Since communication happens around us all the time, the process is often taken for granted. A large amount of time is spent communicating hence there is need to make sure that ideas and information are put in a way that everyone involved can understand. Thinking about what to say, working out the best way of saying it, finding the right words, making sure the other person understands and understanding anything he\she says in reply are all vital stages in communication. Being able to communicate effectively is the most important of all life skills. Communication is simply the act of transferring information from one place to another. This may be vocally (using voice), written (using printed or digital media such as books, magazines, websites or emails), visually (using logos, maps, charts or graphs) or non-verbally (using body language, gestures and the tone and pitch of voice). How well this information is transmitted and received is a measure of whether your communication skills are good.
Definition of communication
Communication
skills are abilities you use when giving and receiving different kinds of
information. Though these skills may be
a regular part of your day to day work life, communicating in a clear,
effective and efficient way is an extremely special and useful skill. Leaning from
great communicators around you and actively practicing ways to improve your
communications over time will certainly support your efforts to achieve various
personal and professional goals. Communication
skills involve listening, speaking, observing and empathizing. It is helps to
understand the differences in how to communicate
through face-to-face interactions, phone conversations and digital
communications, like email and social media. Communication skills allow you to
give and receive information. Practicing active listening can build respect
with your coworkers and increase understanding in the workplace. As you
actively listen, focus on the speaker, avoiding distractions like cell phones, laptops
or other projects, and by preparing questions, comments or ideas to
thoughtfully respond.
Major Communication Skills
1. Active listening
2. Friendliness
3. Communication method
4. Confidence
5. Giving out feedback
6. Quantity and clearness
7. Respect
8. Understanding
9. Receptiveness
10. Non-verbal cues
1. Active
listening: Active listening means paying close
attention to who you’re communicating with by engaging with them, asking
questions and rephrasing. Practicing active listening can build respect with
your coworkers and increase understanding in the workplace. As you actively
listen, focus on the speaker, avoiding distractions like cell phones, laptops
or other projects, and by preparing questions, comments or ideas to
thoughtfully respond. Improve your active listening abilities by paying
attention to other people’s facial expressions, body language and tone. Instead
of preparing what you will say, focus on what the other person is saying and
how they are saying it. If you need to clarify something, ask follow-up
questions or rephrase what they’ve said to confirm that you understood them
correctly.
2. Friendliness: Friendly
traits like honesty and kindness can help foster trust and understanding when
communicating at work. Try to communicate with a positive attitude, keep an
open mind and ask questions to help you understand where they’re coming from.
Small gestures such as asking someone how they’re doing, smiling as they speak
or offering praise for work well done can help you foster productive
relationships with colleagues and managers. You can practice friendliness by
remembering small, thoughtful details about your coworkers or past
conversations. For example, if a coworker tells you their child’s birthday is
soon and you connect with them again later, you might ask them how the birthday
party went.
3. Communication method: Using the
right way to communicate is an important skill. There are benefits and
disadvantages to talking through emails, letters, phone calls, in-person
meetings or instant messages. Communicating is better when you consider your
audience, what information you want to share and the best way to share it. For
example, if you are communicating with a potential employer, it may be better
to call them on the phone. In the workplace, you may find it’s easier to
communicate complex information in person or via a video conference than by
email. Building remote workplace friendships is easier when you can speak
through instant messages.
4. Confidence: In the
workplace, people are more likely to respond to ideas that are presented with
confidence. There are many ways to appear confident, including by making eye
contact when you’re addressing someone, sitting up straight with your shoulders
open and preparing ahead of time so your thoughts are polished and you’re able
to answer any questions. Confident communication is very useful on workplace.
5. Giving out feedback: Strong
communicators can accept critical feedback and provide constructive input to
others. Feedback should answer questions, provide solutions or help strengthen
the project or topic at hand. Providing and accepting feedback is an essential
workplace skill, as it can help both you and the people around you make
meaningful improvements to their work and their professional development. A
great way to learn how to give feedback is to take notes from others on the
feedback they offer you. When you come across a well-explained piece of
feedback, take some time to observe and analyze why it was good, why it
resonated with you and how you might apply those skills in the future.
