Oral communication Søren Lophaven Section for Statistics, IMM

Literature: Mundtlig Formidling Anne Katrine Lund Frydenlund

Oral communication: In this context: Not just telling the audience about a specific subject. But explaining the subject in a way which makes it understandable and interesting.

The pentagram

1. Circumstances Where and why is the communication happening, and what does it aim at ? 2 and 3.Subject and audience What is the topic of the communication, and who are the listeners ?

The pentagram 4.Language Does the type of audience or the subject of the communication require you to use a specific language ? 5.Speaker How to talk, how to make your self understandable. Control nervousness.

Circumstances Different types of circumstances: Introduction of subject in class room Presentation of a project Answering of questions Debate Discussion Presentation in exam situations

Presentation of a project 1. Describe your work Introduce the subject Describe the analyses (methodology) Present your results 2.Evaluate your work Discuss the work Conclude the work

Presentation of a project Should be reliable Do not talk about unneccesary details Use examples

Answering of questions Use short answers Be well prepared

Debate Communicate your opinion Does not aim at agreement Convince the audience (Requires a good and precise argumentation) Used very much by politicians

Discussion Communicate your opinion, but also oblige (listen to) other people. Requires respect for others. Aims at agreement.

Circumstances (summary) Type of circumstances Keywords Presentation of a projectIntroduce, describe, present, discuss, conclude Answering of questionsWell prepared, short DebateConvince, communicate opinion DiscussionOblige, communicate opinion

The subject How to find an interesting subject: Look in books Look in newspapers Take a walk Ask other people Go to the library

How to get more ideas Look in books Brainstorming

How to get more ideas Brainstorming: Statistics Environmental statistics Biostatistics Simulation Design Longitudinal data Spatial statistics Survival Clinical trials

How to get more ideas Mind-mapping (spider’s web): Statistics Environmental statisticsBiostatistics Simulation Design Longitudinal data Spatial statistics Survival Clinical trials

How to get more ideas Fast-writing: Write fast on a piece of paper for eg. 15 min. If you do not know what to write, write the title of your subject.

How to get more ideas Ask wh-questions (who,what, where, when, why) about the subject Talk with other people about the subject

The subject Limit the subject Argumentation is important (to convince or sound reliable) Use examples to present the subject

The audience Who are the listeners ? What do they know about the subject ? Are they interested in the subject ? What do they expect ? Do they know you ?

Make an agenda Introduction Should make the audience interested in listening Overview Presentation of the agenda Main part The content should be made logical The end Conclusions

The language Adjust the language according to the circumstances, audience and subject

The language The eye Is able to view a text with the neccesary breaks Can focus on specific words Can go back in the text Is therefore capable of understanding complex texts, with respect to content and sentence construction The ear The speed of words is controlled by the speaker Cannot go back in the text Must be supported by the memory to understand the context

The speaker Practice (six times) In the situation: Take your time Be aware of body language Try not to say Øhh Have eye-contact with the audience Speak loud and clear

The speaker Manuscript Full manuscript Manuscript in a scheme List of keywords

The speaker (nervousness) Symptoms Speak too fast Touch face, hair, pen manuscript etc. Avoid eye-contact Make øhh-sounds