Event Communication

Dr. Monika Singh

 Book’ Event Management & Event Tourism 
Donald Getz
Chapter: Communications-Reaching the Customer
• Key Competencies
• Introduction
• The Communications Mix
• Sales
• Developing and Communication a Positive Image
• Packaging
• Case Study: Natchez Pilgrimage Tours
• Case Study: Tulip Time, Holland, MI
• Summary: Principles of Event Communications
 Meaning
• The event communication involves significant communication
activity, such as planning a meeting, an extended interaction
between people, a client conference, conflict interchange, a 
compliance-gaining situation, a public speech, exchange of
information, a symbolic event, etc.  The event can be real or
one presented via mediated communication, such as film or
television.
• Communication plays a great role in event management, so do
presentation skills. It is a non-stop communication process.
Events have to be produced and ideas have to be sold. Event
communication becomes a big tool to all these.
 “Communication is the most important skill in life.”
- Stephen Covey

People in organisations typically spend over 75% of their time

in an interpersonal situation. Thus, it is no surprise to find that
at the root of a large number of organizational problems is
poor communications. Effective communication is an essential
component of organizational success whether it is at the
interpersonal, intergroup, intragroup, organizational, or
external levels.
 Communication

The word ‘Communication’ is derived from the

Latin word ‘Communis’ or ‘Communicare’ which
means to make common. In other words, it implies to
know or understand.
Thus, Communication is sharing of information
and ideas to create better understanding and
harmonious relations.
• To communicate is to get a message or idea across to another
person. One cannot communicate with an inanimate object or
thin air. What is therefore essential for communication to
occur is the cooperation between two parties, one active or at
the giving end and the other passive or at the receiving end.
The sender selects the appropriate method to send the
message and the receiver decodes the message to understand
what has been communicated.
• Communication is as much a matter of human relationships as
it is about transmitting facts.
 Principles of Communication

Principle I: Communication is always and everywhere occurring,

whether we’re doing it consciously, with purpose, or not.
Principle 2: All communication is creative, i.e., each conscious
and unconscious act of communication creates a result.
Principle 3: Human beings are endowed with the power of
choice. We have a choice about how we communicate.
Principle 4: It follows, then
 Business Communication
Every business enterprise, whatever its business or its size, is held

together by communication, without which an organisation cannot survive.

Business Communication is necessary in order to realize business

objectives. It is the tool with which the enterprise promote sales, financial

dealings, remain in contact with customers, or bring about changes in the

human attitudes and views, motivates them and establishes and maintains

good relations with them.

“Business Communication is a process of messages and persons which

are associated with business. It consists of channels of communication.”

- C. G. Brown
 Features / Nature of Communication
• Exchange of facts and opinions
• A two side process (sender and receiver)
• Includes a message
• A dynamic process
• A continuous and systematic process
• Message conveyed has its reaction too
• Create understanding
• An interactive and transactive process
• A universal process
• It can be in any form (verbal and non verbal)
• It can be intentional and unintentional
 Communication Process

Sender’s 7 Receiver’s
1
External Receiver External
Sender has
Environment sends Environment
an idea
and Internal feedback and Internal
Stimuli Stimuli

4 6
2
Channel Receiver
Sender
and decodes
encodes
Experience, Medium message Experience,
idea
Perception, Perception,
Attitudes, Attitudes,
3 5 Beliefs,
Beliefs,
Sender Receiver Ability,
Ability,
transmits gets Skills, etc.
Skills, etc.
message message
Situation
 Models of Communication

• Shammon-Weaver Model • Mass Communication Model

• Berlo’s Dynamic Process • Thill and Bover Model
Model • Inter-personal Model
• Losswell Model • Cilber Model
• Aristotle’s Model • Transper Model
• Osgood and Schramm’s Model • Vastle and Macleen Model
• Dance’s Model • Leagen’s Model
• Murphy’s Model • Gerbner Model
• Joseph’s Model • Lesiker Model
• Keith Davis Model
• Shammon-Weaver Model:
This is universally accepted model in the communication process. This
model was formulated by the famous sceintist Clandi Shammon and
Waren Weaver in 1947. According to this model, communication is a
process of sending information. The symbols of message remain
changing in this model, causing secrecy in the message.

Transmitter

Information Source Noise Source

Re-action Message

Receiver
• Information Source:
This is an important element in any process of communication because only
after collecting information, we are able to send the information to others.
• Transmitter:
The person sending the information to others is called the transmitter.
• Noise Source:
In the communication process, all the obstacles distorting the message are
termed here as noises.
• Message:
All the information sent by the sender to the receiver in the communication
process are known as messages.
• Receiver:
A person receiving the information is called the receiver. He usually decodes the
message to have a better understanding of the message.
• Reaction:
The sender usually gets the feedback from the receiver which signifies the
reaction on the part of receiver of the message.
• Berlo’s Dynamic Process Model:
This model was propounded by David Berlo. According to Berlo, events do
not occur in a certain determined order, but order of their occurrence
remains changing. He was of the opinion that all elements have inter
connections in the communication process.
The main factors in this model are as follows:
i. Source : ideas, thoughts, information
ii. Message: encoding, symbolic form
iii. Channel : the way, medium
iv. Communicator : Sender, communication art
v. Receiver : decoding the message received
vi. Re-action : acknowledging the message received
• Aristotle’s Model:
This model explains three elements in the communication process.
Communication process gets complicated with co-ordination of the three
elements, which are:

Speaker Message Receiver

• Losswell Model:
This model was popularized by American Scientist Losswell. According to
him, there are many elements which are inter-connected with each other
in the process of communication.

