Communication is indispensable to us and the business and hence the communication

skills. What do you understand by personal communication skills, and why is it equally
important in the business?

Communication, at its simplest, is the act of transferring information from one place to another.
It may be vocally (using voice), written (using printed or digital media such as books, magazines,
websites or emails), visually (using logos, maps, charts or graphs) or non-verbally (using body
language, gestures and the tone and pitch of voice). In practice, it is often a combination of
several of these.

Being able to communicate effectively is perhaps the most important of all life skills. It is what
enables us to pass information to other people, and to understand what is said to us. Some
examples of communications are as follows;

 You share quality time, chit-chatting with your family before you leave for work or
college

 You use an app to call a means of transport to go to work or college

 Catch the news on your tablet in the cab while also sneaking a peek at your Facebook
timeline

 Reply to a flood of emails;

 Video-conference with clients

 Let your smart phone order you lunch

Whether we realize it or not, we are communicating all the time. And, given the number of
platforms and devices that we use as we live out our daily lives, and the multi-tasking our
routines call for, most of us are pretty good communicators.

Communication skills are important in both, personal and professional lives because of the
following reasons;
1. Professionally, if you are applying for jobs or looking for a promotion with your current
employer, you will almost certainly need to demonstrate good communication skills.

Communication skills are needed to speak appropriately with a wide variety of people whilst
maintaining good eye contact, demonstrate a varied vocabulary and tailor your language to your
audience, listen effectively, present your ideas appropriately, write clearly and concisely, and
work well in a group. Many of these are essential skills that most employers seek. As your career
progresses, the importance of communication skills increases; the ability to speak, listen,
question and write with clarity and conciseness are essential for most managers and leaders.

2. In your personal life, good communication skills can improve your personal
relationships by helping you to understand others, and to be understood.

It is almost a cliché that personal relationships need communication. Failure to talk has been
blamed for the breakdown of any number of partnerships and relationships—but the ability to
listen is also an important element. Communication is also vital in wider family relationships,
whether you want to discuss arrangements for holidays, or ensure that your teenage children are
well and happy.

3. Communication skills can also ensure that you are able to manage interactions with
businesses and organizations

Over the course of your lifetime, you are likely to have to interact with a wide range of
organizations and institutions, including shops, businesses, government offices, and schools.
Good communication skills can ease these interactions, and ensure that you are able to get your
point across calmly and clearly, and also take on board the responses.

4. Influences how you learn

Communication skills have played an important part of your existing knowledge and beliefs.
You learn to speak in public by first having conversations, then by answering questions and then
by expressing your opinions. You learn to write by first learning to read, then by writing and
learning to think critically. Good communication skills help you absorb information and express
your ideas in a clear, concise and meaningful way to other people.
5. Allows you to speak concisely

It is natural to feel some nerves when speaking to superiors or to clients. Communication skills

training will help you learn how best to communicate effectively in a wide range of situations,
and how to be direct in order to get the most out of your dealings with others.

In conclusion, the ability to communicate effectively with clients, colleagues and managers is
essential, whatever sector you work in. Good communication improves teams, inspires high
performance and enhances the workplace culture. Communication is a two-way process, so take
notice of other people's verbal and nonverbal signals as well as your own.

What do you mean by active listening? And also mention two traits of good listeners with
examples

Listening is an important part of connecting with and learning from others, whether it’s a close
friend, boss or family member. Learning to be a better listener prepares us to understand the lives
and needs of others, as well as absorb information that might be pertinent to our own worldly
experience. Listening is much more than hearing; it requires active, although mostly silent
participation to create a mutual interaction that builds communication, trust, and even
compassion.

Active listening is a skill that can be acquired and developed with practice. However, active
listening can be difficult to master and will, therefore, take time and patience to develop.

'Active listening' means, as its name suggests, actively listening. That is fully concentrating on
what is being said rather than just passively ‘hearing’ the message of the speaker.

