Download Communication

EFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATION
SKILLS
STEPHEN NJUGUNA
Objectives
After going through this unit you should be able
to:
• Understand the process of communication;
• Identify different styles of communication and
use them in appropriate situations;
• Develop your presentation skills and listening
skills;
• Improve your communication skills when you
communicate with your peers, colleagues,
customers and social circle.
Communication
• Transferring information from one part of the business
to another that leads to some outcome, changed
behaviour or changed practice
• “the social glue … that continues to keep the
organization tied together”
• A transactional process that involves an exchange of
ideas, information, feelings, attitudes or beliefs and
impressions.
Communication
• A cultural interaction with people in groups for
conversing and sharing ideas in social gatherings.
• A disseminating process that involves passing on
information to the masses through media.
• Formal Communication – established and agreed
procedures
• Informal Communication – channels not formally
recognised – ‘the grapevine’
Communication Process
• The communication process for business
organizations
is
much
like
the
communication process between other
individuals and groups.
Steps in Communication Process
• Idea-Information exists in the mind of the sender
• Encoding- Putting the idea (thought) in a form that the
receiver will understand.
• The channel- medium that the sender uses to transmit
the message to the receiver
• Decoding-Interpreting the message by the receiver
• Feedback- to show that the message has been
understood
Flow of Communication
• Downwardemployees
from
• Upwardfrom
management
management
employees
to
to
the
the
• Horizontal-same levels of hierarchy in an
organization
Flow of Communication
• Diagonal- between a manager and
employees of other workgroups
• External- between a manager and
external groups such as - suppliers,
vendors, banks, financial institutes
Styles of Communication
• Aggressive
• Passive
• Assertive
Styles of Communication
Aggressive Style:
• One always stands up for own’s rights. Sometimes in
violation of other’s rights.
• They give the impression of being superior in attitude,
domineering and self-important.
• They think their feelings are more important than
those of other people.
• They ignore or dismiss the needs, wants and opinions,
feelings or beliefs of others.
• These types of communicators often face disrespect
from others.
Styles of Communication
Passive Style:
• Communicator put others’ rights before his and thus
reduce his own self-worth.
• They always consider themselves to be inferior to
others.
• They fail to express their needs, wants, feelings,
opinions and beliefs and express them apologetically.
• They have an overly soft voice with an apologetic
demeanor.
• They suffer from poor self-esteem and are heavily
dependent on others for support and recognition.
Styles of Communication
Assertive Style
• Communicator stands up for owns rights while having
respect for other people’s rights.
• They give equal importance to both others’ as well as
to their own rights. They deal with people on equal
terms.
• They exude confidence in whatever they do and always
own up responsibility for their actions.
• These people are positive with a high self-esteem. As
they give respect to all they also get it back in
abundance.
Good Communication Skills For A Manager
• Acknowledge others communicating with you
verbally and non-verbally.
• Give examples: Using personal experiences is a
helpful way to communicate your ideas.
• Maintain a positive attitude: communicate with
a positive attitude whenever you speak. People
will be more interested in what you say.
Good Communication Skills For A Manager
• Listen actively: Listening is the key in developing
any type of relationship.
• Interpret: Read between the lines of what is
being said. Some people have a hard time
expressing themselves. You can help them by
trying to interpret what they mean.
How to communicate in different situations
Face-to-face:
• Be simple and direct in your responses.
• Match your non verbal cues with what you are
saying. Use hand gestures or other body
language to give a positive impression about
your intent.
• Even if you disagree about something, say so in
clear terms but use appropriate language
without getting too personal.
• Stay focused on the topic, not on the person.
How to communicate in different situations
Public Speaking:
• Prepare, if you have the time, with good
research and mentally organize your thoughts.
• Use audio-visual aids to support what you want
to say.
• Make eye contact with different members of the
audience but do not stay focused on one person.
How to communicate in different situations
• Avoid long winded sentences.
• Do not show impatience even if the audience
asks simple questions to issues that you may
have discussed in your speech.
• Treat the audience with respect.
How to communicate in different situations
Meetings:
•Whether you are chairing a meeting or
participating in it, follow certain protocol to
ensure that the meeting achieves its objective.
•First understand the objective of the meeting.
•If chairing, it is your responsibility to ensure that
the objective is clearly articulated.
How to communicate in different situations
Meetings:
• Explain why the participants are present and
their role in the meeting.
• As a participant, you must use active
listening skills and demonstrate your interest
in the topic with appropriate body language.
• Do not get too personal.
Effective communication helps the business in:
• Saving time
• Efficient utilization of Resources
• Effective coordination and issuing
instructions
Barriers to effective communication
• Ability of the sender to understand the
message.
• Content – including technicalities and jargon
• Method of communication – including style
and body language where appropriate
• Skills and attitude of the receiver
Barriers to effective communication
• Organisational factors – complexity of the
organisation, scope of the organisation
• Inappropriate target for the message
• Technical capabilities – ICT
Class Exercise
Personal Experience
• Share with the class instances where
ineffective communication has been a
cost to your business.
• From this experience what have you
started doing differently to avoid the same
experience?
THANK YOU