COMMANDMENTS OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS

*Dr.A.Chandramohan, ** B.Premkumar

KEYWORDS

[Commandments – Communication – Effectiveness – Skills - Objectives - Channels - Modes

- Four Pillars – Listening – Speaking – Reading – Writing]

ABSTRACT
__________________________________________________________________________

In today’s fast moving world effective communication skills are mandatory in all walks of

life. Especially for executives and managers working in organisations of high performance

culture, communication skills needs to be nurtured to be successful in the job.

Communication skills are not only necessary to survive in the organisation but also to

improve our way of life and build good relationships with peers and the society. If we can

express better it makes it easier to discuss and resolve issues in a faster manner. Our

knowledge gets sharpened by training ourselves to be effective communicators. When we can

help each other by sharing ideas, it makes the world a better place to live in peace and

harmony. Good humour filled communicators can be great stress relievers for people who get

entangled in the monotonous routine of life. The article provides simple steps to improve our

communication skills in an effective manner.

___________________________________________________________________________
*Dr.A.Chandramohan, Professor, MBA Department, SRM University, INDIA
Email: dracmohan_mannava@yahoo.com
** B.Premkumar, Lecturer, MBA Department, SRM University, INDIA
Email: prkbala@yahoo.co.in
___________________________________________________________________________
1. INTRODUCTION

“Communication is an Art”

When we say Communication skill, it can be in any context or any scenario. The

guidelines given by the article could be of use to students, people working in professional

organizations, managers and orators at large. Before doing anything we need to understand

the objective of it.

2. TEN MAJOR OBJECTIVES OF COMMUNICATION

Information

Advice / Suggestions

Orders and Directions

Operations

Education and Training

Instructions

Persuasion and propaganda

Warning

Raising Morale

Motivation

Fig.2

3. CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION – FORMAL VS INFORMAL

 The Formal channel is the corporate communication channel, established in a

structured manner through Organisation structure, hierarchy and IT enabled channels.

 The Informal channel takes the form of Grapevine. Its origin is through social

relationships, inside as well as outside the organisation.

4. MODES OF COMMUNICATION – VERBAL / NON – VERBAL

VERBAL
ORAL WRITTEN NON – VERBAL
Interview Letters Graphs
Expression Memos Charts, Maps
Telephonic Notices Body Language
Presentation Circulars Facial
Public speech Minutes Eye Contact
Conference Internet Gestures
Seminars Reports Postures
Tête-à-Tête Space
Clothing
Appearance

Fig.4

5. FOUR PILLARS OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

1 LISTENING

3 READING 4 WRITING

2 SPEAKING

Fig.5
6. LISTENING

To communicate through the various modes of communication we need to strengthen

our foundations on which we grew up. Listening comes first to be a successful manager or

speaker. An effective manager’s communication time is roughly in the following proportion.

