SECRETS IN INFLUENCING PEOPLE THROUGH EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

SECRETS IN INFLUENCING PEOPLE THROUGH EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
By : Jessemar J. Wao


Accordingly teaching is one of the noblest professions among the professions in this world. No brilliant engineers, accountant, managers if they were not taught by brilliant teachers. Teaching is about influencing people, students, young professionals and the like. For almost six years of teaching college I have encountered so many types of students. Others are easy to influence, yet there are still students that are very difficult to influence in terms of presenting my lecture. I made self evaluation and assessment for me to realize what are the things that I need to change in terms of my ways and strategies in teaching. I also read books about public speaking and I have learned about some creative techniques on how to be an effective communicator. I have read book entitled Think of Your Feet the Art of Thinking and Speaking Under Pressure written by Kenneth Wydro which I find it very useful. He presented the creative process in having a formal presentation, he stressed out some points to consider in formal presentation and these are :
1. Audience
2. Your task
3. Material
4. Outline
5. Packaging
6. Energy and Enthusiasm
7. Enjoying the process

For the audience, there are so many things that we have to consider and one of these is the audience. As a speaker presenting a lecture especially in teaching , the first thing we have to consider is a clear reading on your audience. It is said that we have to find out their levels of receptivity. We have to set questions as guide for knowing our audience and these are :
To whom will you be speaking? What class or year level?
What kind of persons/students will you be speaking?
What is their background-emotionally, financially and professionally?
What are their goals and what will they be expecting from you?
What is your relationship to these people?
Are they read to hear what you have to say?


We know that communication is two-way street-mental and emotional we have to know first the emotional climate of the situation. I have experience the first and second day of teaching at one of the top notch and known college in General Santos City. There, I was not able to know what are the type of students I was going to teach. I find it lately that I will be with fourth year graduating students in management accounting course. I was hesitant for during the first and second day of meeting. What I did was I used my ability to read them the way they talk during the first day of class. We had time of getting to know them. I observed them very carefully and if I noticed a student who can speak and present straightly about himself I mean knows how to communicate well I put them in my list. There, I would be able to know how many students are communicative and partly brilliant. During observation also, I was able to gain knowledge about their background. Since I was task to handle Business Communication subject I asked them about their backgrounds. I could still remember the first question that I asked to one of my students "Okay Mr. tell me something about yourself? " . Some of them got confused on what to answer and how to answer the question, but in mind its one way of knowing my students who among of them can get the exact and the right answer for the question. I called it a freedom to express, about who they are or anything about themselves. Finally I got three students I considered brilliant and communicative. Then, as the days passed by I finally captured their attention.

(More about this on my next article, and I will be talking about the next aspects of formal presentation. Be my fan email me at jessemarwao@yahoo.com or send your comments thru text at 09194708693)