6. Quantity
and clearness: When you are speaking, it’s
important to be clear and audible. Adjusting your speaking voice so you can be
heard in a variety of settings is a skill, and it’s critical to communicating
effectively. Speaking too loudly may be disrespectful or awkward in certain
settings. If you’re unsure, read the room to see how others are communicating.
Another aspect of verbal communication is vocalic and tonality. This involves
how your tone moves up and down, your pitch, your accent pattern and the spaces
you place between phrases. Such details can be effective in communicating
emotions and offer your audience insights into how your message should be
interpreted.
7. Respect: A key aspect of respect is known when to initiate communication and respond. In a team or group setting, allowing others to speak without interruption is seen as a necessary communication skill tied to respectfulness. Respectfully communicating also means using your time with someone else wisely—staying on topic, asking clear questions and responding fully to any questions you’ve been asked.
8. Understanding: Having understanding
means that you can not only know, but also share in the emotions of others.
This communication skill is important in both team and one-on-one settings. In
both cases, you will need to understand other people’s emotions and select an
appropriate response. Understanding can help you acknowledge and diffuse their
emotion. At the same time, being able to understand when someone is feeling
positive and enthusiastic can help you get support for your ideas and projects.
Whether
you’re returning a phone call or sending a reply to an email, fast
communicators are viewed as more effective than those who are slow to respond.
9. Receptiveness: One method
is to consider how long your reply will take. It may be a good idea to address
it as soon as you see it. If it’s a more complex request or question, you can
still acknowledge that you’ve received the message and let the other person
know you will respond in full later.
10. Non-verbal cues: A great deal
of communication happens through nonverbal cues such as body language, facial
expressions and eye contact. When you’re listening to someone, you should be
paying attention to what they’re saying as well as their nonverbal language. By
the same measure, you should be conscious of your own body language when you’re
communicating to ensure you’re sending appropriate cues to others.
Types of Communication Skills
As
aforementioned, communication is a process of exchanging information, ideas,
thoughts, feelings and emotions through speech, signals, writing, or behavior.
In communication process, a sender (encoder) encodes a message and then using a
medium/channel sends it to the receiver (decoder) who decodes the message and
after processing information, sends back appropriate feedback/reply using a
medium/channel. People communicate with each other in a number of ways that
depend upon the message and its context in which it is being sent. Choice of
communication channel and your style of communicating also affect
communication.
Types
of communication based on the communication channels used are:
There
are two types of communication based on channel:
1.
Verbal communication
2.
Nonverbal communication.
1 Verbal Communication:
Verbal communication refers to the form of communication in which message is
transmitted verbally; communication is done by word of mouth and writing.
Objective of every communication is to have people understand what we are
trying to convey.
In
verbal communication always remember the acronym KISS - keep it short and
simple. When we talk to others, we assume that others understand what we are
saying because we know what we are saying. But this is not the case. Usually
people bring their own attitude, perception, emotions and thoughts about the
topic and hence creates barrier in delivering the right meaning. Verbal
Communication is further divided into, two oral /spoken and
written communication.
a. Oral/Spoken
Communication
In
oral communication, Spoken words are used. It includes face-to-face
conversations, speech, telephonic conversation, video, radio, television, voice
over internet. Examples of spoken communication that is used in the workplace
include conversations, interviews, counseling/helping colleagues, meetings,
conferences and so on. In oral communication, communication is influenced by
pitch, volume, speed and clarity of speaking.
Advantages of Oral/spoken communication
1. Oral
communication allows for immediate feedback such as the opportunity to ask
questions when the meaning is not entirely clear.
2. The
sender is able to check and see whether if the instruction is clear or has
created confusion.
3. There
is high level of understanding and transparency in oral communication as it is
interpersonal.
4. There
is no element of rigidity in oral communication. There is flexibility for
allowing changes in the decisions previously taken.
5. Spoken
instructions are flexible and easily adaptable to many diverse situations.
