GE1906
Introduction to Public Speaking 6. Interference
I. Speaking in Public
A. Public Speaking
Public speaking is the process and act of speaking or giving a
lecture to a group of people in a structured, deliberate
manner intended to inform, influence, or entertain a
listening audience (Kadam, Patil, Dhenge, & Murai, 2018, p.
129).
B. Elements of the Speech Communication Process
1. Speaker
S/He is the person who initiates the conversation or the
talk. Several factors can affect the success of the
speaker's talk, namely, his/her credibility, preparation,
and knowledge about the topic.
2. Message
The message refers to whatever the speaker is telling the
audience. Speakers should deliver the message clearly to
reach the listeners in the way that the speaker wanted
to.
3. Channel
The channel is the medium that is used to deliver the
message to the listener. It could be through an
instrument or a device (such as a cellphone) or directly
from the speaker through his/her organs of speech.
4. Listener
This refers to the receiver of the message. Often, the
listener is also the one who provides feedback regarding
the message that was sent by the speaker.
5. Feedback
This refers to the response of the listener or the receiver
of the message. It may be verbal or non-verbal.
01 Handout 1
 student.feedback@sti.edu
It is anything that modifies or disrupts the flow of
communication. It may be internal (e.g., fatigue,
sickness, etc.) or external (e.g., a nearby karaoke
session). Nordquist (2017) refers to interference as
“noise,” to which he classified in four (4) kinds:
Physiological noise is a distraction caused by hunger,
fatigue, headaches, medication, and other factors
that affect how we feel and think. Physical noise is
interference in our environments, such as noises
made by others, overly dim or bright lights, spam and
pop-up ads, extreme temperatures, and crowded
conditions.
Psychological noise refers to qualities in us that affect
how we communicate and interpret others. For
instance, if you are preoccupied with a problem, you
may be inattentive at a team meeting. Likewise,
prejudice and defensive feelings can interfere with
communication.
Finally, semantic noise exists when words
themselves are not mutually understood. Authors
sometimes create semantic noise by using jargon or
unnecessarily technical language.
7. Situation
In the communication process, situation refers to the
time and place where the conversation happened. It is
the physical setting of the event.
*Property of STI
Page 1 of 5

II. Ethical Speaking and Listening
A. Ethical Listening
Our body does the act of hearing nonstop as our ears take in
sound waves. However, listening comes in when we make
sense of those sound waves. An ethical listener is one who
actively interprets shared material and analyzes the content
and the speaker’s effectiveness. Good listeners try to display
respect for the speaker. Communicating respect for the
speaker occurs when the listener a) prepares to listen and b)
listens with his or her whole body ("ethical listening", n.d.).
In addition, ethical listeners are capable of providing quality
feedback to others. Ethical feedback, as Brownell (2006)
explains, “should demonstrate that you have listened and
considered the content and delivery of the message.” An
ethical feedback respects the position of the speaker while
being honest about one’s attitudes, beliefs, and values. It
praises the speaker’s message or delivery but points out
flaws of the speaker and gives suggestions for improvement.
Unethical • I really enjoyed your speech.
Feedback
• Your speech lacks supportive information.
• You are the worst public speaker ever.
Ethical • I really enjoyed your speech because your
Feedback topic was personally interesting to me.
• Your speech lacked supportive information.
You didn’t cite any outside information.
Instead, your only source was you.
• I believe your speech was ineffective
because you were clearly unprepared and
made no eye contact with the audience.
Table 1. Unethical and Ethical Feedback
Source: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/publicspeakingprinciples/chapter/chapter-3-
ethical-listening/
Aside from behaving ethically while listening and giving
ethical feedback, critical listening is also a vital skill in
01 Handout 1
 student.feedback@sti.edu
GE1906
attending public speaking activities. Critical listening is
exercised through using careful thinking and reasoning to see
whether a message makes sense in light of factual evidence
("listening critically and ethically", n.d.). Do not take every
message at face value and never repeat or relay a message
to others without checking its truthfulness.
B. Ethical Speaking (Kudooski, 2018)
A public speaker has a wide sphere of influence; thus, s/he
needs to be responsible for his/her words and adhere to a set
of guidelines as s/he practice this craft.
1. Prepare
This may be the most basic among the guidelines
presented, but taking time to prepare fully one’s speech
signifies respect for the audience. If a speaker does not
prepare, the audience will notice it; it will affect his/her
credibility as a speaker. Taking thorough time to write,
edit, review, rehearse, and even meticulously choosing
the clothes to wear for the speech is a way of respecting
the audience.
2. Be honest
Do not present falsehoods and opinions as facts and
never use fallacies and faulty generalizations to make a
case. Also, part of being honest is giving credit to the
source or proponent of the idea or concept that will be
used in the speech. Lastly, if unsure about a piece of
information, fact, or statistics, do not use it. Nothing can
hurt a speaker’s credibility more than inaccurate,
distorted information.
3. Use non-abusive and non-discriminatory language
Refrain from using abusive language when speaking in
public. Use gender-neutral language in a speech and
never intimidate someone through bullying and name-
calling. Rather, establish the case through the use of
*Property of STI
Page 2 of 5