Speaker Feedback

Message Re-action

Medium Receiver Analysis

• Osgood & Schramm’s model:
This model came into existence in 1955. According to this model,
communication process is continuous and includes sender, message, and
receiver in an interconnecting fashion. The cycle of this interplay is as under:

Message

Sender Receiver

• Dance’s model: Message

This was formulated by a scientist Dance in 1967. He was of the opinion that
communication process revolves in the form of a circle having no beginning or
end points. This can be visualized as under:

Sender Receiver
• Murphy’s model:
The writer H. A. Murphy formulated this model with the active cooperation of
his colleagues – Hiedebrand and Thomas. According to his model, the different
organs of communication process march forward of each other. Communication
process goes on from context to feedback as:

Context Sender Message Medium Receiver Feedback

• Joseph’s model:
This model seems to be influenced by Shammon - Weaver model. Joseph chose
the under mentioned areas (sources) to explain his model:
i. Source ii. Guideline iii. Medium iv. Utility (use of message)
v. Receipt and Analysis vi. Reaction
• Mass Communication model:
This model was formulated in 1980 by different scientists which also explains
the inter connection of different components such as source, sender, message,
receiver and reaction. These components are linked with each other during the
process of communication.

• Thill and Bover model:

According to this model, communication process starts from the idea and
move up to reaching the reaction level. When an idea emerges in the mind of
somebody, it changes into message. Then it is sent to the receiver, who after
analyzing it, sends it along with his reaction to sender in the form of feedback.
Reaction

Idea Receiver

Message
• Inter – personal model:
This model believes that atleast two individuals are involved in the
communication process and both have different opinions. However, they
have similarity of views on certain subjects which is visible from the
following chart:

A B
Individual Individual

Area having similar views

• Cilber model:
According to this model, the message cannot become effective , unless
and until, the right meaning of the message is not found out. The message
is effective when sender or receiver reaches to the same conclusion about
the meaning of message.
• Vastle and Macleen model:
This model was propounded in 1957, which makes it clear that any one factor
in communication process goes on revolving continuously. When a person
wants to send his message, he present his side of the story. The receiver, after
analysing the message presents his reaction before the sender in the following
manner:
Sender
Re-action

Message

Receiver
• Leagen’s model:
The model was presented by Leagen in 1961 which includes the
following components:
Feedback

Sender Receiver

Message Channel

• Gerbner model:
• Lesiker model:
In this model also, communication process starts with sending of message,
but it goes on with a new frequency.

A
Message Medium Receiver Feedback

B Feedback Receiver Medium Message

• Keith Davis model: Keith Davis has defined
communication as “the process of passing and
understanding information from one person to
another.”

Feedback

Thought Encoding Reception Decoding

Transmission
Sender Receiver Understanding
of Message

Noise
 Importance of Business Communication

• Smooth running of the enterprise

• Right and quick decision making
• Facilitates proper planning and coordination
• Minimize organization conflicts
• Basis of decentralization and delegation of authority
• For democratic functioning
• For establishing better labour relations
• Helps in moulding attitudes
• Binds people to organisation
 Limitations of Business Communication
• Distortion of message
• Causing confusion and misunderstanding
• Wastage of time and money
• Uses of jargon
• Emotional barriers (people find difficult to express their emotions)
• Lack of attention, interest, distraction, and irrelevance to the receiver
• Differences in perception and viewpoint
• Physical disabilities such as hearing or speaking difficulty
• Not able to understand the non-verbal cues, gestures, posture, and general
body language
• Language differences and difficulty in understanding unfamiliar accents
• False assumptions and stereotyping
• Cultural differences (which affects the language, expression of emotions, non
verbal cues)
 Physical & Mechanical Barriers of Communication Socio-Psychological
Barrier Semantic or Language Organisational Barrier
•Noise Barrier Barrier •Group Behavior
•Poor Lighting •Different comprehension of •Long Scalar Chain and Attitudes
•Time & Distance reality •Selection of wrong •Status
•Use of multiple meaning
•Defect in Medium medium Consciousness
words
•Excessive Message •Wrong interpretation of
•Unclear Policies •Closed mind
and Rules
•Disturbance Directions / message •Inattention
•Use of Administrative & •Lack of
•Incomplete Message Technical words communication
•Poor Retention
•Wrong Choice of •Unclear Assumptions Devices & Materials •Forecasting before
Medium •Use of Denotative (not •Poor Spatial time
indicating positive or negative (official) •Distrust
of the word like book, table
Cross-Cultural Barrier etc.) & Connotative words
arrangements •Source of
•Basic Personality (relates with qualitative •Line and staff information
•Cultural differences judgments and personal relationship •Selfishness
relations like honest, sincere
•Language •Perceptual
etc.)
•Values & Norms •Use of Idioms & Phrases Distortion
•Concept of Time & •Over and Under
Space Personal Socio-Psychological Barrier communication
•Thought Process Emotions, feelings or mood, opinion, interest,
•Non-Verbal poor listening or speaking, likes, dislikes,
Communication desires, fears, values, hopes, favoritism, etc.
•Perception
Semantic / Language Barriers:
• The semantic barriers refers to the misunderstanding
between the sender and receiver arising due to the different
meanings of words, and other symbols used in the
communication.
• The semantic barriers usually arise when the information is
not in the simple language and contains those words or
symbols that have multiple meanings (i.e. homonyms).
Example, Left, Company, Like, Novel, Clip, Right, Train, Watch,
etc.
• Then there are words that are spelled the same, but have
different pronunciations and meanings, known as
homographs. Example, Minute (mei-nu-te), Desert, Fair, Bat,
Compact, Lie, Lead (lae-de), Fine, Object, etc.
• Unclear assumptions: Sometimes the sender creates
assumptions about certain things which he/she feels the receiver
must be knowing about it and focus only on the subject matter.
• But in the case of a specific message, if the assumptions are
vague and unknown to the receiver than the communication
might get adversely affected.
• Denotative and Connotative words: The denotative words means
the name of the object and does not imply any negative or
positive qualities. Example, Crane (a bird species or a vehicle),
Book (a reading paper object or to reserve a seat),etc.
• Whereas, the connotative words arouses the personal reactions
and qualitative judgements. Example, Economic vs Cheap,
Mature vs Elderly, Challenge vs Difficult, Determined vs Stubborn,
Confidence vs Egoist, etc
 Overcoming Barriers to Communication
• Clarity in thoughts (one should clarity in thoughts, clear about their objective
and what they want to convey)
• Understand the audience well
• Follow up and Feedback (Sender establishes a formal or informal mechanism for
checking how the message transmitted is actually being interpreted by the
receiver. Periodical review and reorganization of communication networks is also
needed to ensure that the message reaches to people in time)
• Keeping the channel in good working conditions (the channels must be kept in
good working conditions like intercoms, notice boards, information meetings etc.)
• Timing (consider the timing of communication)
• Reduce the level of noise as much as possible
• Consistency of message (message should be in accordance with the objectives,
policies, programmes and techniques of the oganisation)
• Be a good listener
• Keep a broader approach
• Be aware of cultural differences
• Attention to language (semantic barriers i.e. language barrier
or use of words)
• Removal of personal barriers (overcoming these barriers by
making a conscious effort, and by training for better
communication)
• Reduction of misunderstanding when communicating with
people from different cultures (to avoid misunderstanding
certain practices to be followed like- do not assume similarly
until you are sure that others are similar to us or quite
different in their thinking; and before communicating try to
feel yourself in other’s role, values and frame of reference)
 Principles of Effective Communication
If communication are to be effective then certain principles should be
followed. These principles of effective communication are as follows:
1. Principle of Simplicity: The message prepared for communication should
be simple and easy to understand. Common words and simple sentences
should be used.
2. Principle of Clarity: The message prepared for communication should be
clear. An ambiguous message will not be able to make effective
communication.
3. Principle of Brevity (Concise): The message should be concise in nature.
The reader may feel disturbed in receiving a long message. So, only
necessary information should be given in the message.
4. Principle of Planning: Before preparing any message, the sender should
plan for the message and after that, he should plan for selecting media
and process of sending the message to the receiver.
• Principle of Accuracy: The facts and information provided in the message
should be accurate. Any wrong information in the message may create
confusion. As a result, communication failure may occur.
• Principle of Objectivity: Communication can be effective when it is
purposeful. It is required that both sender and receiver must know about the
objectives or purpose of communication.
• Principle of Attentiveness: Effective listening is important in effective
communication. So, the receiver should be attentive while receiving any
message.
• Principle of Relevancy: The subject matter of communication should contain
relevant information. Irrelevant and unnecessary things should be eliminated
from the subject matter of communication.
• Principle of Feedback: Sending of message is not sufficient for effective
communication. To be effective, a feedback from the receiver is essential.
• Principle of Time Consideration: The sender should consider the proper time
for effective communication. If communication is not made in time, its
effectiveness is lost.
• Principle of Language Control: Control of language is important for effective
communication. The sender should be careful in selecting words and forming
sentences.
 7 Cs of Effective Communication
• Clarity
• Completeness
• Conciseness
• Consideration
• Courtesy
• Correctness
• Concreteness (definite and specific)

