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Communication

Communication is a process whereby meaning is defined and shared between living

organisms. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient,

although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate

at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast distances in time

and space. Communication requires that the communicating parties share an area of

communicative commonality. The communication process is complete once the receiver

has understood the sender.

Human communication

Human spoken and picture languages can be described as

a system of symbols (sometimes known as lexemes) and the grammars (rules) by which

the symbols are manipulated. The word "language" also refers to common properties of

languages. Language learning normally occurs most intensively during human childhood.

Most of the thousands of human languages use patterns of sound or gesture for symbols

which enable communication with others around them. Languages seem to share certain

properties, although many of these include exceptions. There is no defined line between a

language and a dialect. Constructed languages such as Esperanto, programming

languages, and various mathematical formalisms are not necessarily restricted to the

properties shared by human languages.

A variety of verbal and non-verbal means of communicating exists such as body

language; eye contact, sign language, paralanguage, haptic communication, chronemics,

and media such as pictures, graphics, sound, and writing.

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Nonverbal communication

Nonverbal communication describes the process of conveying meaning in the form of non-

word messages through e.g. gesture, body language or posture; facial expression and eye

contact, object communication such

as clothing, hairstyles, architecture, symbols andinfographics, as well as through an

aggregate of the above. Non-verbal communication is also called silent language and plays

a key role in human day to day life from employment relations to romantic engagements.

Speech also contains nonverbal elements known as paralanguage. These include voice

quality, emotion and speaking style as well as prosodic features such

as rhythm, intonation and stress. Likewise, written texts include nonverbal elements such

as handwriting style, spatial arrangement of words and the use of emoticons to convey

emotional expressions in pictorial form.

- Other factors include posture, facial expression, eye contact, gestures, and sounds. -

Canadian Fundamentals of Nursing 4 ed Potter and Perry - Non verbal communication

involves the five senses - Canadian Fundamentals of Nursing 4 ed Potter and Perry

Visual communication

Visual communication is the conveyance of ideas and information through creation of

visual representations. Primarily associated with two dimensional images, it

includes: signs, typography, drawing, graphic design, illustration, colours, and electronic

resources, video and TV. Recent research in the field has focused on web design and

graphically oriented usability. Graphic designers use methods of visual communication in

their professional practice.

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Oral communication

Oral communication, while primarily referring to spoken verbal communication, typically

relies on both words, visual aids and non-verbal elements to support the conveyance of the

meaning. Oral communication includes discussion, speeches, presentations, interpersonal

communication and many other varieties. In face to face communication the body

language and voice tonality plays a significant role and may have a greater impact on the

listener than the intended content of the spoken words.

A great presenter must capture the attention of the audience and connect with them. For

example, out of two persons telling the same joke one may greatly amuse the audience

due to his body language and tone of voice while the second person, using the exact same

words, bores and irritates the audience[citation needed] Visual aid can help to facilitate effective

communication and is almost always used in presentations for an audience.

A widely cited and widely mis-interpreted figure used to emphasize the importance of

delivery states that "communication comprise 55% body language, 38% tone of voice, 7%

content of words", the so-called "7%-38%-55% rule".[1] This is not however what the cited

research shows – rather, when conveying emotion, if body language, tone of voice, and

words disagree, then body language and tone of voice will be believed more than words.[2]
[clarification needed]
 For example, a person saying "I'm delighted to meet you" while mumbling,

hunched over, and looking away will be interpreted as insincere. (Further discussion

at Albert Mehrabian: Three elements of communication.)

Written communication and its historical development

Over time the forms of and ideas about communication have evolved through progression

of technology. Advances include communications psychology and media psychology; an

emerging field of study. Researchers divides the progression of written communication into
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three revolutionary stages called "Information Communication Revolutions" (Source

needed).

During the 1st stage written communication first emerged through the use of pictographs.

The pictograms were made in stone, hence written communication was not yet mobile.

