Beyond Speaking: How Great Educators Use Communication to Create Connection and Impact

Jul 31, 2025

6 min read

Updated: 7 days ago

Knowing your subject is only one part of being an effective educator. The other part is being able to connect that knowledge to the people in front of you. A brilliant lesson can lose its impact if the message is unclear. A well-prepared presentation can fall flat if the speaker cannot engage the room.

Research on teacher communication has found associations between teacher clarity and immediacy and students’ interest and engagement, while a meta-analysis of 73,281 participants found that teacher clarity was associated with meaningful variation in student learning outcomes.

This is where communication becomes more than a soft skill.

At SpeechWorth, we believe that effective communication is not simply about speaking well. It is about being present, responsive, expressive and connected, so that people do not merely hear a message, but understand it, experience it and respond to it.

By understanding the importance of public speaking, you can appreciate why investing time in programs like Speech Worth is beneficial.

Communication Is More Than What We Say

For educators, communication involves much more than explaining a concept.

It includes:

How we explain — complex ideas in ways learners can understand.
How we listen — and recognise what learners are saying — and sometimes what they are not saying.
How we use our voice — including pace, volume, emphasis and purposeful pauses.
How we use our body — from posture and eye contact to facial expression and movement.
How we ask questions — that encourage learners to think rather than simply provide answers.
How we tell stories — that make ideas memorable and relatable.
How we adapt — our communication to different learners, personalities, cultures and situations.

These skills work together.

A teacher explaining a difficult concept might slow down, change their tone, use a familiar example, ask an open question and observe the learners’ reactions before deciding what to do next.

That is communication in action.

The Real Measure of Communication Is What Happens Next

One of the most important principles in communication is this:

Communication is not measured only by what the speaker intended to say. It is measured by what the listener understands, experiences and does with the message.

This is particularly important in education.

An educator may deliver every point on a carefully prepared slide. But if learners remain disengaged, confused or reluctant to participate, the communication has not achieved its full purpose.

Effective communication creates three important outcomes:

1. Connection

Learners are more willing to participate when they feel that the educator is communicating with them, rather than simply speaking at them.

2. Understanding

Clear language, appropriate examples, vocal variety and purposeful questioning help transform information into something learners can process and remember. Research on teacher clarity provides empirical support for the relationship between clear instructional communication and student learning.

3. Participation

When learners feel safe to respond, question, experiment and even make mistakes, communication becomes a two-way experience.

And that is where learning becomes more active.

Why SpeechWorth Uses Applied Drama

At SpeechWorth, we approach communication differently.

We believe communication is not something people fully develop simply by reading about it or listening to a presentation about it.

It needs to be experienced, practised and reflected upon.

That is why our methodology draws from Applied Drama — using practical techniques such as:

Research in drama education provides support for this experiential approach. A study of an applied theatre professional-development model for teachers found that drama-based strategies such as interactive games, improvisation and role play were associated with shifts in instructional strategies and reported classroom risk-taking.

More recent research on drama-rich pedagogy has also found that embodied and role-based experiences can create supportive contexts for academic language development by connecting abstract language with concrete, contextualised experiences. [4]

For example, instead of simply discussing how to manage a difficult conversation, participants can step into the situation.

They can practise:

responding to a challenging question from a student;
handling an unexpected interruption;
having a difficult conversation with a parent or colleague;
presenting an idea to a group;
using their voice to create greater presence;
listening and responding without immediately preparing their next answer.

The experience gives participants an opportunity to try, observe, adjust and try again.

That is where confidence begins to develop.

Importantly, the research base also calls for careful interpretation. A 2025 mini-review of applied improvisation in higher education found promising potential for communication and related skills, but noted substantial variation in interventions and assessment methods. [5] For SpeechWorth, that reinforces the importance of structured practice, reflection and feedback rather than treating improvisation as a stand-alone solution.

From Performance to Professional Communication

Theatre has always understood something that professional communication sometimes forgets:

People respond to people, not just information.

A performer learns to listen to their scene partner. They learn to read the room. They learn to use their voice and body intentionally. They learn to respond when something unexpected happens. And they learn that presence cannot be completely scripted.