7 Cs will be followed in all i.e. effective speaking, effective

listening, and effective writing.
 Effective Communication
Communication, whether oral or written, is all about
understanding . The aim should be to communicate a message
successfully so that it is received as it is intended by the sender,
without any misunderstanding. Effective communication can be
achieved by having a thorough knowledge of communication
cycle.
To be more effective, communication should possess certain
qualities. It should be intentional as well as unintentional,
dynamic as well as systematic so that the two participants i.e.
Sender or transmitter and receiver or audience exchange ideas
and information , and influence each other in the process.
 Essentials of Effective Communication

• Extend knowledge by reading

• Identify the objective of the communication
• Think and plan before speaking or writing
• Command over language
• Know well the audience
• Adequate knowledge of human psychology
• Know the circumstances in which the communication takes place
• Use appropriate language and words
• Create self-interest to the receiver
• Imagination and perception is required
• Cheerfulness is required
• Be open-minded to other’s ideas
• Sincerity and accuracy of facts
• Know the recipient’s reaction to the communication
• Select appropriate media
• Listen carefully and intelligently
• Consider the best time for the communication
• Keep the channel of communication always open
• Communication should be controllable
• Obtain feedback to ensure the effectiveness of the communication
• Set and maintain high standards in the method of communication (in
terms of language and presentation)
• A climate of trust and confidence to be developed
 Oral Communication
Conveying a message in a spoken form is known as Oral communication.
Exchange of opinions is done with the help of spoken words. In our
personal or business life, we probably spend much more of our time in
talking and listening to friends, colleagues and clients than we do in
reading and writing. Oral communication can take a variety of forms as
indicated below:
• a private discussion, face-to-face communication
• conversation in meetings
• a gossip
• a telephone conversation
• an informal gathering of staff
• Instructing subordinates
• dealing with clients
• interviews
• training sessions, conferences, seminars, presentation, public speech,
etc.
 Essentials / Principles of Oral Communication