During the 2nd stage writing began to appear on paper, papyrus, clay, and wax (etc).

Common alphabets were introduced and allowed for the uniformity of language across

large distances. A leap in technology occurred when the Gutenberg printing-press was

invented in the 15th century.

The 3rd stage is characterised by the transfer of information through controlled waves and

electronic signals.

Communication is thus a process by which meaning is assigned and conveyed in an

attempt to create shared understanding. This process, which requires a vast repertoire of

skills in interpersonal processing, listening, observing, speaking, questioning, analyzing,

gestures and evaluating enables collaboration and cooperation.[3]

Barriers to successful communication include message overload (when a person receives

too many messages at the same time), andmessage complexity.[4]

Nonhuman communication

Every information exchange between living organisms — i.e. transmission of signals that

involve a living sender and receiver can be considered a form of communication; and even

primitive creatures such as corals are competent to communicate. Nonhuman

communication also include cell signaling, cellular communication, and chemical

transmissions between primitive organisms like bacteria and within

theplant and fungal kingdoms.
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Animal communication

The broad field of animal communication encompasses most of the issues

in ethology. Animal communication can be defined as anybehavior of one animal that

affects the current or future behavior of another animal. The study of animal

communication, called zoosemiotics'(distinguishable from anthroposemiotics, the study of

human communication) has played an important part in the development

of ethology,sociobiology, and the study of animal cognition. Animal communication, and

indeed the understanding of the animal world in general, is a rapidly growing field, and

even in the 21st century so far, many prior understandings related to diverse fields such as

personal symbolic nameuse, animal emotions, animal culture and learning, and

even sexual conduct, long thought to be well understood, have been revolutionized.

Business communication

Business Communication:communication used to promote a product, service, or organization;

relay information within the business; or deal with legal and similar issues. It is also a means of

relaying between a supply chain, for example the consumer and manufacturer.

Business Communication is known simply as "Communications." It encompasses a variety of

topics, including Marketing, Branding,Customer relations, Consumer

behaviour, Advertising, Public relations,

Corporate communication, Community engagement, Research &Measurement, Reputation

management, Interpersonal communication, Employee engagement, Online communication,

and Event management. It is closely related to the fields of professional

communication and technical communication.
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In business, the term communications encompasses various channels of communication,

including the Internet, Print (Publications), Radio,Television, Ambient media, Outdoor, and Word

of mouth.

Business Communication can also refer to internal communication. A communications

director will typically manage internal communication and craft messages sent to employees. It

is vital that internal communications are managed properly because a poorly crafted or

managed message could foster distrust or hostility from employees.[1]

Business Communication is a common topic included in the curricula of Masters of Business

Administration (MBA) programs of many universities. AS well, many community colleges and

universities offer degrees in Communications.

There are several methods of business communication, including:

 Web-based communication - for better and improved communication, anytime anywhere

...

 video conferencing which allow people in different locations to hold interactive meetings;

 e-mails, which provide an instantaneous medium of written communication worldwide;

 Reports - important in documenting the activities of any department;

 Presentations - very popular method of communication in all types of organizations,

usually involving audiovisual material, like copies of reports, or material prepared

in Microsoft PowerPoint or Adobe Flash;

 telephoned meetings, which allow for long distance speech;

 forum boards, which allow people to instantly post information at a centralized location;

and

 face-to-face meetings, which are personal and should be succeeded by a written

followup.
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Business communication is somewhat different and unique rather from other type of

communication since the purpose of business is to get profit. Thus to make good way for profit

the communicator should develop good communication skills. Everyone knows that in the

present day trends the knowledge alone won't be a fruitful one to have sustainable

development. By knowing the importance of communication many organisations started training

their employees in betterment of Communicaiton techniques.

Essentially due to globalisation the world has became a Global village. Thus here the

importance of cross cultural communcation plays a vital role. Since each and every nations has

their own meaning for each and every non verbal actions.

