LESSON 5: Effective Communication Skills

7 C’s of Effective Communication

1. Completeness- The communication must be complete. It should convey all facts required by the audience. The sender
of the message must take into consideration the receiver’s mind set and convey the message accordingly.
2. Conciseness- Conciseness means wordiness, i.e., communicating what you want to convey in least possible words
without forgoing the other C’s of communication.
3. Consideration- Consideration implies “stepping into the shoes of others”. Effective communication must take the
audience into consideration, i.e., the audience’s viewpoints, background, mind-set, educational level, etc. Ensure that
the self-respect of the audience is maintained and their emotions are not at harm. Modify your words in message to suit
the audience’s needs while making your message complete.
4. Clarity- Clarity implies emphasizing on a specific message or goal at a time, rather than trying to achieve too much at
once.
5. Concreteness- Concrete communication implies being particular and clear rather than fuzzy and general.
Concreteness strengthens the confidence.
6. Courtesy- Courtesy in message implies the message should show the sender’s expression as well as should respect the
receiver. The sender of the message should be sincerely polite, judicious, reflective and enthusiastic.
7. Correctness- Correctness in communication implies that there are no grammatical errors in communication.

What is effective communication?

Communication is about more than just exchanging information. It's about understanding the emotion and intentions
behind the information. Effective communication is also a two-way street. It’s not only how you convey a message so
that it is received and understood by someone in exactly the way you intended, it’s also how you listen to gain the full
meaning of what’s being said and to make the other person feel heard and understood.

More than just the words you use, effective communication combines a set of skills including nonverbal communication,
engaged listening, managing stress in the moment, the ability to communicate assertively, and the capacity to recognize
and understand your own emotions and those of the person you’re communicating with.

Effective communication is the glue that helps you deepen your connections to others and improve teamwork, decision
making, and problem solving. It enables you to communicate even negative or difficult messages without creating
conflict or destroying trust.

Effective Communication Skills is your chance to learn more about how you communicate verbally, the common
problems you can encounter in doing so, and how you can improve your own effectiveness—especially by overcoming
the psychological and biological hard-wiring that too often gets in the way.

The Three Basic Listening Modes

There is a real distinction between merely hearing the words and really listening to the message. When we listen
effectively, we understand what the person is thinking and/or feeling from the other person’s own perspective. It is as if
we were standing in the other person’s shoes, seeing through his/her eyes, and listening through the person’s ears. Our
own viewpoint may be different and we may not necessarily agree with the other person, but we listen, we understand
from the other’s perspective. To listen effectively, we must actively involve in the communication process, and not just
listening passively.
We all act and respond on the basis of our understanding, and too often there is a misunderstanding that neither of us is
aware of. With active listening, if a misunderstanding has occurred, it will be known immediately, and the
communication can be clarified before any further misunderstanding occurs.

The Three Basic Listening Modes

1. Competitive or Combative Listening happens when we are more interested in promoting our own point of view than
in understanding or exploring someone’ else’s view. We either listen for openings to take the floor, or for flaws or weak
points we can attack. As we pretend to pay attention we are impatiently waiting for an opening, or internally formulating
our rebuttal and planning our devastating comeback that will destroy their argument and make us the victor.

2. Passive or Attentive Listening is we are genuinely interested in hearing and understanding the other person’s point of
view. We are attentive yet passive. We assume that we hear and understand correctly; but stay passive and do not verify
the transmitted information.

3. Active or Reflective Listening is the single most useful and important listening skill. In active listening, we are
genuinely interested in understanding what the other person is thinking, feeling, wanting or what the message means,
we are active in checking out our understanding before we respond with our new message. We restate or paraphrase
our understanding of their message and reflect it back to the sender for verification. The verification of feedback process
is what distinguishes active listening and makes it effective.

Active listening, when done properly, is the only aspect of the art of conversation that engages all of the ideals of
effective talk. These include

a. mindful attention, not only to what you're experiencing outside, but also to what you're experiencing inside, a dual
focus that requires conscious effort and thus makes the listening active instead of passive

Communication Styles
There are five different communication styles, including assertive, aggressive, passive-aggressive, submissive and
manipulative. Understanding the differing communication styles in everyday interactions is important in helping develop
effective communication skills. Being assertive implies respecting oneself and others as well. It refers to the ability to clearly
articulate thoughts and feelings via open, honest and direct communication.

Assertive style of communication - demonstrates high self-esteem is the most healthy and effective method of
communication. An assertive person is neither too aggressive nor too passive. He communicates confidently without playing
mind games or manipulating others. He means what he says and doesn't allow himself to be pushed around just because
somebody wants his help.
Aggressive style of communication - is a characteristic of people who always want to win, often at others’ expense.
Aggressive people treat their needs as if they are more important than other people’s. People who communicate through this
style behave as if they have more rights and have more to share than others. This style of communication is often ineffective
as it may lead to loss of vital information.
Passive-aggressive style - is demonstrated by people who appear passive on the outside but internally, they are burning with
anger. Users of this style often feel powerless and resentful.
Submissive style - is about pleasing others in order to avoid confrontation. Submissive people put other people’s needs before
their own.
Manipulative style - is characterized by scheming, calculating and shrewdness. People with this style are experts at influencing
or controlling other people for their selfish gains.