Communication skill

1st
 Role of Communication
• The word communication is used in common
talk, usually, to mean speaking or writing or
sending a message to another person.
Communication is really much more than that.
It involves ensuring that your message has
reached the target audience, (that is, the
persons to whom it is sent) and that the
receiver understands and responds as you
want them to.
 Attributes of Communication
1. Communication is unintentional as well as
intentional.
2. Communication is a dynamic process.
3. Communication is systemic.
4. Communication is both interaction and
transaction.
 Definitions of Communication
• Communication is a process of passing information and
understanding from one person to another. (Keith Davis)
• Communication is any behavior that results in an exchange
of meaning. (The American Management Association)
• Communication may be broadly defined as the process of
meaningful interaction among human beings. More
specifically, it is the process by which meanings are
perceived and understandings are reached among human
beings. (D. E. McFarland)
• Communication is the process by which information is
passed between individuals and/or organizations by means
of previously agreed symbols. (Peter Little)
 Process of Communication
1. Source /Sender, is the one who initiates the action of
communicating.
2. Audience/ Receiver is the person(s) for whom the
communication is intended.
3. Goal/ Purpose is the sender's reason for communicating,
the desired result of the communication.
4. Message/ Content is the information conveyed.
5. Medium /Channel is the means or method used for
conveying the message.
6. Feedback is the receiver's response to the communication
as observed by the sender.
7. Environment/ Context is the background in which the
communication takes place.
VERBAL AND NON-VERBAL
COMMUNICATION
2nd
 Definition
• We communicate by exchanging symbols to
describe our ideas and experience. Language
is a common symbol system which we use for
sharing our experience with others.
Communication through words is called verbal
communication; communication through
other symbols is called non-verbal
communication.
 Verbal Communication
• The term 'verbal' is colloquially used to mean oral
but in communication studies, 'verbal' means by
using words and language. It includes both
written or oral.
• Most of our communication is done by using
language; we speak and write whenever we have
to convey information and ideas, to discuss, to
motivate, to appreciate, or to warn, reprimand,
complain, and so on. We may do any of these
things orally or in writing.
 Verbal Communication
• Most of our formal education focuses on writing and
reading. However, a good manager needs the skill of
speaking and even more, the skill of listening. It has
been found by research studies that an executive's
communication time is spent roughly in the following
proportion:
• Writing 9%
• Reading 16%
and
• Speaking 30%
• Listening 45%
 Listening
• listening is so important, it is hardly taught
and studied as a part of any course in schools
or colleges; the other three basic
communication skills, reading, writing and
speaking get all the attention. Most people
are not good listeners; but fortunately,
listening skill can be improved by .
understanding the process and making a
conscious effort.
 Speaking
• Speaking requires practice. It is easier to
deliver a prepared speech than to participate
in a group discussion. It takes time to build up
confidence to speak spontaneously and in
response to another speaker in a dialogue.
Persons who can write quite well are
sometimes unable to speak well because of
nervousness. Practice and feedback from a
friendly audience are necessary for the
development of speaking skills.
 Reading
• Reading skills can also be developed by
practice. A large amount of reading material
demands our attention everyday. There is a
flood of trade journals, house magazines,
reports, minutes, memoranda on all kinds of
topics, besides newspapers, books and
magazines. People at work need a technique
to cope 'with the task of reading quickly and
understanding the important parts of the
contents.
 Writing
• Writing, like the other verbal skills, needs
practice. Business writing requires knowledge
of the layout of the various documents,
attention to detail and focus on the reader's
needs. A good command of vocabulary and
sentence structures can improve one's
business writing.
 Non-Verbal Communication
• Non-verbal methods of communication include all things, other
than words and language, that can convey meaning. For example,
graphics like pictures, maps, charts, graphs and diagrams in a
written document, and body language and voice qualities in speech,
are non-verbal communication
• Non-verbal communication can be independent of verbal
communication; but verbal communication is always accompanied
by non-verbal communication. Nonverbal methods can be used as a
substitute for words like the red color to mean danger, or nodding
the head to mean "yes." Or both may be used together as when we
shake the head and also say "no." Sometimes, a gesture like
slapping the hand on the table may be used with words like, "We
must do it," to emphasize the point.
 Methods of Non-verbal
Communication
• Non-verbal communication occurs mainly
through visual symbols and auditory symbols.
Visual symbols are those which are seen and
auditory symbols are those which are heard. Our
other senses like smell, taste and touch also take
in meanings and can be used for non-verbal
communication. For example, the fragrance in a
room, the feel of the plush covering on furniture,
the taste and aroma of the coffee served in the
visitors' room of an office, make significant
impressions.
 1. Non-verbal aspects of written
communication
1. Color
2. Pictures
3. Diagrams, Graphs and Charts
4. Maps
5. Sign and Signals
6. Auditory symbols
 2. Body Language
• Body language means the changes that occur in the body position and
movements that show what the person is feeling or thinking. Much of it is
involuntary and unconscious; most persons are not aware of their body
language; but it makes a powerful impact on others. Body language can
make or spoil a presentation.
a. Appearance
b. Clothing and accessories
c. Postures
d. Facial Expression
e. Smile
f. Eye Contact
g. Gesture
h. Energy
i. Space
j. Time