The way we appear speaks a lot about us in business communication. A neat appearance is

half done verbal communication. But developing communication is not a day work, it needs

constant yearly practise. There are seveal way to get trained in excelling business

communication such 1. by our own, 2. by practising from trainers, 3. by internet contents, 4. by

books.

Principles of effective communication

Communication is the process of transmitting the messages and receiving the response of that

message. The person who sends the messages is known as sender and the person who

receives the message is known as receiver and the response to the message is known as feed

back. Since the feedback requires another message to be communicated by the sender to the

receiver. So communication process become a circular process.

In simple words, exchange of ideas/messages, response there off in total is known as

communication. Any method of communication like words—oral or written, pictures, graphs,

diagrams, etc. may be adopted to communicate. Effective communication is that communication

in which the receiver is understood actually what the sender wants to convey, and in the same
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form. ‘Noise’ is something, which has disturbed the effective sending and receiving of

communication.

Principles of effective communication

1. Principle of clarity: the beginning of all communication is some message. The

message must be as clear as possible. No ambiguity should creep into it. The message can be

conveyed properly only if it has been clearly formulated in the mind of the communicator.

2. Principle of objective: the communicator must know clearly the purpose of

communication before actually transmitting the message. The objective may be to obtain

information, give information, initiate action, and change another person’s attitude and so on. If

the purpose of communication is clear it will help in the choice of mode of communication.

3. Principle of understanding the receiver: understanding is the main aim of any

communication. The communication must crate proper understanding in the mind of the

receiver. Thus according to Killian, “communication with an awareness of the total physical and

human setting in which the information will be received. Picture the place of work; determine

the receptivity and understanding levels of the receivers; be aware of social climate and

customs; question the information’s timeliness. Ask what, when and in what manner you would

like to be communicated with if you were in the similar environment and position.

4. Principle of consistency: the message to be communicated should be consistent with

plans, policies, programmes and goals of the enterprise. The message should not be conflicting

with previous communications. It should not crate confusion and chaos in the organisation.

5. Principle of completeness: the message to be communicated must be adequate and

complete, otherwise it will be misunderstood by the receiver. Inadequate communication

delayed action, poor public relations affects the efficiency of the parties to communication.

6. Principle of feedback: this principle calls for communication a two-way process and

providing opportunity for suggestion and criticism. Since the receiver is to accept and carry out

the instructions, his reactions must be known to the sender of message. The latter must
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consider the suggestion and criticism of the receiver of information. But feedback principle is

often given a back seat by most managers, which defeats the very purpose of communication.

7. Principle of time: information should be communicated at the right time. The

communicator must consider the timing of communication so that the desired response is

created in the minds of the receivers.

Communication theory

Human communication is understood in various ways by those who identify with the field. This

diversity is the result of communication being a relatively young field of study, composed of a

very broad constituency of disciplines. It includes work taken from scholars

of Rhetoric,Journalism, Sociology, Psychology, Anthropology, and Semiotics, among others.

Cognate areas include biocommunication, which investigates communicative processes within

and among non-humans such as bacteria, animals, fungi and plants, and information theory,

which provides a mathematical model for measuring communication within and among systems.

Generally, human communication is concerned with the making of meaning and the exchange

of understanding. One model of communication considers it from the perspective of transmitting

information from one person to another. In fact, many scholars of communication take this as

a working definition, and use Lasswell's maxim, "who says what to whom in what channel with

what effect," as a means of circumscribing the field of communication theory. Among those

who subscribe to the transmission model are those who identify themselves with

the communication sciences, and finds its roots in the studies of propaganda and mass media

of the early 20th century.

Other commentators claim that a ritual process of communication exists, one not artificially

divorcible from a particular historical and social context. This tradition is largely associated with

early scholars of symbolic interactionism as well as phenomenologists.