Proportion of Effective Manager's Communication Time

Writing
9%

Reading
16%
Listening
45%

Speaking
30%

Fig.6.1

Steps in Listening by Receiver

Step 1: Silence – “Speech is Silver , Silence is Golden” – Thomas Carlyle

Step 2: Hearing

Step 3: Interpretation / Understanding

Step 4: Evaluation / Judgement of Message

Step 5: Response / Reaction

Fig.6.2
 Barriers to Listening

Distraction of self

Wandering attention

Planning to react

Avoiding understanding difficult ideas / Laziness to think

Tendency to criticize

Emotional block

Lack of patience

Poor health

Environmental distraction / Noticing

Fig.6.3

Tips for Good Listening

Try Listening to Music, Radio, T.V.,
Telephonic conversations

Stop talking

Have Empathy for the speaker

Don’t distract the speaker

Be patient

Ask questions at suitable moment

Keep an open mind

Have your energy level balanced /Don’t be Thirsty or Hungry

Fig.6.4
 BENEFITS OF LISTENING

Share Knowledge

Build Relationships

Get New Ideas

Solve Problems

Learn a Language without learning the Alphabets

Fig.6.5

7. TEN COMMANDMENTS OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

- American Management Association

“ Seek to clarify your ideas before communicating

Examine the true purpose of each communication
Consider the total physical and human setting whenever
you communicate (includes timing, privacy, social climate,
work relationships, custom and past practice)
Consult with others, where appropriate, in planning
communications
Be mindful, while you communicate, of the overtones as
well as the basic content of your message
Take the opportunity when it arises, to convey something of
help or value to the receiver
Follow up your communication
Communicate for tomorrow as well as today
Be sure your actions support your communication
Last, but by no means the least: seek not only to be understood
but to understand – be a good listener ”
 Fig.7

8. SPEAKING

The Basic foundation of speaking is in Listening to others and imbibing the message

of the speaker. We usually tend to start speaking or orating in the style in which we have seen

others speaking. But actually what happens is that, over the period of time and based on our

repeated drills of lectures and presentations we build our own style which will suit us on the

stage. Any Lecture or oration is for the benefit of the target audience. It has to be tailored and

delivered accordingly, in the way the target audience will understand. Sometimes it may be a

known target audience and sometimes it might be an entirely new set of people.

Tips for Good Speaking

For Beginners who have never spoken on the stage, here are some tips:
Write about some topic assuming a hypothetical audience

Speak it in front of the mirror – One to Many times

Listen to your own voice, the loudness level and clarity. (If there is a Personal

computer (PC) we can use the sound recorder for this purpose)

Try reading a paragraph or some newspaper (In the (PC) sound recorder – record

it and judge yourselves to boost our confidence level)

If there is a companion to help you, it makes the job still easier

Rehearse well till you get your perfection and confidence level

Fig.8.1
 For people who seems to have difficulty in standing and facing the audience

and maintaing the eye contact:

Stage Fear Symptoms

Tears in Eyes

Shivering Hands / Notepad

Sweating

Hands on the Forehead

Words getting stuck up

Covering the face

Putting the Head down

Taking away the Eye Contact

Negative Gestures

Fig.8.2

In my opinion we tend to remove our eye contact or get such type of stage fear due to

some kind of complexity or shyness which has developed within ourselves over the period of

time. Usually for people who have seldom mingled with the opposite sex or who have

problem in getting along with people for various reasons, this type of stage fear is very

common.

The complexity can be reduced to overcome the stage fear by making everybody talk

with each other in the group or introducing oneself to each other on a one-to-one basis as well

as on a one-to-group basis. By this it makes the speaker comfortable enough with the people

or the ambience around, and to easily start with the first few words of the lecture or talk. Such

mingling and speaking exercise needs to be repeated quite often on different topics and varied

subjects.
 NOTHING RIGHT, NOTHING WRONG

TRY,TRY,TRY…

Fig.8.3

Approach for clarity in communication:

A – Attention K - Keep

I – Interest I - It

D – Desire S – Short or Simple

A – Action S – Sweet or Stupid

MIND MAPPING ASK YOURSELF

Why? What? How?

Fig.8.4

For people who have overcome this - stage fear – stage next expected out of a speaker

is clarity in Communication. There are lot of guidelines in message delivery like the AIDA

approach, KISS approach, Mind Mapping, etc...

 Now-a-days the visual aids available come to the rescue, thereby improving the

quality of lectures. For e.g.; Power points and OHP sheets (Over head Projector) are the best

available visual aids. Either we can use an OHP marker or take a print out and further take a

photocopy of it in the OHP sheet. Power points are very helpful in putting colourful and

picture (Graphs, Charts, images, designs, textures) filled presentations.

Preferably a dark coloured OHP marker would do the best. In a similar fashion font

size and colour contrast in comparison to the background needs to be taken care, such that it

does not ends up in a blurred view.

