Communications Skills

The Importance of Removing Barriers

Problems with communication can pop-up at every stage of the communication process
(which consists of the sender, encoding, the channel, decoding, the receiver, feedback and
the context see the diagram below). At each stage, there is the potential for
misunderstanding and confusion.
To be an effective communicator and to get your point across without misunderstanding and
confusion, your goal should be to lessen the freuency of problems at each stage of this
process, with clear, concise, accurate, well-planned communications. !e follow the process
through below"
Source...
As the source of the message, you need to be clear about why you#re communicating, and
what you want to communicate. $ou also need to be confident that the information you#re
communicating is useful and accurate.
essage...
The message is the information that you want to communicate.
!ncoding...
This is the process of transferring the information you want to communicate into a form that
can be sent and correctly decoded at the other end. $our success in encoding depends partly
on your ability to convey information clearly and simply, but also on your ability to anticipate
and eliminate sources of confusion (for e%ample, cultural issues, mista&en assumptions, and
missing information.)
A &ey part of this is &nowing your audience" 'ailure to understand who you are
communicating with will result in delivering messages that are misunderstood.
1
Channel...
(essages are conveyed through channels, with verbal channels including face-to-face
meetings, telephone and videoconferencing) and written channels including letters, emails,
memos and reports.
*ifferent channels have different strengths and wea&nesses. 'or e%ample, it#s not particularly
effective to give a long list of directions verbally, while you#ll uic&ly cause problems if you
give someone negative feedbac& using email.
"ecoding...
+ust as successful encoding is a s&ill, so is successful decoding (involving, for e%ample,
ta&ing the time to read a message carefully, or listen actively to it.) +ust as confusion can arise
from errors in encoding, it can also arise from decoding errors. This is particularly the case if
the decoder doesn#t have enough &nowledge to understand the message.
Receiver...
$our message is delivered to individual members of your audience. ,o doubt, you have in
mind the actions or reactions you hope your message will get from this audience. -eep in
mind, though, that each of these individuals enters into the communication process with ideas
and feelings that will undoubtedly influence their understanding of your message, and their
response. To be a successful communicator, you should consider these before delivering your
message, and act appropriately.
#eedback...
$our audience will provide you with feedbac&, as verbal and nonverbal reactions to your
communicated message. Pay close attention to this feedbac&, as it is the only thing that can
give you confidence that your audience has understood your message. .f you find that there
has been a misunderstanding, at least you have the opportunity to send the message a second
time.
Context...
The situation in which your message is delivered is the conte%t. This may include the
surrounding environment or broader culture (corporate culture, international cultures, and so
on).
2
Removing Barriers at $ll These Stages
To deliver your messages effectively, you must commit to brea&ing down the barriers that
e%ist within each of these stages of the communication process.
/et0s begin with the message itself. .f your message is too lengthy, disorgani1ed, or contains
errors, you can e%pect the message to be misunderstood and misinterpreted. 2se of poor
verbal and body language can also confuse the message.
3arriers in conte%t tend to stem from senders offering too much information too fast. !hen in
doubt here, less is oftentimes more. .t is best to be mindful of the demands on other people0s
time, especially in today0s ultra-busy society.
4nce you understand this, you need to wor& to understand your audience0s culture, ma&ing
sure you can converse and deliver your message to people of different bac&grounds and
cultures within your own organi1ation, in your country and even abroad
CR!$TI%& #IRST I'R!SSI(%
Be on Time
The person you are meeting for the first time is not interested in your 5good e%cuse6 for
running late. Plan to arrive a few minutes early. And allow fle%ibility for possible delays in
traffic or ta&ing a wrong turn. Arriving early is much better that arriving late, hands down,
and is the first step in creating a great first impression.
Be )ourself, Be at !ase
.f you are feeling uncomfortable and on edge, this can ma&e the other person ill at ease and
that0s a sure way to create the wrong impression. .f you are calm and confident, so the other
person will feel more at ease, and so have a solid foundation for ma&ing that first impression
a good one. 7ead some material on rela%ation techniues to find out how to calm that
adrenaline8
'resent )ourself $ppropriatel*
4f course physical appearance matters. The person you are meeting for the first time does not
&now you and your appearance is usually the first clue he or she has to go on.
