Communication and soft skills

Course Outline:
This course consists of three parts:
1. Basics of English Grammar
2. Communication Skills for Freelancers
3. Soft Skills for Freelancers
 Communication Skills

Basics of Communication: What are Communication Skills?

 Communication is a formal technique of giving and receiving different kinds
of information.
 Communication and conversation are often considered the same but they
are different.
 Communication is a formal process while the conversation is informal.
 Communication is a one/two-way affair but the conversation is a two-way
phenomenon.
 The conversation is done to pass time while communication is done with a
particular purpose.
 Communication has a proper beginning, middle, and conclusion while
conversation doesn’t.
 Communication is a process while the conversation isn’t.
 Following are the seven C’s of communication:
1. Clarity— Be clear about the purpose of your message and avoid
complex words.
2. Conciseness— Keep your message clear, short, simple, and to the
point.
3. Concreteness— Be specific in your message to cover the useful
details but not too much to confuse.
4. Correctness— make sure your message is correct with the right level
of language and avoid mistakes.
5. Coherence— Your message should be logical with a good flow of
words.
6. Completeness— An effective message should contain all that is
needed to understand.
7. Courteousness— Your message should be polite and professional.

Basics of Communication: Significance of Communication Skills:

 Communication helps you-
o To do your job well and develop yourself as a leader.
o To build good relations.
o To improve your body language.
 o To improve productivity and high performance.
o To enhance confidence to seek opportunities.
o To achieve improved results.
o To tackle challenging situations.
o In decision-making and problem-solving.

Basics of Communication: Types of Communication:

 Types of communication are given below:
o Verbal Communication— It used spoken language to convey the
message.
o Non-Verbal Communication— It is made through gestures, facial
expressions, eye contact, and body language.
o Written Communication— Message is conveyed through writing in
this type. Writing should be well-written.
o Listening— Listening means to hear with attention.
o Visual Communication— It includes the message gained through
visuals.

Basics of Communication: Why do We Need Effective Communication?

 Effective communication means having the ability to listen attentively and
to convey information efficiently.
 We need effective communication—
o To build and maintain relationships.
o To build trust.
o To make yourself more of a listener.
o To build understanding with the audience.
o To have encouragement for innovation.
o To improve decision-making.
o To avoid conflict.

Basics of Communication: Etiquettes of Communication:

 It is important to—
o Listen to the person you are communicating with!
o Keep your tone in consideration.
o Be empathetic about others before you speak.
 o Be attentive to the one you are communicating.
o Be concise and time-oriented.
 Following are the netiquettes given—
o How etiquette is changing in the digital age.
o Keep your mobile on silent when you are on a meeting.
o Don’t use social media to air personal disputes or conversations.
o Don’t use social media for personal issues if you have conflict with
acquaintances.
o Don’t tag or post pictures of friends or acquaintances that are not
flattering.
o Avoid being over reactive when people post things on social media.
o Try to avoid posting offensive things on your social media.
o Text or call close friends on their birthday.

Communication Styles: Types of Communication Styles:

 Communication style reflects behavior.
 Following are the styles of communication—
o Passive Communication— The person’s behavior is not pro-active in
and he doesn’t take part in communication in this style.
o Aggressive Communication— The person’s behavior is rude and
dominating in this style.
o Passive-Aggressive Communication— The person is passive on the
surface level and aggressive internally.
o Assertive Communication— The person is confident, having good
eye contact, have the ability to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’, owns his/her
responsibilities.

Communication Styles: Formal Communication Method:

 Formal communication is made on an official level.
 It can be made in an educational institution, workplace, business, etc.
 It can be written as well as oral.
 Following is the benefit of formal communication—
o One has a record of incoming and outgoing communication.
 Types of formal communication are given below—
o Memos— It is a kind of letter used inside an organization.
o Intranet— It is a network maintained on an organizational level.
 o Meeting— Meetings are conducted to discuss different matters.
o Conferences— Conferences are held to listen to a group of people.
o One-on-One— Generally, freelancers are communicating one-on-
one.
o Handouts— Information can be conveyed through memos or
handouts in an organization.
o Business Letters— These are used to communicate outside the
organization.
o Presentations— These are held by outsiders or insiders to talk about
the issue or present his/her ideas.
o Speeches— Speech is held to talk on a certain topic.
o Notice Boards— Notice boards are used to notify employees about
useful information like holidays or any event.
o Organizational Blogs— These can be accessed through organization
websites. They provide general information about the company’s aim
or trends.
o Email from Managers and Leaders— Employees can communicate
inside or outside through their organization's email.

Communication Styles: Informal Communication Method:

 Informal communication is made on an unofficial level.
 It can be made between friends, people of the same interests, etc.
 Types of formal communication are given below—
o Gossip-Chain— In this, a person talks about a certain issue, and then
a gossip chain is produced throughout the group.
o Single Strand Chain— In this, an issue is discussed with a person, and
then that person discussed it with another person, and so on.
o Cluster-Chain— A issue is initiated and then different people come
across that issue like in WhatsApp group chats.

Role of Technology in Communication:

 The technologies which made the revolution in communication are given
below—
o Internet Technology
o Smart Phone
o Emails
o Blogs and Vlogs
 o Wearable Technologies (Headphones, Smartwatches)

Common Mistakes in Communication:

 Following are the mistakes in communication—
o Not editing your work.
o Reacting, not responding
o Not being thorough in your work
o Not keeping an open mind when meeting new people.
o Lack of attention to tone.
o Holding back what’s on your mind.
o Speaking less and listening more.
o Interrupting.
o Having negative or apathetic body language.
o Making assumptions before you hear the whole message.
o Attacking other people’s character instead of what they say or do.

Explanation of Ineffective Communication:

 Following are the steps to overcome ineffective communication—
o Become enthusiastic.
o Be direct.
o Develop conciseness and clarity.
o Stop whining and complaining.
o Accept the responsibility for your errors.
o Write things down.
o Sometimes it’s better to pick up the phone.
o Think before you speak.
o Treat everyone equally.
o Maintain a positive attitude and smile.

How to Improve Communication Skills:

 Following are the steps to improve communication skills—
o Improve your listening skills.
 Following are the steps to improve non-verbal communication skills—
o Don’t fidget, be still, and calm.
o Use eye contact intelligently.
o Try to be non-reactive during stressful situations.
  Following are the steps to improve verbal communication skills—
o Should have a good grip on vocabulary and grammar.
o Make friends and practice with them.
 Following are the steps to improve written communication skills—
o Take the time to re-read everything that you write.
o Is your tone appropriate to the setting?
o Are there any mistakes, items not linked properly, or missing points?
o Have you covered the subject enough?
o Estimate the time.
o Formatting.
o Highlight your points in bold.

Importance of Communication Skills for Freelancers:

 Following is the importance of communication skills for freelancers—
o Listen to your client first with full attention.
o Correctness of your communication.
o Giving a prompt response to your client.
o Pause to arrange what you want to say and how.
o Being honest is your major goal.
o Each point of discussion is important, so note it down.
o Ask relevant questions from your client.
o Fulfill the commitments.

What You Need to Keep in Mind while Dealing with Clients?

 Following is a list of things to keep in mind while dealing with clients—
o You and your client should be on the same page.
o Set clear expectations.
o Never make an assumption about your job scope.
o The project discussion.
o Manageable delivery time.
o If you commit it then you are bound to fulfill the promise.
o Deliverables should be clear.
o Client preferences and expectations about the delivery.
o Client’s budget.
o Revisions.