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Constructionist Models

There is an additional working definition of communication to consider that authors like Richard

A. Lanham (2003) and as far back as Erving Goffman (1959) have highlighted. This is a

progression from Lasswell’s attempt to define human communication through to this century and

revolutionized into the constructionist model. Constructionists believe that the process of

communication is in itself the only messages that exist. The packaging can not be separated

from the social and historical context from which it arose, therefore the substance to look at in

communication theory is style for Richard Lanham and the performance of self for Erving

Goffman.

Lanham chose to view communication as the rival to the over encompassing use of CBS

model (which pursued to further the transmission model). CBS model argues that clarity, brevity,

and sincerity are the only purpose to prose discourse, therefore communication. Lanham wrote,

“If words matter too, if the whole range of human motive is seen as animating prose discourse,

then rhetoric analysis leads us to the essential questions about prose style” (Lanham 10). This

is saying that rhetoric and style are fundamentally important; they are not errors to what we

actually intend to transmit. The process which we construct and deconstruct meaning deserves

analysis.

Erving Goffman sees the performance of self as the most important frame to understand

communication. Goffman wrote, “What does seem to be required of the individual is that he

learn enough pieces of expression to be able to ‘fill in’ and manage, more or less, any part that

he is likely to be given” (Goffman 73) Goffman is highlighting the significance of expression. The

truth in both cases is the articulation of the message and the package as one. The construction

of the message from social and historical context is the seed as is the pre-existing message is

for the transmission model. Therefore any look into communication theory should include the
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possibilities drafted by such great scholars as Richard A. Lanham and Erving Goffman that style

and performance is the whole process.

Communication stands so deeply rooted in human behaviors and the structures of society that

scholars have difficulty thinking of it while excluding social or behavioral events. Because

communication theory remains a relatively young field of inquiry and integrates itself with other

disciplines such as philosophy, psychology, and sociology, one probably cannot yet expect a

consensus conceptualization of communication across disciplines.

History of Communication Theory

The Academic Study of Communication

Communication has existed since the beginning of human beings, but it was not until the 20th

century that people began to study the process. As communication technologies developed, so

did the serious study of communication. When World War I ended, the interest in studying

communication intensified. The social-science study was fully recognized as a legitimate

discipline after World War II.

Before becoming simply communication, or communication studies, the discipline was formed

from three other major studies: psychology, sociology, and anthropology. Psychology is the

study of human behavior, Sociology is the study of society and social process, and anthropology

is the study of communication as a factor which develops, maintains, and changes culture.

Communication studies focus on communication as central to the human experience, which

involves understanding how people behave in creating, exchanging, and interpreting messages.

Communication Theory has one universal law posited by S. F. Scudder (1980). The Universal

Communication Law states that, "All living entities, beings and creatures communicate." All of

the living communicates through movements, sounds, reactions, physical changes, gestures,

languages, breath, etc. Communication is a means of survival. Examples - the cry of a child
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(communication that it is hungry, hurt, cold, etc.); the browning of a leaf (communication that it is

dehydrated, thirsty per se, dying); the cry of an animal (communicating that it is injured, hungry,

angry, etc.). Everything living communicates in its quest for survival."

Communication Theory Framework

It is helpful to examine communication and communication theory through one of the following

viewpoints:

 Mechanistic: This view considers communication as a perfect transaction of a message

from the sender to the receiver. (as seen in the diagram above)

 Psychological: This view considers communication as the act of sending a message to a

receiver, and the feelings and thoughts of the receiver upon interpreting the message.