• Clear pronunciation
• Precision (Accurate, Concise, Exact, Correct)
• Conviction (Convincing)
• Logical sequence
• Appropriate word choice
• Avoiding hackneyed (or repetitive) phrases
• Natural voice
• Adjusting the speech according to the needs of listeners
Merits of Oral communication:
• Direct, simple, flexible and time saving form of communication
• Least expensive form of communication
• Conveys personal relationship, friendliness and develops a
feeling of belongingness
• Removes the misunderstanding, if any
• Lays mutual understanding and confidence
• Allows both parties to participate in the communication
• Facial expressions, gestures, voice tone communicates the
message better
• Makes discussion more easier
Demerits of Oral communication:
• No formal record of communication held
• Possibility of distortion of message
• Lengthy and distant communication cannot be transmitted
effectively
• Cannot be used for reference in future
• Formal authority cannot be transmitted effectively
• Create misunderstanding, and more or less different
meanings might be conveyed by manner of speaking
• Create legal difficulties
 Requisites for Effective Speaking
• Think clearly what to communicate
• Make clear about the objective
• Know well the audience
• Command over language
• Clear pronunciation
• Precise form of message
• Appropriate word choice
• Logical sequence
• Avoid hackneyed phrases (like, generally, etc.)
• Natural voice
• Adjusting the speech according to the needs of listeners
• Adequate knowledge of human psychology
• Cheerfulness
• Sincerity and accuracy of facts
• Timing of communication
• Ensure whether properly received at the other end
• Proper facial expressions and gestures
• Using visual aids
• Comfortable posture
• Eye contact
• Natural Movements
• Voice Modulation
• Pauses
• Feedback or follow-up
 Types of Speaking
• Informative: Informative speaking generally centers on talking about
people, events, processes, places or things. This speech imparts information
on a particular topic or issue. Business presentations, seminars, class
presentations are some examples of informative speeches. A person
preparing for an informative speaking has to research the subject or topic
very well.
• Persuasive: Persuasive speaking is the type of speaking in which the speaker
is trying to persuade or convince the audience about an idea or product.
These speeches aim to influence and change the opinions of the audience.
• Special Occasion: Speaking on Special Occasion aims to pay tribute or praise
a person, an institution, an event, idea or place.
• Entertainment: This form of speaking is usually given at weddings, parties
etc. The entertainment speaking can be humorous, touching or emotional,
as per the occasion and the mood. However, one should take utmost care of
not to hurt feelings by making snide (i.e. false or sarcastic) remarks about
people.
 Techniques for Effective Speaking
• Breathing: Everyone breathes. It’s one of the most natural things
we do. There are some special ways to breathe that makes our
voice better. Some of the instructions are given below:
1. Sit forward in a chair and let your stomach muscles relax.
2. Breathe in through your nose and imagine that you are a vessel filling up
with air as you would pour water into a vase. Fill up your abdomen first,
then your lower ribs (you should feel them expand) and then all the way
up to your chin.
3. Hold this breath for a count of ten.
4. Now exhale slowly. As you exhale, keep your ribs expanded and tighten
your abdomen as you would if you were doing a ‘crunch’.
5. Repeat. Once you have mastered the exercise sitting down, practice
incorporating it into your speaking and singing. You may need to do it
slowly at first until you can coordinate all the actions smoothly.
 The key thing to remember is that breathing should be low and
expansive. If you do the exercise correctly, your stomach will go in
while your chest stays out and expands. Practicing this technique
will provide many benefits, including:
• Awareness of your breathing will enable you to breathe more
effectively.
• Proper posture for breathing creates a confident, strong
appearance.
• Deeper breathing makes you feel more confident and strong as
well. Andrew Weil writes, “You cannot always center yourself
emotionally by an act of will, but you can use your voluntary
nerves to make your breathing slow, deep, quit, and regular, and
the rest will follow.”
• Deep breathing decreases tension and helps to focus intellectual
activity. Proper breathing technique helps an speaker to remain
calm on the floor.
 Breathing and Vocal Variety
• It is advised to an speaker to ‘use your voice to complement your
message’.
• Ideally, you want your content to align with your delivery method
and both to align with the sound of your voice.
• Vocal variety is all about the sound of the voice and, in this case,
that vocal image is created through several aspects of your sound,
including pace, pitch, pause, and power.
I. Pace:
• Pace is the speed of your delivery of message. In general, for
vocal variety you are encouraged to vary your pace by speeding
up and slowing down appropriately for the message you are
delivering. However, some people have trouble with pacing due
to poor breathing. If you speak too quickly, or if your speaking is
labored or too slow, consider the following:
– Speaking too fast is often the result of not stopping to breathe
often enough.
Solution: To slow down your speaking with the breathe, consciously
take a breathe before you begin. Remember to stop and breathe
between ideas. The next time you practice a presentation, take time
to inhale and exhale deeply five times before you start to speak.
Then take one more deep breathe and exhale vigorously into your
first words.
– Speaking too slowly can also be caused by not taking in and using
enough air.
Solution: Not using enough air can cause a person to sound dull
and lifeless. This may also be caused by poor posture. Practice the
breathing technique mentioned above, paying special attention to
posture. Be sure you move that air with the abdominal muscles as
you speak. Overdo the latter when you practice so you really feel
the breathe in the sound. By breathing deeper and then using all
the air in your sound, you create a more energetic sound and you
feel more energized too.
II. Pitch:
• Pitch is determined by the notes we use when we speak. Yes, we use
notes when speaking just as we do for singing. Speaking notes, however,
are random, informally ordered, and usually of shorter duration than
notes we sing. To create vocal variety, one uses different pitches to make
their sound more interesting. Sometimes problems with creating variety
in pitch can be result of poor breathing technique. Here are two such
problems, their likely causes, and some ways to fix them:
– A voice that is too high-pitched and thin can be the result of shallow breathing, i.e.
without abdominal expansion and support.
Solution: The solution to shallow breathing is to relax the abdomen and drop the
air in lower. This also relaxes the larynx so it doesn’t ride so high. A high larynx can
create a higher, thinner sound.
– If your voice sounds squeezed or strained, or too low, you may not be using all the
air you take in.
Solution: You can improve a strained sound by practicing a breathy sound and then
gradually adding more and more vocal sound to it. This can be called as ‘energizing
the voice’. It also has the effect of making pitch variety much easier to achieve
because the voice becomes free to move and create more pitches. If you do this
correctly, you will definitely feel the freedom in your voice.
Some tongue twisters:
• The blue bluebird blinks.
• Three free throws.
• Strange strategic statistics.
• Freshly fried flying fish, freshly fried flesh.
 Effective Listening
Listening is an important part of the process of communication. It
means making effort to get the full meaning of speaker’s message.
It involves not only understanding the content of the message, but
also understanding the feeling of the speaker. Understanding the
feeling is called ‘Empathy’ or ‘Effective Listening’.
Listening is a positive activity and it needs a good deal of
hardwork. It involves effort and self-discipline to listen attentively.
It is the responsibility of the speaker to make effort to be
understood, similarly the listener has the responsibility to be
attentive and to make effort to understand the message conveyed
by the speaker.
The success of any seminar, meeting or function also depend on
this fact. If there is no listening in a communication, it will be only
a wastage of time and energy of the speaker and organizers.
 The meaning of ‘listening’ must be understood different from
‘hearing’. Hearing is just a part of listening. Listening means
understanding the message properly. For example, if a person
gives a message to some rural person in English then the
message was just heard not understood. Thus, it cannot be
called ‘listening’, because listening means ‘decoding’. The
process of listening starts with receiving the message and
ends with understanding and reacting to the message.
 Types of Listening
• Content Listening: Under this type of listening the message is easily
understood and the message is also preserved in the written form.
• Active Listening: This means listening and having new ideas crop
up in the mind on the same subject.
• Pretending Listening: Under this type of listening the audience’s
facial expressions and gestures reveal whether he has got the
message or not.
• Attentive Listening: In this type of listening the audience pays full
attention to the message.
• Selective Listening: In this type of listening only the selected part
of the message is retained / paid attention to, whereas the
unnecessary details are chopped off.
• Critical Listening: In this type of listening the message is analyzed
and evaluated.
 Requisites for Effective Listening
• Message retention
• Full attention to the speaker’s message
• Listening without arguments (put the speaker at the ease)
• Evaluation after complete listening
• Verification of reliability and truthfulness
• To be unbiased
• To find out the points of common interests
• Acceptance to change (ready for a flexible approach of learning)
• Proper eye contact
• Show a desire to listen (no disturbance through topping with foot or a pencil,
shuffling of papers, attending to other works, etc.)
• To note the main points and get them checked for correctness
• Keep an open mind (avoid any pre-judgement before listening to the speaker)
• Timely clarification
• Focus and Self Discipline
• Courtesy
 Elements / Characteristics / fundamentals of Effective
Listening