Active listening involves listening with all senses.  As well as giving full attention to the speaker,
it is important that the ‘active listener’ is also ‘seen’ to be listening - otherwise the speaker may
conclude that what they are talking about is uninteresting to the listener. Interest can be conveyed
to the speaker by using both verbal and non-verbal messages such as maintaining eye contact,
nodding your head and smiling, agreeing by saying ‘Yes’ or simply ‘Mmm hmm’ to encourage
them to continue.  By providing this 'feedback' the person speaking will usually feel more at ease
and therefore communicate more easily, openly and honestly.
Two traits of a good listener with examples are as follows,

 Paraphrase. Summarize the main points of the message the speaker shared to show you
fully understand their meaning. This will also give the speaker an opportunity to clarify
vague information or expand their message. 

Example: “So what you’re saying is, your current content management system no longer meets
your teams’ technical needs because it doesn’t support large video files.”

 Ask open-ended questions. Ask questions that show you’ve gathered the essence of
what they’ve shared, and guides them into sharing additional information. Make sure
these questions cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” 

Example: “You’re right—the onboarding procedure could use some updating. What changes
would you want to make to the process over the next six months?”

Learning to be a good listener is a continuous process, one that changes based on the situation,
environment and person you’re listening to. Although there are many listening opportunities to
learn from, becoming a better listener means that can be applied to your skills across the board,
whether you’re in a business meeting or letting a close friend confide in you. Good listening is
therefore an invaluable skill, one that not only improves your ability to understand and focus but
also relationships with the world and with others.
A major contributor to goodwill in business writing/documents is courtesy. It means
treating people with respect and consideration that produces friendly relationship. What
techniques you think that can enhance courtesy in business writings? Describe two of them
with examples.

Courtesy in business letters is a combination of paraphrasing your understanding of the problem

prior to addressing its solution as well as explaining policies, procedures and practices in a clear,
concise way. 

Whether you see your clients and customers on a regular basis or communicate with them
electronically across multiple countries or oceans, it's critical that the content of your formal
business correspondence reflects the same level of politeness and thoughtful attention to detail
that would be shown if your exchange were taking place in person. Trust is hard to earn and
maintain in business relationships. Sometimes something as seemingly small as a
misunderstanding or perceived rudeness in business communication can wreck a working
relationship. In business communication, good manners and courtesy in communication can
mean the difference between a profit and a loss. Learning to be courteous and polite at all times
can save wasted energy at work worrying about when you may have fumbled in business
etiquette and courtesy.

Ways to enhance courtesy in Email Communication

Emails go a long way in business communications. They also last a long time. They can become
permanent records of your words. With that knowledge, make sure when you are preparing an
email that you read it aloud or otherwise review it to make sure that you not only get your
meaning across but that you get it across in a courteous way.

Start your emails with a professional salutation that greets your receiver or group of receivers by
name. Keep in mind this email is not a casual note between friends. Use complete sentences and
good grammar. Never write an email when angry or in the mood to vent, as chances are an email
sent under these conditions will be missing the courtesies that could make your communication
more effective.
Ways to enhance courtesy in Face-to-Face Communication

Often the most difficult business communications are delivered face-to-face, such as delivering
bad news to an employee. It is good practice to review in front of a mirror what you plan to say.
This will give you a good idea of how your facial expressions change with your message. When
visiting another country for business, it is not polite to force your culture on those with whom
you are there to do business.

Understanding cultural differences can help you be courteous when communicating with those
from countries where face-to-face courtesies are displayed differently than how you may be
accustomed.

Below are some other examples of phrases that should not be used in customer service and a set
of courteous phrases that can be used to replace them.

Phrases to Avoid Phrases to Use

It’s company policy In this situation, I would

Can you hold for a moment? If it’s OK with you, I’m just going to put you on hold while I
get your details

Thank you for your time today I’m glad that I was able to help [Customer Name], is there
anything else I can help you with?

If you check our website I’ll send you a link to a useful web page, and I can take you
through it as well

I don’t know Let me find out for you

References

https://bizfluent.com

https://www.callcentrehelper.com

https://fairygodboss.com/career-topics/good-listener

https://www.skillsyouneed.com/

https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/communication-skills.html