Communication skills

Chapter one
Introduction to Communication

An overview:

The study of communication is important, because every administrative

function and activity involves some form of direct or indirect communication.
Whether planning and organizing or leading and monitoring, school
administrators communicate with and through other people. This implies that
every person’s communication skills affect both personal and
organizational effectiveness (Brun, 2010; Summers, 2010).

It seems reasonable to conclude that one of the most inhibiting forces to

organizational effectiveness is a lack of effective communication (Lutgen-
Sandvik, 2010).

Moreover, good communication skills are very important to ones success as a

school administrator. A recent study indicated that recruiters rated
communication skills as the most important characteristic of an ideal job
candidate (Yate, 2009).

Communication can be defined as the process of transmitting information and

common understanding from one person to another (Keyton, 2011).

The word communication is derived from the Latin word, communis, which
means common. The definition underscores the fact that unless a common
understanding results from the exchange of information, there is no
communication.

Communication, Speech vs. language and a review of the terminology

Objectives:

· To understand what we mean when we talk about communication

· To clarify the terminology: what is communication? What is speech?

What is language? And what are the differences?

· To review the importance of communication

1. 1 Defining ‘communication,’ ‘speech’ and ‘language’

What is Communication? How does one talk so that another person listens
and understands? How does one listen? How does one know if he has been
heard and understood?

Activity:
What is speech?
What do we mean when we talk about speech,
language and communication? - Is the oral production of
sounds using the mouth,
Before you read on, take a moment to answer these lips, tongue and other
questions: structures.

- What is speech? Throughout this manual

we will talk about speech
- What is language? as the act of speaking.
That is the use of the
- What is communication? tongue, lips, mouth and
voice working together to
Do you find that you use these terms produce sounds, words
interchangeably? and sentences.

What is language?

Language is the organized use of symbols (words or signs) put together to

receive or relay a message. These symbols have distinct meaning based on
the culturally agreed upon definition. Language is rule based and systematic.
For simplicity consider language as based in the brain.

Language is also divided into two skill areas. These areas are receptive
language or the understanding of language and expressive language which is
the use of language. Receptive language typically precedes expressive language.
For example: We would expect a child to understand a word or sign before they
could use it. We will talk more about receptive and expressive language
domains when we discuss language disorders later in the text.

What is communication?

When we refer to communication we are talking about the transfer of

information from one person to another.

Communication the refers to the process of sending and receiving or exchange

of information, ideas, opinions by the way of writing, speaking or acting so that
the message communicated is understood by the receiver.
Components of Communication

Essential Components of Communication

Overview

The purpose of this lesson is to understand what communication is and the

eight essential components of communication.

Read:
Communication is the conveying of messages by exchanging thoughts or
information via speech, visuals, signals, writing, or behavior. Communication
requires a sender, a message, and a recipient, although the receiver may not be
present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of
communication.

Eight Essential Components of Communication

In order to better understand the communication process, we can break it

down into a series of eight essential components:

1. Source
2. Message
3. Channel
4. Receiver
5. Feedback
6. Environment
7. Context
8. Interference

Each of these eight components serves an integral function in the overall

process. Let’s explore them one by one.

Source/sender
a person who sends or transmits a message, letter, email, etc.

The source imagines, creates, and sends the message. The source begins by
first determining the message—what to say and how to say it.

The second step involves encoding the message by choosing just the right
order or the perfect words to convey the intended meaning.
The third step is to present or send the information to the receiver or audience.
This message can be conveyed through his or her tone of voice, body language,
and choice of clothing.

Finally, by watching for the audience’s reaction, the source perceives how
well they received the message and responds with clarification or supporting
information.

Message
The message is the meaning produced by the source for the receiver or
audience. When you speak to a person your message may be the words you
choose that will convey your meaning. But that is just the beginning. The
words are brought together with grammar and organization. You may choose to
save your most important point for last. The message also consists of the way
you say it—in a speech, with your tone of voice, your body language, and your
appearance—and in a report, with your writing style, punctuation, and the
headings and formatting you choose. In addition, part of the message may be
the environment or context you present it in and the noise that might make
your message hard to hear or see.

Imagine, for example, that you are presenting in front of your class and are
aware there is the Super Bowl game tonight. Your audience might have a hard
time settling down, but you may choose to open with, “I understand there is
an important game tonight.― In this way, by expressing verbally something
that most people in your audience are aware of and interested in, you might
grasp and focus their attention.
Channel
There are different ways for a message to travel between the source and the
receiver and this is called the channel. For example, think of your
television. How many channels do you have on your television? Each channel
takes up some space, even in a digital world, in the cable or in the signal that
brings the message of each channel to your home. Television combines an
audio signal you hear with a visual signal you see. Together they convey the
message to the receiver or audience.

