COMMUNICATION

SKILLS
 Objectives

• Define and understand communication and

the communication process
• Key factors in effective communication
• State why communication skills are
important for managers/teachers/doctors to
develop
• Discuss the roles of the senders and the
receivers of messages.
 Objectives
• Identify and explain the types communication
• Differentiate between hearing and listening
• Describe the components of a message.
• List and overcome the filters/barriers in a
communication process
 What is Communication?
COMMUNICATION IS THE ART OF TRANSMITTING
INFORMATION, IDEAS AND ATTITUDES FROM ONE PERSON TO
ANOTHER.COMMUNICATION IS THE PROCESS OF MEANINGFUL
INTERACTION AMONG HUMAN BEINGS.
ITS ESSENCES :
PERSONAL PROCESS
OCCURS BETWEEN PEOPLE
INVOLVES CHANGE IN BEHAVIOUR
MEANS TO INFLUENCE OTHERS
EXPRESSION OF THOUGHTS AND

EMOTIONS THROUGH WORDS & ACTIONS.

TOOLS FOR CONTROLLING AND MOTIVATING PEOPLE.
IT IS A SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL PROCESS.
 What are the most common ways
we communicate?

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Factors to consider when
choosing a method of
communications.
 1. Cost

• Is the method cheap or dear?

 2. Speed

• How long will it take to reach its destination?

 3. Secrecy
• Is the method confidential?
 4. Record
• Will a copy of the information exist?
 5. Destination

• Is it internal or external?

• How far is it going?

 Oral Communication is
• Sending a verbal message.

• Internal Eg. Intercom, face-to-face meeting.

• External Eg. Radio, telephone

Or internet
 Oral Communication
• Advantages • Disadvantages

• Quick • No Record

• Instant Feedback • May be hard to

remember
 Methods of oral communication
• Meeting • To be discussed further
• Interviews
• Public
Presentations/speaking
• Teaching/ lecturing
 Written Communication
• Some record is kept.

• Internal Eg. Notice Board, Memo

• External Eg. Letter, e-mail, fax

 Written Communication
• Advantages • Disadvantages

• Record kept • No instant feedback

• Don’t have to • May not be confidential

remember everything • e.g. fax
 Visual Communication
• Using charts, graphs, videos and television
to give a messages internally & externally.
 Visual Communication
Advantages Disadvantages

•Easy to understand •Some people may not

understand
•Shows trends and
comparisons •Takes time to prepare
MODERN METHODS OF
COMMUNICATION
 Internet

• E-mail
• www
 Teleconferencing

• Up to 20 people can
talk together.
 Video-conferencing
• TV link up of sound & pictures for meetings
without travel.
 Types of Communication and its flow in
organization
Downwards Communication : Highly Directive, from Senior to subordinates, to
assign duties, give instructions, to inform to offer feed
back, approval to highlight problems etc.

Upwards Communications : It is non directive in nature from down below, to give

feedback, to inform about progress/problems, seeking
approvals.
Lateral or Horizontal
Communication : Among colleagues, peers at same level for information
level for information sharing for coordination, to save time.

In modern business environment communication extends beyond written or spoken

words to listened word.
Visual dimension added by T.V., computers has given to new meaning to
communication.
COMMUNICATION NETWORKS

Formal Network : Virtually vertical as per chain go command within the

hierarchy.
Informal Network : Free to move in any direction may skip formal chain of
command. Likely to satisfy social and emotional needs
and also can facilitate task accomplishment.
 Types of communication
• In a work context, all communication can
be divided into two categories namely:
• External Communication and Internal
Communication
 Types of communication
• External Communication
• An organization, when it communicates with
Governmental agencies, other organizations,
customers, clients and Public it is called
external communication
 Types of communication
• Internal Communication
• Every organization has the necessity to
maintain appropriate communication with its
branches, staff and employees
• Internal communication is an essential feature
of an organization’s administrative structure
 Types of communication
• Effective internal communication forges a strong
bond between the employees and management,
promotes co-operation among different sections in an
establishment.
• It remove’s misunderstanding and aids the growth of
the organization at a desirable and optimum level.
• Internal communication in short, ensures involvement
of all the people without alienating any section.
 Directions of Communication

