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Part 5 :
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Conveying essential information |
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Being Understood
When you speak it’s important that you get the ideas that are in your head into the heads of the people you’re talking to. What seems clear to you doesn’t always seem clear to others. You need to ensure that you give them enough information in the right order to make sense of what you are saying. Remember, they don’t have access to all of the knowledge and information that you hold in your brain – they only have the information that you give them.Sometimes, of course, people do know what you’re talking about, and there’s no need to give them a lot of extra information that they already know. So, for example, if you were having a discussion about violence on television, you wouldn’t have to tell everybody that Eastenders is a soap opera. You can assume that the audience you’re talking to would have heard of it (unless they’re from another country or another planet!).
At other times, you may need to introduce what you’re talking about by providing extra information. For example, if you were delivering a presentation about looking after pets, it may not be appropriate merely to say that dogs should have a good diet. You should explain what a ‘good diet’ actually means.
Try to distinguish between ‘facts’ and opinions too. If you’re giving your opinion, say so. Don’t pretend it’s a fact – someone’s sure to know it’s not!