Turn off the volume on your television. Can you still understand what is
happening? Many times you can, because the body language conveys part of
the message of the show. Now turn up the volume but turn around so that you
cannot see the television. You can still hear the dialogue and follow the story
line.

Similarly, when you speak or write, you are using a channel to convey your
message. Spoken channels include face-to-face conversations, speeches,
telephone conversations and voice mail messages, radio, public address
systems, and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP). Written channels include
letters, memorandums, purchase orders, invoices, newspaper and magazine
articles, blogs, e-mail, text messages, tweets, and so forth.
Receiver
As a receiver you listen, see, touch, smell, and/or taste to receive a message
and interpret the message from the source intentionally and unintentionally.
To better understand this component, think of a receiver on a football team.
The quarterback throws the football (message) to a receiver, who must see and
interpret where to catch the ball. The quarterback may intend for the receiver
to “catch― his message in one way, but the receiver may see things
differently and miss the football (the intended meaning) altogether.
Feedback
When you respond to the source, intentionally or unintentionally, you are
giving feedback. Feedback is composed of messages the receiver sends back to
the source. Verbal or nonverbal, all these feedback signals allow the source to
see how well, how accurately (or how poorly and inaccurately) the message was
received. Feedback also provides an opportunity for the receiver or audience to
ask for clarification, to agree or disagree, or to indicate that the source could
make the message more interesting. As the amount of feedback increases, the
accuracy of communication also increases.

For example, suppose you are downstairs and your children are upstairs. You
would like to tell them dinner is ready. You yell upstairs for them to come down
and hear no reply. You might assume that this means they understood, are
wanting to eat, and will be down shortly, but you also may think they didn't
hear you, or they aren't hungry and choose to skip dinner. So you shout
louder! If you followed up your first, "Dinner is ready" message with a request
for feedback ("Say I'll be right down, or I'm not hungry if you heard me") you
might have an opportunity to clarify your message, and to find out if they are
hungry and coming down for dinner.

Environment
The environment is the space where you send and receive messages. If you
glance around your room, your environment can include the tables, chairs,
lighting, and the computer you are using. The room itself is an example of
the environment.

The environment can also include factors like formal dress, that may indicate
whether a discussion is open and caring or more professional and formal.
People may be more likely to have an intimate conversation when they are
physically close to each other, and less likely when they can only see each
other from across the room. In that case, they may text each other, itself an
intimate form of communication. The choice to text is influenced by the
environment.

Context
A presentation or discussion does not take place as an isolated event. Context
is the circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and
in terms of which it can be fully understood and assessed. For example, when
you came to class, you came from somewhere. So did the person seated next to
you, as did the instructor.

The degree to which the environment is formal or informal depends on the

contextual expectations for communication held by the participants. The
person sitting next to you may be used to informal communication with
instructors, but this particular instructor may be used to verbal and nonverbal
displays of respect in the academic environment. You may be used to formal
interactions with instructors as well, and find your classmate’s question of
“Hey Teacher, do we have homework today?― as rude and inconsiderate
when they see it as normal. The nonverbal response from the instructor will
certainly give you a clue about how they perceive the interaction, both the word
choices and how they were said.

Context is all about what people expect from each other, and we often
create those expectations out of environmental cues. Traditional gatherings
like weddings or quinceañeras are often formal events. There is a time for
quiet social greetings, a time for silence as the bride walks down the aisle, or
the father may have the first dance with his daughter as she is transformed
from a girl to womanhood in the eyes of her community. In either celebration,
there may come a time for rambunctious celebration and dancing. You may be
called upon to give a toast, and the wedding or quinceañera context will
influence your presentation, timing, and effectiveness.

Context is all about what people expect from each other. In a business meeting,
who speaks first? That probably has some relation to the position and role each
person has outside the meeting. Context plays a very important role in
communication, particularly across cultures.

Interference
Interference, also called noise, can come from any source and has the ability
to block or change the intended meaning of the message. For example, if you
drove a car to work or school, chances are you were surrounded by noise. Car
horns, billboards, or perhaps the radio in your car interrupted your thoughts
or your conversation with a passenger.

Psychological noise is what happens when your thoughts occupy your attention
while you are hearing, or reading, a message. Imagine that you are studying for
your first test and you are nervous about the grade you will receive. As
thoughts of doubt creep into your mind, they interfere with your reading of
classroom notes and the study guide.