3ut it certainly does not mean you need to loo& li&e a model to create a strong and positive
first impression. (2nless you are interviewing with your local model agency, of course8)
,o. The &ey to a good impression is to present yourself appropriately.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and so the 5picture6 you first present says
much about you to the person you are meeting. .s your appearance saying the right things to
help create the right first impression9
3
:tart with the way you dress. !hat is the appropriate dress for the meeting or occasion9 .n a
business setting, what is the appropriate business attire9 :uit, bla1er, casual9 And as&
yourself what the person you#ll be meeting is li&ely to wear - if your contact is in advertising
or the music industry, a pinstripe business suit may not stri&e the right note8
'or business and social meetings, appropriate dress also varies between countries and
cultures, so it0s something that you should pay particular attention to when in an unfamiliar
setting or country. (a&e sure you &now the traditions and norms.
And what about your personal grooming9 ;lean and tidy appearance is appropriate for most
business and social occasions. A good haircut or shave. ;lean and tidy clothes. ,eat and tidy
ma&e up. (a&e sure your grooming is appropriate and helps ma&e you feel 5the part6.
Appropriate dressing and grooming help ma&e a good first impression and also help you feel
5the part6, and so feel more calm and confident. Add all of this up and you are well on your
way to creating a good first impression.
$ +ord about Individualit*
The good news is you can usually create a good impression without total conformity or losing
your individuality. $es, to ma&e a good first impression you do need to 5fit in6 to some
degree. 3ut it all goes bac& to being appropriate for the situation. .f in a business setting,
wear appropriate business attire. .f at a formal evening social event, wear appropriate evening
attire. And e%press your individuality appropriately within that conte%t.
$ +inning Smile,
5:mile and the world smiles too.6 :o there0s nothing li&e a smile to create a good first
impression. A warm and confident smile will put both you and the other person at ease. :o
smiling is a winner when it comes to great first impressions. 3ut don#t go overboard with this
- people who ta&e this too far can seem insincere and smarmy, or can be seen to be
<lightweights<.
Be (pen and Confident
!hen it comes to ma&ing the first impression, body language as well as appearance spea&s
much louder than words.
2se your body language to pro=ect appropriate confidence and self-assurance. :tand tall,
smile (of course), ma&e eye contact, greet with a firm handsha&e. All of this will help you
pro=ect confidence and encourage both you and the other person feel better at ease.
Almost everyone gets a little nervous when meeting someone for the first time, which can
lead to nervous habits or sweaty palms. 3y being aware of your nervous habits, you can try to
&eep them in chec&. And controlling a nervous =itter or a nervous laugh will give you
confidence and help the other person feel at ease.
4
Small Talk &oes a -ong +a*.
;onversations are based on verbal give and ta&e. .t may help you to prepare uestions you
have for the person you are meeting for the first time beforehand. 4r, ta&e a few minutes to
learn something about the person you meet for the first time before you get together. 'or
instance, does he play golf9 *oes she wor& with a local charitable foundation9
.s there anything that you &now of that you have in common with the person you are
meeting9 .f so, this can be a great way to open the conversation and to &eep it flowing.
Be 'ositive
$our attitude shows through in everything you do. Pro=ect a positive attitude, even in the face
of criticism or in the case of nervousness. :trive to learn from your meeting and to contribute
appropriately, maintaining an upbeat manner and a smile.
Be Courteous $nd $ttentive
.t goes without saying that good manners and polite, attentive and courteous behavior help
ma&e a good first impression. .n fact, anything less can ruin the one chance you have at
ma&ing that first impression. :o be on your best behavior8
4ne modern manner worth mentioning is 5turn off your mobile phone6. !hat first
impression will you create if you are already spea&ing to someone other than the person you
are meeting for the first time9 $our new acuaintance deserves >??@ of your attention.
Anything less and you0ll create a less than good first impression.
