Communication Skills

Communication is a of import art and an individuals stiffness as a leader, co-worker or fri depot volition depend on their inter soulfulnessal and tittle-tattle skills. With discern forward a doubt, dialogue skills atomic number 18 non a innocent melodyula however, it is non im feasible for stack to communicate impressively and respectfully. A person bath stand in a corner without formula one word yet, with one simple kick or facial nerve expression, they pot communicate. A key to having an legal intercourse skill is by having good observeing skills.The four stages of the perceive dish be simple to remember, (1) dish uping, (2) interpreting, (3) responding, and (4) remembering. (Dobbin and Pace, peg. 1 17) The listening dish start ups when e actively select, or attend to, stimuli in our environment. (Dobbin and pace, peg. 11 7) M whatsoever things apprize affect the way one fucking perceive his/her colloquy skills to unlikes. A person must pick out a clear and pleasant tone in his/her section in order to appeal to the he arers. Having good listening skills makes the speaker feel admirable, appreciated and respected.When a person listens, they hike the skill in otherwises by acting as a model for unequivocal and effective intercourse. In order to develop effective listening skills one should 1. Minimize alone external and ingrained distractions 2. Focus on what the speaker is saying . Keep an open mind in order non to make assumptions According to the Washington Times More practic solelyy than one force think, listening has to top before speaking push aside begin. This is especially true for babies. During their first few months, they hear the sounds around them.Over time, they perk to distinguish these sounds as part of figuring out who and what are outlay dealing with in their nimble environment. A babys effort to learn the difference between hearing and listening requires a rudimentary form of reasoning or t hinking. Most babies disc all over they have to listen a lot before they mountain start talking. (Washingtons. Mom) Babies forget so learn that by listening then responding, they will claim a chance to speak. By evolution good listening skills we learn to understand and obtain breeding.Some children are naturally attentive while others whitethorn engage to focus on their skills. As a parent, we butt end assistant children to be disclose listeners by engaging into conversations with them or by convergeing games that my benefactor them locomote better listeners. good listening skills are essential in many areas of life such(prenominal)(prenominal) as, school, friendship and a career. It is vital to begin developing good listening skills during childhood so that a person can make a unconscious effort in engaging into a productive conversation. Listening effectively is an acquired skill.Communication SkillsCommunication SkillsCommunication SkillsAims This alternative h as been compiled to reach a general introduction to effective dialogue for institutionalize educators. The key components of the dialogue process will be discussed. The basic skills required for effective communion will be explored in the next few sections, and round proper(postnominal) mise en scenes for communication, including giving presentations and feed top meetings, will be examined.Learning Objectives On completion of this resource, you should be able to Identify the key components of the communication process. Identify some exemplary problems that can arise in the communication process and demonstrate knowledge of skills to overcome these. Demonstrate variegate magnitude wittingness of forms of communication and social deportment. Identify and do strategies for managing specific contexts for communication, including giving presentations.Introduction As we progress done our careers in the health or social care environment, the sorts of skills that are cri tical to our success can change and evolve. Many of us are first responsible for performing specific practical tasks, linked to our developing knowledge base. Our effectiveness centres upon our actions and our growing expertise at performing these. Proficiency at such tasks is often the initial focus.However, as we continue to progress, it is likely that success will depend much and to a greater extent upon our social skills and our ability to develop effective working(a) relationships with key others. Jobs that include a managerial, supervisory or a mentoring role can involve complex relationships with people. Demands can be made that are sometimes remote and ambiguous. A practice educators job can involve reconciling and managing these demands. Not surprisingly, social and communication skills often rank among the just or so critical for work related success.In its most straightforward sense, effective communication may beunderstood as occurring when the intended heart of the sender and perceived import of the manslayer are the same. Yet the aim of skill required for effective communication to occur, belies the simplicity of this definition. afterwards examining studies involving hundreds of large organisations, Goleman (1997) concluded that a high level of individual success at work was characterised by emotional intelligence, or skills of social awareness and communication. Typically, these included the ability to motivate and mildew others, to give honest feedback sensitively, to empathise and develop relationships, to monitor ones own behaviour, to handle emotions both of self and others and to look at social situations and organisational politics.However it is beta to pipeline that emotional intelligence, or the skills of social awareness and communication, can be developed and honed. This resource aims to give a basic introduction to the area of effective communication and will seek to step-up your awareness of forms of communication, communication skills and social or social behaviour in that locationin. Communication (from Latin commnicre, meaning to dowry) is the activity of transportation information through the exchange of thoughts, passs, or information, as by speech, visuals, signals, writing, or behavior. It is the meaty exchange of information between two or to a greater extent living creatures.One definition of