BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

MODULE 2
INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
AND LISTENING
LISTENING
➢Listening is a fundamental part of the process of
communication.
➢Adults spend about 42 percent of their time in
listening activities, and children spend about 58
percent of the time in the same activity.
➢Listening is the active process of receiving and
responding to spoken (and sometimes
unspoken) messages.
➢Hearing - Hearing is simply the act of perceiving
sound by the ear.
FOUR ELEMENTS OF GOOD LISTENING
1. Attention
2. Hearing
3. Understanding
4. Remembering
REASONS FOR LISTENING
➢The most fundamental reasons for listening are
➢to learn
➢be informed,
➢be entertained,
➢ to form relationships
THE ROLE OF THE LISTENER
➢ The role of the listener is more than just passively
taking in sounds and making sense of them.
➢ Listening includes providing reactions and
responses for the person who is speaking.
➢ These reactions and responses are called
feedback.
➢ The skillful listener is continuously paying
attention, evaluating what is being said and what it
means, and deciding on what are the best choices
to make about selecting the most appropriate
feedback or response.
ACTIVE LISTENING
➢"Active listening" is a term that is used to refer to
listening activity that includes providing the speaker
with feedback.
➢Active listening refers to a pattern of listening that
keeps you engaged with your conversation partner
in a positive way.
➢It is the process of listening attentively.
➢No communication process is complete without
listening
➢Listening to various forms of communication in an
unconscious manner is passive listening.
➢Pay considerable attention to the physical messages
conveyed by a speaker in order to assess the
accuracy and sincerity of his speech.
• Benefits of Active Listening are:
1. The other person feels that you really care.
2. Genuine communication is established.
3. You become more effective with your family, your
work career.
4. Can resolve conflicts more easily.
IMPORTANCE OF GOOD LISTENING SKILLS
• Good listening skills make workers more productive.
• Better understand of assignments
• Tells the customers that you care
• Build rapport
• Show support
• Better understanding of the situation
• Work better in a team-based environment
• Resolve problems with customers
• Answer questions
• Leads to effective communication, makes you a better
communicator Helps display human touch
THE HUMAN COMMUNICATION PROCESS
➢ Communication is a process that connects the
sender with the receiver of the message.
➢ A process is “a systematic series of actions,
operations or series of changes directed to some
end.”
➢It consists of a series of elements which results in
sharing of meaning by sender and receiver.
1. Sender 5. Receiver
2. Message 6. Decoding
3. Encoding 7. Noise
4. Transmission 8. Feedback
1. SENDER
➢Sender is the person who initiates, generates and
sends the message.
➢He represents the source of message.
➢ The communication process begins when the
sender develops an idea or message he wants to
transmit.
➢ He must arrange the ideas in a manner that can be
understood by the receiver.
➢A lecturer delivering a lecture in the classroom is
the sender of the message or a manager addressing
his team in a meeting is sender of the message.
2. MESSAGE
➢Message is the idea or information that the sender
wants to convey.
➢He may convey it verbally (by writing or speaking)
or non-verbally (through gestures or body
language).
➢Whatever the form, the message should be clearly
formed so that desired objective is accomplished.
3. ENCODING
➢Encoding means converting the message into
symbols.
➢Encoding gives meaning to the message or converts
ideas into codes which can be understood by the
receiver.
➢Encoding means translating the message into words
(written or spoken), symbols or gestures.
➢ It may be a combination of the three.
➢Once the sender is clear of what message to
transmit, he decides the code through which the
message shall be transmitted.
➢Words, gestures, pictures etc.
➢The process of turning thoughts into
communication.
4. TRANSMISSION
➢ Transmission involves selecting the medium or channel
of communication.
➢ Once decided that the message has to be sent in
writing, the sender may select the electronic channel
and the medium of e-mail or fax.
➢ Short messages can be transmitted through telephone
but lengthy messages can be sent through letters or
circulars.
➢ Choice of channel depends upon the message to be
conveyed, personal biases of the sender and nature of
information.
➢ Short messages are generally sent through telephone.
➢ Where drawings, charts and illustrations form part of
the message, it should be sent in writing.
5. RECEIVER
➢Receiver is the person or a group of persons to
whom the message is conveyed.
➢In case of telephonic conversation, the sender can
send message to one receiver but in case of group
discussions, seminars and conferences, receivers
can be more than one.
➢The message must be designed, encoded and
transmitted in a manner that receiver can
understand it easily.
➢Use of technical words, jargons and complicated
symbols should be avoided.
