Mastering Communication: Requests, Audience, and Credibility Factors

Strategies for Effective Request Making

1. Be Specific: Clearly define what you need.
2. Target the Right Person: Ensure you are asking the appropriate individual for the information. Start with exploratory questions.
3. Be Confident: Maintain confidence when making your requests.
4. Vary Your Sources: Avoid asking the same person repeatedly, as this can provide a narrow view of the organization.

A directive style is most appropriate when it complements a positive request-making approach and in situations that require specific, immediate action.

Analyzing Your Audience and Delivery Style

Key Audience Characteristics

When preparing your message, consider the following factors:

• Audience size and age
• Social class and educational level
• Gender and cultural background
• Occupational status

Adjusting Delivery

Tailor your delivery based on the audience. This may involve:

• Using less introduction and focusing more on discussion.
• Employing formal language or jargon, if appropriate for the group.
• Adjusting speaking pace (speaking fast or speaking slowly).
• Using euphemisms when necessary.

Structuring Presentations: Organizational Patterns

Choosing the right organizational pattern ensures your message is clear and impactful.

1. Description (Answering "What" Questions)

Description satisfies the audience's need for facts, figures, or other data.

Topical Pattern

The main points of the message are organized as parallel elements of the topic itself, describing components of persons, places, things, or processes.

Chronological Pattern

The presenter organizes the main points of the message in a time-related sequence.

2. Demonstration (Answering "How" Questions)

Demonstration answers the question, "How does this work?"

Spatial or Geographical Pattern

When planning a demonstrative presentation, a spatial or geographical pattern works well. This pattern organizes main points in terms of their physical location, especially in relation to each other (e.g., North, West). This is useful for describing the physical layout of a business or location.

3. Explanation (Answering "Why" Questions)

Explanation challenges the speaker to inform the audience and to justify the actions or decisions in question.

Comparison/Contrast Pattern

This pattern identifies a familiar situation and then relates it to an unfamiliar situation that is either similar or different.

Factors Determining Source Credibility

Source credibility is crucial for persuasive communication. It is composed of three primary factors:

1. Trustworthiness

   Refers to the way a source is perceived as being honest, friendly, warm, agreeable, or safe, rather than dangerous.

2. Competence

   Competence is based on the source's expertise, training, experience, skill, ability, authorization, and intelligence. Competence is the single most important factor in determining the degree of source credibility.

3. Dynamism

   Composed of the speaker's energy, liveliness, boldness, activity, and frankness.