communication is any act by which one person gives to or receives from person information intimately that persons needs, desires, perceptions, knowledge, or emotional states. Communication may be intentional or unintentional, may involve conventional or wrong signals, may go linguistic or non-linguistic forms, and may occur through verbalize or other modes.Communication requires a sender, a heart, and a recipient role, although the receiver doesnt have to be present or aware of the senders intent to communicate at the time of communication thus communication can occur crosswise vast distances in time and space. Communication requires that the communicating parties share an area of communicative commonality. The communication process is complete once the receiver understands the senders message. Communicating with others involves three primary stepsThought First, information bes in the mind of the sender. This can be a concept, idea, information, or feelings. Encoding Next, a message is sent to a receiver in words or other symbols. Decoding Lastly, the receiver translates the words or symbols into a concept or information that a person can understand. There are a smorgasbord of verbal and non-verbal forms of communication. These include personate lyric poem, eye meet, sign language, haptic communication,and chronemics. Other examples are media content such as pictures, graphics, sound, and writing.The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities also defines the communication to include the display of text, Braille, tactual communication, large pr int, complaisant multimedia, as sanitary as written and plain language, human-reader, augmentative and alternative modes, means and formats of communication, including accessible information and communication applied science. Feedback is a critical component of effective communication.Communication Process The A first step in unravelling the complexity of interpersonal communication is to understand the basic process by which communication occurs. Only then can we identify where possible problems can arise and explore skills for enhancing communication and managing such breakdowns. Human beings are not passive, predictable objects who always interpret meanings and react as they are supposed to. Neither is communication a passive, predictable, one way even upt.Rather, communication can be viewed as an active process, influenced by all the complexities and ambiguities of human behaviour. It is also fraught with potential delegates of breakdown. As Clampitt notes, We actively cons truct meanings within a peculiar vortex that includes the words used, the context of the utterances, and the people involved.(2005, p.8)A more(prenominal) accurate way of looking at the process of communication is probably as a dynamic, circuitous process in which elements such as non-verbal behaviour and individual directions of interpreting and ascribing meaning to events have significant influence. Strategies such as constructing a clear, unambiguous message can encourage effective communication, only sotoo can seeking to understand meanings imposed by the listener via processes such as actively listening to feedback. 1. Sending The MessagePerson 1 constructs and sends a message. Messages are the signals and symbols that we use to convey what we neediness to transmit. They can occur in various ways, including visual (non-verbal, written), auditory (verbal and sub-vocal speech), tactile (touch, bodily contact) and olfactory(perfumes, aftershaves) formats. In order to send the message, it must be encoded intowords, as well as tone, inflection, facial expression, and other non-verbal language.While skills such as clear thinking, concise expression of plain english, logical association of ideas and organise speech are important, especially to specific contexts such as giving presentations they do not date that effective communication will take place. The meaning of the message is not contained solely in the words, as factors such as non-verbal cues, the context and the people involved will heavily influence meaning. It is important to note that unintended as well as intended meanings may be communicated via non-verbal leakage.2.The Channel In Clampitts (2005) model, this refers to the means used to deliver messages and the related formats. Means used to communicate can include manifestation to face, telephone, pager, written, radio and video communication. In face to face communication, which is most often preferred for communication of more important ma tters, communication occurs through visual, auditory and olfactory formats, while the tactile medium may or may not be used. Skilled communicators will choose the channel most appropriate to the specific goals sought at that time.3. Receiving the MessageFor effective communication to take place, the message must be accurately decoded and theorise by person2, from the signals received from person 1. However, even if the encoding is carried out very well this in itself does not ensure that it will be decoded accurately. The meaning ascribed to the message may vary according to the person doing the interpreting, the context in which the message was given and the total information communicated.4. FeedbackPerson 2 responds to person 1, and this message is received by person 1 as feedback. Again, feedback comprises both the verbal and non-verbal messagesof others, and al get-gos us to evaluate how the message has been understood and the rejoinder to it. Actively listening to feedback is a key skill in effective communication. We can also get feedback from our own responses through a process known as self-monitoring (Hargie et al 2004).Self-monitoring involves staying aware of what we are saying and doing in social encounters and how this is impacting on others. This type of feedback can then be used to alter or adapt our behaviour in the light of the responses from others.People who are skilled communicators are high self-monitors, who continuously poll and regulate their own behaviour according to the way in which the other person is responding. With feedback as with other forms of message, the information received must be interpreted by us. Therefore, the message is susceptible to the same possible misinterpretations and will be influenced by factors such as context and people involved.Meaning is not an inherent case of the message, but is perceived or constructed in the mind of the recipient. In the above exercise, a message that would be to have been intend ed by the practice educator as being genuinely positive was misinterpreted as negative by the student in the second situation. The important part of this communication at this point, is how the practice educator listens to this feedback, the meaning that s/he ascribes to it, and how it is subsequently responded to.5. ContextA significant point to note is that communication neer occurs in a vacuum. Communication is inextricably linked to the particular context in which it occurs, which in maturate has a major impact upon behaviour. 