➢Depending on the channel selected, receiver may
be a listener, viewer or a reader.
6. DECODING
➢Decoding means giving meaningful interpretation to
the message.
➢On receiving the message, the receiver translates
the symbols into meaningful information to the best
of his ability.
➢Communication is effective if receiver understands
the message in the same way as intended by the
sender.
➢The receiver must, therefore, be familiar with the
codes and symbols used by the sender.
7. NOISE
➢It represents the disturbing factor in the process of
communication.
➢ It interferes with effective communication and
reduces clarity of the message.
➢The message may be interpreted differently than
intended by the sender.
➢Conversing near a machine making sounds,
disturbance in telephone line, physical ailment or
mental distress of sender or receiver, psychological
barriers (degree of trust, fear, perception etc.) are
the common forms of noise that obstruct the
quality of message transmitted from sender to the
receiver.
8. FEEDBACK
➢ Feedback is receiver’s response to sender’s message.
➢ The receiver communicates his reaction to the sender
through words, symbols or gestures.
➢ It is the reversal of communication process where
receiver becomes the sender and sender becomes the
receiver.
➢ Unless the receiver responds to the message,
communication process is incomplete.
➢ It also allows the receiver to clear doubts on the
message, ask questions to build his confidence and
enables the sender to know efficiency of the message.
➢ Feedback makes the communication process complete.
VERBAL AND NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION
1. VERBAL
➢ ‘Verbal’ is the Latin adjective of ‘Word’.
➢ So, verbal communication means communicating with
words, whether written or spoken.
➢ Verbal communication consists of speaking, listening,
writing and reading.
Merits of Verbal Communication
➢ More personal and informal.
➢ Makes immediate impact.
➢ Provides opportunity for interaction and feedback.
➢ Helps us correct our messages according to the
feedback and non-verbal cues from the listener
➢ It is very fast and non-expensive.
2. NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION
Non-verbal communication includes all unwritten and
unspoken messages.
Examples of nonverbal communication include haptic
communication, gestures, body language, facial
expression, eye contact, and how one dresses.
FORMS OF NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
➢ Facial expression
➢ Gestures
➢ Eye contact
➢ Body movement
➢ Voice
➢ Touch
➢ Time
➢ Paralanguage
Advantages of Non-verbal Communication
➢ The Usage of non-verbal communication can clarify
even the toughest message to understand.
➢ Sometimes, non-verbal cues can be more
meaningful than the words themselves.

❖Research has shown that up to 55% of human

communication may occur through nonverbal facial
expressions, and a further 38% through
paralanguage.
SOFTEN method
➢A handy way to more effectively use non-verbal
communication for active listening is the SOFTEN
method.
➢The acronym stands for Smile, Open, Forward,
Touch, Eye, Nod. It’s a general list of non-verbal
cues.
i. Smile
➢Use smile as a powerful business communication
technique.
➢A good communicator always keep a smiling face
while communicating
ii. Open
➢Closed body language, like keeping your arms
crossed, leaning backwards or forwards too much
defensive and aggressive body language.
➢A relaxed listening posture with open arms makes
you seem more accessible.
➢Body language provides a lot of information about
both the listener and the speaker.
iii. Forward
➢Attentive listeners tend to lean forward when
sitting.
➢Leaning forward is a typical listening posture.
iv. Touch
➢A light touch of neutral areas like a shoulder, upper
back, hand, forearm or upper arm can also
encourage the speaker to continue conversation.
v. Eye Movement
➢Eyes are said to be the window to the soul.
➢Through eye contact, one can tell if the other party
is paying attention to the speaker’s words.
➢ It can also help in determining whether one is
saying the truth or not.
➢ Through eye contact we can be able to know one’s
emotional condition.
vi. Nod
➢ In addition to having a listening posture, an active
listener will also nod a lot.
➢This includes listening sounds like, ‘aha’, ‘hmm’ and
‘yes’. This will encourage the speaker and make him
feel heard.