Interference can come from other sources, too. Perhaps you are hungry, and
your attention to your current situation interferes with your ability to listen.
Maybe the classroom is hot and stuffy. If you were a member of an audience
listening to a guest speaker, how could this impact your ability to listen and
participate?

Noise interferes with normal encoding and decoding of the message carried by
the channel between source and receiver. Not all noise is bad, but noise
interferes with the communication process. For example, your cell phone
ringtone may be a welcome noise to you, but it may interrupt
the communication process in class and bother your classmates.

Summary

The communication process involves understanding, sharing, and meaning,

and it consists of eight essential elements: source, message, channel, receiver,
feedback, environment, context, and interference.
 CHAPTER TWO
Communication Process
Definition: The Communication is a two-way process wherein the message in
the form of ideas, thoughts, feelings, opinions is transmitted between two or
more persons with the intent of creating a shared understanding.

Simply, an act of conveying intended information and understanding from one

person to another is called as communication. The term communication is derived
from the Latin word “Communis― which means to share. Effective
communication is when the message conveyed by the sender is understood by
the receiver in exactly the same way as it was intended.

Communication Process

The communication is a dynamic process that begins with the conceptualizing

of ideas by the sender who then transmits the message through a channel to
the receiver, who in turn gives the feedback in the form of some message or
signal within the given time frame. Thus, there are Seven major elements of
communication process:
 1. Sender: The sender or the communicator is the person who initiates the
conversation and has conceptualized the idea that he intends to convey it
to others.
2. Encoding: The sender begins with the encoding process wherein he uses
certain words or non-verbal methods such as symbols, signs, body
gestures, etc. to translate the information into a message. The
sender’s knowledge, skills, perception, background, competencies,
etc. has a great impact on the success of the message.
3. Message: Once the encoding is finished, the sender gets the message
that he intends to convey. The message can be written, oral, symbolic or
non-verbal such as body gestures, silence, sighs, sounds, etc. or any
other signal that triggers the response of a receiver.
4. Communication Channel: The Sender chooses the medium through
which he wants to convey his message to the recipient. It must be
selected carefully in order to make the message effective and correctly
interpreted by the recipient. The choice of medium depends on the
interpersonal relationships between the sender and the receiver and also
on the urgency of the message being sent. Oral, virtual, written, sound,
gesture, etc. are some of the commonly used communication mediums.
5. Receiver: The receiver is the person for whom the message is intended
or targeted. He tries to comprehend it in the best possible manner such
that the communication objective is attained. The degree to which the
receiver decodes the message depends on his knowledge of the subject
matter, experience, trust and relationship with the sender.
6. Decoding: Here, the receiver interprets the sender’s message and
tries to understand it in the best possible manner. An effective
communication occurs only if the receiver understands the message in
exactly the same way as it was intended by the sender.
7. Feedback: The Feedback is the final step of the process that ensures the
receiver has received the message and interpreted it correctly as it was
intended by the sender. It increases the effectiveness of the
communication as it permits the sender to know the efficacy of his
message. The response of the receiver can be verbal or non-verbal.

Note: The Noise shows the barriers in communications. There are chances
when the message sent by the sender is not received by the recipient.
Why Do We Communicate?

We communicate for a variety of reasons! We use communication to share

information, comment, ask questions, express wants and needs, develop social
relationships, social etiquette, etc.

Communication is much more than wants and needs. Our main reasons for
communication change over time just slightly. Based on the research of Janice
Light, during the life span, we are communicating for social reasons over 50%
of the time. Wants and needs make a very small part. Exchanging information
grows through the years.

Based on these ideas, we need to create opportunities to communicate for a

variety of reasons. As communication partners, we need to model a variety of
reasons (functions of) for communication as well. As part of “tool box― we
are working on, you might find this handout helpful to use as a target/model
reminder for all the communication partners.

Brief instructions are included in the handout, a blank document to use, as

well as a couple examples. You can simply fill in words to act as reminders or
use the button capture feature in Chat Editor to create a visual of
the sequences to be modeled. You might provide this visual support in different
areas of the room to remind everyone what opportunities need to be created for
communication.

