EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS.

1. COMMUNICATION

6. Purpose of
Communication?
The purpose of Communication is
to get your message across to
others clearly and without any
ambiguity.

7. Effective Communication
EFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATIO
N
PRODUCTIVE
RELATIONSHI
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We communicate to…
• Get information
• Motivate
• Praise
• Get feedback
• Sell
• Greet
• Etc.

10. • Effective communication is the
combined harmony of verbal and
nonverbal actions.
• Nonverbal communication
consists of body movement,
facial expressions and eye
movement.

11. Communication…
Communication involves an
effort from, two persons:
• The Sender, and
• The Receiver

12. Communication…
• It is a process that can be
fraught with errors, with
messages often misinterpreted
by the Recipient.
• When such errors are not
detected, it can cause
tremendous confusion, wasted
effort and missed opportunity.

13. • Communication is
successful ONLY when
both, the Sender and the
Receiver understand the
same information as a
result of the
Communication.

14. Communication…
By successfully getting across
your message, you convey your
thoughts and ideas effectively.
Studies tell 70 % of mistakes in the workplace are a direct
result of poor communication…..

15. Communication…
In today’s extremely competitive
and fast paced environment,
Communication plays a very vital
role.
Communication is paramount to
progress.

16. Communication…
There are two players involved in
the Communication Process:
• Sender
• Receiver

17. Communication, a
Process…
The Communication Process
begins with the
Sender, who tries to get across
his thoughts, ideas.
The Sender communicates his
thoughts and ideas to an
audience. It could be one
individual or a set of individuals.

18. Communication, a
Process…
It is vitally important for the
Sender to”
• First be clear about what he
wants to Communicate.
• Then, structure the contents of
his message in a manner that
clearly outlines What he wants
to communicate.

19. Communication, a
Process…
The next step for the Sender is to
understand his Target Audience.
He must be very clear about his
understanding of his Target
Audience to enable him to be
sure that What he sends to
them will be Clearly understood
by them WITHOUT ANY
AMBIGUITY.

20. Communication, a
Process…
The Sender must always
remember that the message he
sends, if it is not understood
clearly, can lead to a lot of
wasteful activity, Confusion, at
times great embarrassment.

22. Source…
As the Source, one needs to be
clear about:
• Why you want to Communicate
And
• What you want to Communicate

23. Message
• The message is the information
that you want to Communicate.

24. Encoding
This is the process of transferring
the information you want to
Communicate into a form that
can be sent and correctly
Decoded at the Receiver’s end.

25. Encoding…
Your success in encoding
depends:
• on your ability to convey
information CLEARLY & SIMPLY.
• On your ability to anticipate &
eliminate sources of confusion.
• On your ability to know your
audience…who you are
Communicating with.

26. Channel…
Messages are conveyed through
Channels:
• Verbal, face to face meetings.
• Telephone
• Video Conferencing
• Letter, memos, e’mails and reports.
Different channels have different
strengths & weaknesses.

27. Decoding…
Just as successful Encoding is a
Skill, so is successful Decoding.
Just as confusion can arise from
errors in Encoding, it can also
arise from errors in Decoding.

28. Receiver…
• To be a successful communicator,
ideas, thoughts and feelings of the
audience who receives your
message, should be considered.
• These ideas, thoughts and
feelings will influence their
(audience) understanding of your
Message and their response to it.

30. Feedback…
Your audience will provide you with
feedback, verbal, non-verbal reactions to
your communicated message.
Feedback is very important. It is the only
thing that allows you to be confident that
your audience has understood your message.
If there is a misunderstanding, feedback
allows you opportunity to send the message
a second time.

32. Before communicating
Ask yourself…
• What is the main purpose/aim?
• Who will receive it?
• What is the likely attitude of the listener?
• How much does he need to know?
• Is my timing right?
• What is the main subject?
• Are the major points clear?
• Is there any ambiguity?

33. Examples of Passive Communication
• “I don’t know.”
• “Whatever you think.”
• “You have more experience than I.
You decide.”
• “I’ll go with whatever the group
decides.”
• “I don’t care. It doesn’t matter to me.”
• “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. . .
NO!”

34. Examples of Aggressive
Communication
• “I don’t know why you can’t see that
this is the right way to do it.”
• “It’s going to be my way or not at all.”
• “You’re just stupid if you think that will
work.”
• “ “Who cares what you feel. We’re
talking about making things work
here.”

35. Examples of Assertive
Communication
• “So what you’re saying is. . . .”
• “I can see that this is important to
you, and it is also important to me.
Perhaps we can talk more
respectfully and try to solve the
problem.”
• “I think. . . I feel. . . I believe that. . . .”
• “I would appreciate it if you. . .”
• Let me understand your thoughts on
this…

36. Which is the Best Style?
• All styles have their proper place and
use.
• Assertive communication is the
healthiest.
• Boundaries of all parties are respected.
• Easier to problem-solve; fewer emotional
outbursts.
• It requires skills and a philosophy change,
as well as lots of practice and hard work.
• When both parties do it, no one is hurt in
any way and all parties win on some level.

38. EYE CONTACT
• The eyes can give clues to a
person’s thoughts.
• When someone is excited, his
pupils dilate to four times the
normal size.
• An angry or negative mood
causes the pupils to contract.

39. EYE CONTACT
• Good eye contact helps the
audience develop the interest in
the speaker.
• Eye - contact helps regulate the
flow of communication and
reflects interest in others.

40. EYE CONTACT
• Direct eye-contact conveys
interest, warmth, credibility and
concern.
• Shifty eyes suggest dishonesty.
• Downward gaze may be a sign
of submissiveness or inferiority.