6. The
feedback is spontaneous in oral communication. Thus, decisions can be made
quickly without any delay.
7. Oral
communication is not only time saving, but it also saves upon money and
efforts.
8. Oral
communication is best in case of problem resolution. The conflicts, disputes
and many issues/differences can be put to an end by talking them over.
9. Oral
communication is an essential for teamwork and group energy.
10. Oral communication promotes a receptive and
encouraging morale among organizational employees.
11. Oral communication can be best used to
transfer private and confidential information/matter.
Disadvantages of Oral/spoken communication
i.
Poor presentation of the message or the instruction can result in
misunderstanding and wrong responses.
ii.
Relying only on oral communication may not be sufficient as business
communication is formal and very organized.
iii.
Oral communication is less authentic than written communication as they are
informal and not as organized as written communication.
iv.
Oral communication is time-saving as far as daily interactions are concerned,
but in case of meetings, long speeches consume lot of time and are unproductive
at times.
v.
Oral communications are not easy to maintain and thus they are unsteady.
vi.
There may be misunderstandings as the information is not complete and may lack
essentials.
vii.
It requires attentiveness and great receptivity on part of the
receivers/audience.
viii.
Oral communication (such as speeches) is not frequently used as legal records
except in investigation work.
ix.
Spoken communication is influenced by both verbal and non-verbal communication
such as tone or body language which may twist the meaning of your message in
the mind of the receiver.
b. Written Communication
In
written communication, written signs or symbols are used to communicate. A
written message may be printed or hand written. In written communication
message can be transmitted via, letter, report, memo, reports, bulletins, job
descriptions, employee manuals, and electronic mail are the types of written
communication used for internal communication. For communicating with external
environment in writing, electronic mail, Internet Web sites, letters,
proposals, telegrams, faxes, postcards, contracts, advertisements, brochures,
and news releases are used. Message, in written communication, is influenced by
the vocabulary and grammar used, writing style, precision and clarity of the
language used. Written Communication is most common form of
communication being used in business.
Advantages of written
communication
1. Written
communication is good for complicated and vital instructions, which can be
given in a precise and uniform manner.
2. Written
communication helps in laying down apparent principles, policies and rules for
running of an organization.
3. It
is a permanent means of communication: written instructions can be used for
future references. Therefore important where record maintenance is required
4. It
assists in proper delegation of responsibilities.
5. Written
communication is more precise and explicit
6. It
provides ready records and references.
7. Legal
defenses depend upon written communication as it provides valid records
8. There
is a lesser chance for the message to be misunderstood.
9. Authority
is transmitted more effectively with a written order than with an oral one
10. Messages
can be edited and revised many time before it is actually sent.
11.
Written communication provides record for
every message sent and can be saved for later study.
12.
Reader can read the information at a pace that suits them.
13. A written message enables receiver to fully
understand it and send appropriate feedback.
Disadvantages of written communication
1. People
may not always read them.
2. Written
communication takes time.
3. It
is impersonal or unfriendly.
4. Written
communication is expensive. It costs huge in terms of stationery and the
manpower employed in writing/typing and delivering letters.
5. Written
communication is time-consuming as the feedback is not immediate. The encoding
and sending of message takes time
6. Effective
written communication requires great skills and competencies in language and
reputation.
7. Too
much paper work viii. It does not answer questions and there is no immediate
feedback.
2. Non-verbal Communication
Nonverbal
communication is behavior, other than spoken or written communication, that
creates or represents meaning. In other words, it includes facial expressions,
body movements, and gestures. Nonverbal communication is talking without speaking
a word. It is very effective,
maybe even more so than speech.
Speech
contains nonverbal elements known as paralanguage, including voice quality,
rate, pitch, volume, and speaking style, as well prosodic features such as
rhythm, intonation, and stress.
On
the other hand, written texts have nonverbal elements such as handwriting
style, spatial arrangement of words, or the physical layout of a page. However,
much of the study of nonverbal communication has focused on face-to-face
interaction, where it can be classified into three principal areas:
environmental conditions where communication takes place, physical
characteristics of the communicators, and behaviors of communicators during
interaction. Nonverbal communication is all about the body language of speaker.
