Effective Communication Skills

Adil Aziz Khan

Communication“The process of Transmitting information from one

person to another” i.e. to & fro motion of

information.

Communication can take various forms but all

forms involve the transfer of information from one

party to the other.

The transfer of information to qualify as

communication, “the recipient must understand

the meaning of the information transferred to

him”.

If the recipient does not understand the meaning

of the information conveyed to him,

communication has not taken place.

Two way face to face communication is the best

way to Convey Message.

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Effective Communication

“The process of Sending a message in

such a way that the message received

is as close in meaning as possible to

the message intended”.

That's why the most effective

communicators of all time, paid as

much attention to how they were

delivering their message as they did

to the exact words that they were

using.

Every action has a positive intention. You just have to find it. It's better to be successful than right. The world demands results, not excuses.

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Barriers to Effective Communication

• Lying, deliberate deception of

others for a gain.

• Perceptions.

• Emotions.

• Over Eagerness to respond.

• Snap Judgments.

• Closed words.

• Attacking the individual.

• Judging.

• Poor listening, Environment factors

(noise)4

Principles of Effective Communication

• Break down Information into Essentials.

Omit non-essentials

• Keep the amount of information given at any one

time, small.

Don’t Over Load.

• Keep the Chain of Information Transmission short.

More information will be lost or distorted at each extra

step.

• Make sure the message is received & Understood.

Get Feed Back.

• Showing is often more effective than telling.

But a combination of both may be even better.

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•Wherever Possible Use Two-Way

Communication.

It takes longer but is more effective.

• Record Important Data.

The strongest memory is weaker than the palest ink.

•Don’t expect everyone to interpret the same

data the

same way.

Different people have different perceptions &

different perspective

• Information has to be shared in order to be

used.

Don’t assume the other person has all the

information that you have.

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Principles of Effective Communication (contd……)

• Effective oral Communication requires

Careful listening.

God gave us two ears, but only one mouth, so why

is it that so many of us talk twice as much as we

listen…?

• Don’t Confuse assumptions with Facts.

• Remember that we are constantly

communicating our feelings & Attitudes Non-

Verbally.

If our spoken message is at variance with our non-

verbal message, the result is confusion & poor

communication. 77

Principles of Effective Communication (contd……)

Business Communication Principles Completeness:

• Answer all Questions asked.• Give some extra, when desirable.• Check for five W’s & any other essentials. (Why, What, When, Where & Who).

Conciseness:• Shorten or Omit wordy expression.• Include only relevant Statements.• Avoid Unnecessary.

Consideration:• Focus on ‘You’ instead of ‘I’ or ‘We’.• Show Job benefits.• Emphasize the Positive.• Apply integrity & ethics.

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Clarity:• Choose short, familiar words & expressions.• Construct simple sentence.• Achieve appropriate readability.• Include examples & illustrations as required.

Courtesy:• Be sincerely tactful.• Omit expressions that hurt or belittle.• Grant & apologize good naturally.

Correctness:• Use right level of language.• Include only verifiable & accurate facts.• Choose non discriminatory expressions.

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Business Communication Principles (cont’d)

Non-Verbal Communication93% of the message are Non-Verbal.

Contents:Actual Text we use it 7% on our daily life

Paralinguistic (Voice):The way in which some thing is said like ¤ Accent ¤ Tone ¤ Inflection ¤ Errors ¤ Structure ¤ Mannerisms ¤ Pronounce ¤ Speed, Articulate.We use 38% of Paralinguistic in our daily life.

Body Language:The body language consists of ¤ Posture & Gestures ¤ Eye Contact ¤ Orientation ¤ Proximity ¤ Looks, Appearance & Grooming ¤ Expression of Emotion.We use 55% of Body Language in our daily life.

Human communication consists of 93 percent body language and paralinguistic cues, while only 7% of communication consists of words themselves.

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Posture & Distance: Is the Posture upright or Slouched? Are you too near or too far? Are you higher or lower than the other Person?

Eyes:Is the gaze relaxed & friendly. Do you maintain eye contact or avert it. Be a light house.

Mouth:Do you hold your jaw tightly? Is the smile appropriate or misleading.

Voice:Watch the tone, inflection & volume. Is the voice coming as a whine or a bellow? Does the tone reflect sarcasm?

Gestures:Watch for hands over mouth or clutched behind the back. Shifting from one foot to another. Arms folded.

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Non-Verbal Communication (contd….)

Content:If you don’t have anything worthwhile to say then encourage the other person to talk.

Delivery:Are the words being mumbled or spoken audibly? Are the words being swallowed or coming across loud & Clear.

Appearance:What does your appearance say about you? Does it match the impression you wish to convey?

Breathing:Deep breathing helps in being calm, poised & Centered.

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Non-Verbal Communication (contd….)

Listening SkillsAlthough we “learn” to listen on our mother’s knee, very few persons have ever been thought to listen.

The most common complaint of subordinates about their supervisor is: “He / She never listens…………….I

Importance of listening:

• People perform better when they know others listen to their opinions & suggestions.• Attention paid to small complaints often prevents their blossoming into big grievances.• Supervisors/Person who don’t obtain as many relevant facts possible often make poor decisions.• Supervisors/Person who jump to conclusion often loose respect of their subordinates colleague.• Listening requires giving full attention to the speaker: it is possible to listen intelligently while mind is pre occupied with some thing else.

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Listening Skills (contd…)

Listening:

• Sensing, interpreting, Evaluating & Responding to Messages.

• People usually Hears 25-30% of what is said.

Rules for Better Listening:

• Stop Talking.

• Repeat / Paraphrase.

• Clarify / Probe.

• Maintain Eye Contact. Feel Empathy.

• Share responsibility for Good Communication.1414

Techniques for the Receiver

Developing Listening Skills:

• Be Prepare to listen.

• Don’t interrupt..

• Concentrate on Words & Meaning.

• Learn to Distinguish between.

• Peripheral Listening.

• Projective Listening.

• Improve Surroundings.

• Concentrate.

• Content.

• Priorities.

• Notes.

• Thought Speed.

• Suspend Prejudices. 1515

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