COMMUNICATION

Purpose of Communication?

The purpose of Communication isto get your message across toothers clearly and without anyambiguity.

Effective CommunicationEFFECTIVE

COMMUNICATIO

N

PRODUCTIVE

RELATIONSHIP

We communicate to…• Get information• Motivate• Praise• Get feedback• Sell• Greet• Etc.

• Effective communication is the combined harmony of verbal and nonverbal actions.

• Nonverbal communication consists of body movement, facial expressions and eye movement.

Communication…

Communication involves aneffort from, two persons:

• The Sender, and• The Receiver

Communication…

• It is a process that can be fraught with errors, with messages often misinterpreted by the Recipient.

• When such errors are not detected, it can cause tremendous confusion, wasted effort and missed opportunity.

• Communication is successful ONLY when both, the Sender and the Receiver understand the same information as a result of the Communication.

Communication…

By successfully getting acrossyour message, you convey yourthoughts and ideas effectively.

Studies tell 70 % of mistakes in the workplace are a direct result of poor communication…..

Communication…

In today’s extremely competitiveand fast paced environment,Communication plays a very vitalrole.

Communication is paramount toprogress.

Communication…

There are two players involved inthe Communication Process:

• Sender• Receiver

Communication, a Process…

The Communication Processbegins with theSender, who tries to get acrosshis thoughts, ideas.The Sender communicates histhoughts and ideas to anaudience. It could be oneindividual or a set of individuals.

Communication, a Process…

It is vitally important for theSender to”• First be clear about what he

wants to Communicate.

• Then, structure the contents of his message in a manner that clearly outlines What he wants to communicate.

Communication, a Process…

The next step for the Sender is tounderstand his Target Audience.

He must be very clear about hisunderstanding of his TargetAudience to enable him to besure that What he sends tothem will be Clearly understoodby them WITHOUT ANYAMBIGUITY.

Communication, a Process…

The Sender must alwaysremember that the message hesends, if it is not understoodclearly, can lead to a lot ofwasteful activity, Confusion, attimes great embarrassment.

Source…

As the Source, one needs to be clear about:

• Why you want to Communicate

And • What you want to Communicate

Message

• The message is the information that you want to Communicate.

Encoding

This is the process of transferringthe information you want toCommunicate into a form thatcan be sent and correctlyDecoded at the Receiver’s end.

Encoding…Your success in encoding

depends:• on your ability to convey

information CLEARLY & SIMPLY.• On your ability to anticipate &

eliminate sources of confusion.• On your ability to know your

audience…who you are Communicating with.

Channel…

Messages are conveyed through Channels:

• Verbal, face to face meetings.• Telephone• Video Conferencing• Letter, memos, e’mails and reports.

Different channels have differentstrengths & weaknesses.

Decoding…

Just as successful Encoding is aSkill, so is successful Decoding.

Just as confusion can arise fromerrors in Encoding, it can alsoarise from errors in Decoding.

Receiver…

• To be a successful communicator, ideas, thoughts and feelings of the audience who receives your message, should be considered.

• These ideas, thoughts and feelings will influence their (audience) understanding of your Message and their response to it.

Feedback…

Your audience will provide you withfeedback, verbal, non-verbal reactions toyour communicated message.

Feedback is very important. It is the onlything that allows you to be confident thatyour audience has understood your message.

If there is a misunderstanding, feedbackallows you opportunity to send the messagea second time.

Before communicatingAsk yourself…

• What is the main purpose/aim?• Who will receive it?• What is the likely attitude of the listener?• How much does he need to know?• Is my timing right? • What is the main subject?• Are the major points clear?• Is there any ambiguity?

Examples of Passive Communication

• “I don’t know.”• “Whatever you think.”• “You have more experience than I.

You decide.”• “I’ll go with whatever the group

decides.”• “I don’t care. It doesn’t matter to me.”• “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. . .

NO!”

Examples of Aggressive Communication

• “I don’t know why you can’t see that this is the right way to do it.”

• “It’s going to be my way or not at all.”• “You’re just stupid if you think that will

work.”• “ “Who cares what you feel. We’re

talking about making things work here.”

Examples of Assertive Communication

• “So what you’re saying is. . . .”• “I can see that this is important to

you, and it is also important to me. Perhaps we can talk more respectfully and try to solve the problem.”

• “I think. . . I feel. . . I believe that. . . .”• “I would appreciate it if you. . .”• Let me understand your thoughts on

this…

Which is the Best Style?

• All styles have their proper place and use.

• Assertive communication is the healthiest.• Boundaries of all parties are respected.• Easier to problem-solve; fewer emotional

outbursts.• It requires skills and a philosophy change,

as well as lots of practice and hard work.• When both parties do it, no one is hurt in

any way and all parties win on some level.

EYE CONTACT

• The eyes can give clues to a person’s thoughts.

• When someone is excited, his pupils dilate to four times the normal size.

• An angry or negative mood causes the pupils to contract.

EYE CONTACT

• Good eye contact helps the audience develop the interest in the speaker.

• Eye - contact helps regulate the flow of communication and reflects interest in others.

EYE CONTACT

• Direct eye-contact conveys interest, warmth, credibility and concern.