/e* 'oints
$ou have =ust a few seconds to ma&e a good first impression and it0s almost impossible ever
to change it. :o it0s worth giving each new encounter your best shot. (uch of what you need
to do to ma&e a good impression is common sense. 3ut with a little e%tra thought and
preparation, you can hone your intuitive style and ma&e every first impression not =ust good
but great.
5
Better Public Speaking and Presentation
Ensure Your Words Are Always Understood
Thin& of the last really memorable tal& or presentation that you attended. ,ow, was that easy
to do, or did you really have to rac& your brains to remember one9 :adly, too many
presentations are easy to forget. And that#s a big problem because the only reason the
presenter gave the tal& was to communicate something to you8
Aowever, there are three basic things that you can do to ensure that your verbal messages are
understood and remembered time and time again.
Although somewhat obvious and deceptively simple, these are"
Understand the purpose of the presentation
Keep the message clear and concise
Be prepared
Be vivid when delivering the message
0nderstand 1hat *ou 1ant to achieve
3efore you start wor&ing on your tal& or presentation, it#s vital that you really understand
what you want to say, who you want to tell and why they might want to hear it. To do this,
as& yourself" +ho2 +hat2 3o12 +hen2 +here2 +h*2
+ho are you spea&ing to9 !hat are their interests, presuppositions and values9 !hat do they
share in common with others) how are they uniue9
+hat do you wish to communicate9 4ne way of answering this uestion is to as& yourself
about the Bsuccess criteria0. Aow do you &now if and when you have successfully
communicated what you have in mind9
3o1 can you best convey your message9 /anguage is important here, as are the nonverbal
cues discussed earlier. ;hoose your words and your nonverbal cues with your audience in
mind. Plan a beginning, middle and end. .f time and place allow, consider and prepare audio-
visual aids.
+hen2 Timing is important here. *evelop a sense of timing, so that your contributions are
seen and heard as relevant to the issue or matter at hand. There is a time to spea& and a time
to be silent. B.t0s better to be silent than sing a bad tune.0
+here2 !hat is the physical conte%t of the communication in mind9 $ou may have time to
visit the room, for e%ample, and rearrange the furniture. ;hec& for availability and visibility
if you are using audio or visual aids.
+h*2 .n order to convert hearers into listeners, you need to &now why they should listen to
you and tell them if necessary. !hat disposes them to listen9 That implies that you &now
6
yourself why you are see&ing to communicate the value or worth or interest of what you are
going to say.
/eep it simple
!hen it comes to wording your message, less is more. $ou#re giving your audience
headlines. They don#t need to and are usually not e%pecting to become e%perts on the sub=ect
as a result of hearing your tal&.
.f you#re using slides, limit the content of each one to a few bullet points, or one statement or
a very simple diagram
Be prepared
Preparation is underrated. .n fact, it is one of the most important factors in determining your
communication successes. !hen possible, set meeting times and spea&ing and presentation
times well in advance, thus allowing yourself the time you need to prepare your
communications, mindful of the entire communication process (source, encoding, channel,
decoding, receiver, feedbac& and conte%t). 3y paying close attention to each of these stages
and preparing accordingly, you ensure your communications will be more effective and better
understood.
4f course, not all communications can be scheduled. .n this case, preparation may mean
having a good, thorough understanding of the office goings-on, enabling you to communicate
with the &nowledge you need to be effective, both through verbal and written
communications.
0nforgettable deliver*
$our delivery of your speech or presentation will ma&e or brea& it, no matter how well
you#ve prepared and crafted your clear, concise message. :ome useful tips for &eeping your
presentation vivid include"
Use examples to bring our points to life
Keep our bod language up!beat " don#t sta stuc$ behind a rostrum
%on#t tal$ to fast& 'ess is more here too& (auses are effective&
Use a variet of tones of voice
Use visual aids&
)
Presentation Planning Checklist
This presentation chec&list will help you deliver successful presentation.
