Communication Skills
What is Communication Skills?
- Communication is a dynamic process.
- Through this process we convey a thought or feeling to someone else.
- How it is received depends on a set of events, stimuli, that person is exposed to.
- how you say what you say plays an important role in communication.
- The word communication is derived from a Latin word ‘Communis’ which means to share or to participate.
- Two-way process of reaching mutual understanding, in which parties involved exchange information, news, ideas and feelings
HOW TO BE A Good Communicator?
- An Active Listener
- An Effective Presenter
- A Quick Thinker
- A Win-Win Negotiator
Communication Process
- Source
- Encoding
- Channel
- Decoding
- Receiver
Source
- Why to communicate?
- What to communicate?
- Usefulness of the communication.
- Accuracy of the Information to be communicated.
Encoding
The process of transferring the information you want to communicate into a form that can be sent and correctly decoded at the other end.
- Ability to convey the information.
- Eliminate sources of confusion. For e.g. cultural issues,mistaken assumptions, and missing information. Knowing your audience.
Verbal Communication Channels
- Face-To-Face meetings
- Telephones
- Video Conferencing
Written Communication Channels
- Letters
- E-Mails
- Memos
- Reports
Strengths and Weaknesses
Verbal Communication
- Strength : Role of Body Language
- Weakness : Not Possible to give long list of directions
Written Communication
- Strength : A proof of a communication.
- Weakness : Written words does not show a person’s actual feelings.
EFFECTIVE DECODING
- Listen actively
- Reading information carefully
- Avoid Confusion
- Ask question for better understanding.
- The audience or individuals to whom we are sending the information.
THE INFLUENCE FOR RECEIVER
- The prior knowledge can influence the receiver’s understanding of the message.
- Blockages in the receiver’s mind.
- The surrounding disturbances
FeedBack
- Verbal Reactions and Non-Verbal Reactions.
- Positive feedback and Negative feedback.
Types of communication
According to number of persons who receive the message:
- Interpersonal communication
- Intrapersonal communication
- Group Communication
- Mass Communication
On the basis of the medium employed:
- Verbal Communication
- Non-Verbal Communication
On the base of Organizational Structure:
- Formal communication
- Informal communication
On the base of Flow or Direction:
- Downward communication
- Upward communication
- Horizontal communication
- Diagonal communication
Six ways of Using Non-Verbal Communication Skills Efectively
- Eye contact
- Facial expressions
- Gestures
- Posture and body orientation
- Proximity
- Paralinguistic
- Humor
EYE CONTACT
Eye is a direct and most expressive part of our body. Different ways of Eye Contact
- Direct Eye Contact: (Shows confidence)
- Looking downwards (Listening carefully or Guilty)
- Single raised eyebrow (Doubting)
- Both raised eyebrows (Admiring)
- Bent eyebrows (Sudden focus)
- Tears coming out (Emotional either happy or hurt)
FACIAL EXPRESSION
Smile covers the most part of facial expression: Smiling is a powerful cue that transmits:
- Happiness
- Friendliness
- Warmth
- Liking
- Affiliation
GESTURES
- If you fail to gesture while speaking, you may be perceived as boring, stiff and unanimated.
- A lively and animated teaching style captures students’ attention, makes the material more interesting, facilitates learning and provides a bit of entertainment.
- Head nods, a form of gestures, communicate positive reinforcement to students and indicate that you are listening.
POSTURE AND BODY ORIENTATION
- You communicate numerous messages by the way you walk, talk, stand and sit.
- Standing erect, but not rigid, and leaning slightly forward communicates to students that you are approachable, receptive and friendly.
- Furthermore, interpersonal closeness results when you and your students face each other.
- Speaking with your back turned or looking at the floor or ceiling should be avoided; it communicates disinterest to your class.
PROXIMITY
- Cultural norms dictate a comfortable distance for interaction with audience
- You should look for signals of discomfort caused by invading young audience‘s space
- Some of these are
- Rocking
- Leg swinging
- Tapping
- Gaze aversion
- To counteract this, move around the classroom to increase interaction with your students. Increasing proximity enables you to make better eye contact and increases the opportunities for students to speak
Paralinguistic
This facet of nonverbal communication includes such vocal elements as:
- Tone
- Stress
- Rhythm
- Loudness
Cover Topics
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