• Shifty eyes suggest dishonesty.

• Downward gaze may be a sign of submissiveness or inferiority.

FACIAL EXPRESSIONS

FACIAL EXPRESSIONSThere are six categories of facial

expressions:• Happiness• Sadness• Anger• Disgust• Surprise• Fear

GESTURES

• Gestures communicate as effectively as words, sometimes even better.

• Gestures support the verbal communication.

• They sometimes detract from what you say.

GESTURES

There are some negative gestures which should be avoided:

• Pointing at people - It is perceived as accusatory.

• Fiddling with your items-It gives the impression that you are nervous.

• Dragging the feet - It implies lethargy.

• Head Down - It suggests timidity.

GESTURES

• Drooping shoulders - It implies weariness and lethargy.

• Weak handshake - It implies meek and ineffectual personality.

• Shifty eyes - It suggests nervousness.

• Arms crossed on the chest - It is a defensive gesture.

GESTURES

• Hands in pockets - Shows disrespect, and that you have something to hide.

• Covering your mouth - It suggests you are lying.

• Shaking feet or legs - It shows indifference and disinterest.

POSTURE

• Body posture can be open or closed.

• Interested people pay attention and lean forward.

• Leaning backwards demonstrates aloofness or rejection.

POSTURE

• A head held straight up signals a neutral attitude.

• A head down is negative and judgmental.

• A head tilted to the side indicates interest.

POSTURESome negative postures should be avoided:

• Rigid Body Posture-Anxious/ Uptight

• Hunched Shoulders – Lacks interest/ Feeling inferior

• Crossed Arms - Protecting the body / Negative Thoughts

What impression do the following people give you?

What impression do the following people give you?

PROXIMITY

Proximity is the distance people maintain between themselves

while talking.

PROXIMITYDISTANCE ZONES

• Intimate Zone - No more than18 inches apart (mother and baby)

• Personal Distance - 18 inches to 4 feet. (Casual and personal conversations).

• Social Distance – 4 – 12 feet (impersonal, business, social gatherings)

•  Public Distance - More than 12 feet ( Public speaking)

PROXIMITY• Space / Distance as an indicator of

intimacy - The more we get to know each other the more we are permitted into each other's  personal space

• Space / Distance as an indicator of status - Executives, presidents of colleges, government officials have large offices with big space... secretaries have small space

PARALINGUISTICS

• Para linguistics are what accompany your words to make up for its true meaning.

• Paralanguage refers to the vocal aspect of communication.

Components of Para linguistics are:

• Rate of speed - When a speaker speaks too fast, he is seen as more competent.

• Pitch - Pitch should be changed in accordance with the context of spoken words.

• Volume - It refers to how loudly we speak. Loud people are perceived as aggressive or over-bearing. Soft-spoken voices are perceived as timid or polite.

• Fillers - Words like “umhh” “ah””aaa” are used to gather thoughts.

Here are a few tips

Better Communication

1. Watch your word count.

•Generally speaking, the more words you use, the better the chance that you’ll confuse things. •If you talk for half an hour, people might remember that you gave a speech, but if you speak for only five minutes, they’ll remember what you said.

2. Write less, say more.

• As a rule, keep all memos to one page or less.

• If you feel that you need more space to wax eloquent, write a one-page summary and include the rest as an appendix.

• Chances are nobody will read past the first page anyway, so write accordingly.

3. Let your drawings and models do the talking.

• It’s true that a picture is worth a thousand words; use this to your advantage. • Instead of explaining all the details,

say “as you can see on the model (or in the plan)…”

• Your drawings and models will say far more in a glance than you can in an hour, and much more eloquently.

4. “Present in reverse.” • Before starting any presentation,

decide what you want the outcome to be, then design your talk backwards from that.

• Take as little time as necessary to get to your point.

• As you speak, trade places with the audience in your head—be sensitive to how they are responding. • Are you getting good eye contact? • Are they paying attention or are they listless? • Do they understand what you are saying? • Are they convinced? How do you know?

5. Avoid inconsistency and exaggeration.

• Don’t say one thing if the drawings or models say something else.

• Speak the facts plainly and let the audience draw its own conclusions; they’ll appreciate your confidence in their judgment.

• And while it’s OK to be dramatic to make a point, if you blow things out of proportion, nobody will believe the next sentence out of your mouth.

6. Watch the visuals. • Your posture, your clothing, and your

presentation material do make a difference.

• Remember that presentation is a performance art—you are literally doing theater.

• Control what your audience sees as much as what it hears.

• Make sure they’re attractive and easy to read.

• Like the clothes you wear, they tell a story about you whether you like it or not.

7. Go for closure. • The two main purposes of a

presentation are to share information or make decisions.

• You’ll never arrive at a conclusion unless the audience says “yes.”

• Make this easy on them by having all the relevant and required information at hand— “decision-ready information” —then don’t be afraid to ask for an answer.

• If the client can’t commit, find out why.• Remember that the largest part of being a good

communicator is being a good listener.

8. Know when to stop.

• Many a cake has been ruined by being left in the oven too long.

• “Over-communicating” can be just as dangerous as “under-communicating.”