In that case, go with what your audience needs and what will make your presentation most effective. The concept behind the 10/20/30 rule—to make new learning easy for your audience to take in, process and remember—should still be your guide even if you don’t follow the rule exactly.

One last way to gauge presentations is to consider most audiences’ expectations for good presentations:

• main ideas are compelling and relevant
• information is organized with a clear beginning, middle, and end; audience can follow where the ideas are leading
• delivery shows the presenter’s enthusiasm and engagement
• visuals apply good design practices
• presentation length is appropriate for audience, purpose, and context

The following video summarizes characteristics that create effective presentations.

[1] Reynolds, Garr. (2012) Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery. 2nd ed. New Riders, Pearson Education. Information from pages 78- 81. http://ptgmedia.pearsoncmg.com/images/9780321811981/samplepages/0321811984.pdf

[2] Lucas, Stephen E. (2020) The Art of Public Speaking (13th edition).

[3]  Gallo, Carmine. “Neuroscience  Proves You Should Follow TED’s 18-Minute Rule to Win Your Pitch.”   Inc. ,  https://www.inc.com/theupsstore/small-biz-ings.html

[4] Kawasaki, Guy.  The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint . December 2005.  ↵

• Presentation Basics, original material and material adapted from Business Communication Skills for Managers, see attributions below. Authored by : Susan Oaks. Project : Communications for Professionals. License : CC BY-NC: Attribution-NonCommercial
• Making a Presentation for a Meeting. Authored by : Nina Burokas. Provided by : Lumen Learning. Located at : https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wmopen-businesscommunicationmgrs/chapter/making-a-presentation-for-a-meeting/ . Project : Business Communication Skills for Managers. License : CC BY: Attribution
• image of professional making a presentation. Authored by : rawpixel. Provided by : Pixabay. Located at : https://pixabay.com/photos/agreement-brainstorming-business-3408113/ . License : CC0: No Rights Reserved
• video Create an Effective Business Presentation. Authored by : Nick Morgan. Provided by : Harvard Business Review. Located at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTRt0zkD73M . License : Other . License Terms : YouTube video
• video How to Give a Great Presentation - 7 Presentation Skills and Tips to Leave an Impression. Provided by : Practical Psychology. Located at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnIPpUiTcRc . License : Other . License Terms : YouTube video
• video Teaching Tip: Designing Online Lectures and Recorded Presentations. Authored by : Greg Steinke and Jill Zimmerman. Provided by : CCAPS Teaching Tips, University of Minnesota. Located at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCAaRZJFJAU . License : Other . License Terms : YouTube video
• image of businesswoman presenting to an audience. Authored by : rawpixel. Provided by : Pixabay. Located at : https://pixabay.com/photos/analyzing-audience-board-3565815/ . License : CC0: No Rights Reserved
• Visual Aids. Authored by : Nina Burokas. Provided by : Lumen Learning. Located at : https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wmopen-businesscommunicationmgrs/chapter/visual-aids/ . Project : Business Communication Skills for Managers. License : CC BY: Attribution
• video Five Simple Rules for Creating World Changing Presentations. Authored by : Nancy Duarte. Provided by : Duarte Inc.. Located at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT9GGmundag . License : Other . License Terms : YouTube video

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The Five Key Principles For Powerful Presentations

by Andrea Pacini — Tuesday 26 July 2022

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Most business leaders fail to follow set principles for creating and delivering their presentations. In not doing so they are making a fundamental mistake.

Some think it’s primarily about creating slides on PowerPoint. They think if they get a decent deck together then they are good to go.

If you are one of those people who spend most of your preparation time working on PowerPoint slides (or any other presentation tool), you’ve missed the point. There is so much more to focus on than PowerPoint.

What is far more important is your ability to pitch, present and communicate your ideas so you can achieve your objectives. The aim might be to win more deals, make more sales, inspire and motivate your team, increase your credibility or reputation — or make progress in your career.

Think about it. There are so many other areas of life which require us to follow some clear principles — and we would never think to do otherwise.

If you wanted to learn how to play a new musical instrument, you would spend time working on fingering or breathing and learning scales.

To master a new sport you would need to know the rules of the game and the basic techniques. For racket sports and golf, for example, you would work on your swing. All of that is more important than having the latest equipment.

Why is it that if we want to learn or get better at presenting, we ignore the fundamental principles of communication?

Those who ignore the fundamental principles will continue to deliver presentations that waste their own time and that of the audience. Plus, there will be no desired action from the audience and the objectives will not be achieved.

Principles First; PowerPoint Last

If you want your audience to take action and you want to use presentations to gain a competitive advantage in your business, you have to accept there are fundamental principles to follow. A presentation is so much more than PowerPoint.

Focusing on the tool (PowerPoint) rather than the principles is like worrying about your mic before learning how to sing.

Jeff Bezos once said that he is often asked what will change in the next ten years, but rarely what is not going to change in the next ten years. He believes that it is the second question which is more important — and advises people to ‘focus on the things that don’t change.’

In the case of Amazon, Bezos realised that people will always want low prices, fast delivery and vast selection. There is a business opportunity in embracing what you know will remain constant.

With presentations we should take heed of Jeff Bezos’s observation and also focus on the things that don’t change. The tools and technology we use to communicate our ideas will change. Presentation software, like PowerPoint, will continue to advance. However, the fundamental principles of good presentations will never change.

No one is going to come up to you in ten years’ time and say, “Great presentation, I just wish it was more complex / I wish it was much longer / I wish the structure wasn’t that clear / I wish it wasn’t so relevant to me and my needs / I just wish it was more boring.”

If you follow the right principles consistently, you will become the presenter everyone remembers. Your presentations will give you a competitive advantage which will allow you to achieve your personal and professional objectives.

The Five Key Principles

There are five principles for powerful presentations. Remember the word SCORE . Just like in football you want to SCORE when you give a presentation:

SIMPLE: The more you say, the less they remember, so keep it short, simple and to the point.

CLEAR: Your objectives and key messages should be obvious to everybody — including you.

ORIGINAL: Make your presentation stand out, and people will remember it for longer.

RELATED: Think about your audience and relate everything back to them. Think of it as the audience’s presentation. Make it relevant and useful for your audience.

ENJOYABLE: If the audience enjoys your talk, they will pay more attention, remember more and take action.

The magic happens when you apply these five principles to each of the three key arts of presenting. The three arts are:

• Your message: what you say
• Your delivery: how you say it
• Your visuals: what you show when you say it

Each of these (Message, Visuals and Delivery) can and should meet the five principles so that your presentations will be Simple, Clear, Original, Related and Enjoyable from any perspective.

If one of these three key elements is missing, you will find it hard to achieve your goals for the presentation. Think about how movies are put together. Any successful movie has a great plot (which is like the message), superb acting (which is the delivery) and stunning special effects or beautiful cinematography (the visuals). A movie which is lacking any of those elements will not be as enjoyable. The same is true for a presentation.

I previously worked with Bryan MacMillan, the Founder and CEO of TyreRunner.com, which is a price comparison site for car tyres.

Although Bryan is a naturally confident guy, being from a technical background, he had a tendency to be too detailed in his presentations. He admitted that he tended to jump straight into PowerPoint. When he delivered his presentations he often found that he was losing the audience’s interest.

He wanted to learn how to deliver an interactive presentation which would stand out, generate interest in his business and open the doors to new opportunities.

We helped Bryan to learn how to adopt a framework to put together a presentation which focused on his audience. He quickly realised that he needed to spend more time on idea creation and then editing down what he wanted to say.

Bryan’s feedback was that he felt far more confident after sticking to a framework. He is now regularly delivering great presentations with great confidence, drawing on his toolbox which gives him consistency.

