Effective Communication Skills

What Is Communication?
COMMUNICATION IS THE ART OF TRANSMITTING INFORMATION, IDEAS AND ATTITUDES FROM ONE PERSON TO ANOTHER COMMUNICATION IS THE PROCESS OF MEANINGFUL INTERACTION AMONG HUMAN BEINGS

What is Effective Communication?

Effective Communication is a process where a message is received and understood by the receiver in the manner that the sender intended it to be. Effective communication skills are a critical element in your career and personal lives. We all must use a variety of communication techniques to both understand and be understood.

Most Common Ways To Communicate

Why We Communicate

Critical Success Factor For Life

Types of Communication
Downwards Communication : Highly Directive, from Senior to subordinates, to assign duties, give instructions, to inform to offer feed back, approval to highlight problems etc. It is non directive in nature from down below, to give feedback, to inform about progress/problems, seeking approvals. Among colleagues, peers at same level for information level for information sharing for coordination, to save time. Upwards Communications : Horizontal Communication :

In modern business environment communication extends beyond written or spoken words to listened word. Visual dimension added by T.V., computers has given to new meaning to communication.
COMMUNICATION NETWORKS Formal Network : Informal Network : Virtually vertical as per chain go command within the hierarchy. Free to move in any direction may skip formal chain of command. Likely to satisfy social and emotional needs and also can facilitate task accomplishment.

What Causes Distortion of Communication

Speaker
Language Wordiness Semantics Emotions Inflections

Listener
Perceptions Preconceived notions/expectations Physical hearing problem Speed of thought Personal interests Emotions Attention span No active listening!

Key Communication Skills

Listening Skills Feedback Skills Presentation skills

Listening and Speaking are used a lot

50% 45%

45%

40% 35% 30%

25% 20% 16% 30%

15% 10%
5% 0% Writing Reading Speaking Listening

9%

But not taught enough

50% 45%

45%

40% 35% 30%

25% 20% 16% 30%

15% 10%
5% 0% Writing Reading Speaking Listening

9%

Listening is needed everywhere..

Listening skills form the basis of:
Continued learning Teamwork skills Management skills Negotiation skills Emotional intelligence

 But not practiced effectively

70% of all communication is
Misunderstood Misinterpreted Rejected Distorted Not heard

Hearing Vs Listening
Hearing Physical process, natural, passive Listening Physical as well as mental process, active, learned process, a skill

Stages of the Listening Process

Hearing Focusing on the message Comprehending and interpreting Analyzing and Evaluating Responding Remembering

How to be an Active Listener

Set the stage

Choose an appropriate physical environment Remove distractions Be open and accessible Maintain relaxed, open posture that shows concentration
Reflect feelings Offer acknowledgements (say uh-huh) Paraphrase main ideas Interrupt to clarify Confirm next steps

Ensure mutual understanding

How to be an Active Listener

Understand body language
Observe position and posturing Make eye contact Consider expression and gestures

Suspend judgment
Concentrate Keep an open mind Hear the person out Do not react to emotive words

Barriers to Active Listening

Behaviors that hinder effective listening
Act distracted (look at your watch!) Tell your own story without acknowledging theirs Give no response Invalidate response, be negative Interrupt Criticize Diagnose what was said Give advice/solutions quickly Change the subject Reassure without acknowledgment

Clues that you are not listening..

Are you simply waiting for your turn to talk? Are you thinking about your reply before the other person has finished talking?

Feedback Skill
Positive vs. Negative Feedback Positive feedback is more readily and accurately perceived than negative feedback Positive feedback fits what most people wish to hear and already believe about themselves Negative feedback is most likely to be accepted when it comes from a credible source if it is objective in form Subjective impressions carry weight only when they come from a person with high status and credibility

Developing Effective Feedback Skills

Focus on specific behaviours Keep feedback impersonal Keep feedback goal oriented Make feedback well timed Ensure understanding Direct feedback toward behaviour that is controllable by the recipient

Presentation Skills
Ideas, concepts or issues talked about or spoken to a group or audience Public speaking is one of the most feared things I could make such a fool of myself Skills required to give a good presentation can be developed Preparation is the Key

Presentation Skills
Helpers What do you want to present (content)? Why do you want to present (purpose)? Where will you be presenting (place)? How do you want to present (words to be used or not, slides to be used) Who is your audience?

Presentation Skills
Preparation: Audience Analysis What is the audience interested in What does the audience want What does the audience already know and needs to know What are their needs, expectations from this presentation How will the audience benefit from this presentation

Presentation Skills
Structure the content in line with the audiences needs What do you want to tell the audience? What is your objective? Prepare keeping in mind the time allotted Anticipate the questions and prepare Collect material from a variety of sources Arrange points logically and sequentially Prepare handouts as well

Presentation Skills
The Beginning Should be carefully designed Get attention - shock, humour, question, story, facts &figures - well rehearsed yet natural Motivate audience to listen - listen to their needs

Presentation Skills
Preparation Structure Sequence should be logical & understandable Interim summaries- Recaps Value of visual aids-flip charts, handouts etc.

Presentation Skills
Prepare Closing Last 2 to 2.5 minutes are as critical as the first five minutes for a successful presentation Summarize- highlight important points Suggest action- what to do and when, where and how to do it

Presentation Skills
Effective Delivery Be active - move Be purposeful - controlled gestures Variations vocal (pitch, volume, rate) Be natural Be direct dont just talk in front of the audience talk to them

Presentation Skills
Handling Questions Do not get confused You are not supposed to know everything Anticipate and keep answers ready Sometime questions themselves give you a lead to highlight your point of view

Presentation Skills
So to conclude : Always prepare Channelize you fear Interact with your audience

How to Improve Existing Level of Communication?

IMPROVE LANGUAGE. IMPROVE PRONUNCIATIOON. WORK ON VOICE MODULATION. WORK ON BODY LANGUAGE. READ MORE LISTEN MORE AVOID READING OR WATCHING OR LISTENING UNWANTED LITERATURE, GOSSIP, MEDIA PRESENTATION ETC. INTERACT WITH QUALITATIVE PEOPLE. IMPROVE ON YOU TOPIC OF DISCUSSION, PRACTICE MEDITATION & GOOD THOUGHTS. THINK AND SPEAK. DO NOT SPEAK TOO FAST. USE SIMPLE VOCABULARY. DO NOT SPEAK ONLY TO IMPRESS SOMEONE. LOOK PRESENTABLE AND CONFIDENT.

Improving Body Language - Tips

Keep appropriate distance Touch only when appropriate Take care of your appearance Be aware - people may give false cues Maintain eye contact Smile genuinely