• Downward Communication
• Downward communication means the flow of
communication from the top echelon (level or
rank) of an organisation to the lower levels of
employees
• The boss is always right
 Direction of communication
• Upward Communication
• Communication maintained from lower level of
employees to higher-ups is called upward
communication.
• Upward communication gives scope for the employees
to offer their suggestions, opinions, make complaints
and seek redressal of their grievances.
• Upward communication helps an organization to receive
and reset its objectives at realistic levels
 Direction of communication
• Horizontal / Lateral Communication
• The interaction among peer groups is called
horizontal communication. Inter departmental
communication is also horizontal communication.
• Horizontal communication leads to a better
understanding among individuals and departments,
cooperation and coordination
 Formal and Informal Channels of Communication

• Every business organization adopts some formal

channels of communication which may be upward,
downward, or horizontal or all the three. They are
usually in the form of notices, announcements,
reports, official letters, advertisements, etc.
• Formal channels are officially recognised and
organised.
• They make the working of the organisation
transparent
 Grapevine

• Grapevine communication is an informal, unofficial,

horizontal channel of communication because
generally peer groups participate in it.

• Large organizations, where there are a large number

of people working closely, generate certain informal
or unofficial channels of communication
 Grapevine
• Advantages of Grapevine Communication
• Grapevine communication brings about a strong bond
among peer groups.
• It develops because of the involvement of the
persons connected with an organization.
• It gives mental satisfaction to the participants and
gradually reduces emotional outbursts and reactions.
 Grapevine
• It keeps the employees anticipating and acts
as a buffer against Shockwaves.
• It is fast and can supplement formal channels.
• It provides informal feedback on the changes
contemplated by the Management
 Disadvantages of Grapevine Communication

• Grapevine, is definitely dangerous to the health of an

organization if allowed to grow without monitoring.
• Grapevine channel distorts or exaggerates the content
of a message.
• It has the potential to spread unnecessary gossip. It
may result in character assassination and personal
vilification of individuals.
• It may provoke sudden unwanted and unexpected
reactions from emotionally unstable people.
DISCUSSION
 HIERARCHY LEVEL

Executive Director Manager

Vice President
Supervisor 1 Supervisor 2 Supervisor 3
A.G.M.

Manager

Supervisor
Horizontal Comm.
Forman
 Key factors
• Sending and receiving
– Sender - The person who creates and transmits a message
to another person or people.
– Encode - Create a message and determine how it is to be
sent.
– Transmit - Send a message to one or more people (for
example, in person, in print, or by using technologies like
faxes, modems, phones, and so on).
 Key factors
• Sending and receiving
– Receiver - The person who gets the message from
the sender.
– Decode - Decipher the message that was
received.
– Interpret - Assign meaning to the message based
on personal experiences.
 Key factors

– Message - The information that is communicated

by the sender to the receiver.
– Packaging - How the message is conveyed.
 Components of a message

– Content
– Language
– Symbols
– Delivery style
– Complexity
– Focus
 Packaging the message

– Channels
• Channel - A communication pathway through which a
message is transmitted.
• Direct Channel - A communication pathway in which
the message sent is targeted to a specific group(s) or
person(s).
• Indirect Channel - A communication pathway in which
the receiver is not specified.
 Packaging the message

– Setting
• The physical environment in which communication takes
place.
• ex:
– A meeting room can be arranged in several different ways, in
order to best suit the meeting’s purpose.
– Furniture in a manager’s office may be arranged to
communicate a message.
 Packaging the message

– Timing
• A strategy for when communication will take place in relation to
the present situation and the kind of message relayed.
– Noise
• Interference factors that can affect a message and distort it (for
example, physical environment, external factors like illness, bad
timing, and so on).
– Feedback
• The process of responding to messages after interpreting them.
 Packaging the message

– Personal characteristics
• Verbal characteristics
– Accent
– Speed of natural conversation
– Tone
– Pitch
– Rhythm
 The Communication Process

Medium

Barrier
SENDER RECEIVER
(encodes) (decodes)
Barrier

Feedback/Response
 Barriers to communication

• Noise
• Inappropriate medium
• Assumptions/Misconceptions
• Emotions
• Language differences
• Poor listening skills
• Distractions
 Listening/hearing

– Hearing - A physical sense that is

involuntary and passive and often
done automatically without paying
attention.
– Listening - An active process that
requires effort or attention from the
listener; used to decode messages.
 Hearing Vs Listening