6. NoiseThe term noise describes anything that can interfere with or distort the meaning of a message. Dickson (1999) has identified a number of such barriers or common sources of noise, which can affect communication accuracy and effectiveness. PsychologicalThese include the perceptual biases or stereotypes that can impact on how we interpret a particular persons message. People respond to stimuli in the environment in very contrasting ways. We each h ave shortcuts that we use to organize data. Invariably, these shortcuts introduce some biases intocommunication. Stereotyping is an example of such a shortcut. semanticThis is used to describe situations where language or cultural differences distort or interfere with the meaning of the message. Effective communication requires deciphering and understanding the basic values, motives, and assumptions of the other person. Given that dramatic differences exist across cultures in harm of approaches to time, space, and privacy the opportunities for misinterpretation when we are in cross-cultural situations are plentiful. EnvironmentalThis refers to a range of factors such as size of room, layout of furniture, intrusive noise, heating and lighting etc. Each of these can either encourage or inhibit interaction. Demographic Factors such as gender and age can impact on the way in which a message is interpreted. For example, a male listener may nod his passport to indicate to the speaker I agree, whereas a female listener may nod her psyche to communicate I am listening (but not necessarily agreeing) so sending the same ocular feedback but with different actual meanings. Disability Physical or neurological impairment as well as psychiatric illness can call for alternative means to the usual patterns of communication to be adopted. Some examples include sight or hearing loss, and conditions such as Parkinsons disease or severe depression. OrganisationalBarriers to effective communication can be located within the organisation or sureness itself. Difficulties with established lines and means of communication, different relative physical location of staff, lack ok of team or supervision meetings organisation or agency itself.Characteristics of Effective Communication Even in todays electronic age, effective interpersonal communication skills are a key factor in your overlord and personal success. 1.A Clear,Concise MessageNo one likes a rambler, so have your primary p urpose in mind when you begin your communication. Simplify your thoughts, so you can present your point in a precise manner. Once you have made your first important point, move on tothe next.2.Understanding of the RecipientEffective communicators know who they are talking to, and they understand the style of communication will vary based on the recipient. For example, you probably talk to your co-workers very differently than you talk to your boss.3.Empathy for the RecipientEmpathy involves putting yourself in the other persons shoes. Effective communicators always see the situation from the situation of the other person, including the emotions that competency be involved with the message.4.Effective ListeningCommunication isnt all about talking to psyche. Effective listening means really hearing what the other person is saying as well. Paraphrasing the message and repeating it back to the individual will let you know you understood their point accurately. It also shows that you care enough about their message to get it right the first time. 5.Asking for Clarification, when NecessaryEffective communicators arent afraid to ask for clarification if they dont understand the message they are receiving. When you ask for clearer understanding, it shows that you really care what the person is talking about and ensures the conversation proceeds appropriately. Clarification can come from paraphrasing what you heard the other person say or moreover asking him to relay his message in a different way that is easier for you to understand.6.Adherence to the FactsEffective communicators are much more interested in passing of facts than assumptions or gossip. reduce the rumor mill at all costs, and unless you can verify your information through the original source, do not pass it on to others. If you are conveying a message from some other person, it is also important to get that persons permission to do so before passing the information onto others.7.Awareness of Body LanguageBody language makes up a large dower of our messages, so effective communicators learn how to tune into the nonverbal message they are sending. Make eye contact with the person you are talking to as much as possible, particularly when that person is speaking to you. Avoid potentially offensive body language like fidgeting, biting your lip or rolling your look that might convey boredom, cynicism or lack of honesty.8.Provision of comme il faut FeedbackWhen you offer feedback to another person, make sure it is constructive. Feedback is important to maintain a positive conversation and ensure you are both on the same page. Feedback might involve requests for clarifications, questions to expand a particular message, or constructive criticism about anothers performance. Pepper potential criticism with plenty of positive feedback so the recipient is more likely to hear your message and take it to heart.9.Inclusion of Praise, when AppropriateEffective communicators know how and when to offer extolment. positivistic feedback is always welcome, as long as the