'resentation4
%oes our introduction grab participant*s attention and explain our ob+ectives,
%o ou follow this b clearl defining the points of the presentation,
-re these main points in logical se.uence,
%o these flow well,
%o the main points need support from visual aids,
%oes our closing summari/e the presentation clearl and concisel,
0s the conclusion strong,
1ave our tied the conclusion to the introduction,
"eliver*4
-re ou $nowledgeable about the topic covered in our presentation,
%o ou have our notes in order,
2here and how will ou present 3indoors4 outdoors4 standing4 sitting4 etc&5,
1ave ou visited the presentation site,
1ave ou chec$ed our visual aids to ensure the are wor$ing and ou $now how to
use them,
$ppearance4
6a$e sure ou are dressed and groomed appropriatel and in $eeping with the
audience*s expectations&
(ractice our speech standing 3or sitting4 if applicable54 paing close attention to our
bod language4 even our posture4 both of which will be assessed b the audience&
5isual $ids4
-re the visual aids eas to read and eas to understand,
-re the tied into the points ou are tring to communicate,
7an the be easil seen from all areas of the room,
8
Communication Skills 6 making oral presentations
9he material of our presentation should be concise4 to the point and tell an
interesting stor& 0n addition to the obvious things li$e content and visual aids4 the
following are +ust as important as the audience will be subconsciousl ta$ing them
in:
Your voice ! how ou sa it is as important as what ou sa
Body language ! a sub+ect in its own right and something about which
much has been written and said& 0n essence4 our bod movements
express what our attitudes and thoughts really are& ;ou might li$e to
Appearance ! first impressions influence the audience#s attitudes to ou&
%ress appropriatel for the occasion&
As with most personal s&ills oral communication cannot be taught. .nstructors
can only point the way. :o as always, practice is essential, both to improve your
s&ills generally and also to ma&e the best of each individual presentation you ma&e.
Preparation
Prepare the structure of the tal& carefully and logically, =ust as you would for a
written report. !hat are"
the ob+ectives of the tal$,
the main points ou want to ma$e,
(a&e a list of these two things as your starting point
!rite out the presentation in rough, =ust li&e a first draft of a written report. 7eview
the draft. $ou will find things that are irrelevant or superfluous - delete them.
;hec& the story is consistent and flows smoothly. .f there are things you cannot
easily e%press, possibly because of doubt about your understanding, it is better to
leave them unsaid.
%ever read from a script. .t is also unwise to have the tal& written out in detail as a
prompt sheet - the chances are you will not locate the thing you want to say
amongst all the other te%t. $ou should &now most of what you want to say - if you
don#t then you should not be giving the tal&8 :o prepare cue cards which have &ey
words and phrases (and possibly s&etches) on them. Postcards are ideal for this.
"on7t forget to number the cards in case you drop them.
<
7emember to mar& on your cards the visual aids that go with them so that the right
4AP or slide is shown at the right time
7ehearse your presentation - to yourself at first and then in front of some
colleagues. The initial rehearsal should consider how the words and the seuence of
visual aids go together. Aow will you ma&e effective use of your visual aids9
Making the presentation
Creet the audience (for e%ample, #Cood morning, ladies and gentlemen#), and tell
them who you are. Cood presentations then follow this formula"
tell the audience what ou are going to tell them4
then tell them4
at the end tell them what ou have told them&
-eep to the time allowed. .f you can, &eep it short. .t#s better to under-run than
over-run. As a rule of thumb, allow D minutes for each general overhead
transparency or Powerpoint slide you use, but longer for any that you want to use
for developing specific points. EFmm slides are generally used more sparingly and
stay on the screen longer. Aowever, the audience will get bored with something on
the screen for more than F minutes, especially if you are not actively tal&ing about
it. :o switch the display off, or replace the slide with some form of #wallpaper# such
as a company logo.
:tic& to the plan for the presentation, don#t be tempted to digress - you will eat up
time and could end up in a dead-end with no escape8
2nless e%plicitly told not to, leave time for discussion - F minutes is sufficient to
allow clarification of points. The session chairman may e%tend this if the
uestioning becomes interesting.
At the end of your presentation as& if there are any uestions - avoid being terse
when you do this as the audience may find it intimidating (ie it may come across as
any questions? - if there are, it shows you were not paying attention). .f uestions
are slow in coming, you can start things off by as&ing a uestion of the audience -
so have one prepared.