• Clarity of thought (through getting the meaning of message in

a proper way)
• Positive attitude
• Concentration
• Self-Discipline
• Courtesy (a good listener should admire and respect the good
ideas of a speaker)
• Eye contact (while listening a speech, a listener should make
relationship with speaker through proper eye contact. It
supports listener that he is being listened)
 Presentation Skills

Presentation skills are very important in the corporate world. It

is required in almost every field now like selling goods, training
sessions, business meetings etc. Presenting information clearly
and effectively is a key skill to get the message or opinion
across to other people.
Developing the confidence and capability to give good
presentations, and to stand up in front of the audience and
speak well, are extremely helpful competencies for good
presentation / self development and social interactions.
The formats and purposes of presentations can be different
like oral (spoken), multimedia (audio-visual), PowerPoint
presentations, educational and training sessions, lectures and
simply giving a talk on a subject .
 Characteristics of a Good Presentation
• Discussion / presentation in small groups
• Gathering of Experts /similar fields
• Exchange of ideas and suggestions
• Use of right contents
• Appropriate language
• Sharing of experiences
• Topic and Objective of discussion is of high importance
• Preparation and mastery of the subject
• Concise (brevity)
• Logical sequence
• Lively delivery (full of enthusiasm)
• Use of right humour
• Use of audio-visual devices (to make it more interesting)
• Time frame
 Objectives of Presentation

• To provide full information about the topic concerned.

• To achieve / solve the objective and purpose of the
presentation for which it is held.
• To find the solution to a problem.
• To exchange ideas, suggestions, information etc.
• To give presentation which is meaningful and creates
interest.
• To develop the factors like team spirit, co-operation,
coordination, creativity etc.
 Kinds of Presentation

Informative Presentation
• Report
• Goodwill
• Briefings
• Instruction
Persuasive Presentation
• Policy
• Procedure
• Values Judgement
• Fact
• Individual Presentation
• Group Presentation
• Sales Presentation
• Training Presentation
 Factors affecting Presentation
• Nature of Presentation
• Audience Analysis
• Time and Venue
• Facial Expression, Postures and Gestures
• Personality of the Speaker
• Voice and Pronunciation
• Semantic Barriers
• Cognitive Barriers (feelings, opinions, experiences, views,
behaviour)
• Active Listening
• Mechanical Devices
• Use of Audio – Visual Devices
• Prepare for Stage Discussions
 Process of Presentation

• Setting the Objectives

• Identify the Audience
• Selection of Main Idea of the Presentation
• Identify the facts, findings, and the relevant
information
• Inclusion of data and Writing the Draft
 Non Verbal Communication
• Non verbal communication can be defined as communication that
involves neither written nor spoken words, but takes place without
the use of words.
• In non verbal communication, we are concerned with the non
verbal aspects such as body language, space, time, voice tone,
voice pitch, general characteristics of environment like color,
layout and design, and any audio or visual signals that
communicator may devise.
• Non verbal communication involves the conscious and
unconscious processes of encoding and decoding. Culture plays an
important role in non verbal communication, and it is one aspect
that helps to influence the communication and learning activities.
 Types of Non-verbal Communication
• Kinesics (Body language- D ance)
• Proxemics (Space, Time and Surroundings)
• Paralanguage (Voice)
• Sign Language (Emoticons, Symbols)
• Haptics (Touch)
• Artifacts (Objects and Images, Physical Environment)
• Appearance (Dress and Grooming) (gives the idea of one’s personality)
• Chronemics (Time)
• Human Behaviour (transmission of thoughts, feelings through one’s manner of action
or behaviour)
• Charts, Maps and Graphs (pictorial representation of statistics and information)
• Posters (Advertisements)
• Colors (Traffic Signals)
• Silence (Silence speaks louder than words) (Consent, Disagreement, Indifference,
Appreciation, Withdrawals)
 Kinesics (Body Language)