recipient knows it is authentic. When you praise another person, be specific in your compliment by linking it directly to a specific activity or attribute. Praise someone publically whenever you can, and make sure the praise coming out of your mouth is genuine. When you must convey negative information or criticism, try starting out with praise and ending with a positive statement. This hamburger approach usually helps others take criticism in stride.10. Positive AttitudeNo one likes to listen to a complainer, so effective communicators work hard to keep their messages positive. Instead of utilize phrases like, I cant or We wont in your conversations, focus on what you can do for others. Even if you cannot grant a request the way someone hopes, keeping your message positive will allow the other person to accept your no with grace. Effective communicators are typically the made people in life that ot hers admire. If you would like to join this elite group, practice these tips to improve your own communication skills. The improvement in your professional and personal relationships will make the work on your communication worth the effort.The Types of Communication Skills1. Verbal Communication Verbal communication skills are very important and must be honed, particularly in a job in which employees deal with the public. Clear communication requires straightforward language that is neither too flowery or too simple. It is essential to be able to use the speak word to get your point across simply. Higher levels of communication competencies deal with persuasive speaking and these skills are necessary for management level employees and those in marketing positions within a company. All employees can pull ahead from public speaking courses, which help develop these key communication skills.2. Non verbal CommunicationNonverbal communication is much more difficult for many people. It consists of body language and the cues that are given off while listening to someone else speak. Those in customer service positions need to have a highly developed competency level in listening. Nodding of the head, inclining towards the speaker and showing an open body (shoulders back, arms uncrossed) let a speaker know that you are listening and hearing what they have to say.3. Oral communicationOral communication, while primarily referring to spoken verbal communication, can also employ visual aids and non-verbal elements to support the conveyance of meaning. Oral communication includes speeches, presentations, discussions, and aspects of interpersonal communication. As a type of face-to-face communication, body language and choice tonality play a significant role, and may have a greater impact upon the listener than informational content. This type of communication also garners immediate feedback.4. Written CommunicationOne often overlooked area of communication is the written word. Even the most basic position in a company requires employees to have good written communication skills. Proper spelling, grammar usage and a professional way of imparting information are important competencies that must be mastered. Written communication that is poorly worded, misspelled or full of errors detracts from the overall message that is being imparted. This is even morevital when dealing with the public through written communication. People judge others by the way they deliver and it is important to make sure that written communication is professional.5. Business communicationA business can flourish only when all objectives of the organization are achieved effectively. For efficiency in an organization, all the people of the organization must be able to convey their message properlyBarriers to Communication1.Language Barriers Clearly, language and linguistic ability may act as a barrier to communication. However, even when communicating in the same language, the te rminology used in a message may act as a barrier if it is not fully understood by the receiver(s). For example, a message that includes a lot of specialist jargon and abbreviations will not be understood by a receiver who is not familiar with the terminology used. Regional colloquialisms and expressions may be misinterpreted or even considered offensive. date stamp our page Effective Speaking for more information.2.Psychological BarriersThe psychological state of the receiver will influence how the message is received. For example, if someone has personal worries and is stressed, they may be preoccupied by personal concerns and not as receptive to the message as if they were not stressed. Stress management is an important personal skill that affects our interpersonal relationships. See our pages Stress Symptoms and Triggers and Avoiding Stress for more information.Anger is another example of a psychological barrier to communication, when we are angry it is easy to say things that w e may later regret and also to misinterpret what others are saying. See our pages What is Anger?, Anger Management and Anger Management Therapy for more information. More generally people with low self-esteem may be less assertive and in that locationfore may not feel cozy communicating they may feel shy about saying how they really feel or read negative sub-texts into messages they hear. Visit our pages on Improving Self-Esteem and Assertiveness for more information.3.Physiological BarriersPhysiological barriers may result from the receivers physical state for example, a receiver with reduced hearing may not jab to entirety of a spoken conversation especially if there is significant background noise.4.Physical BarriersAn example of a physical barrier to communication is geographic distance between the sender and receiver(s). Communication is generally easier over shorter distances as more communication channels are available and less technology is required. Although modern tech nology often serves to reduce the impact of physical barriers, the advantages and disadvantages of each communication channel should be understood so that an appropriate channel can be used to overcome the physical barriers.5.Systematic BarriersSystematic barriers to communication may exist in structures and organisations where there are inefficient or inappropriate information systems and communication channels, or where there is a lack of understanding of the roles and responsibilities for communication. In such organisations, individuals may be unclear of their role in the communication process and therefore not know what is expected of them.6.Attitudinal BarriersAttitudinal barriers are behaviours or perceptions that prevent people from communicating effectively. Attitudinal barriers to communication may result from personality conflicts, poor management, resistance to change or a lack of motivation. Effective receivers of messages should attempt to overcome their own attitudina l barriers to facilitate effective communication. Common Barriers to Effective Communication1.The use of jargon. Over-complicated, unfamiliar and/or technical terms. 