LISTENING BARRIERS
1) Environmental Barriers
2) Linguistic Barriers
3) Psychological Barriers
4) Physiological Barriers
5) Perceptual Barriers
6) Content Barrier
7) Personal Barriers
i. Environmental Barriers
1.The room too hot or too cold
2. The chair uncomfortable
3. The lighting too bright or too dim
4. Bad ventilation; stuffy/smoky atmosphere
5. Noise
7. Sights
6. Smells
ii. Linguistic Barriers
1. Inappropriate tone
2. Jargon or specialist language
3. Delivery too fast
4. Delivery too slow
5. Delivery too loud
6. Badly organized material
7. Complex sentences
iii. Psychological Barriers
1. Anger
2. Own anxiety
3. Frustration
4. Status difference
5. Prejudice
iv. Physiological Barriers
1.Hearing impairment
2. Tiredness
3. Headache
4. Discomfort, pain, illness
5. Poor eyesight
vi. Perceptual Barriers
1. Social/cultural background differences
2. Attitude unexpected
3. Expectations different
4. Appearance of speaker
5. Mannerisms
6. Accents
vii. Content Barrier
1. Subject of the discussion does not interest us
2. Speaker goes on for too long
3. We have heard it all before
4. Content is too difficult/simplistic
vii. Personal Barriers
1. Preoccupied with own problems
2. Thinking about own response without hearing speaker
TEN BAD LISTENING HABITS
1. Calling the Subject Dull
➢ Bad listeners often finds a subject too dull to hear and
they use this as an excuse to wander their mind.
➢ Good listeners may have heard a dozen talks on the
same subject before.
➢ The key to good listening is that little three-letter word
use.
➢ Good listeners are sifters, screeners, and winnowers
2. Criticizing the Speaker
➢Bad listeners to find fault with the way a speaker
looks, acts, and talks.
➢Good listeners may make a few of the same
criticisms but they quickly begin to pay attention.
➢They know that the message is ten times as
important as the clothing of the speaker.
3. Getting Overstimulated
➢Listening efficiency drops to zero when the listeners
react so strongly to one part of the presentation
that they miss what follows.
➢It is important that we understand the speaker’s
point of view fully before we accept or reject it.
4. Listening Only For Facts
Good listeners listen for the main ideas in a speech or
lecture and use them as connecting threads to give
sense and system to the whole.
5. Trying To Outline Everything
➢Good listeners are flexible.
➢ They adapt their note taking to the organizational
pattern of the speaker-they may make an outline,
they may write a summary, they may list facts and
principles but whatever they do they are not rigid
about it.
6. Faking Attention
➢The pose of chin propped on hand with gaze fixed
on speaker does not guarantee good listening.
➢Good listening is not relaxed and passive at all.
➢It’s dynamic; it’s constructive; it’s characterized by a
slightly increased heart rate, quicker circulation of
the blood, and a small rise in bodily temperature.
➢ It’s energy consuming; it’s plain hard work.
➢ATTENTION - “collection of tensions that can be
resolved only by getting the facts or ideas that the
speaker is trying to convey.”
7. Tolerating Distraction
➢ Poor listeners are easily distracted and may even create
disturbances that interfere with their own listening
efficiency and that of others.
➢ Good listeners try to adjust to whatever distractions
there are and soon find that they can ignore them.
➢ Certainly, they do not distract others.
8. Choosing Only What’s Easy
➢ Poor listeners choose easy topics to listen
9. Letting Emotion-Laden Words Get In The Way
➢ It is a fact that some words carry such an emotional
load that they cause some listeners to tune a speaker
right out: such as, affirmative action and feminist-they
are fighting words to some people.
10. Wasting the Differential Between Speech and Thought Speed
➢It is wasting the differential between thought speed and the speed at
which most people speak.
➢People speak at about 140-180 words per minute, but on average, a
listener can comprehend about 400 words per minute.
How Can You Increase Your Listening Skill?
I.Be aware.
➢You have to be more aware of what you are doing
when you are listening to others.
➢ If you find your thoughts wandering, you need to
immediately refocus on the person and what they
are saying.
II. Manage time
➢Listening to others it takes time.
➢If you don’t have the time or if you are preoccupied
with an issue that creates distraction in listening.
➢Manage your time to listen effectively.
iii. Be present.
➢Eliminate all outside distractions.
➢ Turn off the phone.
➢Be fully present with the person you are talking.
iv. Ask questions
Ask a question to try and understand the meaning of
conversation.
To gain a more complete or in-depth understanding.
v. Notice their words
➢If you listen to their choice of words in describing a
certain event, you will start to gain some
understanding of what is going on with them
vi. Hear their tone.
➢Tone is the music of the mind.
➢ Tone is the emotion that is filling a person up and
flowing out of them.
➢Sometimes the tone will tell you more about what
is going on with a person than the words they use.
vii. Assess their presence.
➢Presence is a reflection of what is going on in a
person’s head.
➢ It can also be a particular mindset.
viii. Use clarifying or summarizing questions.
➢Anytime you want to check your understanding,
summarize or clarify what you think you have
heard.
Nishad Mathew