Basic Communication Skills

Out line
• Communication – Oral and Written

• Interpersonal Skills

• Conflict Management
Understanding communication
communication

Information Managers
Making decisions
•Best ideas Tell others
•Most creative suggestion
•Finest plan communication
•Good communication leads to successful interpersonal
relationships
How does the communication process work
Communication process-----The transferring and
understanding of meaning between senders and
receivers
• The communication source
• Encoding
• The message
• The channel
• Decoding
• The receiver
• Feedback
How does the communication process
work
 Receiver
Encoding Message Channel & Feedback
decoding

• Encoding means the conversion of a

message into some symbolic form
• Four conditions affect the encoded
message
– Skill
– Attitudes
– Knowledge
– Social-cultural system
 Receiver
Encoding Message Channel & Feedback
decoding

• Message is the actual physical product from

the source
• Message is affected by the code or group of
symbols we use to transfer meaning,the
content of the message itself,and the
decisions that we make in selecting and
arranging both codes and content.
 Receiver
Encoding Message Channel & Feedback
decoding

• Channel is the medium through which the

message travels.
• Formal channels are established by the
organization and transmit message that
pertain to the job-related activities of
members,follow the authority network.
• Personal or social,follow the Informal
channel.
 Receiver
Encoding Message Channel & Feedback
decoding

• The symbols in the message must be

translated into a form that can be
understood by the receiver
• Decoding is limited by skills,attitude,
knowledge and social-culture system
 Receiver
Encoding Message Channel & Feedback
decoding

• If a communication source decodes the

message that he encodes,if the message is
put back into his system,we have feedback
• Feedback is the check on how successful
we have been in transferring our messages
as originally intended.
 Are written communications more
effective than verbal ones?

• Memos,letters.e-mail,organizational periodicals,
bulletin boards
• Tangible,verifiable and more permanent
• Both sender and receiver have a record
• Message can be stored for a period of time available f
or later reference
• More care is taken with the written word than with th
e oral word,and is more likely to be well thought out,
logical,and clear
 Are written communications more
effective than verbal ones

Despite the advantages the written ones

have some drawbacks

• Writing consumes a great deal of time

• Lack of feedback
Is the wave of communication’s
future in electronic media?
• Closed-circuit television,voice-activated
computer,cellular phones,fax machines, pagers
and e-mail
• E-mail is fast,convenient,cheap,send the same
message to a dozen people at the same time
• Should not be used to discuss sensitive issues
• Has taken on its own vocabulary and verbal
intonation
PEOPLE SCAVENGER HUNT
You are to find someone who:( try to ensure that each
line has a different autograph)

1. Was born in the same month as you

2. Is good at cooking.
3. Has same first or last initial as yours.
4. Is left-handed.
5. Comes from a family of 5+ kids.
6. Has performed on stage.
7. Has had a cast from a broken arm/leg.
8. Has competed in a sports tournament.
9. Has got a UAE driving license in the first attempt.
10. Plays a musical instrument.
What barriers exist to effective
communication?
 Selective Information
Selective Information Communication
filter emotions
emotions language apprehension
language
perceptionoverload
perception overload

• Tell boss what you feel that boss wants to

hear
• condensed and synthesized by underlings
so upper managers won’t become
overloaded with information
• More filtering taking place in large
corporations than in small business firms
 Selective Information
Selective Information Communication
filter emotions
emotions language apprehension
language
perceptionoverload
perception overload

• Besides based on personal characteristics,

receivers also project their interests and
expectations into communications decode
• We don’t see reality;rather ,we interpret
what we see and call it reality
 Selective Information
Selective Information Communication
filter emotions
emotions language apprehension
language
perceptionoverload
perception overload

• The demands of keeping up with e-mail,

phone calls,faxes,meetings..create an
onslaught of date that is nearly impossible
to access and assimilate
• They tend to select out,ignore,pass over,or
forget information
• The result is lost information and less
effective communication
 Selective Information
Selective Information Communication
filter emotions
emotions language apprehension
language
perceptionoverload
perception overload

• When people feel threatened,they tend to react in

ways that reduce their ability to achieve mutual
understanding .
• Engaging in verbally attacking others,
questioning others’ motives
• When individuals interpret another’s message as
threatening,they often respond in ways that retard
effective communication
 Selective Information
Selective Information Communication
filter emotions
emotions language apprehension
language
perceptionoverload
perception overload
• The meaning of words is not in the words; it is in
us
• Age,education and cultural background are three
variables that influence the language a person uses
and the definitions we apply to words
• Jargon is a technical language not understandable
by everyone
• Although we speak a common language ,our usage
of that language is far from uniform
 Selective Information
Selective Information Communication
filter emotions
emotions language apprehension
language
perceptionoverload
perception overload

• 5% - 20% of population suffer from

debilitating communication apprehensions
• Although lots of people dread speaking in
front of a group,communication
apprehension is a more serious problem
• Find other type of channels to
communication even if some type is more
appropriate
 How can managers/ supervisors
overcome communication barriers?
 Simplify Listen Constrain Watch nonverbal
Use feedback
language actively emotions cue
• Many communication problems can be
directly attributed to misunderstandings and
inaccuracies
• Feedback included
– Yes or no
– Ask a set of questions about a message
– Ask to restate the message in his or her own
words
 Simplify Listen Constrain Watch nonverbal
Use feedback
language actively emotions cue
• Choose words and structure their messages
in ways that will make those messages
clear and understandable to the receiver
• Communication is effective when a
message is both received and understood
• Understanding is improved by simplifying
the language used for the intended
audience
 Simplify Listen Constrain Watch nonverbal
Use feedback
language actively emotions cue

• Listening is an active search for meaning,

whereas hearing is passive
• Active listening demands total concentration
• Active listening is enhanced by empathy with the
sender
• The goal is to improve one’s ability to receive the
full meaning of communication without having it
distorted by premature judgments or
interpretations
 Simplify Listen Constrain Watch nonverbal
Use feedback
language actively emotions cue
• Emotions can severely cloud and distort
the transference of meaning
• When one is emotionally upset over an
issue, he is likely to misconstrue incoming
messages and fail to express outgoing
messages clearly and accurately
• Stop communicating until you have
regained composure
 Simplify Listen Constrain Watch nonverbal
Use feedback
language actively emotions cue
• Actions speak louder than words
• Watch your actions to make sure that they
align with and reinforce the words that go
along with them
 How do nonverbal cues affect
communication?
• Nonverbal communications are more
meaningful communications
• Body language refers to gestures,facial
configurations,and other movements of the
body
• Verbal intonation refers to the emphasis
someone gives to words or phrases,
depending on the tone of the source
 Culture issues in the
communication process
• Difference between a high value on
individualism and the emphasis on collectivism
• Individualists rely on formal forms and hoard
secret information in an attempt to promote their
own advancement and to induce their employees
to accept decisions and plans
• Collectivists rely more on informal manner of
interpersonal contact,engage in extensive verbal
consultation first then draw up a formal
document