Download EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Soft Skills and Effective
Communication Skills
Workshop Contents
Workshop Objectives
1. Introduction to ‘Soft Skills’
2. Effective Communication Skills.
What do companies look for in candidates?
What do recruiters look for in a
candidate?

Technical Skills

Soft Skills
What are Technical Skills?
Technical Skills
Technical skills teach one how to meet
the expectations of the job.

It is not possible to survive in a job
without sound technical skills.

What are ‘Soft Skills’?
Soft Skills
‘Soft Skills’ are essentially people skills -the
non-technical, intangible, personalityspecific skills.
‘Hard skills’, on the other hand, are more
along the lines of what might appear on
your resume - your education, experience
and level of expertise.
What skills qualify as ‘Soft
Skills’?
Skills that qualify as soft skills
Communication
Skills – Oral &
Written
Problem Solving Skills
Time Management
Interpersonal
Skills
Analytical Thinking
Leadership Skills
Assertiveness
Ability to work
under pressure
Team work
Personal
Grooming
Flexibility
Conflict Resolution
Self Awareness
Initiative
Integrity
Listening Skills
Work Ethics
Risk Taking
Skills
Commitment
Creativity
Diplomacy
Soft skills are
The hardest to acquire
Impossible to practice
Unless these become habits
Importance of Soft Skills
Importance of soft skills
When it comes to skills other than technical,
the unanimous response from the industry is
communication skills and good
personality
(Manpower requirement findings)
Soft Skills Vs. Technical Skills
Which is more important?
Technical skills Vs. Soft Skills
Both technical and soft skills complement
each other and the balance between these
two is what makes a complete professional
Now let’s look at one of the most
important soft skill……
Effective Communication Skills
You can have brilliant ideas, but if you
can’t get them across, your ideas won’t
get you anywhere
Lee Iacocca
Definition of Communication
Communication
Communication is a two
way process

Communication is the
transfer of information from
one person to another

Barriers of Communication
Barriers of Communication

Physical factors

Psychological factors

Other factors
3 rules of
Effective Communication
3 Rules of Effective Communication
Be clear in you own mind
about what you want to
communicate

Deliver the message
clearly

Ensure that the message
has been clearly and
correctly understood

Types of
Communication
Types of Communication
1) Verbal
2) Non-verbal
Golden rules of verbal communication
Golden Rules of Verbal Communication
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Think before you talk
Know your message
Get to the point quickly
Know the outcome you want from the
conversation
Practice the art of persuasion
Plan in advance what you want to say
Know something about the people you will be
talking to
How to communicate effectively?
How to communicate effectively?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Control fear
Establish eye contact with the listener
Find out what your listener wants
Listen carefully
Think before you talk
Have belief in your message
Use gestures effectively
Pause at the right place
Reiterate the major points
Avoid acronyms and jargon
Handle objections
Ask for feedback
Now let’s look at each one of
them in detail….
How to control fear
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Take a deep breath, relax and be yourself
Focus on the
 Listener (not yourself)
 Message (not words)
 Success (not alternatives)
Visualize a positive outcome
Do your homework, know what you want to say
Keep negative thoughts under control
Establish eye contact with the listener

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Very important to get feedback for non verbal
cues
Helps you to adjust your conversation
according to the visual feedback you get
For example, if you get a quizzical look, you
can clarify or ask questions to ensure proper
understanding by the listener
Find out what your listener wants

Ask questions and listen to the responses

Use open-ended questions
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Rephrase questions to ensure better
understanding
Offer suggestions/alternatives for the listener to
evaluate
Define terms to avoid misunderstanding
How to listen effectively

The real art of verbal communication is
talking while listening

Allow the other person to speak
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Respect the other person’s point of view

Listen actively instead of only hearing
Think before you talk
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Improves the chance of persuading the other
person to your point of view
Pause, think and consider what you want to say
Choose appropriate words to communicate the
meaning clearly
Decide the tone of your voice
Decide the outcome of the conversation
If possible, learn about your audience in advance
Have belief in your message

The crux of successful communication

Speak with conviction and passion
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Be as natural as you can be with your feelings,
body language and tone
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Show enthusiasm

Avoid faking or putting on an act
Use gestures effectively
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Gestures are facial expressions, hand and
body movements used in communication
They make the communication process livelier
They can be used to support or emphazie a
point
Reiterate major points
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Reinforces your main points and enables
information retention by the listener
Know what you want to emphazise
Reiterate it during the conversation in different
ways
Ask the listener for feedback tactfully
Frame questions to ensure that the listener has
understood your main points
Avoid acronyms and jargon
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Use acronyms sparingly as they might not be
understood by everybody
If it has to be used, then define it and proceed
Avoid jargon to ensure that you don’t exclude your
listener from the communication process
If you have to use jargon, slow down speech and
look for visual feedback to ensure understanding
Be sensitive to your listener’s ability to understand
your message
Handle objections
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To avoid future barriers in the communication
process
Avoid quick judgements. Put yourself in the
other’s shoes.
Be fair in handling objections.
Understand that objections are not personal
attacks and are against a point being made
Do not get emotional
You can pre-empt an objection and support it with
your points
Ask for feedback
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To ensure that there is no confusion
Ask general questions like “Am I making myself
clear?”
Ask specific questions like “From what I
understand from our conversation….is that
right?”
Give further explanation if there is any
misunderstanding
Implementing Effective
Communication
Implementing Effective Communication

Choosing the right environment

Using language appropriate to your audience

Being balanced in your thinking
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Curtailing excessive use of humour
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Avoiding the usage of controversial language
Implementing Effective Communication
(Contd…)
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Being empathetic
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Being a good listener
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Not indulging in cross conversation
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Not arguing
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Not letting ego come in the way
How to be a better
communicator?
What you can do to be a better
communicator
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Increase your vocabulary
Read – no shortcuts here
Keep up-to-date with current events
Read inspirational books
Avoid audible pauses like “ah”, “er”, “um”
Practice pronouncing words properly
Speak neither too slowly nor too fast
Watch the tone of your voice
What you can do to be a better
communicator (Contd…)
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Adjust the volume of your voice according
to the situation
Get to the point quickly
Use gender neutral language
Illustrate with personal examples
Be concise and simple
Simple tips that you can follow….
Simple tips to improve your English
communication skills
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Watch an English news channel everyday – NDTV,
Headlines Today, etc
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Read an English newspaper everyday
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Pay attention to the way words are pronounced
Helps to increase your general knowledge indirectly
if possible read loudly by locking yourself in a room
Helps you to hear and understand how you pronounce
words
Make it a point to speak to your friends/siblings in
English at home/college.
Begin reading light fiction if you do not have the
habit of reading books.
Any Questions???
Thank You!