compelling facts and anecdotes that can be
substantiated.
4. Set ethical goals
If the objective of the speech is to influence people to get
involved in harmful, illegal, or unethical activities, then it
is not observing the ethics in public speaking. Take Adolf
Hitler as an example. He is known as a great public
speaker but his speeches motivated people to participate
in one of the greatest atrocities known in human history.
Always aim for the clarity of the message. Unfortunately,
some speakers make their message intentionally
complex to avoid critical scrutiny. For example, a city
treasurer giving a budget presentation might use
technical jargon, which makes it difficult for listeners to
understand the proposed budget and ask probing
questions ("listening critically and ethically", n.d.).
III. Tips in Public Speaking
A. Five (5) Secrets to Looking Confident While Speaking in
Public (Stone, 2017)
1. Get the audience laughing
According to Stone, opening with a joke lightens the
mood in the room and helps the speaker to relax. She
added that “there is something about looking out in the
audience and seeing smiling faces that helps create a
bond. Laughter allows your attendees to break down the
wall that forces them to see themselves as vastly
different from you.”
Note: Although you are allowed to say self-deprecating
jokes, you should never make a joke at the expense of
your audience.
01 Handout 1
 student.feedback@sti.edu
GE1906
2. Focus on people who are nodding
Find a few people who are nodding along with your
points instead of looking at people who appear
completely disinterested. This will give the speaker a
sense of reassurance that would result in a boost in
confidence. The more confident the speaker sounds, the
more people s/he will attract.
3. Be expressive with your emotions
Speaking publicly could make a person nervous and bring
stress, especially for beginners. There will be times that
no matter what we tell ourselves to calm, it just does not
work. However, Stone (2017) said that if a speaker could
not hide his/her tensions, s/he should try hiding them.
She did this by masking her nervousness with the
excitement to deliver her speech. It is much easier to
hide one emotion with another than it is to hide an
emotion by suppressing it.
4. Practice, practice, practice
It has been a long-standing belief for some that speaking
is something you are good at or not. But what’s true is
that speaking is something a person can build up through
giving time and effort. Try recording your talk and see
what you could improve afterward. You can also ask
someone who is credible enough to watch you talk and
provide feedback afterward.
Speaking is also the same as playing sports; the more you
practice, the more confident you will be and the better
you will perform.
5. Be prepared if you make a mistake
No matter how professional someone is and how long
they have spoken, everyone makes mistakes. And the
mistakes actually make people appear more human and
come across as more relatable. But when we become
uncomfortable with slip-ups and gaffes, then our
*Property of STI
Page 3 of 5