Seven Steps For Better Presentations

How do you apply all this in practice? For your next presentation, here are seven steps you need to follow to be better prepared. If you follow these your presentations will improve dramatically.

• Analyse your audience

Your presentations must relate to your audience. Before opening up PowerPoint or thinking about your key messages, ask yourself some questions about your audience. What are their needs? What is the context of the presentation?

• Define a clear objective

What do you want your audience to believe, feel or do after your presentation? Tailor your presentation accordingly.

• Brainstorm to identify your key messages

Forget about technology, go analogue: pen and paper, whiteboards, flipcharts.

• Simplify your message

Your message needs to be simple for the audience to understand. What is the key message your audience really needs to take away from your presentation? Write it down in a maximum of 70 words.

• Develop a clear storyline

Translate the ideas from the previous brainstorming session into a storyline that makes it easy for the audience to follow you and remember what you say.

• Make it original and enjoyable

Tell them stories. People remember examples and anecdotes far better than naked facts and figures.

Rehearse a few times before the actual presentation and you’ll shine.

Follow these steps consistently and you will become the best presenter you can be.

Rooted In Science

A presentation is a mix of art and science. There has been lots of research into how an audience member’s brain works. Thanks to science we know something about how to keep an audiences’ attention and how to achieve high engagement and comprehension.

Science can tell us what works and what doesn’t when we communicate our ideas.

The principles outlined in this article are rooted in what science tells us.

If you want to delve more deeply into the science behind presenting, I interviewed Dr John Medina (author of Brain Rules) on the Ideas on Stage podcast.

If you are one of those business leaders who fires up PowerPoint as the starting point for a presentation, you are making a mistake.

You can produce a much better presentation by employing some key principles in your preparation which you stick to each time.

It is far better to start with just a pen and paper and really think about your audience and what message you want to get across.

There are five key principles for any great presentation which you can remember with the word SCORE — keep it SIMPLE, make your messages CLEAR, make it ORIGINAL, keep it RELATED to your audience and make sure it is ENJOYABLE for them.

Apply those five principles to the three key arts of presenting — the MESSAGE, the VISUALS and the DELIVERY.

Bring everything back to the audience and what you want to achieve, brainstorm good ideas, simplify everything down — and then rehearse.

Once you have a system in place, use it every time to make better presentations, and you will achieve your personal and business goals.

If this article has helped you please get in touch to let me know. If you feel any colleagues or friends might also benefit from reading it, feel free to share the article.

If you want to become a more confident presenter, take the Confident Presenter Scorecard . Answer simple Yes/No questions, get an instant score plus suggestions for improvement. It takes less than 3 minutes. Once you complete the scorecard, you’ll receive a free pdf copy of my best-selling book Confident Presenter .

10 Essential Principles of Effective Communication You Need to Know

Table of Contents

Effective communication is a crucial skill that impacts nearly every aspect of our personal and professional lives. Therefore the ability to communicate effectively is essential and in this blog, we will explore the 10 principles of effective communication along with their importance, and how they can help our everyday communication.

What are communicative principles?

Communicative principles, often referred to as communication principles, are fundamental guidelines that govern effective and meaningful communication between individuals or within a group. These principles provide a framework for successful interaction, whether in written or spoken form, and they aim to ensure that messages are understood accurately.

10 Principles of Effective Communication

There are 10 basic principles of effective communication that help develop a good message and its smooth transmission. These principles are:

1) Principle of Clarity in Ideas: 

Effective communication starts with a clear understanding of the message by the sender. When the sender has a clear and well-defined idea, the message will more likely be effectively transmitted to the receiver.

2) Principle of Appropriate Language:

Communication should employ plain and easily understandable language, avoiding technical jargon or words with multiple interpretations to prevent misunderstandings and ensure clarity.

3) Principle of Consistency :

Communication within an organization should align with the objectives, policies, and procedures established by the management, ensuring that all messages are consistent with the overall goals of the enterprise.

4) Principle of Proper Time :

Timeliness is crucial in effective communication. Messages should reach the receiver at the right time, ensuring that the information remains relevant and useful to the receiver’s needs.

5) Principle of Informality:

While formal communication is essential , informal communication also significantly addresses certain issues within the organization. Informal communication can often resolve problems that formal communication cannot.

6) Principle of Adequacy:

Information should be complete and sufficient, meeting the needs of the receiver. Overloading the receiver with necessary details or providing sufficient information can lead to clarity and interpretation.

7) Principle of Feedback :

Obtaining feedback is crucial for the sender to ensure that the message has been understood as intended. The benefits of feedback in communication are significant, as it facilitates a better understanding of how the message is received and interpreted. Feedback can be acquired through various means, including face-to-face interaction and written responses. 

8) Principle of Economy :

Communication should be cost-effective, avoiding unnecessary messages and ensuring that the workload related to communication is distributed evenly among employees.

9) Principle of Proper Medium:

Selecting the right communication channel is crucial for successful communication. Oral communication may be more suitable for individual conversations, while written communication is preferable for formal policies and procedures.

10) Principle of Attention :

Effective communication not only involves the transmission of information but also requires the receiver’s active involvement and attentiveness to understand the message correctly.

What are the principles of effective communication in an organization?

There are four primary principles that should guide effective communication within the organization:

1) Principle of Flexibility : A communication system should be adaptable to changes within the organization. An inflexible communication system that fails to accommodate changes may become obsolete and ineffective over time.

2) Principle of Consultation: When planning communication strategies at work , it is essential to seek input from all relevant parties. Involving employees in the decision-making process can lead to a more effective and successful communication system.

3) Principle of Integration : Communication should align all employees with the organizational objectives, developing a sense of unity and cooperation among the workforce in achieving common goals.

4) Employee Engagement : Effective communication should engage and involve employees in the organization’s goals and decision-making processes. Engaged employees are more likely to be motivated and committed to achieving the organization’s objectives.

4S of Effective Communication

In an effective communication model, the communicator must follow the 4 S’s of effective communication – Shortness, Simplicity, Strength, and Sincerity. Here’s how each of them improves communication:

1) Shortness: The shorter a message is, the more effective the communication process could be executed . Long messages with unnecessary pretexts may affect communication and confuse the receiver which may delay the whole communication process.  

2) Simplicity: The ideas, concepts, and terms used in a message should be kept as simple as possible to bring overall clarity to the message and make it easier for the receiver to comprehend. 

3) Strength: For communication to be effective, one needs to strengthen it with a believable tone. The message should sound genuine and authentic for the receiver to believe it. 

4) Sincerity: A message should reflect the sincerity of the sender for improving the process of communication. A sincere approach toward the topic should be evident enough in the message. 

What is the Importance of Effective Communication in the Workplace? 

In a formal organization, effective communication helps in the clear transmission of messages and efficient time management. A well-defined communication model in the workplace achieves the following objectives:

• Engagement: One of the most important objectives of effective communication is to increase engagement among employees in the workplace. Engagement and maintaining relationships are important for an improved workplace environment. 
• Guide to actions: Effective communication works as a guideline for taking various actions and decisions at the workplace. It facilitates clarity in the objectives and goals of an organization. 
• Morale-boosting: Good communication invites participation from employees and boosts their morale at personal as well as professional levels. 
• Decreased conflicts: Effective communication on a regular basis decreases the chances of conflicts among various employees and departments, eventually leading to efficient working. 

How do you incorporate the principles of effective communciation into your present work? 

Incorporating the principles of effective communication into the workplace is essential for developing a productive environment. Here are some strategies to help you do that:

Establish a Clear Communication Policy:

• Create a formal communication policy that outlines the principles and guidelines for effective communication within the organization.
• Ensure that all employees are aware of and understand this policy, and periodically review it to keep it up-to-date.  

