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Communication skills
Why we communicate
2
How we communicate
2
Effective communication
3
Interpersonal skills
4
Active listening
5
When to use active listening skills
5
Barriers to active listening
6
Seeking clarification
6
Checking and following a sequence
7
Self-esteem
7
Effective questioning
8
Non-verbal communication
8
Verbal and non-verbal signals
9
Personal presentation
9
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© NSW DET 2006
Communication skills
We communicate with many people—at work, at study, in the community,
and in our personal lives.
Interpersonal communication skills are essential for establishing positive
relationships with others. Effective communicators are able to use assertive
behaviour, active listening, effective questioning, non-verbal
communication, and verbal communication.
Why we communicate
Our reasons for communicating can include:

solving problems or making decisions

gathering information

promoting or selling a product

negotiating agreements

speaking in a meeting or making a presentation

giving instructions or supervising people

writing letters and emails

making phone calls or answering enquiries.
How we communicate
We communicate by telephone, email, face-to-face conversation, gestures,
graphics, formal speeches and presentations. How we communicate varies
according to need, purpose and situation.


verbal communication:
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face-to-face
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by telephone
-
use of two way radio, etc
non-verbal communication:
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gestures
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
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body language
-
signals
-
signs
-
diagrams, etc
written communication:
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memos
-
instructions
-
forms
-
faxes
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SMS
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email, etc.
Effective communication
Effective communication is when the desired or intended result occurs
during an exchange of information between individuals. This is what we
need to aim for in any business; for this reason, it is important that you are
always courteous and positive in your interaction.
Interacting courteously
In your work as an animal attendant, no matter which workplace you work
in, you be communicating with a lot of different people in different roles.
Interacting courteously and positively is important for building good
relationships with people. Here are some important considerations.

Respect others: Have respect for the different workplace roles. A
good way of showing respect is by not passing judgment.

Empathise: Try to understand how others feel and think even if you
disagree—in other words, 'walk in the other person's shoes'.

Be honest: Acknowledge when you make a mistake. Be open in
discussing how certain decisions may impact on you. Raise issues
that concern you.
Interacting with co-workers

Work cooperatively: This mean working in harmony with people so
that the overall goal of the team is achieved. Be prepared to 'lend a
hand' even if the task is not in your job description.

Show loyalty: Don't spread gossip and respect confidentiality.
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
Acknowledge others: Let the employer know when you or someone
else does something well. Comment when you see something
positive.
Interacting with clients or customers

Maintain confidentiality: Services, products and information that
clients receive and treatment of their pets/animals should not be
discussed outside work. Not only is it disrespectful, legally it is a
breach of privacy.

Use discretion: Be discreet when discussing customer needs. Take
care that others cannot overhear you and don't use expressions that
blame the clients or make them look bad.

Build rapport: This is a vital part of ensuring your clients' attention,
loyalty and satisfaction. Use warm greetings.
Greeting clients or customers courteously

Give prompt attention: This is imperative. When a client arrives,
always excuse yourself when attending to another client, to greet and
quickly ascertain the newly arrived client’s needs. This shows the
new client that you know they are there and will be as quick as
possible to meet their needs.

Ask for information courteously: When getting the clients' details,
purpose of visit and their animals' details (if applicable) try to make
it part of a friendly conversation, not an inquisition.

Address the client or customer: Use the name of client when
appropriate.

Offer help: Offer to help clients by inviting them to tell you what it
is they would like, for example, 'How may I help you?' or 'What can
we do for you today?'
Interpersonal skills
Interpersonal communication skills are essential for establishing positive
relationships with others. Effective communicators use:

assertive behaviour—eg listen actively, ask appropriate questions,
share ideas and feelings and let others do the same

active listening—eg take turns, don’t interrupt, ask questions and
paraphrase to show interest and understanding

effective questioning—eg question to show interest and
understanding, use open, closed and probing questions
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
non-verbal communication—eg look the person in the eye, nod to
show understanding and respect people’s personal space

verbal communication—eg speak clearly and at a suitable level, use
a positive tone, and use inclusive language.
Active listening
Good communicators are active listeners. Active listening means you are:

hearing what others are saying rather than just thinking about your
reply

asking questions for clarification

using appropriate non-verbal communication, such as eye contact.
You can learn to be an active listener by practising three main skills—the
FAR strategy:

Following: This includes using conversation openers, inviting people
to share ideas and feelings, asking few questions, nodding, looking
at the person, giving ‘minimal responses like ‘mmm’, ‘yeah’, ‘aha’,
asking questions about what they are talking about.

Attending: This means not thinking about other things or
interrupting the speaker, showing physical attention by using eye
contact and open posture, ignoring distractions in the environment,
taking notes if necessary—eg a complaint, give them time to talk.