The study of body language is known as Kinesics. Body language is an important

factors in oral or face-to-face communication. Much of the body language is
involuntary or unconscious, but it makes a powerful impact.
Types of Body language:
i. Postures: the position of the body (sitting, standing and lying down)
ii. Gestures: natural movement in any part of the human body (moving head,
legs, hands, fingers etc.)
iii. Facial expressions: individual emotions could be read (happy, sad, fear, anger
etc.)
iv. Eye contact (a sign of honesty)
v. Smile
vi. Silence
vii. Appearance
viii. Touch (shaking hands, hugs)
 Proxemics
The language of time, space and surroundings is known as Proxemics. This
is very important for communication because proxemics completes the
process of communication through the use of surroundings and distance.
i. Space language: In space language the nature of communication is
affected by the distance between two people.
Types of Space language
a. Intimate space language: The distance between two people should
not be more than 1.5 feet like in shaking hands.
b. Personal space language: The distance between two people ranges
from 1.5 feet to 4 feet like close friends.
c. Social space language: The distance between two people lies from 4
feet to 12 feet like in a meeting.
d. Public space language: The distance is more than 12 feet like in
Seminars, Conferences, public speech.
ii. Time language (i.e. Chronemics): In time language the people
connected with communication complete the process of
communication keeping the time limits in mind. The way a person
treats time reveals something about that person. Culture tells us how
to manipulate time in order to communicate different messages. For
instance, most people who have medical appointments are expected
to arrive early and wait patiently for their doctor to see them. An
invitation to a party is an entirely different matter. It is often expected
that most guests will arrive “fashionably late”.
iii. Surroundings: Surroundings covers the environment of
communication and has the following parts:
a. Colour
b. Layout
c. Design
 Paralanguage

Paralanguage is the study of voice or how the person speaks.

Main elements of Paralanguage:
i. Voice or tone: The tone of the person giving the message
tells about his behaviour and education.
ii. Pitch: Pitch means increasing or decreasing a tone.
iii. Speed of Voice
iv. Pause
v. Volume
vi. Proper Stress (or Highlighting)
 Sign Language

Sign language is also known as audio-visual elements. In the

process of communication different signs are used to convey
different meanings. It includes different signs and symbols. These
signs are also described in words so that every one can
understand them. Colours and sounds are also used in sign
language.
 Skill
A skill is the ability to do something well.

Synonyms: Expertise, Skilful, Adroitness, Dexterity,

Ability, Prowess, Mastery, Competence, Capability,
Efficiency, Aptitude, Art, Finesse, Flair, Virtuosity,
Talent, Knack, Know-how, etc.
 Types of Skills
• Labor Skills eg. Electrician, Carpenter, Baker etc.
• Life Skills deals with personal affairs or problem solving behaviours
• People Skills includes relationships of trust respect and productive
interactions, empathizing
• Social Skills includes interpersonal relations, interaction and
communication with others
• Soft Skills combination of People skills, Social skills, Emotional
Intelligence and Personal career attributes in relation to industries
• Hard Skills relating to specific task or situation and easily
quantifiable
• Mastering Skills means expertise in your specific area
 Soft Skills

• A skill is the ability to do something well.

• Soft skills is the combination of People skills, Social skills, Professional
skills, Emotional Intelligence and Personal attributes (i.e. character traits)
that enable someone to interact effectively and harmoniously with
people, whereas Hard Skills is relating to specific task or situation and
easily quantifiable.
• Soft skills are non-technical, intangible, personality-specific skills that
determine one’s strengths as a leader, listener, innovator, negotiator, and
conflict mediator.
• Soft skills have become absolutely essential for the success of the
organizations and the individuals.
• These skills cannot be taught. It can be developed through proper
training and guidance.
• Soft skills are combination of - interpersonal skills, social skills,
communication skills, character traits, attitudes, personal
habits, team spirit, emotional intelligence, friendliness,
optimism, critical observation, problem solving, adaptability,
creative thinking, self motivation, time management, personal
accountability, and so on.
On the other hand, Hard skills are more related with the
technical knowledge, education, experience, and level of
expertise.
 Soft skills vs Hard skills
Soft skills Hard skills

Soft skills are personal attributes that Hard skills are about a person’s skills set and
enhance an individual’s interactions, job ability to perform a certain type of task or
performance and career prospects. activity.

Soft skills are personal-driven and subjective Hard skills are teachable abilities which can
skills, and are hard to quantify / measure. be defined and measure.

To be good at Soft skills Emotional To be good at Hard skills Intelligence

Intelligence or EQ (also known as our right Quotient or IQ (also known as our left brain
brain i.e. emotional center) is required. i.e. logical center) is required.

Most Soft skills are not learnt well in school, Hard skills can be learnt in school and from
they are generally learnt by trial and error, books. We can also learn on how we can
books and guides. master our Hard skills.
Soft skills are related to our personal Hard skills are easy to prove with
characteristics and traits and are difficult to certificates, education degree, awards, and
prove. so on.
 Soft Skills Hard Skills
Experience-based Rule-based
People-related Technological / Scientific
Attitudinal and Behavioral Industrial / Mechanical and Tools /
Techniques

Intangible Tangible
Interpersonal skills Learning a Foreign language
Teamwork Programming language
Communication Business Planning
Understanding Global Culture Financial Analysis
Public Speaking, Critical Observation and Budgeting and Data Analysis
Listening skills
Business Etiquettes Services Solution
Leadership , Creativity and Motivation Innovation, Product Development and
Construction Engineering

Self Awareness and Empathy, etc. Relationship Building, etc.

 Categories of Soft Skills
Internal Soft Skills External Soft Skills
Self confidence Collaborative teamwork
Self awareness Effective communication
Self compassion (understanding of others, Interpersonal skills
empathy)
Accepting criticism Self-promotion
Critical thinking / Problem solving Managing conflict
Resilience (mental ability to recover from Adaptability
depression, illness, misfortune)
Perseverance Networking
Emotional management Influence
Perceptiveness (insight, understanding, Negotiation
intuition)
Growth mindset (understanding that abilities Expectation management
and intelligence can be developed)
 Categories of Soft Skills
Soft skills can be broken into three types of categories. They are:
• Prepare = Job Readiness Soft Skills
• Search = Job Seeking Soft Skills
• Secure = Job Keeping Soft Skills