Delivery
:pea& clearly. *on#t shout or whisper - =udge the acoustics of the room.
*on#t rush, or tal& deliberately slowly. 3e natural - although not conversational.
*eliberately pause at &ey points - this has the effect of emphasising the importance
1=
of a particular point you are ma&ing.
Avoid =o&es - always disastrous unless you are a natural e%pert
To ma&e the presentation interesting, change your delivery, but not to obviously,
eg"
speed
pitch of voice
2se your hands to emphasise points but don#t indulge in to much hand waving.
People can, over time, develop irritating habits. As& colleagues occasionally what
they thin& of your style.
/oo& at the audience as much as possible, but don#t fi% on an individual - it can be
intimidating. Pitch your presentation towards the bac& of the audience, especially in
larger rooms.
*on#t face the display screen behind you and tal& to it. 4ther annoying habits
include"
>tanding in a position where ou obscure the screen& 0n fact4 positivel
chec$ for anone in the audience who ma be disadvantaged and tr to
accommodate them&
6uttering over a transparenc on the ?1( pro+ector plate an not realising
that ou are bloc$ing the pro+ection of the image& 0t is preferable to point to
the screen than the foil on the ?1( 3apart from the fact that ou will
probabl da//le ourself with the brightness of the pro+ector5
Avoid moving about too much. Pacing up and down can unnerve the audience,
although some animation is desirable.
-eep an eye on the audience7s body language. -now when to stop and also when
to cut out a piece of the presentation.
Visual Aids
Gisual aids significantly improve the interest of a presentation. Aowever, they must
be relevant to what you want to say. A careless design or use of a slide can simply
get in the way of the presentation. !hat you use depends on the type of tal& you are
giving. Aere are some possibilities"
?verhead pro+ection transparencies 3?1(s5
35mm slides
7omputer pro+ection 3(owerpoint4 applications such as @xcel4 etc5
Aideo4 and film4
11
Beal ob+ects ! either handled from the spea$er#s bench or passed around
ClipDchart or blac$board ! possibl used as a #scratch!pad# to expand on a
point
-eep it simple though - a comple% set of hardware can result in confusion for
spea&er and audience. (a&e sure you &now in advance how to operate the
euipment and also when you want particular displays to appear. :ometimes a
technician will operate the euipment. Arrange beforehand, what is to happen and
when and what signals you will use. Hdit your slides as carefully as your tal& - if a
slide is superfluous then leave it out. .f you need to use a slide twice, duplicate it.
And always chec& your slides - for typographical errors, consistency of fonts and
layout.
:lides and 4APs should contain the minimum information necessary. To do
otherwise ris&s ma&ing the slide unreadable or will divert your audience#s attention
so that they spend time reading the slide rather than listening to you.
Try to limit words per slide to a ma%imum of >?. 2se a reasonable si1e font and a
typeface which will enlarge well. Typically use a minimum >Ipt Times 7oman on
4APs, and preferably larger. A guideline is" if you can read the 4AP from a
distance of D metres (without pro=ection) then it#s probably 4-
Avoid using a diagram prepared for a technical report in your tal&. .t will be too
detailed and difficult to read.
2se colour on your slides but avoid orange and yellow which do not show up very
well when pro=ected. 'or te%t only, white or yellow on blue is pleasant to loo& at
and easy to read. 3oo&s on presentation techniues often have uite detailed advice
on the design of slides. .f possible consult an e%pert such as the Audio Gisual
;entre
Avoid adding to 4APs with a pen during the tal& - it#s messy and the audience will
be fascinated by your sha&ing hand8 4n this point, this is another good reason for
pointing to the screen when e%plaining a slide rather than pointing to the 4AP
transparency.
7oom lighting should be considered. Too much light near the screen will ma&e it
difficult to see the detail. 4n the other hand, a completely dar&ened room can send
the audience to sleep. Try to avoid having to &eep switching lights on and off, but if
you do have to do this, &now where the light switches are and how to use them.
Finally !
Hn=oy yourself. The audience will be on your side and want to hear what you have
to say8
12