 Social Constructionist (Symbolic Interactionist): This view considers communication to

be the product of the interactants sharing and creating meaning. The Constructionist View

can also be defined as, how you say something determines what the message is. The

Constructionist View assumes that “truth” and “ideas” are constructed or invented through

the social process of communication. Robert T. Craig saw the Constructionist View or the

constitutive view as it’s called in his article, as “…an ongoing process that symbolically forms

and re-forms our personal identities.” (Craig, 125). The other view of communication, the

Transmission Model, sees communication as robotic and computer-like. The Transmission

Model sees communication as a way of sending or receiving messages and the perfection

of that. But, the Constructionist View sees communications as, “…in human life, info does

not behave as simply as bits in an electronic stream. In human life, information flow is far

more like an electric current running from one landmine to another” (Lanham, 7). The

Constructionist View is a more realistic view of communication because it involves the

interacting of human beings and the free sharing of thoughts and ideas. Daniel Chandler
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looks to prove that the Transmission Model is a lesser way of communicating by saying “The

transmission model is not merely a gross over-simplification but a dangerously misleading

representation of the nature of human communication” (Chandler, 2). Humans do not

communicate simply as computers or robots so that’s why it’s essential to truly understand

the Constructionist View of Communication well. We do not simply send facts and data to

one another, but we take facts and data and they acquire meaning through the process of

communication, or through interaction with others.

 Systemic: This view considers communication to be the new messages created via

“through-put”, or what happens as the message is being interpreted and re-interpreted as it

travels through people.

 Critical: This view considers communication as a source of power and oppression of

individuals and social groups.[1]

Inspection of a particular theory on this level will provide a framework on the nature of

communication as seen within the confines of that theory.

Theories can also be studied and organized according to the ontological, epistemological, and

axiological framework imposed by the theorist.

Ontology essentially poses the question of what, exactly, it is the theorist is examining. One

must consider the very nature of reality. The answer usually falls in one of three realms

depending on whether the theorist sees the phenomena through the lens of a realist, nominalist,

or social constructionist. Realist perspective views the world objectively, believing that there is a

world outside of our own experience and cognitions. Nominalists see the world subjectively,

claiming that everything outside of one’s cognitions is simply names and labels. Social

constructionists straddle the fence between objective and subjective reality, claiming that reality

is what we create together.

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Epistemology is an examination of how the theorist studies the chosen phenomena. In studying

epistemology, particularly from a positivist perspective, objective knowledge is said to be the

result of a systematic look at the causal relationships of phenomena. This knowledge is usually

attained through use of the scientific method. Scholars often think that empirical evidence

collected in an objective manner is most likely to reflect truth in the findings. Theories of this ilk

are usually created to predict a phenomenon. Subjective theory holds that understanding is

based on situated knowledge, typically found using interpretative methodology such as

ethnography and also interviews. Subjective theories are typically developed to explain or

understand phenomena in the social world.

Axiology is concerned with what values drive a theorist to develop a theory. Theorists must be

mindful of potential biases so that they will not influence or skew their findings (Miller, 21-23).

effective listening: productive listening does not occur

naturally. It requires hard work and practice

TO BE SUCCESSFUL AT THEIR job, internal auditors must be able to write, speak, and listen

effectively. Of these three skills, effective listening may be the most crucial because auditors are

required to do it so often. Unfortunately, listening also may be the most difficult skill to master.

Effective listening is challenging, in part, because people often are more focused on what

they're saying than on what they're hearing in return. According to a recent study by the Harvard

Business Review, people think the voice mail they send is more important than the voice mail

they receive. Generally, senders think that their message is more helpful and urgent than do the

people who receive it.

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Additionally, listening is difficult because people don't work as hard at it as they should.

Listening seems to occur so naturally that putting a lot of effort into it doesn't seem necessary.

However, hard work and effort is exactly what effective listening requires.

Internal auditors must listen to explanations, rationales, and defenses of financial practices and

procedures. They are constantly communicating with fellow employees whose backgrounds

range from accounting to finance to marketing to information systems. In addition, explanations

by fellow employees of any "unusual" practices often pose a significant challenge to an internal

auditor's listening skills. Auditors can use the following techniques to improve these skills

1. CONCENTRATE ON WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING. When listening to someone, do you

often find yourself thinking about a job or task that is nearing deadline or an important family

matter? In the middle of a conversation, do you sometimes realize that you haven't heard a

word the other person has said? Most individuals speak at the rate of 175 to 200 words per

minute. However, research suggests that we are very capable of listening and processing words

at the rate of 600 to 1,000 words per minute. An internal auditor's job today is very fast and

complex, and because the brain does not use all of its capacity when listening, an auditor's

mind may drift to thinking of further questions or explanations rather than listening to the

message at hand. This unused brainpower can be a barrier to effective listening, causing the

auditor to miss or misinterpret what others are saying. It is important for internal auditors to

actively concentrate on what others are saying so that effective communication can occur.