Promote Transparency:

• Encourage open and transparent communication by sharing relevant information with employees. 
• Be honest about the organization’s challenges and successes, and communicate them to all levels of the workforce.

Train Employees in Communication Skills:

• Provide communication training to employees at all levels. This can include conflict resolution and presentation skills.
• Invest in leadership and management training to ensure that leaders set a positive example of effective communication .

Use Multiple Communication Channels:

• Make use of a range of communication platforms, including email and face-to-face meetings., video conferences, and internal communication platforms.
• Choose the most appropriate channel for the type of message and the audience.

How can Principles of Effective Communication enhance Communication Effectiveness?  

The 12 principles of effective communication discussed earlier are important to consider when communicating as they enhance communication effectiveness in multiple ways. This includes the following uses:

Helps in creating the base for an effective message: The objective of the messages needs to be understandable and useful for effective communication. Applying the principles of effective communication acts as the base for developing a clear message. 

Guidance in the process: Implementing all the principles of effective communication guides the sender and receiver in executing a successful communication process. 

Relationship building: Mutual trust, respect, and empathy are crucial for achieving communication effectiveness. Principles of effective communication help develop such a relationship between the sender and receiver- ultimately contributing to communication effectiveness. 

Clarity of goals & purpose: The fundamentals of effective communication help get clarity towards the goal of communication as well as the purpose behind it. This eventually helps the sender and the receiver in executing meaningful and effective communication. 

Principles of Written Communication

When it comes to written communication, there are specific principles that help make it effective. These principles include:

Principles of Oral Communication

Just like written communication, oral communication can also be made effective by applying the principles of oral communication. They are:

To know more check out our detailed guide on 12 key principles of oral communication

What are the Elements of the Communication Process?

There are nine elements of communication that make this process complete. They include the following:

Must Read : What are the 9 elements of communication and examples

Frequently Asked Questions 

Q1) what are the 5 principles of effective communication .

Ans: The 5 principles of effective communication are the principles of timeliness, clarity, feedback, active listening, and the principle of objective. Following these principles results in a successful and effective communication process. 

Q2) What are the three principles of effective communication? 

Ans: The three main principles of effective communication are the principle of knowing your audience, the principle of clarity, and the principle of authenticity and trust. These principles help build a clear message and the base for effective communication.

Q3) What are the barriers to communication? 

Ans: The barriers to communication can be physical , psychological , linguistic, cultural , or mechanical in nature. These barriers can hinder the process of effective communication at various stages. 

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What It Takes to Give a Great Presentation

• Carmine Gallo

Five tips to set yourself apart.

Never underestimate the power of great communication. It can help you land the job of your dreams, attract investors to back your idea, or elevate your stature within your organization. But while there are plenty of good speakers in the world, you can set yourself apart out by being the person who can deliver something great over and over. Here are a few tips for business professionals who want to move from being good speakers to great ones: be concise (the fewer words, the better); never use bullet points (photos and images paired together are more memorable); don’t underestimate the power of your voice (raise and lower it for emphasis); give your audience something extra (unexpected moments will grab their attention); rehearse (the best speakers are the best because they practice — a lot).

I was sitting across the table from a Silicon Valley CEO who had pioneered a technology that touches many of our lives — the flash memory that stores data on smartphones, digital cameras, and computers. He was a frequent guest on CNBC and had been delivering business presentations for at least 20 years before we met. And yet, the CEO wanted to sharpen his public speaking skills.

• Carmine Gallo is a Harvard University instructor, keynote speaker, and author of 10 books translated into 40 languages. Gallo is the author of The Bezos Blueprint: Communication Secrets of the World’s Greatest Salesman  (St. Martin’s Press).

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Principles of Professional Communication

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• James W. Lea  

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In this chapter, we will examine principles of effective communication that apply both to written articles and to papers prepared for oral presentation. Considerations of type and format are essentially the same for both oral and written modes of presentation. In later chapters, we’ll differentiate between the distinctive requirements of written communication and those of oral communication.

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Lea, J.W. (1986). Principles of Professional Communication. In: McGaghie, W.C., Frey, J.J. (eds) Handbook for the Academic Physician. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-6328-6_16

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Principles of Oral Presentation

Oral Presentations refer to the delivery of information or ideas to an audience through spoken words, typically in a structured format. They are a common method of communication in academic, professional, and social settings, aiming to inform, persuade, or entertain listeners. Effective oral presentations involve careful planning, organization of content into coherent segments (introduction, main points, conclusion), and consideration of audience needs and interests. Visual aids such as slides or props may complement verbal delivery to enhance understanding and engagement. Skills such as clear articulation, confident body language, and audience interaction contribute to the effectiveness of oral presentations, facilitating effective communication and connection with the audience.

The principles of oral presentations guide effective delivery of information and ideas to an audience. Key principles:

Clear Purpose:

Define the objective of your presentation clearly to ensure focused delivery.

Audience Adaptation:

Tailor content, language, and approach to suit the knowledge and interests of your audience.

Structured Content:

Organize your presentation logically with introduction, main points, and conclusion.

Engaging Opening:

Start with a compelling hook to capture attention and interest.

Visual Support:

Use visuals (slides, props) effectively to enhance understanding and engagement.

Concise Delivery:

Be succinct and avoid overwhelming the audience with excessive information.

Confident Body Language:

Use gestures, eye contact, and posture to convey confidence and credibility.

Clear Articulation:

Speak clearly and vary tone to maintain interest and emphasize key points.

Interactive Engagement:

Encourage audience interaction through questions, activities, or discussions.

Effective Closure:

Summarize key points and end with a memorable takeaway or call to action.

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Principles of Communication: 7 Cs of Communication

What are the 7 principles of communication?

Written communication occupies an important position in the communication sphere, so written communication has to pay adequate attention to certain principles of necessity. The essentials of every written communication are principles of unity, coherence, and emphasis. These principles along with other essentials of effective communication , like language, planning, and organization make written communication effective.

Principles of Communication

The writing should be correctly planned and expressed in a logical way, and the writer should make sure that the ideas flow smoothly from beginning to end. The message must be so clear that even the dullest man in the world should readily understand it.

Clarity of written language is the first and foremost emphasis one should seek in writing. So clarity of language is a form of courtesy. Clarity, therefore, can be achieved in writing by taking pains by writing to serve the purpose rather than to impress readers.

Understanding the subject bring about clarity in the writing. Don’t jump about from one part of the writing to another and then back to the first aspect.

This is confusing for you and the reader. Deal with each aspect separately and clearly. The clear description brings about the script alive, takes readers to where you have been, and evokes atmosphere. It can bring flavor to the aridest and dry news story and make the difference between a report that satisfies and one that does not.

Completeness

An incomplete message can do little to convey the information and persuade the receiver. All the aspects of the message must be grouped and brought together in a logical sequence to prepare meaningful thought units. The communicator’s effort can be more fruitful and effective if the receiver easily reacts to the sender’s message.

The incomplete messages may create doubts in the receiver’s mind. The receiver of the incomplete message feels angry, confused, and irritated by it. The principles of unity or completeness apply at three levels; one, the individual sentences must be unified. Two, individual paragraphs must be unified and three the totality of the script must be unified.

Coherence is given to a larger paragraph or section of a message and leads to purposeful communication where the writer is well received, read, understood, and acted upon by the reader.

Conciseness

Conciseness is an important factor in effective communication. It means saying all that needs to be said and no more. The aimless verbiage, unnecessary details, and heavy paragraphs make our communication ridiculous and ineffective. We must omit those words and sentences from our message, which are not likely to bring about results.

