DISCUSSION NOTES

Tony Karimpumannil

Explain the importance of the following principles in effective communication

(P2) Use complete sentences for each bullet point.
General communication skills
cultural differences
Different gestures have different meaning in different culture, therefor it
is important to familiarise yourself with different cultures.
Words have different meaning different cultures, and therefor can be
misunderstood
Appropriate dress code, as some people expect formal clothes for
meetings whereas some dont.
adapting e.g. modulating voice, terminology, format

You may to avoid jargon, and use more simplistic language when talking
to others.
For different scenarios you may to change a different way of
communication, for example when handing in your notice for your work,
you may want to do it face to face, instead over text.
If you talk in a mono tone voice, the other person will quickly get bored
listening to you.

Accuracy
It is important that you provide accurate information and this
information is not misleading, as it can make the other person insecure
about future information you may provide.
The internet has many resources, but sometimes these websites have
misleading information and it is hard to distinguish between accurate
information and misleading information.
engaging audience e.g. changing intonation, use of technology
Some elderly people do not enjoy the use of technology, whereas
younger audience have an expectation that you use a PowerPoint in a
presentation.
Changing the intonation while speaking, can make things stand out and
get listeners attention better.
question and answer
People ask question to confirm, things they just listened. This is to make
sure that they have understood or heard it properly.
There are different types of questions you can ask, closed or open.
Depending on the situation.
In some cultures, it is rude to ask question in the middle of a
presentation and you have to wait till the end of the presentation to ask
your question.

DISCUSSION NOTES

Tony Karimpumannil

Interpersonal skills
methods e.g. verbal exchanges, signing, lip reading
If you are in a noise environment, you will have to adapt and learn to lip
read as it will be hard to understand the person.
Singing is coming more common and people getting more accepting of
it.
techniques and cues e.g. body language, use of intonation
It is important to use body language as it displays confidence and
moreover shows you are not a reserved person.
It is important to use intonation when talking, as it keeps the audience
interested.
positive language
It is important to stay positive and focus on positive things, as it can
lighten up the mood of the talk.
It is also important to talk positively as it keeps the listener welcome.
negative language
If you dont have anything nice to say, it might be better to not say
anything.
Avoid cursing at all times, at is not very welcoming and will the listener
will not like to continue the conversation.
active engagement e.g. nodding, summarising, paraphrasing
It is polite to nod while listening to someone talk, as it shows you are
taking in the information.
People often summarise information they just heard which will help
them remember.
People paraphrase to confirm what they heard is correct.
barriers e.g. background noise, distractions, lack of concentration
Noise is a very big barrier as it can make verbal communication very
hard, as this will make it very hard to hard understand each other and
the speaker may have to strain their voice trying to talk to the
audience.
Distractions can keep your mind busy and therefor it is important that
you go into a meeting with a clear mind.
If youre not concentrated you are not giving 100% focus to the speaker
and therefor may miss some information which they may have told you.
types of question e.g. open, closed, probing
If you want a lot of information you will ask an open question, as it will allow the
listener to answer in more depth.
Probing questions, are used to clarify or got get more information out of a person, they are
usually open-ended questions.
Closed questions are used to, when you looking for a quick and easy response. They are
often used in questionnaires.
speed of response
It is important to not wait too long to respond, to slow as it I can drag
out the conversation and therefor make the listener feel tired and

DISCUSSION NOTES

Tony Karimpumannil

bored. It also shows that the listener has knowledge of the topic and is
confident.
It is also important to not respond to fast as being too eager doesnt
come well across.

Communicate in writing
guidelines; 'smileys' or emoticons, key messages e.g. letter, fax, email
Depending on the formality it will depend on if you will use emoticons,
as in a formal writing it will be out of place. Where as in writing to your
friends it is common to use emoticons.
Grammar
In a formal context, it is important to always have the best grammar
possible as it reflects on how you are. On your CV, it is important to not
have any grammatical errors as it show you are not careful and do not
care about it as you have not double checked your CV for any errors.
When using Text messages, grammatical errors are not too important as
they are a casual type of conversation often between friends.
Spelling
In a formal context, spelling are down upon especially in a Personal
Statement as they show you are not 100% committed to your work. It
also shows that you are not careful and do not double check your work.
Structure
Depending on the situation you will have to write in different formats, as
writing a resignation over text is not very professional and is not politer
either. You will have to do it over a letter most of the time.
When writing a text message, there is no particular structure to writing
it as it more genuine. It can often be just a few words or a few
sentences.
identifying relevance
When writing an email it is always important to write a subject as it
allows to easily identify the subject of the email.
In text messages, it usually just tries to get the point across in minimal
words possible.
Proofreading
Proofreading allows you to reduce the amount of grammatical errors
and spelling errors, as when you double check your work you can
usually spot your mistakes. This is a simple but effective way on how
you can make your work better.
alternative viewpoints
Having someone check your work for you is very helpful as a second
pair of eyes can sometimes spot mistakes you werent able to.
note taking
When note taking there is no structure, however it may help to do it in
an order/list. They dont have to be full sentences it can often be just
key words.

DISCUSSION NOTES

Tony Karimpumannil

Capitalisation
Capitalisation is important and often can be fixed when double
checking. It can often be forgotten especially when writing about a
place.