Download Effective Communication for Colleges

Chapter 4
Communication:
The Essential Skill
Chapter 4 Objectives
• Explain the communication process.
• Discuss the factors that impact communication.
• Make your communication skills work for you.
• Describe how technology is changing worker
communication.
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The Importance of Communication
• Communication is the process by which we exchange
information through a common system of symbols,
signs, or behavior.
• The four communication skills: listening, speaking,
writing, reading
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The Importance of Communication
(cont.)
• Communication problems occur often:
 People hear incorrectly 75 percent of the time.
 They don’t accurately remember 75 percent of what they
hear within three weeks.
 Communication problems account for as much as 80
percent of problems at work.
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The Importance of Communication
(cont.)
• Employers look for employees who have strong
communication skills.
• Year after year, communications skills rank among
the top skills employers want most.
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The Importance of Communication
(cont.)
• Effective communicators understand when to use
impersonal, interpersonal, and personal
communication.
 Impersonal communication normally refers to items such
as reports.
 Interpersonal communication involves communicating or
networking with others.
 Personal communication should be used carefully in a work
environment.
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The Importance of Communication
(cont.)
Communication Flow
• The communication process includes three
elements:
 The message is the content of the communication.
 The sender is the person who transmits the message.
 The receiver is the person to whom the message is sent.
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Figure 4.1
Communication Process
MEDIA
Clarity
Appropriateness
Impact
IDEA
SENDER
MESSAGE
RECEIVER
FEEDBACK
PERSONAL FRAME OF REFERENCE
Values, Opinions, Attitudes, Interests, Knowledge, etc.
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The Importance of Communication
(cont.)
Communication Flow (cont.)
• Communication can be verbal or nonverbal.
 Verbal communication is either spoken or written, such as
questions and responses.
 Nonverbal examples are nodding, smiling, or frowning.
• Communication can be one way or two way.
 One-way communication—a formal speech, bulletin, or
report
 Two-way communication—a discussion or an instant
message
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The Importance of Communication
(cont.)
Communication Flow (cont.)
• Feedback is used to determine that the correct
message has been received.
• To be most effective, feedback should be timely,
frequent, and precise.
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The Importance of Communication
(cont.)
Communication Flow (cont.)
• Ways of obtaining feedback effectively:
 Ask questions to determine if the receiver has understood.
 Ask the receiver to restate what you have said.
 Watch for nonverbal signs of understanding or confusion.
 Request a written response to a written request.
 Follow up with your request.
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Factors That Hinder Good Communication
• Semantics
• Failure to recognize
• Emotions
changes
• Poor organization of
ideas
• Information overload
• Role expectations
• Personality and
appearance
• Prejudice
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Factors That Hinder Good Communication
(cont.)
Time
• Frequent tardiness will cause others to view you as
disorganized, disrespectful, and even rude.
• Being punctual can enhance your communication,
relationships, and professional image.
Timing
• Choose the proper time to communicate.
• Keep your supervisor informed in a timely manner.
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Factors That Hinder Good Communication
(cont.)
Context
• Consider the context of a message along with its
other components to interpret it more accurately.
Medium
• The medium is the form in which a message is
communicated.
• Consider not only what medium is suitable, but also
what medium the receiver prefers.
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Factors That Hinder Good Communication
(cont.)
Humor
• Humor can be a helpful part of your communication.
• If you use humor inappropriately or thoughtlessly,
you risk causing offense, embarrassment, and
misunderstanding.
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Making Your Communications Skills Work
Listening Skills
• The most important communication skill is the
ability to listen.
• Good listening skills are required at every level of an
organization.
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Making Your Communications Skills Work
(cont.)
Listening Skills (cont.)
• Barriers to listening:
 Lack of interest in the subject/speaker
 Outside noises, distractions, fatigue
 Limited vocabulary of sender and/or receiver
 Poor delivery of message
 Thinking ahead to a response
 Speaker’s or listener’s lack of knowledge
 Prejudices, or hearing what we want to hear
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Making Your Communications Skills Work
(cont.)
Listening Skills (cont.)
• Become a better listener by using active listening.
• Active listening is a conscious effort to hear what
someone is saying and to be aware of what that
person is communicating nonverbally.
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Making Your Communications Skills Work
(cont.)
Listening Skills (cont.)
• To strengthen listening skills:
 Give the speaker your undivided attention.
 Keep your thoughts in the present.
 Avoid prejudging the speaker.
 Eliminate distractions.
 Ask for clarifications.
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Making Your Communications Skills Work
(cont.)
Listening Skills (cont.)
• To strengthen listening skills (cont.):
 Be ready to give feedback.
 Watch for nonverbal communication.
 Avoid unnecessary note taking.
 Listen for major ideas.
 Be sincere and attentive.
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Making Your Communications Skills Work
(cont.)
Speaking Skills
• Spoken communication is any message sent or
received through oral words.
• Effective spoken communication is clear, direct, and
to the point.
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Figure 4.5
Spoken Communication
Guidelines for Effective Spoken Communication
Voice
Your voice should be pleasant and appropriate for the
situation.
Respect for the listener Avoid wasting the listener’s time. Plan ahead what you are
going to say. Avoid vague or rambling sentences.