Even a single word or a sentence, which does not contribute to accomplishing the purpose of the communication, should be carefully omitted.

Credibility

Correctness.

Without correctness, readers may refuse your write-up. Communication must be correct in tone and style of expression, spelling, grammar, format, contents, statistical information; stress-unstressed, etc. there should not be any inaccurate statements in the message.

Therefore, it is essential that the sender should verify the correctness of the information before transmitting it to the receiver. And before accepting the information for important decision-making, the receiver should clarify his doubts regarding the accuracy and correctness of the message.

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[su_spoiler title=”Interpersonal Communication | Informal Communication” style=”fancy” icon=”plus-circle”]

[su_spoiler title=”Downward Communication | Upward Communication” style=”fancy” icon=”plus-circle”]

[su_spoiler title=”Barriers to Communication | Horizontal or Lateral Communication” style=”fancy” icon=”plus-circle”]

[su_spoiler title=”Difference Between Oral and Written Communication | Theories of Communication” style=”fancy” icon=”plus-circle”]

FAQ Related to Principles of Communication

How many principles of communication are there.

These are the principle of communication or 7 Cs of communication: Clarity, Completeness, Coherence, Conciseness, Credibility, Correctness, Continuity.

What are the objectives and principles of communication?

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Complete Guide for Effective Presentations, with Examples

July 9, 2018 - Dom Barnard

During a presentation you aim to look confident, enthusiastic and natural. You’ll need more than good words and content to achieve this – your delivery plays a significant part. In this article, we discuss various techniques that can be used to deliver an effective presentation.

Effective presentations

Think about if you were in the audience, what would:

• Get you to focus and listen
• Make you understand
• Activate your imagination
• Persuade you

Providing the audience with interesting information is not enough to achieve these aims – you need to ensure that the way you present is stimulating and engaging. If it’s not, you’ll lose the audience’s interest and they’ll stop listening.

Tips for an Effective Presentation

Professional public speakers spend hours creating and practicing presentations. These are the delivery techniques they consider:

Keep it simple

You shouldn’t overwhelm your audience with information – ensure that you’re clear, concise and that you get to the point so they can understand your message.

Have a maximum of  three main points  and state them at the beginning, before you explain them in more depth, and then state them at the end so the audience will at least remember these points.

If some of your content doesn’t contribute to your key message then cut it out. Also avoid using too many statistics and technical terminology.

Connect with your audience

One of the greatest difficulties when delivering a presentation is connecting with the audience. If you don’t  connect with them  it will seem as though you’re talking to an empty room.

Trying to make contact with the audience makes them feel like they’re part of the presentation which encourages them to listen and it shows that you want to speak to them.

Eye contact and smile

Avoiding eye contact is uncomfortable because it make you look insecure. When you  maintain eye contact  the audience feels like you’re speaking to them personally. If this is something you struggle with, try looking at people’s foreheads as it gives the impression of making eye contact.

Try to cover all sections of the audience and don’t move on to the next person too quickly as you will look nervous.

Smiling also helps with rapport and it reduces your nerves because you’ll feel less like you’re talking to group of faceless people. Make sure you don’t turn the lights down too much before your presentation so you can all clearly see each other.

Body language

Be aware of your body language and use it to connect:

• Keep your arms uncrossed so your  body language is more open .
• Match your facial expressions with what you’re saying.
• Avoid fidgeting and displaying nervous habits, such as, rocking on your feet.
• You may need to glance at the computer slide or a visual aid but make sure you predominantly face the audience.
• Emphasise points by using hand gestures but use them sparingly – too little and they’ll awkwardly sit at your side, too much and you’ll be distracting and look nervous.
• Vary your gestures so you don’t look robotic.
• Maintain a straight posture.
• Be aware of  cultural differences .

Move around

Avoid standing behind the lectern or computer because you need to reduce the distance and barriers between yourself and the audience.  Use movement  to increase the audience’s interest and make it easier to follow your presentation.

A common technique for incorporating movement into your presentation is to:

• Start your introduction by standing in the centre of the stage.
• For your first point you stand on the left side of the stage.
• You discuss your second point from the centre again.
• You stand on the right side of the stage for your third point.
• The conclusion occurs in the centre.

Watch 3 examples of good and bad movement while presenting

Example: Movement while presenting

Your movement at the front of the class and amongst the listeners can help with engagement. Think about which of these three speakers maintains the attention of their audience for longer, and what they are doing differently to each other.

Speak with the audience

You can conduct polls using your audience or ask questions to make them think and feel invested in your presentation. There are three different types of questions:

Direct questions require an answer: “What would you do in this situation?” These are mentally stimulating for the audience. You can pass a microphone around and let the audience come to your desired solution.

Rhetorical questions  do not require answers, they are often used to emphasises an idea or point: “Is the Pope catholic?

Loaded questions contain an unjustified assumption made to prompt the audience into providing a particular answer which you can then correct to support your point: You may ask “Why does your wonderful company have such a low incidence of mental health problems?” The audience will generally answer that they’re happy.

After receiving the answers you could then say “Actually it’s because people are still unwilling and too embarrassed to seek help for mental health issues at work etc.”

Be specific with your language

Make the audience feel as though you are speaking to each member individually by using “you” and “your.”

For example: asking “Do you want to lose weight without feeling hungry?” would be more effective than asking “Does anyone here want to lost weight without feeling hungry?” when delivering your presentation. You can also increase solidarity by using “we”, “us” etc – it makes the audience think “we’re in this together”.

Be flexible

Be prepared to adapt to the situation at the time, for example, if the audience seems bored you can omit details and go through the material faster, if they are confused then you will need to come up with more examples on the spot for clarification. This doesn’t mean that you weren’t prepared because you can’t predict everything.

Vocal variety

How you say something is just as is important as the content of your speech – arguably, more so.

For example, if an individual presented on a topic very enthusiastically the audience would probably enjoy this compared to someone who covered more points but mumbled into their notes.

• Adapt your voice  depending on what are you’re saying – if you want to highlight something then raise your voice or lower it for intensity. Communicate emotion by using your voice.
• Avoid speaking in monotone as you will look uninterested and the audience will lose interest.
• Take time to pronounce every word carefully.
• Raise your pitch when asking questions and lower it when you want to sound severe.
• Sound enthusiastic – the more you sound like you care about the topic, the more the audience will listen. Smiling and pace can help with this.
• Speak loudly and clearly – think about projecting your voice to the back of the room.
• Speak at a  pace that’s easy to follow . If you’re too fast or too slow it will be difficult for the audience to understand what you’re saying and it’s also frustrating. Subtly fasten the pace to show enthusiasm and slow down for emphasis, thoughtfulness or caution.

Prior to the presentation, ensure that you  prepare your vocal chords :

• You could read aloud a book that requires vocal variety, such as, a children’s book.
• Avoid dairy and eating or drinking anything too sugary beforehand as mucus can build-up leading to frequent throat clearing.
• Don’t drink anything too cold before you present as this can constrict your throat which affects vocal quality.
• Some people suggest a warm cup of tea beforehand to relax the throat.

Practice Presentation Skills

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Pause to breathe

When you’re anxious your breathing will become quick and shallow which will affect the control you have on your voice. This can consequently make you feel more nervous. You want to breathe steadily and deeply so before you start speaking take some deep breaths or implement controlled breathing.

Controlled breathing is a common technique that helps slow down your breathing to normal thus reducing your anxiety. If you think this may be useful practice with these steps:

• Sit down in an upright position as it easier for your lungs to fill with air
• Breathe in through your nose and into your abdomen for four seconds
• Hold this breathe for two seconds
• Breathe out through your nose for six seconds
• Wait a few seconds before inhaling and repeating the cycle

It takes practice to master this technique but once you get used to it you may want to implement it directly before your presentation.