For example, at student locker areas, you might post one that includes greeting
(hello good bye), requesting (help), comment (good day, bad day), manners
(please, thank you). You can create another one for another area of the
classroom, such as a game corner. The focus might be on turn-taking,
commenting, questioning, and requesting.
CHAPTER THREE

Types of Communication
Definition: The Communication is a two-way process wherein the
information, ideas, opinions, thoughts, feelings, etc. are transmitted between
the individuals through the use of mutually understood symbols and semiotic
rules (signs and symbols)

The communication is the important factor for the commercial success of any
business. The organizational Hierarchy also decides the type of channel
through which the communication passes. On the basis of the status of
individuals involved in the communication process and the urgency of the
message to be sent, the communication channels can be categorized as:

1. Formal Communication
2. Informal Communication

Further, there are several forms of communication that the individuals use to
give some pattern or expression to their messages such that it is easily
understood by all. The most common types of communication are:
 1. Verbal Communication, wherein you speak your subject matter, and
others listen to it carefully and try to associate meaning with it.
2. Nonverbal Communication, wherein the others observe you and try to
confer a meaning to it.
3. Written Communication wherein you write your message and others
read it to derive meaning out of it.

Deciding on the types of communication to be used in the business context is

quite tedious. The organization must consider the following set of questions
before finalizing the communication:

 Who are the intended recipients?

 What message is to be communicated?
 What is the time constraint?
 How much budget is sanctioned for such activity?
 What messages are often communicated? And what was their impact on
the audience?

Hence, which form of communication shall be selected depends on the type of

message to be transmitted and the personal preferences of the parties involved
in the communication.

Pros and Cons of Types of Communication

The medium you select can make a drastic difference in how effectively you
communicate to the other person, as well as the impact it has on that
particular situation and relationship. Below we will go over many types of
communication mediums and when they would be most appropriate.

Text/Written
Text-based or “written― communications are a very popular medium.
Emails, text messages, social media sites and other platforms often use SMS
platforms for a major part of their functions. However, there are many
limitations to how text communication can work and that means it might not
be an appropriate choice in many situations.

Pros

 We have no choice but to get to the point. It cuts out small talk.
 The messages stay on record. Sure there is space for misinterpretations,
but you can always search the original message and that can’t be
questioned in a miscommunication.
 Writing things down tends to make us be more precise in how we speak,
we think of what we need to say and how we wish to convey it.
  You can keep it organized. This isn’t so easy in text messages, but in
emails you have the space to organize things in to different paragraphs
or sections to make it easier to read.

Cons

 Text has no tone. You can’t really differentiate how the person is
meaning something via text outside of emoticons, which are not
professional at all.
 Text is very easy to miscommunicate. Of course, speech is easy to
misunderstand, one misspelling can ruin the entire message.
 Text and emails are very impersonal. You don’t get that face to face
interaction.
 There really is no way to open things up for discussion with a group.
Sometimes this will have an advantage, other times it is extremely
difficult to make work because all you have is back and forth between 2
people.

Text mediums are great for when you need your message to be quick and
precise and on the record, however it is not a good choice for when emotion is
necessary to convey a message.

Voice/Verbal
Making a regular phone call or voice call, is becoming less and less popular.
Text is really taking the monopoly on communication since it is so quick and to
the point. However, voice calls still have their place in some situations and for
some people.

Pros

 You don’t need to focus all of your attention on a voice call. You can
multitask. With text you can’t really do much as you need to be
looking at what it is you are typing. If you have a blue tooth headset you
can take a voice call pretty much anywhere no matter what you’re
doing. In fact, lots of people will be multitasking during conference calls.
Very convenient.
 You can convey your tone with just your voice. You don’t need body
language and you don’t need to try and figure out how to convey
things via text without the inappropriate use of emoticons.
 You can have multiple people on the same call no matter where they are
at. Conference calls makes it easier for everyone to be heard at once.
Cons

 People will often interrupt each other, even by accident. There are no real
pauses in speech and you don’t really know when one person is done
or the next person is about to begin so it happens that people wind up
speaking over each other.
 Where’s the record? You can record phone calls but it isn’t as
easy to find a specific point of reference in voice files as it is in text.
 Many things factor in to how well people can be heard over the phone.
Accents, connection problems, background noise, all those things can
make it hard to hear or understand what people are saying during a
voice call.

Voice calls can be great for getting multiple people from different places in the
same conversation, but they are generally inefficient and text is often much
easier.
CHAPTER FOUR

Communication Barriers

Overview

Communication barriers can interfere with or block the message you are trying
to send. This topic will help you to:

ï‚· Recognize the barriers to communication which prevent messages being sent
and received successfully

Inside this topic

Sender Related Barriers:

Communication is a two-way process, involving a sender communicating a

message to the receiver, who then, through either verbal or non-verbal
communication, offers feedback to the sender. This reciprocity is key to
successful communication, but as you are sending your message, you need to
recognize and then remove barriers that can hinder or obstruct your
communication.

