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Articles > Editoriale
> 2004
Versione
italiana |
> Focus Point |
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In today's society, where communication has become the force that generates and develops every activity, being able to write a clear and effective report, to face an interview, to acquire self-confidence and credibility in your own ideas, is not only a means of personal achievement but more importantly a valid contribution to outcomes. In fact, in each social organism a high quality of communication influences operative effectiveness: at school, at work or in any other institution. People often ask me: "What is the worst enemy of communication?” I always answer: "Monotony, because people who get bored don’t listen ". Unfortunately, monotony reigns as an undisputed queen in school and university education, and in many company activities related to information, education, training and updating. This queen has a cost for society which is impossible to calculate but which is definitely very high. “SHE” is to blame for a large part of the mental absenteeism in many schools and audiences. Absenteeism that is responsible for a huge waste of time and money. Many people defend themselves by saying: "My topic is not among the most interesting ones” “This subject is boring”. There are no boring topics or subjects , but only monotonous speakers. In-depth research, conducted in the US, highlighted that of the information delivered in a traditional conference speech, ten minutes long, 50% is assimilated and after 48 hours, this percentage decreases to 25%. These poor results refer, as already mentioned, to a traditional conference. But what is a traditional conference? A conference is traditional when the person who delivers it, not knowing the technical and psychological aspects of communication, makes several mistakes, two of them very common, which jeopardize the effectiveness of the speech:
Here are the ten rules to improve speech effectiveness. Rule no. 1: between a difficult word and an easy one, choose the second because everybody can understand it. Between a verb and a noun, always take the first one. Verbs are the most vigorous words. Therefore, rather than saying “Exercising has a positive influence on our mood” it is better to say "Exercising positively influences our mood”. Always choose the active form. Between these two sentences the second one is better: "Our technical assistance is free to our customers." - "Our customers have free technical assistance." Rule no. 2:
use short sentences. Rule no. 3: do not choose expressions that make you feel negative, be positive. Rather than: "By postponing, you will postpone the benefits", better to say: "If you decide now you will benefit immediately". Rule no. 4: be careful of your word order. This seems cbvious, but often you hear such funny expressions: "This dog eats anything and loves kids”. Listening to this sentence someone could understand that children are the dog’s favorite food. Better: "This dog loves children and eats anything." Rule no. 5: make eye contact, regularly with every part of the audience. Do not give the impression that you are adressing only a few people or an individual. Rule no. 6: use analogies to give substance to an idea. Cicero used to say that similes are the light of a speech. Avoid analogies which could be offensive to some people. Expressions such as: uneducated like a farmer, like a porter or a truck driver will never be welcomed by these group members or their families. Uneducated like an ass is a simile, even if it is a stale expression, it is more precise and diplomatic than the former ones; symbols of ignorance and stubbornness, asses are not in the position to have resentments or to protest. Regarding the strength of analogy, here is an excellent example. The missionary capuchin monk Guglielmo Massaia (1809-1889) used a simile of the sun to explain to an African tribe the Trinity mystery. He said “The sun is there in the sky, and you see it, it’s a fire ball; but you cannot touch it; its light comes to you, and gives light to all things on earth; and its heat warms you and beats down mercilessly, and contributes to the birth of plants but also to their death. THE SUN, ITS LIGHT AND ITS HEAT ARE THREE, AND YET IT IS ONE! Do you have a better example? Rule no. 7: in a speech, it is better not to tell stories based on social class, racial groups or religious beliefs, to avoid offending your listeners. Rule no. 8: do not use any condesending expressions because they are irritating. A condesending expression is one where the speaker assumes a superior position, for example: "To make you understand better". It’s much better to use: "To enforce this point". Rule no. 9:
do not give any ending sign. Speakers often conclude their speeches with a
very common mistake: the ending sign. Just imagine that this technique is
often suggested by the so-called communication experts! It is absolutely
wrong! The ending sign is usually given by using sentences like: "A
few more words and I will end.", "To end I wish to say...",
"A final observation, then I will end...", "Well, before
sitting down I wish to inform you that...". The audience welcomes
these signs, because speakers are often very boring and like the sound of
their own voices. People straigthen up in their chairs ready to leave.
When they hear these signals they start standing up: "Good, I’ll go and smoke a
cigarette.", "I’ll have a cup of coffee.", "Thank God,
the torture is over!" – they think. But they do not yet realise the
torturous and sadistic capabilities of these speakers. In fact, their short
ending sentences and their final thoughts never end. This is a cruel
joke they repeat many times. How is it possible not to be hated by the
public? A conclusion must be short and unexpected. And when the speaker is
really good, the audience says: "Unfortunately, it’s already finished!" |
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