Effective Communication Skills

Skills for Life

Learning • What is effective communication
Objectives • Words that you should not use
• What is an “I” statement
By the end of this presentation • Things you need to consider when
you will know: communicating with others
• How to communicate what you heard
vs. what was said

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What is effective communication

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Effective Communication

Definition Characteristics

Effective communication is a process of • Clear Message

exchanging ideas, thoughts, knowledge and • Correct Message
information such that the purpose or intention is • Complete Message
fulfilled in the best possible manner. In simple • Precise Message
words, it is nothing but the presentation of • Reliability
views by the sender in a way best understood by • Consideration of the Recipient
the receiver. • Sender’s Courtesy

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Clear Message
The message which the sender wants to convey must be
• Simple
• Easy to understand
• Systematically framed to retain its meaningfulness

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Correct Message
The information communicated must not be
• Vague
• False in any sense
• Free from errors and grammatical mistakes

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Complete Message
• Communication is the base for decision making.
• If the information is incomplete, it may lead to wrong decisions.

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Precise Message
The message sent must be short and concise to
• Facilitate straightforward interpretation
• Take the desired steps

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Reliability
• The sender must be sure from his end that whatever he is conveying
is right by his knowledge
• Even the receiver must have trust on the sender and can rely on the
message sent.

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Consideration of the Recipient
• The medium of communication
• Physical settings must be planned
• Keep in mind
• Attitude
• Language
• Knowledge

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Sender’s Courtesy
• The message must reflect the
• Sender’s courtesy
• Humbleness
• Respect towards the receiver

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Effective Communication Skills

Overview

Conveying a message effectively is an art as

well as a skill developed after continuous
practice and experience. There are a
predetermined set of skills required for
effective communication.

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Observation
A person must possess sharp observing skills to gain more and more
knowledge and information

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Listening for Understanding
The most crucial skill in a person
• Must be an alert and patient listener
• Must be able to understand and interpret the message well
• Listen for understanding not just so that you can respond

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Reacting vs. Responding
Responding
• Takes into consideration the desired outcome of the
interaction
• Is emotional intelligence
Reacting
• May result in a positive or negative outcome
• Is emotional

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Emotional Intelligence
Definition
• The capacity to be aware of, control, and express one's
emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships
judiciously and empathetically

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Emotional Intelligence (Continued)
Components of Emotional Intelligence
• Self-awareness
• Self-regulation
• Empathy
• Social Skills

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Self-Awareness
• This is the ability to recognize and understand personal moods,
emotions and drives and the effect of them on both self and
others.
• Self-awareness depends on one’s ability to monitor one’s own
emotional state and to correctly identify and name the emotions
being felt.

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Self-Regulation
• This is the ability to control or re- direct disruptive emotional
impulses and moods.
• It involves the ability to suspend judgement and delay action to
allow time for thought.
• From a neuroscientific perspective, you can frequently observe
this skill, or lack of it, by watching response times.

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Empathy
• This relates to the ability to understand the emotional make-up
of others and the skill to treat people according to their
emotional reactions.
• The ability to understand and share the feelings of another
• It includes skills in building and maintaining relationships with
those we come into contact with on a daily basis.

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Social Skills
This involves the ability to
• Manage relationships
• Build networks
• Find common ground
• Build rapport.

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Non-Verbal Communication
There have been a number of studies on the complex topic of
nonverbal communication with varying results. However, most
experts agree that 70 to 93 percent of all communication is
nonverbal.

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Non-Verbal Communication (Continued)
Nonverbal communication
• Gestures
• Facial expressions
• Tone of voice
• Eye contact
• Body language
• Posture
• Other ways people can communicate without using language.

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What not to say
The word “BUT”
• Negates the positive statement that comes before it as
if you didn’t say that particular thing at all
• It takes away its significance
• It doesn’t just remove its significance, it reverses it

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Using “I” Statements
“I” statements are a simple way of speaking that will help you
avoid defensiveness and avoid feelings of blame on the part of
the listener
• “I feel _______ when you _________ instead of
________ could you ___________”.

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What You Heard vs. What Was Said
• Often times what we hear and what was said are two very different things
• This is in part due to perspective and the relationship you have with the
speaker
• Be sure to clarify
• “What I am hearing is __________”
• This allows the speaker to clarify and clear up any
misunderstandings before you leave the conversation

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OVERVIEW SLIDE

Effective Communication Effective Communication Skills Emotional Intelligence

Clear Message, Correct Message, Complete Message, Precise Message,
Reliability, Consideration of the Recipient, Sender’s Courtesy
.
Observation, Listening for Understanding,
Self-Awareness, Self-regulation, Empathy,
Reacting vs. Responding, Emotional Intelligence Social Skills

Non-Verbal Communication What Not to Say “I” Statements

Gestures, Facial Expressions, Tone of Voice, BUT. . . “I feel ____when you ____ instead of _____
Eye Contact, Body Language, Posture, etc. could you _____”

What You Heard vs. What Was Said

“What I am hearing you say is ____” 27
Time to Practice