For Effective Content delivery:

Usually we tend to do the mistake of directly writing down on the OHP sheet or

typing down our presentation slides, which is the biggest ever mistake. First we need to read

and understand the subject matter for ourselves which we are going to deliver. If it is a known

topic, we need to at least think over it, that is the flow or sequence in which it needs to be

delivered, so that the target audience will understand easily. Preferably a condensed rough

copy of the understanding would suffice first. Then fair it up in the OHP or PowerPoint.

Take notes of the headings or the cue points in a handy note pad in the manner

Notes

in which you will understand. Try rehearsing the topic once for many times till you get the

perfection level. The perfection level is nothing but the speaker should be able to start and

finish the lecture with or without the teaching aid or cue points notepad.
 Check out the time it takes from the start to finish of the lecture

Time management

in the initial trials. Fine tune, compress and expand the subject matter to be delivered and fit

it with the time limit.

The Opening up, the Sequence and the Close

Before starting to present on a topic, address the audience and wish them

Introduce them to the topic on which you are going to speak about it

Start presenting and get deeper into the intricacies of the topic step by step

If possible try to pull the audience into the discussion and give examples to

explain complex terms and things

Reinstate the keywords that will make the lecture a memorable and

recollectable one with the target audience

Finally summarise or conclude the topic presentation

Say bye or thank you to the audience and ask their feedback on the lecture.

Fig.8.5

The energy level and eye contact needs to be maintained through out the lecture.

Have some eatables and water bottles in case your energy goes down or the throat goes dry. If

by any case you forget a point, skip to the next point. Never ever stop in the middle of a

lecture.
 The Audience Factor:

Above all to learn the art of speaking we need to have a quality audience. Choose

some of your good friends who can understand you and help you improve your

communication skill. But most of the times we usually tend to ignore this aspect and never

try to explore our hidden talents. If the above is not possible, seek a guide or a mentor or join

a coaching class, which is worth it for the talent built up comes for a life time. Repeat or

practice more by participating in more presentations and lectures, which is the success

formula to be a great speaker.

9. READING

In the early stages of the habit most of us started reading or started to digest

information with or without knowing the purpose of it. We often tend to feel,

“I don’t have time”

“It’s not my area”

“It’s no way related to me”

Fig.9.1

To be precise, though we might be excellent readers we often tend to read or seek

information only when the need arises. To be a successful manager or speaker, reading habit

has to be groomed. To make right decisions we need to read and digest lot of information.

Naturally the pace of reading needs to be increased.

To start with an effective reading habit from now on, we can take a book or article or

any subject matter which interests us the most. For e.g.; it can be even poetry or literature. It

can be in the mother tongue or in the foreign language.

 Only in reading we can take time to think

and understand on our own pace

Fig.9.2

Reading improves Vocabulary

Fig.9.3

But still to improve our reading skills we need to develop an attitude of urge to seek

information from varied areas, which might not be even relevant to our area of work. At least

one time or the other, man as a social being has to seek some knowledge, which might be

entirely new to him, for some benefit. There is no harm in glancing through articles or

magazines which is new to us. We don’t lose more nor gain more in knowing something

intellectually.

Read Magazines , Newspapers, Journals

Fig.9.4

In fact Life is a pass time in our earthly existence destined by the Super force, in

which we try to seek our favourite pass time which is nothing but our career.
 Scholarly people say that books are our best companion. Try to collect the books

which make you read again and again and keep your passion for the reading habit alive. It

could be even a favourite school book or story book.

Tips for Good Reading

Start Early

Start with your Favourite

Read and understand

Try reading few lines

Try Reading a paragraph

Try reading a page

Have a dictionary by the side

Relax yourself

Try reading a book

Try reading books

Seek knowledge from varied areas

Share what you have read and understood

Read Aloud !!!

Fig.9.5 Check your
Pronunciation
Tone
Reading Improves Concentration Pitch &
Modulation

Fig.9.6

10. WRITING
 When we say writing, the thing that comes to my mind is my English Grammar book

– Wren & Martin. It was one of the best books that impressed me during my School days.