Reflecting: This includes paraphrasing, clarifying, reflecting feelings
and meanings, summarising, paraphrase or say the same thing but in
your own words.
Remember the letters FAR—Following, Attending and Reflecting.
When to use active listening skills
With customers, you will need active listening skills when:

greeting warmly

finding out what they want

arranging appointments

negotiating changes in appointment times due to emergencies

getting instructions about what they want done with their pet

getting information about the pet’s symptoms
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
getting directions to their property when the vet needs to do a farm
visit

dealing with complaints, perhaps about a bill or some other
misunderstanding

dealing with their distress or grief over a sick, dying or dead pet

taking messages from them.
With colleagues or co-workers, you will need active listening skills when:

getting instructions when they need you to help with a sick or injured
animal

getting information about their work loads or availability

participating in meetings

resolving conflicts, perhaps when they or you think someone is not
doing their job properly or not ‘pulling their weight’

generally interacting and building relationships.
With supervisors, you will need active listening skills when:

following any instructions or procedures

negotiating work rosters or holidays

negotiating changes to rosters

participating in meetings

resolving conflicts, perhaps about job allocation.
Barriers to active listening
The following need to be avoided when trying to listen actively:

distractions—eg noise, personal concerns or interruptions

assumptions—assuming we know what the other person means
without checking

responding to the way a speaker is behaving rather than to what they
are saying—eg, it can be harder to listen when someone is being
aggressive.
Seeking clarification
It is important to ask questions and clarify any information, instructions or
procedures you are not clear about. This is important whether the
information or instructions or procedures are in spoken or in written form
and whether it has come from a client, your supervisor or a colleague.
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Checking and following a sequence
The sequence is an important aspect of any instructions or procedures where
there are several steps involved. For example, think about the steps that are
involved in putting together a pamphlet about caring for a particular breed
of animal. Some steps might include:
1.
Researching the topic
2.
Categorising and sequencing the information
3.
Creating headings
4.
Including an introduction and a section about where to go for further
help
5.
Drafting the pamphlet
6.
Checking and finalising the draft
7.
Making copies of the pamphlet.
As you can see, there is a sequence involved. Your supervisor might want
you to do all of this and in this order, but then again, maybe not—so, clarify
what is expected. Examples of what you might need to clarify:

Length: How many pages or paragraphs should the pamphlet be?

Time frame: When does the pamphlet need to be completed by?

Topics: What types of information should be covered? Should there
be any pictures included?

Presentation: Should the pamphlet be typed and in black and white
or colour?
Self-esteem
Self-esteem is the amount of respect people have for themselves. It is a sign
of how people will behave in different situations and lets others know what
to expect in a relationship. Self-esteem gives a message to others about how
much a person values themselves and what they expect from others in terms
of respect and fairness.
Generally speaking, people with high self-esteem tend to be assertive, while
people with low self-esteem tend to be aggressive or passive. Assertive
behaviour is often preferred because it helps people build good relationships
and helps to create a positive, open environment. It follows then, that we
should develop our self-esteem and encourage others to do the same.
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© NSW DET 2006
Effective questioning
Questioning brings together the important skills of speaking and listening.
Asking effective questions can help develop active listening or with gaining
clearer information.
Effective communicators use different types of questions to suit the situation
and purpose. They think about how to ask the question, not just what the
question is about. They also think about what type of question will be
suitable for the situation, the relationship between the sender and receiver,
their cultural values and their attitudes.
Three main question types are:

Closed: This is used to get single facts, confirm or check information
or refocus a conversation, eg ‘Have you finished the draft of the
newsletter yet?’

Open: These questions are used to explore and encourage a detailed
answer or get a conversation going, eg ‘Do you think you’ll finish
soon?’

Probing: These questions are used to get specific information often
after a closed question—eg ‘What needs to be done to get it ready?’
Non-verbal communication
We communicate with others using words—verbal communication—and
other signals—non-verbal communication. Non-verbal communication
includes:

body language—eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, the way
we stand or sit, and how far we stand from people

voice—tone, pitch and expression, volume and speed, emphasis and
intonation

others—dress and grooming, spatial arrangements (eg between
furniture), design or decor of a room, signs or symbols in a room.
We are not always able to tell what people want to communicate by what
they say or how they look. We need to interpret both their verbal and nonverbal signals. This may vary according to cultural background, so being
sensitive will avoid communication breakdowns.
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© NSW DET 2006
Verbal and non-verbal signals
To understand a message, we need to understand both the verbal and nonverbal signals in any communication. This helps to build understanding with
other people, develop relationships and reduce conflict.
Difficulties can arise:

when the verbal and non-verbal signals do not seem to match—eg if
you nod but don’t agree or understand

if the non-verbal signals are difficult to interpret

if the words used are unfamiliar.
We need to seek feedback and combine verbal and non-verbal cues to build
shared understanding.
Personal presentation
Because your personal presentation reflects on the organisation, it is
important that you communicate the message your employer wants.
Personal presentation includes:

Dress: You will need to follow your company policy on dress.

Grooming: This includes dress, cleanliness and style.

Facial expression: This can covey a positive attitude and confidence.

Posture: Monitor your posture through the day as it can convey how
you are feeling.
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© NSW DET 2006