• Job Readiness Soft Skills: Job readiness skills are the soft skills
related to the job preparation process. These should be taught
and learn well before a person enters the workforce. Job
readiness soft skills are what most people think of when they
think of soft skills, and include the following:
– Attitude: a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something,
typically one that is reflected in a person’s behavior.
– Communication: the imparting or exchanging of information or news.
– Planning and Organizing: the process of thinking about and organizing the
activities required to achieve a desired goal.
– Critical Thinking: the process of skillfully conceptualizing, applying,
analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or
generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or
communication, as a guide to belief and action.
– Interpersonal / Social skills: the social skills we use every day to
communicate and interact with other people, both individually and in
groups, including listening, speaking, reading and writing.
– Teamwork: the combined action of a group of people, especially when
effective and efficient.
– Professionalism: the competence and demonstrated behavior expected of
a professional.
– Media rules: the main means of mass communication (email, television,
video, newspaper, internet including social media) regarded collectively,
and the rules for their appropriate use in the workplace.
• Job Seeking Soft Skills: Job seeking soft skills are the skills related
to the job search process. These skills need to be taught and
learned in order to successfully find, apply, interview, and accept
a job.
• Job Secure Soft Skills: Job secure soft skills are the skills needed
to secure and keep a job.
When an individual combine the soft skills included in job
readiness, job seeking and job securing / keeping, the person
acquires the employability skills. Employability skills are the
essential soft skills that involve the development of a knowledge
base or mindset that is mindset that is increasingly necessary to
be hired in today’s workplace.
 Significance of Soft Skills

• Soft skills helps to excel in the workplace

• Hard skills are of no use without soft skills
• Soft skills are harder to learn
• Now workplaces values interpersonal
• Customers demand soft skills
• Helps to make relations better at the workplace
 Practicing Soft Skills
• Have a positive attitude
• Be a team player
• Communicate effectively
• Raise confidence
• Develop creative skills
• Accept and learn from criticism
• Motivate yourself and lead others
• Prioritize your to-do list
• Visualize things
 Emotional Intelligence
Developing strong ‘People skills’

We probably all know people, either at work or

in our personal lives, who are really good
listeners. No matter what kind of situation we’re
in, they always seem to know just what to say –
and how to say it – so that we’re not offended or
upset. They’re caring and considerate, and even
if we don’t find a solution to our problem, we
usually leave feeling more hopeful and
optimistic.
 We probably also know people who are masters at
managing their emotions. They don’t get angry in stressful
situations. Instead, they have the ability to look at a
problem and calmly find a solution. They’re excellent
decision makers, and they know when to trust their
intuition. Regardless of their strengths, however, they’re
usually willing to look at themselves honestly. They take
criticism well, and they know when to use it to improve
their performance.

People like this have a high degree of emotional

intelligence, or EI. They know themselves very well, and
they’re also able to sense the emotional needs of others.
 Emotional Intelligence
We all have different personalities, different wants and needs,
and different ways of showing our emotions. Navigating
through this all takes tact and cleverness – especially if we
hope to succeed in life. This is where EI becomes important.
EI is the ability of individuals to recognize their
own emotions and those of others. This is the
ability to realize how our emotions affect people
around us. It also involves our perception of
others, i.e., when we understand how they feel,
this allows us to manage relationships more
effectively.
 Emotional intelligence ‘EI’, also known as Sthitaprajna, is a
self-perceived ability to identify, assess and control the emotions
of oneself, and of others. The concept of EI, was being
popularised, for the last few decades or so has been the part of the
Hindu psyche, imbibed from Shrimad Bhagwad Geeta, in which
Lord Krishna guides Arjuna whose emotions had hijacked his
intelligence when he saw his relatives standing in the opposing
armies of the Kauravas in Kurukshetra. He had no desire left for
victory, kingdom or pleasure. Then the Lord Krishna elucidates
the concept of Sthitaprajna to him.
It means a person of steady wisdom, a person whose
intelligence (vivek) is always in complete command of his senses,
a person who has the capacity to stand apart and be independent
of feelings or emotions.
Origin of the term ‘Emotional Intelligence’
Since 1990, Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer have been the
leading researchers on Emotional Intelligence. The term ‘emotional
intelligence’ seems first to have appeared in 1964 in a paper by Michael
Beldoch. The first use of the term ‘EI’ was usually attributed to Wayne
Payne’s doctoral thesis, ‘A Study of Emotion: Developing Emotional
Intelligence’ from 1985.
However, the concept of ‘EI’ is popularized after the publication of
psychologist and writer Dr. Daniel Goleman’s book ‘Emotional
Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ’ in 1995. Thus, Daniel
Goleman is known as the ‘Father of EI’. Dr. Goleman described
emotional intelligence as a person’s ability to manage his feelings so that
those feelings are expressed appropriately and effectively. According to
Goleman, emotional intelligence is the largest single predictor of success
in the workplace.
 EI links strongly with concept of love and spirituality – bringing compassion and
humanity to work, and also to ‘Multiple Intelligence’ theory – which illustrates and
measures the range of capabilities people possess, and the fact that everybody has a
value. Emotional Intelligence is the area of cognitive ability that facilitates
interpersonal behaviour.
EI is increasingly relevant to organizational development and developing
people, because the EI/EQ principles provide a new way to understand and assess
people’s behaviours, management styles, attitudes, interpersonal skills, and
potential. EI is an important consideration in human resource planning, job
profiling, recruitment, interviewing and selection, management development,
customer relations and customer service, and more.

