Brown Bag Speech

The first assignment for the students in the  West Texas A&M University Basic Speech class (COMM 1315) is to give a Brown Bag Speech.  This is a simple speech but it is a great place to start the students with Public Speaking.

The Brown Bag speech requires that the student bring THREE things that they present to the class and tell the other students what the things represent in their life.  This is done to help ease the students into Public Speaking and to help the  students get to know each other better.  Every semester I have at least one case where students have made a connection with each because of the objects they presented.

In the first class period I give a Brown Bag Speech of my own as an example.  I never pick the same items but the ones I pick usually represent the same things.  For my "speech" this semester I choose:

1) A Book - The book represents my love of reading and learning.  I read all the time, both Fiction and Non-Fiction.  Fiction is my key to experiencing new worlds, meeting new people, and feeling the emotions of others.  Non Fiction is my way to learn new things.  I firmly believe that you should learn something NEW everyday, and I so enjoy learning!

2) A Band-aid - I am FIXER!  Sadly I do better "Fixing" something than I am at doing it right the first time!  But all in all I am a Fixer, I can organize and make things right with ease.  While being a mother has heightened my skills, it has always been a trait of mine.

3) A Recipe Card - I love my family and I love to cook so the card serves both.  Many of my recipes have been handed down  for several generations and I love cooking them for my kids.  I have a recipe for Millionaire candy that belonged to my Great Great Grandmother, that has been a Christmas tradition for our family since the 1800's.

What is another reason for the Brown Bag speech?  Well it is also a way to analyze what objects around you  communicate to others.  This is classified as Non Verbal communications but it is a Non Verbal that speaks LOUDLY to others!

Look around, what do you value?  What do those objects represent to you?  What do they say to others?

Step into a friends room, look at their objects...........Observe...........What do these things say about them?  Are their Non Verbals saying the SAME things that their Verbals are saying?  You decide, but I think more often than not - You will HEAR the same message from both.

Model of Good Communication

There are many communication models out there and they all are basically the same.  The primary reason for the models is to show a diagram of what good effect communication should be and the individual steps to be considered.

Here is one example of a Good Communication Model:

Let's start at the first step:

The Encoder - the encoder is the one that begins the communication process, for the purpose of this illustration we will use the example of Oral/Verbal Face to Face communication.  ******But please note, this same model works for Oral/Verbal, Non Verbal, and Written communication.

The Encoder begins by sending out a message to a Decoder (the person the Encoder wants to receive the message). 

The Decoder then receives the message and must Interpret the message.  Interpreting may seem a silly thing to require but it is an absolute - if the Decoder does NOT understand what has been said, then although the message has been received it is USELESS and NOT effective communication!

Once Interpreted, the Decoder/Receiver must then Encode a response to the message.  This may be a Verbal or Non Verbal response, i.e. an oral response or a nod of the head.  The original Encoder then must Interpret the message/response by Decoding it.

If the message is Encoded properly, received by the Decoder - Interpreted properly, a response is Encoded and sent BACK to the original Encoder - Decoded and Interpreted properly THEN and only THEN do we have Good Communication!

What can go wrong?  How many fish are in the sea? Yes about that many things can go wrong!

The Encoder must use a language and words that the Decoder can understand.  Sounds simple, but think - have you ever had a visit to the doctor and sat there wondering just what it was he was telling you?  They have a habit of using what I call "$69 words"!  most of which I could not pronounce myself much less spell!

A part of the diagram that we did not discuss earlier is the Interface - this simply is the Channel used for the message (we are using Face to Face for this example) but it should also include Noise!  In a Face to Face we must consider distance between communicators, sounds in the room (this includes others talking), and volume of speech.  Everyone of us has had someone say something to us that we did not understand because of the Volume of voice that they used.

The Decoder has to send back a message to signal that they have understood the message.  Interface/Noise is again a consideration.  If the Decoder "nods" a response and the Encoder cannot see their head/face they are not going to know that the message has been received!  If their response is Verbal but not heard - again it is not going to be received.

This may seem like a lot of things to remember about Good Communications but really it takes only a few minutes to memorize the steps and a little conscious effort to think through them while communicating with others.  In no time you will be "doing the steps" without having to think them through and you will be amazed at how your communications skills have improved!

Are You Breathing?

Sounds like a silly question doesn't it?  But it is a valid one and it makes my point..........IF you are breathing, then you are communicating!

That's right, we are all communicating everyday whether we are meaning to or not!  there are three categories/types of communication - Verbal, Non Verbal, and Written

Verbal:  This type includes sound, words, speaking, and language.  A good short explanation of Verbal Communication and components are located here -  Verbal .

Non Verbal:  This type includes facial expressions, hand and body movements, and LACK of response.  A brief explanation of Non Verbal Communication and its components are located here - Non Verbal .

Written:  This type includes the written word and include grammer, organization, structure.  A brief explanation of Written Communication and its components are located here - Written