Completely filling your lungs during a pause will ensure you reach a greater vocal range.

During the presentation delivery, if you notice that you’re speaking too quickly then pause and breathe. This won’t look strange – it will appear as though you’re giving thought to what you’re saying. You can also strategically plan some of your pauses, such as after questions and at the end of sections, because this will give you a chance to calm down and it will also give the audience an opportunity to think and reflect.

Pausing will also help you  avoid filler words , such as, “um” as well which can make you sound unsure.

• 10 Effective Ways to use Pauses in your Speech

Strong opening

The first five minutes are  vital to engage the audience  and get them listening to you. You could start with a story to highlight why your topic is significant.

For example, if the topic is on the benefits of pets on physical and psychological health, you could present a story or a study about an individual whose quality of life significantly improved after being given a dog. The audience is more likely to respond better to this and remember this story than a list of facts.

Example: Which presentation intro keeps you engaged?

Watch 5 different presentation introductions, from both virtual and in-person events. Notice how it can only take a few seconds to decide if you want to keep listening or switch off. For the good introductions, what about them keeps you engaged?

More experienced and confident public speakers use humour in their presentations. The audience will be incredibly engaged if you make them laugh but caution must be exercised when using humour because a joke can be misinterpreted and even offend the audience.

Only use jokes if you’re confident with this technique, it has been successful in the past and it’s suitable for the situation.

Stories and anecdotes

Use stories whenever you can and judge whether you can tell a story about yourself because the audience are even more interested in seeing the human side of you.

Consider telling a story about a mistake you made, for example, perhaps you froze up during an important presentation when you were 25, or maybe life wasn’t going well for you in the past – if relevant to your presentation’s aim. People will relate to this as we have all experienced mistakes and failures. The more the audience relates to you, the more likely they will remain engaged.

These stories can also be  told in a humorous way  if it makes you feel more comfortable and because you’re disclosing a personal story there is less chance of misinterpretation compared to telling a joke.

Anecdotes are especially valuable for your introduction and between different sections of the presentation because they engage the audience. Ensure that you plan the stories thoroughly beforehand and that they are not too long.

Focus on the audience’s needs

Even though your aim is to persuade the audience, they must also get something helpful from the presentation. Provide the audience with value by giving them useful information, tactics, tips etc. They’re more likely to warm to you and trust you if you’re sharing valuable information with them.

You could also highlight their pain point. For example, you might ask “Have you found it difficult to stick to a healthy diet?” The audience will now want to remain engaged because they want to know the solution and the opportunities that you’re offering.

Use visual aids

Visual aids are items of a visual manner, such as graphs, photographs, video clips etc used in addition to spoken information. Visual aids are chosen depending on their purpose, for example, you may want to:

• Summarise information.
• Reduce the amount of spoken words, for example, you may show a graph of your results rather than reading them out.
• Clarify and show examples.
• Create more of an impact. You must consider what type of impact you want to make beforehand – do you want the audience to be sad, happy, angry etc?
• Emphasise what you’re saying.
• Make a point memorable.
• Enhance your credibility.
• Engage the audience and maintain their interest.
• Make something easier for the audience to understand.

Some general tips for  using visual aids :

• Think about how can a visual aid can support your message. What do you want the audience to do?
• Ensure that your visual aid follows what you’re saying or this will confuse the audience.
• Avoid cluttering the image as it may look messy and unclear.
• Visual aids must be clear, concise and of a high quality.
• Keep the style consistent, such as, the same font, colours, positions etc
• Use graphs and charts to present data.
• The audience should not be trying to read and listen at the same time – use visual aids to highlight your points.
• One message per visual aid, for example, on a slide there should only be one key point.
• Use visual aids in moderation – they are additions meant to emphasise and support main points.
• Ensure that your presentation still works without your visual aids in case of technical problems.

10-20-30 slideshow rule

Slideshows are widely used for presentations because it’s easy to create attractive and professional presentations using them. Guy Kawasaki, an entrepreneur and author, suggests that slideshows should  follow a 10-20-30 rule :

• There should be a maximum of 10 slides – people rarely remember more than one concept afterwards so there’s no point overwhelming them with unnecessary information.
• The presentation should last no longer than 20 minutes as this will leave time for questions and discussion.
• The font size should be a minimum of 30pt because the audience reads faster than you talk so less information on the slides means that there is less chance of the audience being distracted.

If you want to give the audience more information you can provide them with partially completed handouts or give them the handouts after you’ve delivered the presentation.

Keep a drink nearby

Have something to drink when you’re on stage, preferably water at room temperature. This will help maintain your vocal quality and having a sip is a subtle way of introducing pauses.

Practice, practice, practice

If you are very familiar with the content of your presentation, your audience will perceive you as confident and you’ll be more persuasive.

• Don’t just read the presentation through – practice everything,  including your transitions  and using your visual aids.
• Stand up and speak it aloud, in an engaging manner, as though you were presenting to an audience.
• Ensure that you practice your body language and gesturing.
• Use VR to  practice in a realistic environment .
• Practice in front of others and get their feedback.
• Freely improvise so you’ll sound more natural on the day. Don’t learn your presentation verbatim because you will sound uninterested and if you lose focus then you may forget everything.
• Create cards to use as cues – one card should be used for one key idea. Write down brief notes or key words and ensure that the cards are physically connected so the order cannot be lost. Visual prompts can also be used as cues.

This video shows how you can practice presentations in virtual reality. See our  VR training courses .

Two courses where you can practice your presentations in interactive exercises:

• Essential Public Speaking
• How to Present over Video

Try these different presentation delivery methods to see which ones you prefer and which need to be improved. The most important factor is to feel comfortable during the presentation as the delivery is likely to be better.

Remember that the audience are generally on your side – they want you to do well so present with confidence.

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8 Key Principles of Effective Communication: Tips and Strategies

Disclaimer : We sometimes use affiliate links in our content. For more information, visit our Disclaimer Page . 

The art of communication is an essential skill that can make or break your personal and professional life. Whether you’re speaking to a friend, giving a presentation at work, or conveying a message through a blog post, knowing how to communicate effectively is crucial.

This article will explore the principles of effective communication and offer practical tips to help you become a more effective communicator.

Principles of Effective Communication

Before we dive into the various principles of effective communication, it’s important to understand that communication is a two-way process. It involves not only the sender transmitting the message but also the receiver interpreting and providing feedback. Let’s explore these principles in more detail.

1. Know your audience

To communicate effectively, it’s important to know your audience. This means understanding their interests, preferences, and pain points. By addressing these factors, you can tailor your message to resonate with your audience and maintain their attention.

2. Clarity and simplicity

Effective communication relies on clarity and simplicity. Avoiding ambiguity and using simple words can help ensure that your message is easily understood. This involves selecting the appropriate language and providing context for your ideas.

3. Active listening

Active listening is a critical component of good communication. It involves not only hearing what the other person is saying but also making an effort to understand and empathize with their perspective. This can help build trust and create a sense of connection between the sender and receiver.

4. Nonverbal communication

Nonverbal communication , such as body language, facial expressions, and eye contact, plays a significant role in conveying messages. Maintaining eye contact, for example, can help demonstrate confidence and engage the audience’s attention. Similarly, positive body language can reinforce the message and create a more connected experience.

Related : Importance of Nonverbal Communication in the Workplace

5. Be mindful of communication styles

Recognizing and adapting to different communication styles is an important aspect of effective communication. This can help you tailor your message to suit the preferences of your audience and avoid misunderstandings.