Hearing – Physical process,

natural, passive

Listening – Physical as well

as mental process, active,
learned process, a skill

Listening is hard.
You must choose to participate in the process of listening.
 VALUE OF LISTENING
 Listening to others is an elegant art.
 Good listening reflects courtesy and good manners.
 Listening carefully to the instructions of superiors improve competence and
performance.
 The result of poor listening skill could be disastrous in business,
employment and social relations.
Good listening can eliminate a number of imaginary grievances of
employees.
Good listening skill can improve social relations and conversation.
Listening is a positive activity rather than a passive or negative activity.
 BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE
LISTENING
• More attention is usually paid to making
people better speakers or writers (the
"supply side" of the communication chain)
rather than on making them better listeners
or readers (the "demand side"). The most
direct way to improve communication is by
learning to listen more effectively.
 Barriers to Listening
Knowing the answer
• "Knowing the answer" means that you think you already know
what the speaker wants to say, before she actually finishes
saying it
• The "knowing the answer" barrier also causes the listener to pre-
judge what the speaker is saying -- a kind of closed-mindedness
• Strategy for overcoming this barrier
• A simple strategy for overcoming the "knowing the answer"
barrier is to wait for three seconds after the speaker finishes
before beginning your reply
 Barriers to listening
• Trying to be helpful
• Although trying to be helpful may seem beneficial, it
interferes with listening because the listener is thinking about
how to solve what he perceives to be the speaker's problem.
Consequently, he misses what the speaker is actually saying
• Strategy for overcoming this barrier
• Schedule a separate session for giving advice. Many people
forget that it's rude to offer advice when the speaker isn't
asking for it. Even if the advice is good
 Barriers to listening
• Treating discussion as competition
• Some people feel that agreeing with the speaker during a
heated discussion is a sign of weakness. They feel
compelled to challenge every point the speaker makes, even
if they inwardly agree
• Strategy for overcoming this barrier
• Although competitive debate serves many useful purposes,
and can be great fun, debating should be scheduled for a
separate session of its own, where it won't interfere with
good listening
 Barriers to listening
• Trying to influence or impress
• Because good listening depends on listening just for the sake
of listening, any ulterior motive will diminish the effectiveness
of the listener. Examples of ulterior motives are trying to
impress or to influence the speaker
• Strategy to overcome the barrier
• One strategy is to make note of your internal motives while
you're listening
 Barriers
• Reacting to red flag words
• Words can provoke a reaction in the listener that
wasn't necessarily what the speaker intended. When
that happens the listener won't be able to hear or pay
full attention to what the speaker is saying
• When a speaker uses a word or expression that
triggers a reflexive association, you as a good
listener can ask the speaker to confirm whether she
meant to say what you think she said
 Barriers to listening
• Mixing up the forest and the trees
• A common saying refers to an inability "to see the forest for the
trees". Sometimes people pay such close attention to detail, that
they miss the overall meaning or context of a situation
• Strategy for overcoming this barrier
• You as a good listener can explicitly ask the speaker for overall
context or for specific exemplary details, as needed.
• You should cross-verify by asking the speaker how the trees fit
together to form the forest. Having an accurate picture of how the
details fit together is crucial to understanding the speaker's
thoughts
 Barriers to listening
• Over-splitting or over-lumping
• Speakers have different styles of organizing
thoughts when explaining complex situations.
• Some speakers, "splitters", tend to pay more
attention to how things are different.
• Other speakers, "lumpers", tend to look for how
things are alike. Perhaps this is a matter of
temperament
 Barriers to listening
• Strategy for overcoming this barrier
• An approach to overcoming this barrier when
listening is to ask questions to determine more
precisely where you agree or disagree with
what the speaker is saying, and then to
explicitly point that out, when appropriate
 ESSENTIALS OF COMMUNICATION
Dos
Always think ahead about what you are going to say.
Use simple words and phrases that are understood by every body.
Increase your knowledge on all subjects you are required to speak.
Speak clearly and audibly.
Check twice with the listener whether you have been understood accurately or not
In case of an interruption, always do a little recap of what has been already said.
Always pay undivided attention to the speaker while listening.
While listening, always make notes of important points.
Always ask for clarification if you have failed to grasp other’s point of view.
Repeat what the speaker has said to check whether you have understood accurately.
 ESSENTIALS OF COMMUNICATION
DON’Ts
Do not instantly react and mutter something in anger.
Do not use technical terms & terminologies not understood by majority of
people.
Do not speak too fast or too slow.
Do not speak in inaudible surroundings, as you won’t be heard.
Do not assume that every body understands you.
While listening do not glance here and there as it might distract the
speaker.
Do not interrupt the speaker.
Do not jump to the conclusion that you have understood every thing.
 How to Improve Existing Level of
COMMUNICATION?
IMPROVE LANGUAGE.
IMPROVE PRONUNCIATIOON.
WORK ON VOICE MODULATION.
WORK ON BODY LANGUAGE.
READ MORE
LISTEN MORE
AVOID READING OR WATCHING OR LISTENING UNWANTED LITERATURE, GOSSIP, MEDIA
PRESENTATION ETC.
INTERACT WITH QUALITATIVE PEOPLE.
IMPROVE ON YOU TOPIC OF DISCUSSION,
PRACTICE MEDITATION & GOOD THOUGHTS.
THINK AND SPEAK.
DO NOT SPEAK TOO FAST.
USE SIMPLE VOCABULARY.
DO NOT SPEAK ONLY TO IMPRESS SOMEONE.
LOOK PRESENTABLE AND CONFIDENT.
 Success for YOU…

