Identify the most important single aspect of bodily communication in public speaking. What two problems commonly arise with this aspect? Why is it so influential, and how can it be used most effectively?

What will be an ideal response?


Answer: The most important element of bodily communication is eye contact. The effect of the speech depends not just on what speakers say, but on how they present themselves through facial expression, posture, movement, gesture – and especially eye contact. Two major problems are inappropriate contact and uneven coverage, signaling someone who is distant, uninterested, untrustworthy, or unprofessional. So speakers should avoid staring blankly above the crowd, looking at the floor, or gazing out the window. They should focus evenly and involve all listeners – on the left and right, in the back and front, etc. Eye contact is best used to display confidence, show commitment, interact with listeners, and encourage audience feedback.

Communication & Mass Media

You might also like to view...

If a journalist wishes to archive all of her work at one place on the World Wide Web so that it can be instantly accessible to anyone, anywhere in the world, then which feature of the Web would be most useful to her?

a) Capacity b) Immediacy c) Flexibility d) Mobility

Communication & Mass Media

You have written a personality profile on a beloved local sports star who recently retired. Which interest element are you using to attract readers?

A. fame B. oddity C. conflict D. immediacy

Communication & Mass Media

Proof consists of both evidence and the conclusions you draw from it

Indicate whether this statement is true or false.

Communication & Mass Media

Converting data to z-scores allows us to compare apples to oranges or data measured in different scales (e.g., dollars to doughnuts)

Indicate whether the statement is true or false

Communication & Mass Media