2013 AACRAO Annual Meeting NNLSO Session Recap: “How to Keep Information Flowing at Your Law School: Effective Communication” By Darcee Espelien Photo courtesy of: Ms. Denise Boessen Effective Communication: Jonathan Bender, Wholespeak
On Tuesday, April 16, public speaking coach Jonathan Bender treated the NNLSO group to an interactive lesson on methods for improving communication across various mediums and interpersonal situations. Mr. Bender’s central message is that we can use common public-‐
speaking mechanisms for virtually any form of communication in which someone does not feel comfortable. These communications might include anything from speaking in front of large groups, to one-‐on-‐one conversations, to emails at work. Mr. Bender first gave a rundown of what he calls the “Five C’s to Effective Communication:” Content It’s important to form your communication so that it is relayed in the best possible way to your audience. You can do this by figuring out what your audience views as priorities, and responding with a message that appeals to those priorities. Almost all communication is persuasive, in the sense that you are trying to convince your audience to do something you want. They are more likely to comply with what you want if you convince them that it will ultimately benefit them. Sometimes, however, the audience you are trying to reach may be reluctant to respond, or are very busy, or may, for any number of reasons, not respond to you in the timeframe or manner you desire. It’s time to get creative so that you can capture their attention and get results more effectively. Gain interest from a big group of people by using a hook at the start of a speech, or use deliberately vague wording in the subject line of an email. Mr. Bender cited a fun example Page 1 of 2 for use in the subject line of an email going out to students: “Tomorrow’s the Deadline!” The intrigue will be too much for the student, who would be compelled to open the email to find out more, instead of hitting delete because it is the 1000th boring message from administration. Comfort Sometimes you may know exactly what you want to convey to an audience, but you are not sure it will be effectively communicated because your body language, tone of voice, and so on, convey that you are ill at ease. Mr. Bender led us through some exercises that are meant to relax you and bring you back into “the moment” so that you can more effectively communicate with your audience, because as he states, “we get into trouble when we get in our heads.” For those moments when you are inclined to stiffen your body and freeze your facial expression, massage your TMJ area, or move your jaw around. Audience Members Practice Relaxation Methods
Mr. Bender also had us practice diaphragmatic breathing, in which you inhale and consciously let your stomach puff out so that you get better oxygen intake and focus on the moment. Finally, we practiced a “heart-‐breathing” exercise, in which you picture a golden stream of light coming into your body through your chest each time you inhale. This is meant to open your heart and and look upon on your audience with a new appreciation for what they may have Page 2 of 2 experienced in their lives. It is helpful to reminder yourself that, after all, you are just dealing with other human beings. Connection, Change and Charisma You can be a great speaker, but if you are disconnected to your audience, they won’t listen to you. When speaking to an audience, Mr. Bender suggests switching up your body movements, language, tone of voice, and other methods of communication so that you can sustain their attention. Finally, effective communication is fully complete when you engage your audience with charisma, which Mr. Bender defines as “the art of fully being you when you are most relaxed and most comfortable, and having as much fun as possible with it.” When you can appreciate that you are able to convey something important to you audience, and you can do it in the most engaging, existential way, you will feel more empowered as an effective communicator. Page 3 of 2