1. Lack of Message Clarity

· As the sender, clarification is your responsibility. Do not depend on the

recipient to interpret the intent of your communication through their filters;
remove any ambiguity through purposeful terms. For example, if you want
punctuality, be specific about the time you want someone to show up. In
written communication, pay attention to your punctuation and the effect it can
have on message meanings. If you are giving a speech, provide meaningful
examples to illustrate your meaning

· Using examples to illustrate your point or meaning when giving a

speech can help clarify your message.

2. Fear

A person under the influence of fear is likely to lose balance and his
communication skills will be affected adversely. Many people don't speak up
due to fear and fear cause us to communicate poorly.

3.Inappropriate Channels

· If you are providing detailed instructions via a telephone conversation,

you may find that the amount of verbal detail is too difficult for the receiver to
process and retain. Conversely, delivering personally sensitive information in
an e-mail as opposed to face-to-face interaction could predictably be a barrier
to sending the desired sensitivity that most senders would want to project in
such a scenario, as could delivering such a message in a crowded venue as
opposed to a more intimate setting.

· Make sure your communication channel is appropriate for the

message.

4. Language

· If a sender is attempting to communicate in a language that is strange

or non-native to the receiver, a huge communication barrier exists. However,
sender-initiated language barriers can encompass more than just native
language differences; pronouncing or spelling words, and even body language
rank among sender-related barriers. Your posture, stance, what you do with
your hands, eye contact, indicators of nervousness or other distracting
behaviors can hinder your recipient’s ability to process your message.

· Body language can help or hinder communication from the sender.

5. Volume and Tone

· If you do not pay attention to potential vocal barriers, such as

inappropriate pitch, inflection, or conversation speed, you are not
communicating responsibly. If your volume or tone is inappropriate to the
message content, for example, that is a barrier that may likely prevent the
receiver from processing your message in the desired manner.

· Your volume and pitch can be a barrier to your message being properly
received and interpreted.

Receiver Related Barriers:

· Jargon its means special words or vocabularies which are familiar is a

group or profession. When it’s used outside the group it becomes
meaningless.

· Often the receiver is a poor listener (lack of interest), observer or

reader; therefore, misinterprets the meaning of the message.

· Many times the receiver jumps to conclusions.

· Many receivers hear or see what he/she wants to hear or see.

· Finally, receivers might reject a message that contradicts their own
beliefs and assumptions.

Receiver's Responsibilities

Communication depends on the ability not only to send but also to receive
messages. So the ability to listen effectively greatly enhances
the communication process. But many of us are not good listeners. Effective
listening skills can be developed, however. Summarized following are ten rules
for good listening (Kneen, 2011)

1. Stop talking: You cannot listen if you are talking.

2. Put the talker at ease: Help a person feel free to talk. This is often called a
permissive environment.

3. Remove distractions: Don't doodle, tap, or shuffle papers. Will it be quieter

if you shut the door?

4. Be patient: Allow plenty of time. Do not interrupt a talker. Don't start for
the door or walk away.

5. Ask questions: This encourages a talker and shows that you are listening. It
helps to develop points further.

Environmental barriers:

Not all barriers to communication are caused by people. There are many
environmental factors affecting the effective communication process. Messages
can be blocked by environmental factors, such as the physical setting or the
situation where communication takes place.

o Managing environmental factors

Here are some points to help you manage environmental factors

for effective communication when in teams.

· Team meeting rooms should be cool but not cold. A warm room makes
participants sleepy; a cold room can make them very unhappy!

· Make sure that the environment is comfortable and secure. People need
to feel safe before they will listen or offer suggestions.
· Check that nothing behind or near the team member will cause
distraction (for example, activity seen through an open window or door; a
television screen).

· Turn off your mobile phone when you are communicating with other
people.

· Wait until machinery (or any other distracting noise) is turned off
before you even try to communicate. If this is not possible, move to a quieter
location.

· Use accepted format in any written communication (letters,

memorandums and reports) and, if it’s important, check with someone
beforehand that they can understand it.

As a communicator, you need to think about what are the potential and real
environmental barriers in your workplace or community.