2.Emotional barriers and taboos. Some people may find it difficult to express their emotions and some topics may be completely off-limits or taboo. 3.Lack of attention, interest, distractions, or irrelevance to the receiver. Barriers to 4.Differences in perception and viewpoint.5.Physical disabilities such as hearing problems or speech difficulties. 6.Physical barriers to non-verbal communication. Not being able to see the non-verbal cues, gestures, posture and general body language can make communication less effective.7.Language differences and the difficulty in understanding unfamiliar accents. 8.Expectations and prejudices which may lead to false assumptions or stereotyping. People often hear what they expect to hear rather than what is actually said and jump to incorrect conclusions. 9.Cultural differences The nor ms of social interaction vary greatly in different cultures, as do the way in which emotions are expressed. For example, the concept of personal space varies between cultures and between different social settings.The Main Skills for Effective CommunicationFollowing are the main skills one should have to master to become an effective communicator. Although acquiring all these skills and mastering them to the same level seems to be challenging, knowing all these skills and slowly working on them will take you to the level you want to be in communication.1.Staying FocusedWhen you deal with a actual crisis or an argument, relating something from the past is quite natural. When this happens, most of the times, the discussion goes out of topic and the situation can become quite complicated. Staying focused is one of the best skills not only for communicating under pressure, but for all types of communications ranging from lunch chitchats to board discussions. If you go out of focus, ther e is a high chance that the end result of the communication may not be effective.2.Listening CarefullyAlthough people think that they are listing when another person talks, actually they are spending time planning what to say next. This is what we actually do Therefore, you need to make an extra effort in order to listen to what the other person says and then come up with what you want to say. If you are not sure what youve heard, repeat it and ask for their confirmation.3.Understanding Others Point of ViewsIn most of the communications, we want ourselves heard and understood. We talk a lot on our point of view and try to get the get of who are listening. Remember, others also do the same If you want them to hear you, you need to hear them and understand their point of view too. If you can really see through their point of view, you can actually explain yours in a clear and applicable way.4.Empathy When CriticizingSometimes, we become really defensive when someone criticizes us. Si nce criticism has close ties with emotions, we can be easily erupted. But, in communication, it is really important to listen to the other persons pain and difficulties and respond with empathy. At the same time, try to extract the facts and the truth in what they say, it can be useful for you.5.Taking OwnershipTaking personal responsibleness is strength. When it comes to effective communication, admitting what you did wrong is respected and required. Most of the times, there are many people, who share responsibility in a conflict. In such cases, admit what is yours. This behaviour shows maturity and sets an example. Your behaviour most probably will inspire others to take responsibility for their share.6.Compromise if NecessaryWe love to win arguments all the time, but how often have you felt up empty inside after winning an argument? Sometimes, winning an argument does not make sense. You may win the argument but might lose the corporation of other people. Communication is not a bout winning, its about getting things done. For the objective of getting things done, you may have to compromise in the process. If it is necessary, please do7.Take a Time-Out if NecessarySometimes, you need to take a break in the middle of the discussion. If the communication is intensive, there can be ineffective communication pattern surfaced. Once you notice such patterns, you need to take a break and then continue. When you continue after the break, all the parties involved in the discussion will be able to constructively contribute for the discussion.8.Compete for Your ObjectiveAlthough there can be a lot of obstacles on your way, do not give up what you are fighting for. Surely you may have to compromise, but clearly stand for what you believe in. When it comes to communication, all the parties involved should satisfy with the outcome of it. Ask for Help Sometimes, you might have difficulties to communicate certain things to certain parties. This could be due to an issue rel ated to respect or something else. In such cases, seek help from others. Your manager will be one of the best persons to help you with.ConclusionThus, effective communication helps us better understand a person or situation and enables us to resolve differences, build trust and respect, and create environments where creative ideas, problem solving, affection, and caring can flourish. As simple as communication seems, much of what we try to communicate to othersand what others try to communicate to usgets misunderstood, which can aim conflict and frustration in personal and professional relationships. By learning these effective communication skills, you can better connect with your spouse, kids, friends, and coworkers.