Most of us come from the Indian Schools, where English was just taught as a Second

language. We used it, just to write our exams. Later on as we mature and grow, writing skills

are necessary in communicating in the organization for various purposes.

Pen is mightier than the Sword!

Fig.10.1

In organisations, there is a separate team called Corporate Communication, giving

great importance to messages being delivered to everyone in the company. The Message,

which in most of the times is in written form like Email or Newsletter which reflects or

Echoes - “One Voice or One Key Message” which is to be understood by all in the same

meaning.

“Different words mean different meanings in different contexts”

Fig.10.2

When we read through the books of pretty high value content or difficult to

understand knowledge wise, we find the Author usually gives a preface or foreword on how

to use the book. The Contents and the abbreviations are given in the initial pages. Importance

in structuring and arrangement is given through page numbers, Table and figure numbers.

Font size, Colour, indenting or paragraph alignment of the subject matter, title, sub title, line

spacing and print view in the reader’s eyes - all matters.

 Fig.10.3

The Opening up and closing up of a message or any subject matter has various

formats. Usually when we read the first chapter in any book, it will give the purpose and idea

of what the author has elaborated inside the rest of the chapters. In a similar fashion our

written messages have to be simple and clear, conveying the same meaning to all. It can be in

brief or in detail depending upon the need. Especially in organizations, beginning and ending

a letter or an email message needs to given extra care. Some times it can be a formal one or

an informal one.

Way of Writing reflects one’s character

Fig.10.4

To begin with to improve our writing skills we can try writing a personal letter or a

business mail communication imagining a situation and comparing it with any writing

guidelines. Give the written content to someone and ask his feedback. Check whether the

message you intended reached him in the same meaning. Ask him/her how personally he/she

could feel you while reading your writing.

 Tips for Good Writing

Try writing short stories and essays

Look at your sentence formation

Think about what you want to write

Read related books

Choose your area

Choose your key words

Structure the content

Keep it simple

Begin, elaborate and end

Pictures and diagrams speak louder than words

Make it easier to read, by indexing, paging, numbering, headings and alignment

Highlight the references

Fig.10.5

11. INTELLIGENCE

In all the modes of communication, the reader or listener .i.e. the end receiver has to

be made to think. To understand this we need to understand the basis on which we started

communicating i.e. how our languages and dialects started? We wanted to express something

or to do some act in a group like hunting. We drew pictures, formed sounds, words and

sentences. As we read or listen to these words and pictures we associate our knowledge

reference with that of the speaker’s message. We try to understand his expression from his
point of view. We question him, question ourselves, sometimes agitate, keep silent or

participate and negotiate to arrive at a common consensus over the topic of discussion.

What are we trying to do in this process? We are actually trying to improve our 6 th

sense or intelligence, to put it simpler - our way of living. Isn’t it?

References:

1. Asha Kaul, “Business Communication”, 1998, 7th ed., Prentice Hall India (P) Ltd.

2. Gopal K. Puri, “The art of public speaking”, Sudha Publications (P) Ltd.

3. F.E.X.Dance, “The Concept of Communication”, Journal of Communication,

June1970, P. 201-202

4. Klemmer & Snyder, “Measurement of time spent on communication”, Journal of

Communication, June1972, P. 142-152

5. Kae H. Chung & Leon C. Megginson, “Organisational Behaviour”, NewYork

Harper & Row, 1981, P.193

6. Wayne Baty, “Vital Factors in Interpersonal Communication”, Organisational

Behaviour, Ed; By H.R. Knudson, Cambridge, Winthrop Publishers, 1978, P.86

7. Flippo Edwin B., “Principles of Management”,1976

8. Rudrabasavaraj M.N., Personal Administration Policies in India, V.M.N Institute

of Co-operative Management, Pune, 1969.

9. www.google.com

10. http://www.abetterworkplace.com

11. http://www.management.com

12. http://www.humanresourcesmagazine.com

13. http://www.hrgateway.com

14. http://en.wikipedia.org