Communication Skills

What are communication

skills?
What are communication skills?

 Communication skills are those skills

which are needed to speak and write
properly.
 Therefore good reading, writing,
speaking and listening skills are
essential for effective communication.
What are communication skills?
 The word ‘Communication’ comes
from the Latin word commūnicāre,
meaning ‘to share.
Communication has three important
parts:
 Transmitting—The sender transmits
the message through one medium or
another.
 Listening— The receiver listens or
understands the message.
 Feedback—The receiver conveys their
understanding of the message to the
sender in the form of feedback to
complete the communication cycle
Elements of a communication cycle

 Sender: the person beginning the

communication.
 Message: the information that the sender
wants to convey.
 Channel: the means by which the
information is sent.
 Receiver: the person to whom the
message is sent.
 Feedback: the receiver’s
acknowledgement and response to the
message.
 Right Method of
communicating??
 Choosing the right method of
communication depends on:
 • target audience
 • costs
 • kind/type of information
 • urgency/priority

 The methods of communication you choose

could affect your relationship with peers,
supervisors and customers.
 It is, therefore, vital that you spend
considerable time and consider all factors
choosing the right methods to aid you in your
tasks.
Verbal Communication
 Verbal communication
Verbal communication includes sounds,
words, language, and speech.
Speaking is one of the most effective
and commonly used way of
communicating.
It helps in expressing our emotions in
words.
By improving your verbal
communication skills you will build
rapport, and have a better connect.
Verbal communication
 Advantages of Verbal Communication:
It is an easy mode of communication in which you
can exchange ideas by saying what you want and get
a quick response. Verbal communication also
enables you to keep changing your interaction as per
the other person’s response.
 Disadvantages of Verbal Communication:
Since verbal communication depends on written or
spoken words, sometimes the meanings can be
confusing and difficult to understand if the right words
are not used.
 Mastering Verbal Communication:
Most people tend to get nervous while speaking in
front of a large group, or even while speaking to their
teachers, managers or supervisors.
Non-Verbal Communication
Non-Verbal Communication
Non-verbal
communication is the
expression or exchange of
information or messages
without using any spoken
or written word.
In other words, we send
signals and messages to
others, through
expressions, gestures,
postures, touch, space,
eye contact and para
language. In this session,
Importance of Non-verbal
Communication
 In our day-to-day communication
• 55% communication is done using body movements, face, arms,
etc.
• 38% communication is done using voice, tone, pauses, etc.
• only 7% communication is done using words.
 Our message becomes more effective if we use the right
gestures while communicating.
 If we know about non-verbal communication, we can
understand our audience’s reaction and adjust our interaction
accordingly.
 Using the right gestures and postures is a sign of
professionalism and etiquette.
 If verbal messages are obstructed by noise or distance, etc.,
we can use our hand movements to exchange messages. For
example, placing a finger on the lips indicates the need for
silence while nodding the head is the same as saying ‘yes’.
Importance of Non-verbal
Communication
Visual communication??
Visual Communication
Visual communication proves to be
effective since it involves interchanging
messages only through images or
pictures and therefore, you do not need
to know any particular language for
understanding it.

It is simple and remains consistent

across different places.
Visual communication
Communication Cycle and
Importance of Feedback
 Feedback is an important part of the
communication cycle. For effective
communication, it is important that the sender
receives an acknowledgement from the receiver
about getting the message across.
 While a sender sends information, the receiver
provides feedback on the received message.
 Translated to the work environment, when you
observe someone perform their work and then,
communicate with them to help improve their
performances, you are giving feedback.

Feedback can be positive or negative.

A good feedback is always • specific • helpful • kind
Feedback
 Feedback, if shared properly, can help reinforce existing
strengths and can increase the recipient’s abilities to rectify
errors.
 It can have a long-term effect in managing and achieving
goals.
 A good feedback is one that is:
• Specific: Avoid general comments. Try to include examples to
clarify your statement. Offering alternatives rather than just
giving advice allows the receiver to decide what to do with your
feedback.
• Timely: Being prompt is the key, since feedback loses its
impact if delayed for too long.
• Polite: While it is important to share feedback, the recipient
should not feel offended by the language of the feedback.
• Offering continuing support: Feedback sharing should be a
continuous process. After offering feedback, let recipients know
you are available for support
Importance of Feedback
 It validates effective listening: The person
providing the feedback knows they have been
understood (or received) and that their feedback
provides some value.
 It motivates: Feedback can motivate people to
build better work relationships and continue the
good work that is being appreciated.
 It is always there: Every time you speak to a
person, we communicate feedback so it is
impossible not to provide one.
 It boosts learning: Feedback is important to
remain focussed on goals, plan better and develop
improved products and services.
 It improves performance: Feedback can help to
form better decisions to improve and increase
performance.
Effective communication
All the methods of communication can only
be effective if we follow the basic
principles of professional communication
skills.
These can be abbreviated as 7 Cs i.e.,
Clear, Concise, Concrete, Correct,
Coherent, Complete and Courteous
Barriers to Effective Communication
Overcoming Barriers to Effective
Communication

• Try to communicate in person as much

as possible
• Use visuals
• Take help of a translator to overcome
differences in language
• Be respectful of other’s opinions
Writing Skills: Parts of Speech

 Using capitals
 Punctuation
 Basic parts of speech
Capitalisation
Punctuation
Basic Parts of Speech
Supporting Parts of Speech Types
Writing Skills: Sentences

All English sentences

have a subject and a
verb while some also
have an object. Subject:
Person or thing that
performs an action.
Verb: Describes the
action.
Object: Person or thing
that receives the action.
Writing Skills: Sentences

 Parts of a sentence
 Types of objects
 Active and passive sentences
 Types of sentences (according to their
purpose)
 Paragraphs
In a sentence, there can be two types
of objects —Direct and Indirect.
Active and Passive Sentences

 Radha is reading a book.

 A book is being read by Radha

The action (verb) in both sentences is

reading a book. But the ‘subject’ of both
sentences is different. In the first
sentence, the subject (Radha) does the
action. In the second sentence, the
subject (a book) receives the action.
Paragraph
Just as a group of words form a
sentence, a group of sentences forms a
paragraph.

However, to qualify as a paragraph, all

the sentences within it must have a
common idea or theme.