Conclusion:

Communication is the process of transmitting information and common

understanding from one person to another. The elements of the communication
process are the sender, encoding the message, transmitting the message
through a medium, receiving the message, decoding the message, feedback,
and noise. A number of barriers retard effective communication. These can be
divided into four categories: process barriers, physical barriers, semantic
barriers, and psychosocial barriers. To improve the effectiveness of
communications, schools must develop an awareness of the importance of
sender's and receiver's responsibilities and adhere to active listening skills.

DISCUSSION AND COMMUNICATION QUESTIONS:

o Who is the best communicator you know? Why do you consider that person
to be so?

o Who is the best listener you have ever known? Describe what that person
does that makes him or her so good at listening?
 CHAPTER FIVE

7 C’s of Communication

Definition: The 7 C’s of Communication is a checklist that helps to

improve the professional communication skills and increases the chance that
the message will be understood in exactly the same way as it was intended.

To have effective communication, one should keep the following 7 C’s

of communication in mind:

1. Clear: The message should be clear and easily understandable to the

recipient. The purpose of the communication should be clear to sender
then only the receiver will be sure about it. The message should
emphasize on a single goal at a time and shall not cover several ideas in
a single sentence.
2. Correct: The message should be correct, i.e. a correct language should
be used, and the sender must ensure that there is no grammatical and
spelling mistakes. Also, the message should be exact and well-timed. The
correct messages have a greater impact on the receiver and at the same
time, the morale of the sender increases with the accurate message.
3. Complete: The message should be complete, i.e. it must include all the
relevant information as required by the intended audience. The complete
information gives answers to all the questions of the receivers and helps
in better decision-making by the recipient.
4. Concrete: The communication should be concrete, which means the
message should be clear and particularly such that no room for
 misinterpretation is left. All the facts and figures should be clearly
mentioned in a message so as to substantiate to whatever the sender is
saying.
5. Concise: The message should be precise and to the point. The sender
should avoid the lengthy sentences and try to convey the subject matter
in the least possible words. The short and brief message is more
comprehensive and helps in retaining the receiver’s attention.
6. Consideration: The sender must take into consideration the
receiver’s opinions, knowledge, mindset, background, etc. in order to
have an effective communication. In order to communicate, the sender
must relate to the target recipient and be involved.
7. Courteous: It implies that the sender must take into consideration both
the feelings and viewpoints of the receiver such that the message is
positive and focused at the audience. The message should not be biased
and must include the terms that show respect for the recipient.

Note: This checklist applies to both the written and oral communication.
Effective Communication

Want to communicate better?

These tips will help you avoid misunderstandings, grasp the real meaning
of what’s being communicated, and greatly improve your work and
personal relationships.

What is effective communication?

Effective communication is about more than just exchanging information.

It’s about understanding the emotion and intentions behind the
information. As well as being able to clearly convey a message, you need to also
listen in a way that gains the full meaning of what’s being said and makes
the other person feel heard and understood.

Effective communication sounds like it should be instinctive. But all too often,
when we try to communicate with others something goes astray. We say one
thing, the other person hears something else, and misunderstandings,
frustration, and conflicts ensue. This can cause problems in your home,
school, and work relationships.

For many of us, communicating more clearly and effectively requires learning
some important skills. Whether you’re trying to improve communication
with your spouse, kids, boss, or coworkers, learning these skills can deepen
your connections to others, build greater trust and respect, and improve
teamwork, problem solving, and your overall social and emotional health.

What’s stopping you from communicating effectively?

Common barriers to effective communication include:

Stress and out-of-control emotion. When you’re stressed or emotionally

overwhelmed, you’re more likely to misread other people, send confusing or
off-putting nonverbal signals, and lapse into unhealthy knee-jerk patterns of
behavior. To avoid conflict and misunderstandings, you can learn how to
quickly calm down before continuing a conversation.

Lack of focus. You can’t communicate effectively when you’re

multitasking. If you’re checking your phone, planning what you’re
going to say next, or daydreaming, you’re almost certain to miss nonverbal
cues in the conversation. To communicate effectively, you need to avoid
distractions and stay focused.

Inconsistent body language. Nonverbal communication should reinforce what

is being said, not contradict it. If you say one thing, but your body language
says something else, your listener will likely feel that you’re being
dishonest. For example, you can’t say “yes― while shaking your head
no.

Negative body language. If you disagree with or dislike what’s being said,
you might use negative body language to rebuff the other person’s
message, such as crossing your arms, avoiding eye contact, or tapping your
feet. You don’t have to agree with, or even like what’s being said, but to
communicate effectively and not put the other person on the defensive, it’s
important to avoid sending negative signals.

Exercise
What are some examples of effective communication?