Principles of Effective Communication

General Communication Skills

General communication skills are the ability to listen, understand and then apply that to your own experience. It is also the ability to explain what you want to say and to do so clearly through clear speech or through writing so that the other person can understand.

 

Cultural differences

Any cultural differences between you and your audience, or within your audience, will need to be addressed. Some words or signs that are acceptable in one language or culture may be misunderstood or considered offensive in another, so you might choose to use different words or gestures from the ones you would usually use.

Accuracy

Having adapted the content and style of your communication to meet the expectations or needs of your audience, you should next focus on the message that you are trying to convey.

To win the hearts and minds of an audience, you may be tempted to stretch the truth or to make emotive statements to whip up feelings for or against some political or social issue.

For some audiences, these tactics may work; however, it is usually best to stick to the truth and to include only facts in your message.

Interpersonal Skills

 

Interpersonal communication skills come into play when you are talking to someone face to face or when your message is being communicated so that the audience can see and / or hear you (even if you cannot see or hear them).

 

Interpersonal skills are the life skills we use every day to communicate and interact with other people, both individually and in groups. People who have worked on developing strong interpersonal skills are usually more successful in both their professional and personal lives.

 

Employers often seek to hire staff with 'strong interpersonal skills' - they want people who will work well in a team and are able to communicate effectively with colleagues, customers and clients.

 

 

 

 

Active engagement

 

By paying attention and reacting to what the other person is saying for example with a nod you are communicating that you hear what is being said and that you are taking note. Once the other person has finished speaking, they may signal that you are expected to respond.

They might end with a question or they might use body language to indicate that it is your turn to contribute to the conversation, by turning their body or inclining their head towards you so it is best that you listen to what people are saying even if you don't understand what is being said it is respectful to listen.

Summarising allows both parties to review and agree the communication exchanged between them up to that point in time. By Summarising it can also provide a few seconds to think of a suitable response.

Paraphrasing the message involves reflecting on the message communicated to you by the speaker and reiterating in your own words. Paraphrasing is useful skill because you can check that you have understood the message clearly.

 

 

 

Types of question

 

 

There are three different types of questioning they are:

 

- Open Questioning

 

- Closed Questioning

 

- Probing Questioning

 

Questioning is the key to gaining more information and without it interpersonal communications can fail. Questioning is fundamental to successful communication. We all ask questions and we are all asked questions when being engaged in a conversation. We find questions and answers interesting/entertaining depending on the actual question being asked or answered. Examples of questions could be to do with getting to know another person. Asking the right questions at the right time and also answering appropriately.

 

Although questions are usually verbal in nature, they can also be non-verbal. For example raising your eyebrows could, be asking, “Are you sure?” facial expressions can ask all sorts of subtle questions at different times and in different perspectives.

 

An open question can be defined thus: An open question is likely to receive a long answer.

 

 

Open questions have the following characteristics:

 

 

- They ask the respondent to think and reflect.

 

- They will give you opinions and feelings.

 

- They hand control of the conversation to the respondent.

 

- Open questions begin with such as: what, why, how, describe.

 

Communicate in writing

 

Written communication is fundamentally different from other forms of communication. It requires special skills in the construction of the message – not least, the ability to handwrite or type. It also requires a good knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar of a language such as English so that the written word conveys the intended message to the audience.

How is written communication used in Rainbow?

-       Writing letters

-       Writing emails

-       Writing memos

-       Writing minutes of meetings

-       Writing agendas

The types of written communication are:

-       Fax

-       Web page

-       Social Networking post

-       Memos

-       Email

-       Blog

-       Report

Proofreading

 

Before submitting or printing an academic research paper, essay, email, memo, or any other written document, it is very important to carefully proofread it. Proofreading of written material is the final and essential step that must be taken before a document can be considered complete.

 

When proofreading a document, you should first read it slowly and carefully to determine whether or not it communicates its message. If the title or the introductory paragraph does not clearly signal the intent of the paper or if the paragraphs which follow do not naturally flow from that introduction, you might want to rewrite those parts of your paper. If the research does not seem to verify what you are attempting to communicate, you may wish to rethink your thesis or you may need to conduct further research.

 

 

 

 

 

Spelling

 

 

By making spelling mistakes it puts across an unprofessional image to the reader; they can also create confusion if the mistakes result in the message being difficult to understand. The main purpose in the correct use of spelling is that ensuring the receiver of the information reads it accurately. Additionally to this when given a task to do your employer expects you to do it perfectly. When a document has mistakes on it, readers are likely to distrust everything, including the information, opinions and facts. This would be relayed back to your employer who would themselves lose confidence in your ability.