These same principles are highly relevant beyond the stage.

Educators use them in classrooms.
Leaders use them in meetings.
Professionals use them in presentations.
Trainers use them in workshops.
Managers use them in difficult conversations.

In every situation, the fundamental challenge remains:

How do I connect my message with the person in front of me?

Communication Confidence Comes from Practice

Communication confidence is often misunderstood. We sometimes assume that confident communicators are simply people who are naturally outgoing or comfortable speaking in front of others. But confidence can also be developed through preparation, practice, feedback and experience.

A communicator becomes more capable when they have opportunities to:

Try → Receive Feedback → Reflect → Adjust → Try Again

That is why practical communication training can be so powerful.

Instead of asking participants to memorise the “right” way to communicate, we give them opportunities to experiment with different approaches and discover what works. There is no single communication style that works for every person or every situation.

The goal is not to turn everyone into a performer.

The goal is to help people become more intentional communicators.

Five Simple Ways Educators Can Start Practicing

You do not need a theatre studio to begin developing stronger communication.

Try these five practices:

01 — Start with curiosity

Instead of beginning every lesson with information, begin with a question. Give learners a reason to think before you give them the answer.

02 — Use the power of the pause

After asking a question, resist the urge to fill the silence immediately. Give people time to think. Silence can be a communication tool.

03 — Change the way you deliver the same message

Explain an idea. Then tell a story about it. Then demonstrate it. Different learners connect with information differently.

04 — Listen for what is not being said

Look beyond verbal responses. Notice facial expressions, energy, hesitation and participation. Sometimes the room is communicating with you before anyone says a word.

05 — Practise outside your comfort zone

Try a different opening. Change your pace. Use more movement. Tell a story. Respond to an unexpected question without over-preparing the answer.

Communication That Elevates People

At SpeechWorth, our vision is simple:

Elevate Communication. Amplify Impact.

We believe communication should do more than transfer information.

It should create connection.

It should build confidence.

It should encourage participation.

And ultimately, it should help people make a greater impact — whether they are educators, professionals, leaders, students or teams.

Because when people communicate better, something bigger happens. Ideas travel further. Relationships become stronger. People become more confident. And opportunities become possible.

That is the kind of communication we want to develop at SpeechWorth.

Not communication for communication’s sake. Communication that connects. Communication that engages. Communication that moves people.

What does effective communication mean to you?

Is it clarity? Confidence? Listening? Presence? The ability to connect with different people?

We would love to hear your perspective.

#SpeechWorth #CommunicationSkills #CommunicationExcellence #AppliedDrama #ProfessionalDevelopment #Educators #LeadershipCommunication #PresentationSkills #ExperientialLearning #ElevateCommunicationAmplifyImpact

References & Further Reading

[1] Mazer, J. P. (2013). Associations among teacher communication behaviors, student interest, and engagement: A validity test. Communication Education, 62(1), 86–96. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634523.2012.731513

[2] Titsworth, S., Mazer, J. P., Goodboy, A. K., Bolkan, S., & Myers, S. A. (2015). Two meta-analyses exploring the relationship between teacher clarity and student learning. Communication Education, 64(4), 385–418. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634523.2015.1041998

[3] Dawson, K., Cawthon, S. W., & Baker Ocon, S. (2011). Drama for Schools: Teacher change in an applied theatre professional development model. Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, 16(3), 313–335. https://doi.org/10.1080/13569783.2011.589993

[4] Gerkens, R. C., Sallis, R., & O’Brien, A. (2024). Reflecting on embodied experience through an expert lens: Drama as a pedagogic tool for developing academic language proficiency in the middle-primary school. Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, 29(4), 600–619. https://doi.org/10.1080/13569783.2023.2288647

[5] Frontiers in Psychology (2025). The use of applied improvisation at university: A mini-review. The review identifies promising applications for communication and related skills while noting methodological limitations across existing studies. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1661912

Editorial note: The references are included to support the article’s key educational and Applied Drama claims. The SpeechWorth perspective and examples are presented as the company’s practice and point of view, rather than as research findings.