6. Provide feedback

Feedback is an essential component of effective communication, as it helps to ensure that the message has been understood correctly. This can involve asking questions, summarizing key points, or providing constructive criticism.

7. Choose the right channel

Selecting the appropriate channel for your message is crucial to ensuring its effectiveness. Different formats, such as formal communication (e.g., written reports) and informal communication (e.g., face-to-face conversations), have their advantages and disadvantages. Choosing the right channel can significantly impact the success of your message.

8. Timing and context

Timing is a critical factor in effective communication. Providing information at the proper time can help ensure that it is well-received and understood. Additionally, considering the context in which the message is being delivered can help you tailor your communication to suit the situation.

Now that we’ve covered the principles of effective communication, let’s explore some practical tips to help you apply them in your daily life.

Related : How Effective Communication Works

Practical Tips for Effective Communication

Effectively communicating with others is an essential skill that can enhance relationships, teamwork, and decision-making processes. Here are some practical tips to help you apply the principles of effective communication and develop good communication skills:

1. Use the active voice

Using active voice in your writing and speech can help convey your message more clearly and directly. This can make your communication more engaging and easier to understand.

2. Be concise

Keep your message clear and concise by avoiding unnecessary details or jargon. Use short sentences and paragraphs to make your content easy to read and digest.

3. Use visual aids

Incorporating visual aids, such as images, graphs, or charts, can help support your message and make it more engaging. These aids can also help clarify complex ideas and make them more accessible to your audience.

4. Engage emotions

Connecting with your audience on an emotional level can help make your message more memorable and impactful. Share relatable stories, anecdotes, or examples to engage your audience and create an emotional connection.

5. Ask questions and encourage interaction

Fostering a sense of community and encouraging interaction can help build engagement and loyalty among your audience. Invite readers to comment, share their thoughts, or ask questions. This can lead to a more dynamic and enriching communication experience.

6. Practice active listening

Develop your active listening skills by focusing on the speaker, avoiding distractions, and providing feedback. This can help demonstrate your understanding and empathy, building trust and rapport with your audience.

7. Observe nonverbal cues

Pay attention to nonverbal communication cues, such as body language, facial expressions, and gestures. These cues can provide valuable insights into the emotions and intentions behind the message being conveyed.

8. Adapt to communication styles

Develop an understanding of different communication styles and learn to adapt your approach accordingly. This can help you connect with diverse audiences and ensure that your message is well-received.

9. Seek feedback and be open to criticism

Actively seeking feedback and being open to constructive criticism can help you refine your communication skills and become a more effective communicator. This can also demonstrate humility and a willingness to learn and grow.

10. Practice, practice, practice

Like any skill, effective communication takes practice. Regularly engaging in conversations, writing, and public speaking can help you develop your communication skills and increase your confidence.

Barriers to Effective Communication and How to Overcome Them

Even when we understand the principles of effective communication, we may still encounter barriers that hinder our ability to communicate effectively. Recognizing these barriers and addressing them can significantly improve our communication skills. Let’s explore some common barriers and how to overcome them.

1. Language barriers

Language barriers can make it difficult for individuals with different language backgrounds to communicate effectively. To overcome this barrier, consider the following:

• Use simple words and phrases to convey your message.
• Utilize visual aids to support your message.
• Learn some key phrases in your audience’s language to demonstrate respect and willingness to communicate.

2. Cultural barriers

Cultural differences can lead to misunderstandings and misinterpretations in communication. It’s essential to be aware of these differences and adapt your communication style accordingly. Some strategies to overcome cultural barriers include:

• Research and understand the cultural norms and values of your audience.
• Avoid using idioms, slang, or colloquialisms that may not be understood by your audience.
• Be open-minded and respectful of different perspectives and viewpoints, and consider using informal channels of communication to foster rapport and understanding.

3. Emotional barriers

Emotions can significantly impact our ability to communicate effectively. When emotions are high, it can be difficult to listen, think clearly, and convey our message accurately. To manage emotional barriers, try the following:

• Practice self-awareness and recognize when your emotions may be influencing your communication.
• Take a moment to calm down before engaging in important conversations.
• Empathize with the emotions of others and adjust your communication style accordingly.

4. Technological barriers

Technological barriers, such as poor internet connections or outdated communication tools, can hinder effective communication. To address these challenges, consider the following:

• Ensure that your communication tools are up-to-date and functioning properly.
• Test your technology before important meetings or presentations.
• Have a backup plan in case of technological issues.

5. Environmental barriers

Environmental factors, such as noise or physical barriers, can interfere with effective communication. To mitigate these issues, try the following:

• Choose a quiet, comfortable environment for important conversations.
• Arrange seating to promote face-to-face interaction and maintain eye contact.
• Minimize distractions, such as loud background noises or visual disruptions.

Related : Barriers of Communications

The Role of Communication in Decision-Making and Teamwork

Effective communication plays a crucial role in decision-making and teamwork. By fostering open, honest, and clear communication, teams can collaborate more effectively, make better decisions, and achieve their objectives. The following are some ways that effective communication can support decision-making and teamwork:

• Clear goals and expectations: Good communication helps teams establish specific goals and expectations, ensuring that everyone is working towards the same objectives.
• Information sharing: Effective communication enables team members to share critical information, ideas, and perspectives, leading to more informed decision-making.
• Conflict resolution: Through open and respectful communication, team members can address and resolve conflicts in a timely and constructive manner.
• Feedback and support: Effective communication allows team members to provide feedback and support, helping to improve performance and build trust within the team.
• Increased engagement: Good communication helps team members feel more connected and engaged, leading to higher levels of motivation and commitment.

Related : Decision-Making Techniques

In Conclusion

Mastering the principles of effective communication is essential for success in both your personal and professional life. By understanding your audience, providing clarity and simplicity, practicing active listening, and adapting to different communication styles, you can significantly improve your communication skills. Apply these practical tips and watch your relationships and career opportunities flourish.

What is the difference between formal and informal communication?

How can i improve my nonverbal communication skills, what is the importance of active listening in effective communication, can effective communication skills help me in my professional life, how can i tailor my communication style to suit my audience, related posts:.

• How Effective Communication Works: Strategies for Stronger Connections
• Nonverbal Communication Skills: The Key to Effective Interactions
• 5 Strategies for Effective Verbal Communication
• Strengthen Your Verbal Communication Skills: Tips and Techniques

12 Essential Leadership Development Areas to Level Up Your Skills

Develop strategic thinking in leadership: key strategies, related posts.

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Principles of Presentation: All You Need to Know About

Uncover the essence of the Principles of Presentation. Explore the dynamics behind effective presentations as we delve into the power of storytelling, understanding your audience, creating a captivating visual appeal, keeping your message concise, delivering it engagingly, incorporating data and evidence, and mastering the art of storyboarding and practice.

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Whether you are a student, a professional, or an entrepreneur, understanding these rules can help you enhance your overall Presentation style. In this blog, we will delve into the Principles of Presentation and equip you with the knowledge to create content that captivates your audience. 

Table of Contents  

1) What are the Principles of Presentation? 

     a) The power of storytelling 

     b) Knowing your audience 

     c) Having a visual appeal 

     d) Keeping it concise 

     e) Having an engaging delivery 

     f) Incorporating data and evidence 

     g) Storyboarding and practice 

2) Conclusion 

What are the Principles of Presentation?  

The power of storytelling  

Storytelling is an ancient art form that has stood the test of time. Stories, from ancient legends to modern-day movies and books, have always captivated human minds. When it comes to Presentations, the power of storytelling lies in its ability to develop an emotional connection with the audience. You can also understand by principles of presentations by going through presentation skills interview questions and answers . 