2. SEND THE NONVERBAL MESSAGE THAT YOU ARE LISTENING. When someone is

talking to you, do you maintain eye contact with that person? Do you show the speaker you are

listening by nodding your head? Does your body language transmit the message that you are

listening? Are you leaning forward and not using your hands to play with things? Most

communication experts agree that nonverbal messages can be three times as powerful as
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verbal messages. Effective communication becomes difficult anytime you send a nonverbal

message that you're not really listening.

3. AVOID EARLY EVALUATIONS. When listening, do you often make immediate judgments

about what the speaker is saying? Do you assume or guess what the speaker is going to say

next? Do you sometimes discover later that you failed to interpret correctly what the speaker

was telling you? Because a listener can listen at a faster rate than most speakers talk, there is a

tendency to evaluate too quickly. That tendency is perhaps the greatest barrier to effective

listening. It is especially important to avoid early evaluations when listening to a person with

whom you disagree. When listeners begin to disagree with a sender's message, they tend to

misinterpret the remaining information and distort its intended meaning so that it is consistent

with their own beliefs.

4. AVOID GETTING DEFENSIVE. Do you ever take what another person says personally when

what her or she is saying is not meant to be personal? Do you ever become angry at what

another person says? Careful listening does not mean that you will always agree with the other

party's point of view, but it does mean that you will try to listen to what the other person is

saying without becoming overly defensive. Too much time spent explaining, elaborating, and

defending your decision or position is a sure sign that you are not listening. This is because your

role has changed from one of listening to a role of convincing others they are wrong. After

listening to a position or suggestion with which you disagree, simply respond with something

like, "I understand your point. We just disagree on this one." Effective listeners can listen calmly

to another person even when that person is offering unjust criticism.

5. PRACTICE PARAPHRASING. Paraphrasing is the art of putting into your own words what

you thought you heard and saying it back to the sender. For example, a subordinate might say:

"You have been unfair to rate me so low on my performance appraisal. You have rated me

lower than Jim. I can do the job better than him, and I've been here longer." A paraphrased
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response might be: "I can see that you are upset about your rating. You think it was unfair for

me to rate you as I did." Paraphrasing is a great technique for improving your listening and

problem-solving skills. First, you have to listen very carefully if you are going to accurately

paraphrase what you heard. Second, the paraphrasing response will clarify for the sender that

his or her message was correctly received and encourage the sender to expand on what he or

she is trying to communicate.

6. LISTEN (AND OBSERVE) FOR FEELINGS. When listening, do you concentrate just on the

words that are being said, or do you also concentrate on the way they are being said? The way

a speaker is standing, the tone of voice and inflection he or she is using, and what the speaker

is doing with his or her hands are all part of the message that is being sent. A person who raises

his or her voice is probably either angry or frustrated. A person looking down while speaking is

probably either embarrassed or shy. Interruptions may suggest fear or lack of confidence.

Persons who make eye contact and lean forward are likely exhibiting confidence. Arguments

may reflect worry. Inappropriate silence may be a sign of aggression and be intended as

punishment.

7. ASK QUESTIONS. Do you usually ask questions when listening to a message? Do you try to

clarify what a person has said to you? Effective listeners make certain they have correctly heard

the message that is being sent. Ask questions to clarify points or to obtain additional

information. Open-ended questions are the best. They require the speaker to convey more

information. Form your questions in a way that makes it clear you have not yet drawn any

conclusions. This will assure the message sender that you are only interested in obtaining more

and better information. And the more information that you as a listener have, the better you can

respond to the sender's communication.