The EQ concept argues that IQ, or conventional intelligence, is too narrow, that
there are wider areas of EI. Success requires more than IQ (Intelligence Quotient),
which has intended to be the traditional measure of intelligence, ignoring essential
behaviour and character elements. We’ve all met people who are academically brilliant
and yet are socially and inter-personally unskilled (i.e. inept, or unskillful). And we
know that despite possessing a high IQ rating, success does not automatically follow.
 EI Framework / Elements
In his book, Daniel Goleman presents five categories of
emotional intelligence.
• Self-awareness: A person has a healthy sense of emotional
intelligence self awareness if they understand / observe their self
and recognize their emotions as they happen and have a strong
sense of one’s self worth and capabilities (i.e. strengths and
weaknesses), as well as aware of how their actions affect others.
A person with emotional self awareness is usually receptive to,
and able to learn from, constructive criticism more than one who
doesn’t have emotional self awareness.
‒ Emotional Awareness: recognizing one’s emotions and their effects
‒ Accurate self-assessment: knowing one’s strengths and limits.
‒ Self confidence: sureness about one’s self worth and capabilities
• Self-regulation: A person is being flexible in dealing with
changing situations and if required inhibiting (hinder, restrain)
one’s emotions in service of groups with a proactive bias
towards action. A person with a high emotional intelligence
has the ability to exercise restraint and control when
expressing their emotions.
– Self-control: managing disruptive emotions and impulses
– Trustworthiness: maintaining standards of honesty and integrity
– Conscientiousness: taking responsibility of personal performance
– Adaptability: flexibility in handling change
– Innovativeness: being comfortable with and open to novel ideas and
new information
• Self Motivation: A person is having a strong sense of
optimism and channelizing energies towards achievement of
life goals with consistency in values, emotions and behaviour.
People with high emotional intelligence are self-motivated,
resilient and driven by an inner ambition rather than being
influenced by outside forces, such as money or prestige.
– Achievement drive: striving to improve or meet a standard of
excellence
– Commitment: aligning with the goals of the group or organisation
– Initiative: readiness to act on opportunities
– Optimism: persistence in pursuing goals despite obstacles and
setbacks
• Empathy / Social Awareness: An empathetic person
understand others and take active interest in their concern
with an appreciation for the differences among people. A
person has compassion and is able to connect with other
people on an emotional level, helping them respond
genuinely to other people’s concerns.
– Empathy: sensing others’ feelings and perspective, and taking an
active interest in their concerns
– Service orientation: anticipating, recognizing, and meeting customers’
needs
– Developing others: sensing what others need in order to develop, and
bolstering their abilities
– Leveraging diversity: cultivating opportunities through diverse people
– Political awareness: reading a group’s emotional currents and power
relationships
• Interpersonal / Social skills: A person inspires and guide
groups, help others to improve performance, resolve conflicts
and build relationships with a shared vision. An emotional
intelligent person are able to build trust with other people,
and are able to quickly gain respect from the people they
meet.
– Influence: wielding effective tactics for persuasion
– Communication: sending clear and convincing messages
– Leadership: inspiring and guiding groups and people
– Change catalyst: initiating or managing change
– Conflict management: negotiating and resolving disagreements
– Building bonds: nurturing instrumental relationships
– Collaboration and cooperation: working with others toward shared
goals
– Team capabilities: creating group synergy in pursuing collective goals
 Aspects of Emotional Intelligence

This is the essential premise of EQ, to be successful

requires the effective awareness, control and management of
one’s own emotions, and those of other people. EQ embraces
two aspects of intelligence:

(a) Understanding ourself, our goals, intentions, response,

behaviour and all.
(b) Understanding others, and their feelings.
 Characteristics of Emotionally Intelligent Person

• Emotionally intelligent people use both intrapersonal and

interpersonal skills.
• A good understanding of the world inwards helps one in
being aware of the self and motivates the person.
• Emotionally intelligent communicators pay attention to and
understand other’s emotions, likes and dislikes, values and
ethics, things that matter to them most, and motivate
them.
• They think positively, and are self-confident and know what
they want.
• These are the people who can see an opportunity in
any challenging situation.
• They know how to channelize their energies well and
give their best to everyone’s benefit.
• They analyze their failures well and learn by
recollecting the same incident and trying to search for
the errors committed by them rather than
complaining about the situation or the people
involved.
 Domains of Emotional Intelligence

Goleman identified the five ‘domains’ of EQ as:

(a) Knowing our emotions

(b) Managing our emotions
(c) Motivating ourself
(d) Recognizing and understanding other people’s
emotions
(e) Managing relationships, i.e., managing the emotions
of others
 EI embraces and draws from numerous other branches of
behavioural, emotional and communication theories, such as NLP
(Neuro-linguistic Programming), Transactional Analysis, and
Empathy. By developing our EI in these areas and the five EQ
domains we can become more productive and successful too. The
process and outcomes of EI development also contain many
elements known to reduce stress for individuals and
organizations, by decreasing conflict, improving relationships and
understanding, and increasing stability, continuity and harmony.
‘The Emotional Competence Framework’ – a generic EQ
competence framework produced by Daniel Goleman covering in
summary:
(a) Personal Competence – Self awareness, Self regulation, and Self
motivation
(b) Social Competence – Social awareness, and Social skills
 One can become Emotionally Intelligent by:

• Take responsibility for your emotions and your happiness.

• Examine your own feelings rather than the actions or motives
of other people.
• Learn to relax when your emotions are running high and to get
up and move when your are feeling down.
• Learn to look for healthy humor in a negative situation.
• Be honest with yourself. Acknowledge your negative feelings,
look for their source, and come up with a way to solve the
underlying problem.
• Show respect by respecting other people’s feelings.
• Avoid people who invalidate you or don’t respect your feelings.
• Listen others with empathy
• Have the courage to forgive oneself as well as others
 Guidelines for promoting EI at the workplace

(a) Paving the way

i. Assess the organization’s needs

ii. Assessing the individual
iii. Delivering assessments with care
iv. Maximizing learning choice
v. Encouraging participation
vi. Linking goals and personal values
vii. Adjusting individual expectations
viii. Assessing readiness and motivation for EQ
development
(b) Doing the work of change

i. Foster relationships between EQ trainers and

learners.
ii. Self-directed change and learning
iii. Setting goals
iv. Breaking goals down into achievable steps
v. Providing opportunities for practice
vi. Give feedback
vii. Using experiential methods
viii. Build in support
ix. Use models and examples
x. Encourage insight and Self awareness
(c) Encourage transfer and maintenance of change
(Sustainable change)

i. Encourage application of new learning in jobs

ii. Develop organizational culture that supports
learning

(d) Evaluating the change

i. Evaluate individual and organizational effect