People remember stories much better than dry facts and figures. When you prepare a presentation , consider weaving your content into a narrative to make it more relatable, memorable, and engaging. By sharing anecdotes, personal experiences, or even fictional scenarios, you can illustrate your points effectively and leave a lasting impression on your listeners. 

Knowing your audience  

Understanding your audience is a cornerstone of successful Presentations. Tailoring your content to your audience's needs, interests, and preferences ensures that your message resonates deeply with them. 

Start Your Presentation by identifying who your audience is. Are they students, colleagues, potential customers, or a mix of individuals from different backgrounds? Understanding their demographics and their prior knowledge of the topic will help you gauge the level of detail and complexity your Presentation should have.

Once you've identified your audience, dig deeper to discover their pain points or challenges. Ask questions like, what issues are they facing that your Presentation can help address? By addressing these pain points and providing solutions, you show your audience that you value their concerns and are here to help. 

Unlock your full potential as a presenter with our Presentation Skills Training – join now!  

Having a visual appeal  

In a society brimming with information, visual elements play an ever-essential role in keeping your audience engaged and focused on your Presentation. Enhance your Presentation with relevant images, infographics, charts, and videos. Visuals break the monotony of text-heavy slides and stimulate the audience's visual senses, making your content more memorable. 

Also, take care to ensure that your visual design is consistent throughout the Presentation. Use the same colour palette, font styles, and layout. A cluttered slide can be overwhelming, so keep it simple, ensuring that each element supports your message without distracting you from it. 

Keeping it concise  

Attention spans are limited in the modern, fast-paced society. Keeping your Presentation concise and to the point is essential to maintain your audience's interest. 

Respect your audience's time by focusing on the core message and key takeaways. Avoid going off-topic or getting bogged down in unnecessary details. Take care to organise your content with clear and concise bullet points. Bullet points break down information into smaller chunks, making it easier for your audience to absorb the main ideas. 

Having an engaging delivery  

A compelling Presentation not only depends on the content but also on how you deliver it. Your delivery style can influence your audience's level of engagement and interest. 

Confidence is key when presenting. Practice your Presentation multiple times to familiarise yourself with the content and overcome nervousness. Work on your body language, voice modulation, and eye contact to keep your audience connected. Understanding various elements of presentation becomes crucial. 

You can also encourage audience participation by incorporating questions, polls, or interactive activities. Engaging your audience in this way creates a dynamic and lively atmosphere, making the Presentation more enjoyable and memorable. 

Take your Presentations to the next level with our Effective Presentation Skills & Techniques Course – sign up today!  

Incorporating data and evidence  

Supporting your arguments with data and evidence adds credibility to your Presentation and makes your points more convincing. Whether it's statistical data, research findings, or case studies, using relevant data provides a solid foundation for your arguments. Your audience is more likely to trust and retain information when credible sources back it. 

Storyboarding and practice  

One of the crucial Principles of Presentation is storyboarding and practice. Behind every successful Presentation is careful planning and practice. Storyboarding helps you organise your content effectively, while practice ensures a smooth and confident delivery. 

To practice storyboarding, create a detailed storyboard that outlines the structure of your Presentation, including the main points, supporting evidence, and visual elements. A well-structured storyboard serves as your roadmap, ensuring that you cover all essential aspects of your topic. 

Make sure to practice delivering your Presentation in front of a mirror, friends, or family. Pay attention to timing, pace, and transitions between sections. Moreover, rehearsing will help you identify areas for improvement and build your confidence. 

Captivating openings and closings  

The first and last moments of your Presentation are crucial for making a strong impact on your audience. Start your Presentation with a hook – a thought-provoking question, a surprising fact, or a compelling story. An engaging opening captures the audience's attention from the beginning, setting the tone for the rest of the Presentation. It becomes important to understand that advantages and disadvantages of presentation to build captivating openings and closings.

You must also make sure that you end your Presentation with a memorable closing statement or a powerful call to action. Leave your audience with a clear takeaway or a next step they can follow after the Presentation. A strong closing ensures that your message lingers in their minds long after the Presentation is over. 

Conclusion  

Overall, mastering the Principles of Presentation is an invaluable skill that can elevate your communication abilities to new heights. By storytelling, knowing your audience, utilising visuals, delivering engagingly and supporting your points with data, you can Improve Your Presentation Skills to create impactful and appealing presentations that leave a lasting impression.

Want to master the art of impactful Presentations? Explore our Presentation Skills Courses and elevate your communication prowess!  

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The 10 principles of effective presentations. Hint: it’s all in the structure!

In this post I am going to give you 10 quick practical and actionable principles that you can learn in less than 10 minutes and apply to your next presentation. I am under the assumption that you haven’t got time. That’s what happens in an office: you have to give a presentation and that is a task on top of all your normal work. I feel for you because I’ve been there!

Let’s imagine that you meet me. Oh, I’m kind of a presentation freak by the way. I have a framework to create better presentations and a mission to save you. There are less than 24 hours before your presentation. And I have just 10 minutes to distill my best advice for you: here are my top 10 presentation tips in less than 10 minutes from PRESENTATION HERO in form of video, slideshow or post.

Presentation Hero – The Video

Presentation Hero – The Slides

Presentation Hero – The Post

If videos or slides just don’t do it for you you can find below the same content, but in good old text format.

1. Know who your audience will be.

If you have the time to do one thing, then devote all of it to knowing your audience. Your presentation is for your audience, they are the ones that have to benefit from it.

Put yourself in the shoes of your audience, try to imagine what would they want to get from your presentation. Try also to imagine how your audience relates to your topic and to you, think about the ways you can simplify the relationship between them and your material.

2. Tell your audience who you are.

Make sure that everyone in the room has understood your name but that they are also able to describe who you are.

So many great presentations are ruined by not following this simple tip. Don’t let your audience discover at the last slide that you are the most renown expert in your field, don’t let them have a guess at your humanity, tell them who you are straight away.

I always make sure that the audience is already listening when I state the topic of the presentation, tell my name, and explain – in as few words as possible – who I am.

3. Tell your audience why you are there.

Within the first 2 minutes of your presentation explain your motivation for presenting. Let your unique knowledge and perspective show, help your audience understand how passionate you are about what you are going to talk about, how important to you what you are going to do and say is.

If it means a lot to you, chances are it will mean a lot to your audience.

4. Tell your audience why they are there.

Within the first 5 minutes of your presentation provide your audience with a sample of the advantage they will get by following your presentation. Show them what they will gain from your presentation and, more importantly, how it will change them.

5. Develop a story based on a transformation that you wish to happen in your audience.

Make sure that you provide sufficient information to produce a meaningful change in your audience. This can come by providing a new insight on a known topic, by introducing a completely new concept, or even by making them doubt about something they have always taken for granted.

If your presentation will not produce some kind of change in your audience, then it’s a presentation not worth giving.

If you are not eliciting a change, then you are not providing enough content. And if you are not providing enough content, your material is not worth presenting. So: no change, no presentation!

6. Understand that each member of your audience will react differently to your material.

Some of them will understand immediately, many will reject your ideas, some will just be confused, some will look for the quick and dirty shortcuts and the tweetable content rather than understanding your topic deeply, while other will be curious about your data and about your research. Try to give something to all those individuals, knowing that you will never make everyone happy (surely not everyone at the same time).

7. Mark the moment you transfer the most important concept as your high point.

I’m talking about a climax.

This is the moment where your audience understands that they have arrived at the core of your idea, that the path is downhill from there. Your audience knows that this marks also the beginning of the end of the presentation. Don’t disappoint them by remaining on stage too long after your main climax.