LISTEN ACTIVELY
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Not everyone has to possess the same style of listening, but internal auditors who use "active"

listening will likely become much better listeners. Active listening demands that the receiver of a

message put aside the belief that listening is easy and that it happens naturally and realize that

effective listening is hard work. The result of active listening is more efficient and effective

communication.

Communication Skills

The ability to communicate is the primary factor that distinguishes human beings from

animals. And it is the ability to communicate well that distinguishes one individual from

another. 

The fact, is that apart from the basic necessities, one needs to be equipped with habits for good

communication skills, as this is what will make them a happy and successful social being. 

In order to develop these habits, one needs to first acknowledge the fact that they need

to improve communication skills from time to time. They need to take stock of the way they

interact and the direction in which their work and personal relations are going. The only constant

in life is change, and the more one accepts one's strengths and works towards dealing with their

shortcomings, especially in the area of communication skills, the better will be their interactions

and the more their social popularity. 

The dominating question that comes here is: How to improve communication skills? Well, the

answer is simple. One can find plenty of literature on this. There are also experts, who conduct

workshops and seminars based on communication skills of men and women. In fact, a large

number of companies are bringing in trainers to regularly conduct sessions on the subject, in

order to help their work force maintain better interpersonal work relations. 

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Today, effective communication skills has become a predominant factor even while recruiting

employees. While interviewing candidates, most interviewers judge them on the basis of the

way they communicate. They believe that skills can be improvised on the job; but ability to

communicate well is important, as everyemployee becomes the representing face of the

company. 

There are trainers, who specialize in delivering custom-made programs on the subject. Through

the session they not only facilitate better skills in the department of communications, but also

look into the problems that come in the way of being able to convey messages effectively. They

discuss these issues with the management and then sought to design programs accordingly.

For instance, time mismanagement becomes a cause for stress and frustration, which then

hampers the possibility of healthy communications at work. Then in weeks to come the

company organizes a program on time management. Thus, a workshop on communication skills

helps the management t to deal with the finer employee nuances about which they lack

awareness.

Effective Communication Skills

While it is an undisputable fact the communications forms one of the essential basis of human

existence, yet most individuals overlook the need to refine their communication skills, from time-

to-time. Effective communication skills is a must whether it is individual or then effective

team communication skills. 

According to the experts one can communicate effectively when they understand

the stages of interpersonal communication, which are explained below : 

The phatic stage : This is the initial exploratory stage, which determines the course of the

conversation. This begins with the greetings and accompanying gestures such as eye contact,

the smile, etc. In a formal encounter there is more distance between the individuals, as
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compared to in the case of an informal encounter. This stage is also known as the warming

up stage. There is a no meaning and intention, but just the setting for the next level of the

conversation.

The personal stage: This is the second stage in which the individuals bring a more personal

element into the conversation. During this stage one generally brings down their social guard

and begin to interact more openly. They are ready to let the others involved in the conversation

more about themselves and the hesitation decreases. Interpersonal interactions generally move

into a third stage. Otherwise professional interactions are generally confined to this stage. 

The intimate stage: This stage is mainly meant for conversations between friends, family and

relatives, where those involved in the conversation share a higher level of intimacy with each

other. This stage of communicating usually entails opening one's heart and sharing rather

intimate details, which is not a part of professional conversations. 

Keeping in mind these stages, one becomes more aware of how their conversations should

progress and where they need to conclude a conversation, or extend it for that matter. Effective

skills in communication calls for awareness and attentive listening.

Importance Of Communication Skills

Identification is one of the key ingredients of effective communication. In fact, unless your

listeners can identify with what you are saying and with the way you are saying it, they are not

likely to receive and understand your message."

The quote above is the underlying factor that explains the importance of communication skills. 

