Page 47 - Between One and Many The Art and Science of Public Speaking

14 Part 1 Foundations

Exhibit 1.2
Public Speaking
as a Transaction. individual
attributes
In this model of the
perceptions
speech transaction, mes- encoding/
sages are simul taneously decoding
conveyed between
speakers and listeners, Symbols
with both parties func- Verbal and nonverbal messages
tioning simultaneously Content/relational
as sources and receivers individual individual
of messages. Com mu- attributes Symbols attributes
nication is bound by perceptions Verbal and nonverbal messages perceptions
encoding/
the situation, and each encoding/ decoding
decoding Content/relational
per son’s perceptions
are signifi cant in inter-
preting the content and Speaker Symbols
rela tional components of Verbal and nonverbal messages
messages. Content/relational individual
attributes
perceptions
encoding/
Channels of decoding
Communication

Audience

speak? Are we speaking to impart important information to our audience, as
teachers do on a daily basis? Are we speaking to organize our fellow citizens to
fi ght a perceived wrong? Are we gathered to eulogize a beloved family member
or friend? Are we speaking to entertain our audience with amusing stories or
jokes?
The physical situation and goals cannot be considered separately. For exam-
ple, we have listened to a lifetime’s worth of graduation speakers in our univer-
sity’s outdoor stadium. Aside from the physical diffi culties these speakers have
faced, the incompatibility of the speaker’s goals and those of the audience has
proven to be a minefi eld for more than a few. Students and parents are not in the
mood for an informative lecture, no matter how eloquent. Likewise, the audi-
ence typically doesn’t want to have their political beliefs changed or be shamed
into alumni giving. Yet some speakers we have heard have used each of these as
their guiding purpose and alienated their audience in the process.

The Speaker and the Audience Members

In contrast to early models of speaking, which implied the speaker fi rst talks
and the audience then responds, the transactional model tells us speaker and
audience exchange verbal and nonverbal messages. Even as speakers share their
messages with audience members, for example, individual members of the audi-