8. Provide a summary of your topic.

After the climax provide your audience with a summary, a birds eye view of the material that you’ve covered. It will provide meaning to them, it will reinforce the meaning of the climax and it will help them not only make sense of your material but also aid them in remembering.

9. Provide some actionable points.

Show your audience how they can apply the new knowledge into their every day. This is the best gift you can leave them with. Now it’s time for you to leave. You’re allowed to end on a hope, a wish, a word of wisdom. Make it quick though.

10. Make sure you feel comfortable with your material.

If you are not it will show, and no presentation trick will save you. Know your stuff. Period. Otherwise head back to the library and study, study, study!

Presentations shed a spotlight on your abilities. Make sure that your first ability is related not to presentation structure, design or delivery, but to the topic that you are presenting.

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The Principles Of Communication

Sanjana is a recruiter at a big corporation. Throughout the year, she receives multiple job applications. She uses an elimination…

Sanjana is a recruiter at a big corporation. Throughout the year, she receives multiple job applications. She uses an elimination process removing all applications that don’t meet the basic criteria. Additionally, she looks at the grammar, tone and language used in application emails, resumes and cover letters.

It’s no secret that communication is one of the most important aspects of the business world. In this scenario, even the slightest typo or grammatical error can affect an application. If you want to strengthen your professional communication, read on to explore the guiding principles of effective communication.

An Introduction To Communication

What are the principles of communication, understanding the principles of business communication.

Communication is the key to a successful interpersonal relationship. Whether you’re making new friends or working with a new manager—communication skills help more than just exchange information. It helps understand the intention and emotion behind that information. In its most basic form, communication is the act of exchanging information through signs, symbols and language. Actively strengthening your communication skills plays an important role in personal and professional development. Here is a list of key communication skills that can earn your audience’s attention, trust and respect.

Active Listening

One of the most fundamental components of communication, active listening is about giving the speaker adequate time to explore their thoughts and feelings. As an active listener, you don’t interrupt the speaker. Instead, you ask thoughtful questions to show that you’re engaged.

Verbal Presentation

Improving verbal communication and presentation requires a lot of practice as the primary goal is to convince your audience of your ideas, thoughts and opinions. You need to articulate your message clearly and concisely. Avoid using technical words and tailor the information to the audience you’re speaking to.

Purposeful writing is an important component of business communication . The ability to write clearly and concisely is a powerful skill as it helps create convincing emails, thorough reports and effective client proposals. Written communication gives you more time to craft your message.

In work environments, one of the primary goals of communication is convincing someone of your viewpoints and ideas. To become a convincing communicator, you need to understand someone’s expectations. Use it to influence them to pursue an idea, decision or action.

Body Language

Body language plays a major role in communication as different facial expressions, posture and gestures have meanings attached. Besides paying attention to your own body language, read other people’s non-verbal cues. Tailor your conversation according to the positive or negative body language of your audience. For example, if someone looks away and disinterested, it’s best to give them their space.

Improving your communication skills not only helps convey information better,  it has the power to impact the way others view us personally or professionally.

Not all communication is good communication. No communication is sometimes better than poor communication. Effective communication isn’t only about being clear and concise, but also providing a space to feel safe and comfortable. There are some basic principles of communication that enhance the quality of the process.

Principle Of Clarity

It’s easy to misinterpret information when there’s no clarity. You should be clear about your idea or message by wording it in such a way that your audience understands what you want to convey. Understand your audience’s expectations and add or remove irrelevant details accordingly.

Principle Of Attention

One of the most important principles of communication, the principle of attention is about drawing your receiver’s attention to your message. In addition to helping them understand the meaning of your message, it helps your audience engage with the information better. For example, you send out an email for a team meeting and attach an agenda. Your audience is likely to come prepared and engage in meaningful discussions.

Principle Of Consistency

In the workplace, you develop healthy habits through repetition and consistency. Similarly, one of the principles of business communication—consistency—states that communication should be consistent with an organization’s plans, programs and policies. If your messages conflict with existing policies, then you won’t be able to implement them successfully. This will impact the effectiveness of an organization.

Principle Of Timeliness

Good communication is time-bound. To show your message is meaningful, you need to deliver it on time. For example, follow-up emails in a job application process help your candidacy. It shows the recruiter you’re interested in the role and the organization. You need to send your follow-up email within 24-48 hours after the interview to show that you’re serious about your application.

Principle Of Adequacy

The information you share with your receiver should be complete and adequate in every respect. There shouldn’t be any room for confusion. Too little or too much information can affect the communication process. Make sure that your receiver can process and understand the information. If you’re able to deliver your message using a few words, avoid providing too many details.

Principle Of Feedback

One of the top principles of communication, feedback helps understand if your receiver has understood the meaning of the message you were trying to convey. For example, during in-person conversations, you can observe the facial expression of your listener. If they maintain eye contact and continue to respond, it means that they’re interested in carrying the conversation forward.

Principle Of Informality

People often think that formal communication is the only way to exchange information in the workplace. However, informal communication is equally important. There are several challenges that formal communication can’t solve alone. For example, a manager resorts to informal team-building activities (such as games) for effective rapport-building among team members.

These guiding principles of communication will help you focus only on relevant details and minimize any chance of confusion. You’ll learn to deliver your message confidently and effectively.

Effective communication is essential for overall professional development. Many jobs require strong communication skills because interpersonal relationships help to drive business goals and growth. When people communicate effectively, there’s trust and increased cooperation and collaboration. What are the principles of effective communication in the business world?

Having A Goal

The first step is to determine what you want to get out of your communication and what you want your receivers to do. Positioning yourself as a thought leader who encourages others to take action is an effective way of going about it. Craft your communication according to the goal you want to achieve.

Staying Organized

In the professional world, we don’t usually get a second chance. Therefore, you need to be cohesive from the beginning. To do so, outline your key points or goals; this will further help arrange your thoughts and achievable outcomes. The more clarity you gain, the easier it’s to communicate information.

Being Visually Compelling

Humans comprehend information in multiple ways; chief among them is visual representation. If you want to capture your audience’s attention, visual representation of data such as flowcharts can enhance the quality of the communication process. This is why many professionals rely on PowerPoint presentations while pitching their ideas. Visual depictions are immensely powerful in convincing someone of your thoughts and ideas.

Being Minimal

One of the lesser-known principles of effective communication is minimalism. The professional world places great emphasis on time and the less time it takes, the better it is. To manage both your and your audience’s time better, avoid using any irrelevant information or repeated details that shift the focus from your main points. For example, client emails should be direct and you need to list the agenda upfront. Less is more!

Staying Curious

Communication is a broad area that’s constantly evolving. To keep up with the changing needs, expectations and rules, you need to keep an open mind. Staying curious will encourage you to continue the learning process. Strengthen your reading habits, talk to people and mentors who can help you out and never assume you know everything. Check for trending styles and formats and keep yourself updated about shifting demands.

These principles of communication should help you focus your effort on personal and professional growth. Continue to learn, evolve and pursue a path to career success.

You’ll encounter various forms of communication wherever you go. As the world adjusts to a new normal with increasing virtual communication, you’ll need to adapt to the changes as well. Communication is a large topic that’ll continue to expand in scope and meaning. If you want to keep up with the times and leave a lasting impression on your audience, Harappa’s Speaking Effectively course will help you deliver ideas with precision. Learn to speak concisely using the PAM (Purpose, Audience and Message) Framework . The Non-verbal Cues  framework will help you master different body language techniques. Get skilled at communicating effectively!

Explore Harappa Diaries to learn more about topics such as Introduction To  Visual Communication , What Is  Internal Communication , How To  Improve Communication Skills  & The Art Of  Storytelling  to deliver ideas with precision.