Effective Communication Skills
Communication is an effective tool to impart Education. A good Communication skill is
an asset to a professional and the need of the hour. It is an art of transforming
information, ideas and attitudes from one to the other. It’s a personal, social and
emotional process which needs change in behavior, to influence others, to express
thoughts and emotions, to control and motivate people. Today in this competitive world
an effective and skilful communicator can stand apart with a difference.
There are various ways of communication. Communication doesn’t mean only writing
and speaking – it includes a plethora of human activities. Body language plays a pivotal
role which includes how one dress, walks, sits and communicates with the other person.
It reflects ones mood, personality, self esteem, temperaments and above all the image
in the society.
Good and effective communication is the process of establishing commonness through
movement of idea, thoughts, feelings, emotions etc. from one to the other or between
groups of persons. In other words, it is an exchange of thoughts, information and
emotions, resulting in a shared understanding.
Types of Communication
Downwards Communication:: It is highly directive, from senior to subordinates, teachers
to students, to assign duties, give instructions, to inform, to offer feed back, approval to
highlight problems etc.
Upwards Communications: It is non directive in nature from down below, to give
feedback, to inform about progress/problems, seeking approvals.
Lateral or Horizontal Communication: It is among colleagues, peers at the same level,
for information sharing for coordination, to save time.
The Communication Process:
SENDER (encodes) sends the message through appropriate medium of communication
the RECEIVER (decodes) receives the message and gives the Feedback/Response.
Barriers to Communication:
Noise
Inappropriate medium
Assumptions/Misconceptions
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Emotions
Language differences
Poor listening skills
Distractions
Hearing Vs Listening:
Hearing is physical process but it is natural & passive whereas listening is a physical as
well as a mental process which requires active and learned process. It is a skill. Listening
is indeed tough. One has to make an effort to participate in the process of listening.
Value of Listening
Listening is an active & positive activity. It is an elegant art and it reflects courtesy and
good manners. Attentive listening can improve social relations and conversation. Giving
a positive ear to the superiors/subordinates improves competence, performance &
assures success. Good listening eliminates imaginary grievances of
employees/employer.
Essentials of communications: Do’s
Increase knowledge.
Think & speak.
Use simple words and phrases.
Speak clear and loud.
Check twice with the listener if you are understood If interrupted, do a little
recap.
Pay undivided attention to the speaker while listening.
Make notes of important points.
Ask for clarification if needed.
Don'ts
Do not react and mutter in anger.
Avoid technical terms & terminologies not understood by majority.
Maintain a moderate speed.
Do not assume that everybody understands you.
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Avoid glancing here and there as it distracts the listener.
Do not interrupt the speaker.
Do not jump to conclusion.
Do not finish other’s sentences.
Do not rush to prepare the response before someone is done with speaking.
Never filter the content or meaning based on the speaker.
Do not speak for others.
Tips for improving Communicating Skills:
Read a lot
Language: Pronunciation, Accent, Modulation, Intonation
Vocabulary
Appropriate Body Language
Listen & observe more
Avoid reading, watching, listening unwanted literature, gossip, media
presentation etc.
Interact with qualitative people.
Practice meditation & good thoughts.
Think & speak.
Do not speak to impress someone.
Speak in natural tone for a warm rapport.
Add appropriate humor to lighten the tension.
Tips to Improve Body Language: -
Keep appropriate distance.
Touch only when appropriate.
Be aware - people may get false clues.
Maintain eye contact.
Be presentable & confident.
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Smile genuinely.
Keep appropriate distance.
Touch only when appropriate.
Be aware - people may get false clues.
Maintain eye contact.
Be presentable & confident.
Ignite the spark.
Positive vibes from teachers is a MUST.
Body language equally important with verbal interaction.
Expressions as well as gestures play magic.
Be a role model & children will follow.
Be a Pied Piper
Excite, stimulate natural curiosity, imagination and creativity.
Raise self esteem and self belief to creative thinkers, self motivators & high
achieving learners.
Equip them with skills, attitudes & knowledge to meet the challenges of the
world.
Keep it Short & Simple.
“Communication should always be need based. Feedback or response
determines the communicator’s success or failure”.
“Effective communication bridges the gap between the communicators”.
“Effective communication allows healthy & successful relationship at personal as
well as professional level”.
Have you been wondering how to put together an impressively-phrased Powerpoint
presentation?
Have you been wondering how to compose an e-mail that captures your strategies and
goals effectively?
It is time you did something about it.
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As a young professional in today's global business world, it is imperative that you are
competent in both oral as well as written communication.
Important forms of oral communication at the workplace include:
Building interpersonal relationships.
Giving presentations and debating viewpoints effectively.
You need to master oral skills for both in-person and over-the-phone interactions.
Similarly, important written communication includes:
Writing professional e-mails (sans SMS slang).
Putting together concise reports.
Creating visually powerful Powerpoint presentations.
And the key to acing oral and written communication is to spruce up your
communication skills. And it is a lot easier than you think.
Here are some easy tips to do it on your own:
1. Improve pronunciation and diction
There are a few tricks to making a vernacular accent more globally understandable.
~ Try making sure that 'air' comes out of your mouth when saying the letters, 'T, P, K'
and the sound 'Ch'.
~ Focus on elongating your vowel sounds. This will also automatically slow down your
rate of speech.
~ Sing English songs out loud!
~ Watch news shows on channels like CNN and BBC.
~ The web site www.m-w.com is great for pronunciation help.
~ I would also suggest buying books on pronunciation and language that come with
audio cassettes.
A good book that I found really useful was Better English Pronunciation by J D O'Connor.
It is part of the Cambridge series, and some of those books come with cassettes.
2. Spruce up your writing skills
~ Believe it or not, you have to Read More!
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~ Well-written magazines, like The Economist and India Today, are great to read not only
to improve language skills but also to learn more about the world.
~ In terms of books, read what interests you. The basic goal is to read as much as you
can.
There are a plethora of good authors who are popular today. Some good writers whose
language is easy to follow include Vikram Seth, Jhumpa Lahiri, Paulo Coelho, J D
Salinger, Albert Camus and Roald Dahl.
~ People tend to forget basic grammar when writing e-mails. An e-mail is nothing more
than a letter which is sent electronically.
Make sure salutations and content are professional. Use special phrases when attaching
documents. For example, "Please find attached with this e-mail a report on..." This helps
you sound professional.
3. Five exercises to practise every day!
i. Pretend you are a newscaster and read out the newspaper to your mirror.
ii. Do not read local newspapers. Focus on national newspapers.
iii. While reading a book, underline all the words you do not know. Look them up in the
dictionary.
iv. Make a list of these words, and make sure you use at least five of them in a
conversation during the day.
v. Most important, make an effort to speak in English to your friends and family.
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