…the new global and diverse

workplace requires
excellent communication skills!
   NOTE TAKING AND NOTE
MAKING SKILLS
• TAKING LECTURE NOTES
• There are many reasons for taking lecture notes.
• Taking down notes forces you to listen carefully and test your
understanding of the material.
• When you are reviewing, notes provide a gauge to what is
important in the text.
• Personal notes are usually easier to remember than the text.
• The writing down of important points helps you to remember
that even before you have studied the material formally.
 NOTE TAKING AND NOTE
MAKING SKILLS
• Instructions usually give clue to what is important to
take down. Some of the more common clues are:
• Material written on the board.
• Repetition
• Emphasis
• Emphasis can be judged by tone of voice and
gesture.
 NOTE TAKING AND NOTE
MAKING SKILLS
• Emphasis can be judged by the amount of time
the instructor spends points and the number of
examples used.
• Word signals (e.g “There are two points of view
on …” “The third reason is that…” “In
conclusion…”
• Summaries given at the end of the class
• Summaries given at the beginning of the class.
 NOTE TAKING AND NOTE
MAKING SKILLS
• Each student should develop his or her own skills of taking down notes,
but the following suggestions can be helpful:
• Make your notes brief:
• Never use a sentence where you can use a phrase. Never use a
phrase where you can use a word.
• Use abbreviations and symbols, but be consistent.
• Put most notes in your own words. However, the following should be
noted exactly:
• Formulas
• Definitions
• Specific facts.
 NOTE TAKING AND NOTE
MAKING SKILLS
• Use outline form and/or a numbering system. Indention helps
you distinguish major from minor points.
• If you miss a statement write key words, skip a few spaces
and get the information later.
• Don’t try to use every space on the page, leave room for
coordinating your notes with the text after the lecture. (you
may want to list key terms in the summary or make a summary
of the contents of the page.)
• Date your notes and number your pages (were necessary) 
 NOTE TAKING AND NOTE
MAKING SKILLS
• NOTE MAKING
• Learning to make notes will help you improve your study and
work habits and to remember important information. Don’t
think that just because you understand you will remember
everything so write it down.
• As you make notes you learn to develop a skill in selecting
what is important and discarding what is unimportant.
• It helps you to retain important facts and data and develop an
accurate means of arranging necessary information
 NOTE TAKING AND NOTE
MAKING SKILLS
• Here are some hints on note making:
• Don’t write everything that you read or hear. Be alert and
attentive to the major points.
• Notes should consist of key word or very short sentences.
• Take accurate notes. You should usually use your own words,
but try not to change the meaning (paraphrase). If you quote
directly from an author ensure that quote correctly.
• Think a minute about your material before you start making
notes. Take notes that will be of value to you when you look at
them at a letter date.
 NOTE TAKING AND NOTE
MAKING SKILLS
• Have a consistent and uniform style of abbreviation that will
always make sense to you. Leave lots of blank space for letter
additions.
• Keep your notes short and brief, so that you can grasp it
rapidly (condense you material)
• Keep notes in order and in one place.
• Shortly after you make your notes, go back and review (not
redo) you notes by adding extra points, correcting spellings
and grammar.
• Review your notes regularly to achieve lasting memory
Discussion