Nonverbal
communication helps receiver in interpreting the message received. Often,
nonverbal signals reflect the situation more accurately than verbal messages.
Sometimes nonverbal response contradicts verbal communication and hence affects
the effectiveness of message.
Nonverbal communication has the following three elements:-
Appearance
Speaker:
clothing, hairstyle, neatness, use of cosmetics
Surrounding: room size, lighting, decorations, furnishings
Body Language:
Facial
expressions, gestures, postures and how one stands is an important element of
non-verbal communication. For example, leaning towards a speaker indicates
intense interest. Frequently looking away from the speaker indicates
disinterest or impatience.
Sounds:
Voice Tone, Volume, Speech rate
Functions of nonverbal communication
According to Argyle et al (1970) spoken
language is normally used for communicating information about events external
to the speakers, non-verbal codes are used to establish and maintain interpersonal
relationships. It is considered more polite or nicer to communicate attitudes
towards others non-verbally rather than verbally in order to avoid embarrassing
situations.
These
are primary functions of nonverbal bodily behavior in human communication
namely:-
1) Express
emotions
2) Express
interpersonal attitudes
3) To
accompany speech in managing the cues of interaction between speakers and
listeners
4) Self-presentation
of one’s personality
5) Rituals
(greetings)
In
regards to expressing interpersonal attitudes, humans communicate interpersonal
closeness through a series of nonverbal actions known as immediacy behaviors.
Examples of immediacy behaviors are smiling, touching, open body positions, and
eye contact. Cultures that display these immediacy behaviors are considered
high-contact cultures
Advantages of non-verbal communication
1) You
can communicate with someone who cannot hear.
2) You
can communicate in places where you have to avoid talking audibly.
3) You
can communicate without others around you hearing what is being communicated.
4) You
can communicate when a person is too far away from you to hear you (for
example, by gesturing)
5) Non-verbal
communication makes conversation short and brief.
6) Non-verbal
communication saves on time and can be used as a tool to communicate with
people who don't understand your language.
Disadvantages of non-verbal communication
1) Long
conversations using non-verbal communication are usually not possible.
2) Non-verbal
communication varies from culture to culture.
3) Particulars
of messages using non-verbal communication cannot be discussed in detail.
4) It
is not useful as a public tool for communication
5) It
cannot be used everywhere and is less influential than verbal communication.
Types of Communication
Based on Purpose and Style
Based
on style and purpose, there are two main categories of communication and they
both bears their own characteristics.
Communication
types based on style and purpose are:
1. Formal
Communication
2. Informal
Communication
1.
Formal Communication In formal communication, certain rules, conventions and
principles are followed while communicating message. Formal communication
occurs in formal and official style. Usually professional settings, corporate
meetings, conferences undergoes in formal pattern. Informal communication, use
of slang and foul language is avoided and correct pronunciation is required.
Authority lines are needed to be followed in formal communication.
2.
Informal communication is done using channels that are in contrast with formal
communication channel. It is just a casual talk. It is established for societal affiliation
members of an organization and face-to-face discussions. It happens among
friends and family. In informal communication use of slang words, foul language
is not restricted. Usually informal communication is done orally and using
gestures. Informal communication, unlike formal communication does not follow
authority links. In an organization, it helps in finding out staff grievances
as people express more when talking informally. Informal communication helps in
building relationships.
Factors to consider when choosing a communication media
There
are many factors that the speaker has to consider before he/she chooses the
media for communication. Here are some of the factors to consider:-
1. Reliability:
Reliability is of fundamental importance, it considers whether the message will
get to the intended destination. It is also important to consider how reliable
it is in getting across the ideas /message contained.
2. The receiver:
The medium selected should be one that can serve the communication needs of the
audience in terms of age, education background, cultural orientation etc.
3. Relationship with the
receiver: The exact
nature of relationship the sender has with the receiver influences the kind of
communication media to use.
