Effective communication principles include using clear speech, hand gestures, engaging the audience through questions, avoiding barriers like background noise, and presenting information in multiple ways. Key elements are speaking loudly and clearly, using rhetorical questions, splitting content into understandable sections, ensuring accuracy through proofreading, and using interpreters for language barriers. Distracting elements to avoid include mumbling, facing away from the audience, playing loud music, shouting, adding irrelevant images or effects, and using improper spelling, punctuation or font colors. The goal is to engage the audience and help them understand the content.