audience becomes more uncomfortable as well. Again, a
joke could come in handy when you made a mistake, so
better keep one on hand for this kind of situation.
B. How to Deal with Hecklers
1. What is a heckler?
A heckler is a person who interrupts a speaker at a public
meeting by shouting out questions or rude remarks
(oxforlearnersdictionaries.com, n.d.).
2. What are the types of heckling?
There are two (2) kinds of heckling: active and passive
heckling. According to Snippe (2017), active heckling
happens when an audience member interrupts and
starts talking directly to the speaker in the middle of
his/her presentation. Meanwhile, passive heckling is a
milder form of disrespect. This kind of heckling usually
takes the form of someone having their own
conversation with their neighbor or playing with their
smartphone.
3. What should you do when a heckler interrupts you?
Listed below are Snippe’s (2017) 12 tips for dealing with
hecklers.
• Never reward interrupting
When someone starts to talk over you, try to keep
talking. It will make the interrupter look rude and
might stop them from talking. Once the heckler
stops, you may try avoiding eye contact and angling
your shoulders away from the heckler to deter future
interruptions.
• Do not try to be funny
Unless you are very well-practiced, avoid trying to be
funny in taking down a heckler. While you can still be
light and pleasant, it is better to deal with the heckler
directly and get back on track as soon as possible.
01 Handout 1
 student.feedback@sti.edu
GE1906
• Manage your own emotional state
Take a deep breath, stay calm, and remove your
emotional attachment to the situation so that you
can deal with it better. Prior to your speech, you can
try role-playing a heckling situation with friends and
colleagues. It will train you on how to override your
impulsive reactions.
• Let the heckler have their say
There are times that it is beneficial to hear out a
persistent heckler. If you continue to shut down a
heckler, a deeper need to be heard could arise. Once
they feel like they have been heard, they are less
likely to interrupt again.
• Listen to them
You can disarm the heckler by hearing them out,
then calmly acknowledging them. You will seem
more reasonable to the audience if you understand
where someone is coming from. It can also help you
determine whether you are dealing with a heckler or
someone who is asking difficult questions.
• Respond
Sometimes, it is necessary to respond to comments,
but address the whole audience and not just the
heckler. Do not end your response by looking directly
at the heckler. They will see this as an invitation to
keep going. Look at a person on the other side of the
room as you conclude your response. Then, jump
directly back into your presentation.
• Do not let it get personal
Do not snap back as it might be only a bait to stir up
your emotions. Address the issue by solely focusing
on what is being presented and avoiding to attack
the heckler personally.
*Property of STI
Page 4 of 5
 GE1906

• Be gracious While you can reference the situation briefly, do not

Never lose your temper. Be courteous, kind, and focus on it. Avoid referencing it more than once. If
pleasant even to the heckler. If you lose control, you you move on quickly and gracefully, your audience
might not be able to get back to your talk. will too.
• Ask them to stop
If you have a heckler that keeps going even after
you’ve heard them out and calmly responded, make
a firm request for them to stop.
• Get the rest of the audience on your side
Social pressure can have a tremendous effect on a
heckler’s willingness to keep talking. The audience
has come to hear you speak, not the heckler. If they
wanted to hear a comedian, they’d go to a stand-up
show. Use this to your advantage: ask the audience
whether they would prefer to listen to the rest of
your presentation, or whether they want to hear
more from the heckler. There might be a moment or REFERENCES
Brownell, J. (2006). Listening: Attitudes, principles, and skills. Boston, MA: Allyn &
two of awkward silence, but most of the time the Bacon.
audience will collectively say they would prefer you Ethical listening (n.d.). Retrieved from
to keep going. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/publicspeakingprinciples/chapter/ch
• The last resort: have them removed apter-3-ethical-listening/
Ghaz, S. (2019, April 2). Speech communication process: 7 elements in public
In the most extreme cases, none of the above will
speaking. Retrieved from https://philnews.ph/2019/04/02/speech-
work. You will be forced to make the tough decision communication-process-7-elements-public-speaking/
to have the heckler removed from the audience. Kadam, J., Patil, V., Dhenge, S., & Murai, A. (2018). Communication skills and
Only do this if the heckler absolutely refuses to stop, personality development. Jodhpur, India: Scientific Publishers.
and you are past the point of being able to control Kudooski, J. (2018, April 1). The ethics in public speaking: why is it so important?
Retrieved from https://toughnickel.com/business/the-ethics-in-public-
the situation. Ask for security or the event organizer speaking
to escort the heckler out of the room. Listening critically and ethically. (n.d.). Retrieved from
• Do not dwell in it http://kell.indstate.edu/public-comm-intro/chapter/5-6-listening-
After you have effectively dealt with the heckler, it’s critically-and-ethically/
Nordquist, R. (2019, September 10). Noise and interference in various types of
time to get back on track. Take a deep breath and put communication. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/noise-
yourself back into the right mindset. Remember: you communication-term-1691349
are in control. Stone, N. (2017, December 7). 5 secrets to looking confident while speaking in public.
Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/confident-public-
speaking_b_4058830

01 Handout 1 *Property of STI

 student.feedback@sti.edu Page 5 of 5