4. Confidentiality: Some
messages are confidential and should be read or heard by the intended recipient
while others are less private. A letter for instance would be used for
confidential messages while memos, notices and oral messages can be used for
less confidential messages.
5. Cost:
The channel selected should be cost effective in terms of time and money.
6. Speed:
The urgency of the message is important. The channel selected should be
appropriate to deliver the message within the expected time span. Speed is
usually linked with cost too.
7. Availability:
The channel selected should be available both to the sender and the receiver.
Stages in the communication process
Communication
Process can be defined as a procedure that is used to impart a message or
information from a sender to a receiver by using a medium of communication. The
message goes through five stages when it is sent by the sender to the receiver.
These
stages are as follows:-
Sender:
The sender is the entity that conveys or sends the message. At this stage, an
idea, thought or feeling is formulated in the mind of the sender as a result of
an external of internal stimulus or motivation.
Message: Is
what is being transmitted from sender to receiver.
Encoding:
Encoding is a process through which the message is symbolized. It involves
giving the message a communication form.
Channel:
Channel is the medium through which message is being sent. The sender selects
the most appropriate and effective vehicle that will deliver the message to the
receiver. Communication channels may include websites, letters, email, phone
conversations, video conferences and face-to-face meetings.
Effective
communication relies on selecting an appropriate communication channel for your
message. Selecting the wrong communication channel can cause communication
obstacles including information overload and inadequate feedback. The
effectiveness of communication channels can be evaluated based on richness and
opportunity for feedback. Richness refers to the depth of your message. For
instance, the Encyclopedia of Business names face-to-face communication as the
richest communication medium. Face-to-face encounters allow the listener to
hear your message, as well as sense your tone of voice and watch your facial
expressions to determine the meaning of your message.
Face-to-face
communication also allows for instant feedback, unlike communication mediums
like letters and emails.
Receiver: Is
the entity that receives the message.
Decoding:
Decoding is the process in which the message is translated and meaning is
generated out of it. Feedback: Is the
process through which receiver sends his response.
Ways to improve in your communication skills
In the company of experience and carry out, you can learn and
improve your communication skills. Start by identifying your strengths and then
practice and develop those areas.
1. Use and read body language
2. Becalm and consistent
3. Observed a good speaker around
4. Ask professional constructive criticism
5. Put into practice good communication habits
6. Use to communication skills workshops and classes
7. Seek mediums to communicate frequently
8. Communicating effectively in your environment and place of
work
1. Use and read body language: Body language is a key part of communication in the workplace. Pay close attention to the messages people are sending with their facial expressions and movements. You should also pay close attention to the way you might be communicating (intentionally or not) with your own body language.
2. Becalm and consistent: When there is a disagreement or conflict, it can be easy to bring emotion into your communications. It is important to remain calm when communicating with others in the workplace. Be aware of your body language by not crossing your arms or rolling your eyes. Maintaining consistent body language and keeping an even tone of voice can help you reach a conclusion peacefully and productively.
3. Observed a good speaker around: Identify professionals, family and friends who consistently communicate ideas and information clearly with respect, empathy and confidence. Observe and take notes on the specific ways they communicate with others.
4. Ask professional constructive criticism: It can be hard to know how you are perceived as a communicator. To get an objective opinion, ask a trusted friend for their honest feedback. Understanding your areas of improvement for communication can help you identify what to focus on.
5. Put into practice good communication habits: Many communication skills are habits you have developed over time. You can improve those skills by practicing new habits that make you a better communicator. That might include being more responsive to communications when they are sent, reminding yourself to give eye contact, practicing giving positive feedback and asking questions in conversations.
6. Use to communication skills workshops and classes: There are several online and offline seminars, workshops and classes that can help you be a better communicator. These classes may include instruction, role-play, written assignments and open discussions.
7. Seek mediums to communicate frequently: Seek out opportunities both on and off the job that require you to use communication skills. This will help you keep good skills fresh while also allowing you the opportunity to practice new skills.
8. Communicating effectively in your environment and place of work: While there are several communication skills you will use in different scenarios, there are a few ways you can be an effective communicator at work and every place you find yourself.