41. FACIAL EXPRESSIONS

42. FACIAL EXPRESSIONS
There are six categories of facial
expressions:
• Happiness
• Sadness
• Anger
• Disgust
• Surprise
• Fear

43. GESTURES
• Gestures communicate as
effectively as words, sometimes
even better.
• Gestures support the verbal
communication.
• They sometimes detract from
what you say.

45. GESTURES
There are some negative gestures
which should be avoided:
• Pointing at people - It is perceived
as accusatory.
• Fiddling with your items-It gives
the impression that you are
nervous.
• Dragging the feet - It implies
lethargy.
• Head Down - It suggests timidity.

46. GESTURES
• Drooping shoulders - It implies
weariness and lethargy.
• Weak handshake - It implies meek
and ineffectual personality.
• Shifty eyes - It suggests
nervousness.
• Arms crossed on the chest - It is a
defensive gesture.

47. GESTURES
• Hands in pockets - Shows
disrespect, and that you
have something to hide.
• Covering your mouth - It
suggests you are lying.
• Shaking feet or legs - It
shows indifference and
disinterest.

48. POSTURE
• Body posture can be open or
closed.
• Interested people pay attention
and lean forward.
• Leaning backwards
demonstrates aloofness or
rejection.

49. POSTURE
• A head held straight up signals
a neutral attitude.
• A head down is negative and
judgmental.
• A head tilted to the side
indicates interest.

50. POSTURE
Some negative postures should
be avoided:
• Rigid Body Posture-Anxious/
Uptight
• Hunched Shoulders – Lacks
interest/ Feeling inferior
• Crossed Arms - Protecting the
body / Negative Thoughts

51. What impression do the following people
give you?

52. What impression do the following people
give you?

54. PROXIMITY
Proximity is the distance people
maintain between themselves
while talking.

55. PROXIMITY
DISTANCE ZONES
• Intimate Zone - No more than18
inches apart (mother and baby)
• Personal Distance - 18 inches to 4
feet. (Casual and personal
conversations).
• Social Distance – 4 – 12
feet (impersonal, business, social
gatherings)
• Public Distance - More than 12
feet ( Public speaking)

56. PROXIMITY
• Space / Distance as an indicator of
intimacy - The more we get to
know each other the more we are
permitted into each
other's personal space
• Space / Distance as an indicator of
status - Executives, presidents of
colleges, government officials
have large offices with big space...
secretaries have small space

57. PARALINGUISTICS
• Para linguistics are what
accompany your words to make
up for its true meaning.
• Paralanguage refers to the
vocal aspect of communication.

58. Components of Para linguistics
are:
• Rate of speed - When a speaker
speaks too fast, he is seen as
more competent.
• Pitch - Pitch should be changed
in accordance with the context
of spoken words.

59. • Volume - It refers to how loudly
we speak. Loud people are
perceived as aggressive or over-bearing.
Soft-spoken voices are
perceived as timid or polite.
• Fillers - Words like “umhh” “ah””
aaa” are used to gather
thoughts.

66. Here are a few tips
Better
Communication

67. 1. Watch your word count.
•Generally speaking, the more words
you use, the better the chance that
you’ll confuse things.
•If you talk for half an hour, people
might remember that you gave a
speech, but if you speak for only five
minutes, they’ll remember what you
said.

68. 2. Write less, say more.
• As a rule, keep all memos to one
page or less.
• If you feel that you need more
space to wax eloquent, write a
one-page summary and include
the rest as an appendix.
• Chances are nobody will read past
the first page anyway, so write
accordingly.

69. 3. Let your drawings and
models do the talking.
• It’s true that a picture is worth a
thousand words; use this to your
advantage.
• Instead of explaining all the details,
say “as you can see on the model (or
in the plan)…”
• Your drawings and models will say
far more in a glance than you can
in an hour, and much more
eloquently.

70. 4. “Present in reverse.”
• Before starting any presentation,
decide what you want the outcome to
be, then design your talk backwards
from that.
• Take as little time as necessary to get
to your point.
• As you speak, trade places with the
audience in your head—be sensitive to
how they are responding.
• Are you getting good eye contact?
• Are they paying attention or are they listless?
• Do they understand what you are saying?
• Are they convinced? How do you know?

71. 5. Avoid inconsistency and
exaggeration.
• Don’t say one thing if the drawings or
models say something else.
• Speak the facts plainly and let the
audience draw its own conclusions;
they’ll appreciate your confidence in
their judgment.
• And while it’s OK to be dramatic to
make a point, if you blow things out of
proportion, nobody will believe the next
sentence out of your mouth.

72. 6. Watch the visuals.
• Your posture, your clothing, and your
presentation material do make a
difference.
• Remember that presentation is a
performance art—you are literally doing
theater.
• Control what your audience sees as
much as what it hears.
• Make sure they’re attractive and easy
to read.
• Like the clothes you wear, they tell a
story about you whether you like it or
not.

73. 7. Go for closure.
• The two main purposes of a
presentation are to share information
or make decisions.
• You’ll never arrive at a conclusion
unless the audience says “yes.”
• Make this easy on them by having all
the relevant and required information at
hand— “decision-ready information” —
then don’t be afraid to ask for an
answer.
• If the client can’t commit, find out why.
• Remember that the largest part of being a good
communicator is being a good listener.

74. 8. Know when to stop.
• Many a cake has been ruined by
being left in the oven too long.
• “Over-communicating” can be just
as dangerous as “under-communicating.”