Clear word choice
Use descriptive, specific verbs, adverbs, and adjectives.
Choose words that you are sure your audience will
understand. Use slang and jargon sparingly and carefully.
Grammar
Always use correct grammar
“I” phrases
When expressing your opinion, begin your message with “I
think,” “I believe,” “I feel,” etc.
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Making Your Communications Skills Work
(cont.)
Speaking Skills (cont.)
• Choose the right level of communication:
 First level—conventional or cliché or cocktail conversation
 Second level—exploratory communication about facts or
other people
 Third level—participative communication about yourself
 Last level—free sharing, in which you share your more
personal thoughts and feelings
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Making Your Communications Skills Work
(cont.)
Speaking Skills (cont.)
• Respect confidentiality:
 Being discreet is important in human relations at work, as
well as in personal relationships.
 Knowing when not to speak will help identify you as a
person who understands and respects confidences.
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Making Your Communications Skills Work
(cont.)
Speaking Skills (cont.)
• To improve spoken communications:
 Know when to just listen.
 Question assumptions.
 Tell the truth.
 Think before speaking.
 If you’re an unhappy customer, use expressions such as
“I’m not upset or angry at you, but I am very upset.”
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Making Your Communications Skills Work
(cont.)
Written Communication Skills
• Writing is a basic and frequent form of
communication.
• Good writing skills are essential to career success.
• The purpose of writing is to communicate, not
impress.
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Making Your Communications Skills Work
(cont.)
Written Communication Skills (cont.)
• While preparing a written communication:
 Think about your recipients.
 Organize your thoughts.
 Make an outline or a list of points.
• While writing the communication:
 Keep sentence length between 15 and 20 words.
 Keep it short and simple.
 Use active and passive voice appropriately.
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Making Your Communications Skills Work
(cont.)
Written Communication Skills (cont.)
• After writing, check the 5 Cs of communication rule.
Is my writing:
 Clear
 Correct
 Concise
 Complete
 Courteous
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Making Your Communications Skills Work
(cont.)
Written Communication Skills (cont.)
• For formal communications, use a standard business
format appropriate for the document.
• In any written communication, including e-mail, use
your software’s spell and grammar checker.
• Proofread carefully after spell checking.
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Making Your Communications Skills Work
(cont.)
Written Communication Skills (cont.)
• Suggestions for appropriate e-mail messages:
 Be courteous, brief, and specific. Use only one subject per




e-mail.
Don’t write something you wouldn’t want to be made
public.
Read the message for clarity before sending it.
Don’t immediately send or respond to an angry message.
Don’t send jokes or chain letters without permission.
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Making Your Communications Skills Work
(cont.)
Nonverbal Communication
• Nonverbal communication is communication
without words.
• Meaning is conveyed through:
 Body language and gestures
 Tone of voice
 Positioning, posture, and haste
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Making Your Communications Skills Work
(cont.)
Nonverbal Communication (cont.)
• Nonverbal transmitters include:
 Posture while sitting and standing
 Facial expressions
 Eye contact
 Voice
 Body movements
 Personal space
 Seating
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Making Your Communications Skills Work
(cont.)
Nonverbal Communication (cont.)
• Enhance nonverbal communication by:
 Acting confident
 Getting people to open up to you
• Nonverbal behaviors such as closeness or touching
may be misinterpreted at work.
• Nonverbal communication varies from culture to
culture.
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Making Your Communications Skills Work
(cont.)
Professional Presentation Skills
• Ability to make effective presentations is a
communication skill growing in importance.
• Making an effective presentation requires speaking,
listening, and nonverbal skills.
• Presentations also require writing and technology
skills to organize the presentation and create
effective presentations or visual aids.
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Making Your Communications Skills Work
(cont.)
Professional Presentation Skills (cont.)
• Guidelines for creating effective presentations:
 Analyze your audience.
 Determine your goal.
 Do your homework and research your topic.
 Develop confidence by preparing carefully.
 Plan how to deliver your presentation.
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Making Your Communications Skills Work
(cont.)
Professional Presentation Skills (cont.)
• Guidelines for creating effective presentations
(cont.):
 Make a good first impression.
 Keep your audience in mind.
 Use visual aids that are appropriate, short, and to the
point.
 Consider nonverbal aspects of the message.
 Have fun!
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Technology and Worker Communication
• Technology is changing how people communicate at
work.
• Common work technologies include:
 Voice mail
 Text-based messaging
 E-mail
 Fax
 Teleconferencing/videoconferencing/Web conferencing
 Social computing
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Technology and Worker Communication
(cont.)
• Suggestions for intelligent business communications:
 Make your telephone a human relations tool.
 Know when using the telephone or face-to-face
communication is preferable to e-mail.
 Resist the urge to respond quickly when angry.
 Anything you send electronically could be broadly
distributed or reach unintended recipients.
 Be careful what you post on social networks.
 Use communication technologies prudently and safely.
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Key Terms
• Communication
• Context
• Message
• Medium
• Sender
• Active listening
• Receiver
• Spoken communication
• Feedback
• 5 C’s of communication
• Semantics
• Nonverbal
• Information overload
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communication
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