In fact, there are other such quotes, which are as follows that explains the importance of

effective communications skills:

Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after.

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the newest computer can merely compound, at speed, the oldest problem in

the relations between human beings, and in the end the communicator will be confronted with

the old problem, of what to say and how to say it.

The colossal misunderstanding of our times is the assumption that insight will work with people

who are unmotivated to change.Communication does not depend on syntax, or eloquence, or

rhetoric, or articulation; but on the emotional context in which the message is being heard.

People can only hear you when they are moving toward you, and they are not likely to when

your words are pursuing them. Even the choicest words lose their power when they are used to

overpower. Attitudes are the realfigures of speech. Some proverbs

When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.

The problem with communication... is the illusion that is has been accomplished.

The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously.

Argument is the worst sort of communication.

Verbal Communication Skills

Everybody has interesting thoughts floating in their mind, however only a few are able to

communicate them effectively, and bring about a resounding impact on their audience. This is

because they have probably sharpened their verbal communication skills. Many feel that this

skill does not need any training, as every individual is able to communicate. Yes, every

individual can communicate, but the problem is that every individual cannot effectively

communicate

Then the common question that arises is: 'how to improve my communication skill'. Though

the years, experts in the field of training have found innovative ways and have provided

interesting tips and methods to improve your communication skills. 

Given here are some interesting tips ways in which one can improve the way in which
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they communicate : 

Be aware of the communication process : One should be aware of every aspect of the

present communication - the purpose, objective and needs. One needs to be aware of what is

occurring within the self; aware of what the others present feel; aware of all that is occurring

between the communicators and aware of all that is happening around the communicators. 

Digging deeper : One should be able to dig below the surface and derive and understands

each communicator's primary needs from the conversation taking place. 

Clarity of thought : One needs to be clear and focused on the subject at hand and not beat

around the bush and be ambiguous.

Listening empathetically : One should hone the skills of listening with understanding. 

Assert respectfully : It is important that one develops speaking up

assertive communication skills. This is because when one is assertive, they are proving that

they are confident about what they need to convey. 

Conflict resolution : One should be able to come to win-win solutions in order to solve all

problems that may occur from time-to-time.

Presentation Skills

"Conversation... is the art of never appearing a bore, of knowing how to say everything

interestingly, to entertain with no matter what, to be charming with nothing at all."

Thus, communication is best achieved through simple planning and control. To ensure efficient

and effective conversation there are three prime considerations:

Presentation Skills

Listening Skills

Speaking Skills
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According to experts in the field of communication training, presentation skills includes not only,

aspects relating to non-verbal skills, etiquette and grooming, but also other factors such as

listening and speaking.

In order to ensure effective communication and presentation skills one needs to keep the

following factors in mind:

Avoid ambiguity

Accept feedback in order to gain confirmation and rule out confusion

The non-verbal presentation factors are:

Voice: This implies the tone - sarcastic or sincere; warm or cold; rich and expressive; or dull and

flat. The other voice aspect is the volume - shouting, barely audible or medium volume.

Speech pattern: slow, hesitant, fast, jerky, abrupt or even-steady pace.

Facial expression: This includes:

The brow/forehead: Wrinkled or smooth

Eyebrows: wrinkled or smooth

Jaw/mouth region: firm or relaxed

Eye contact: Whether the speaker is looking at the listener/audience being addressed.

Gestures: This includes the hand movements such as: hand-wringing, open hand movements,

finger pointing, fist thumping, etc.

Postures: This is important, as it shows how interested the speaker or listener is.

Body movement: This includes the movement of the body such as shrugs and shuffles, arms

crossed or left lose, strides or standing in one position.

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Public Speaking

Speaking in public tends to become a rather stressful task for many. In fact, even the best of

speakers tend to go through those few moments of anxiety and stage fright just before getting

onto the stage or podium to address their audience. One of the main reasons can be language,

which for instance could be lack of English speaking words. But then how to improve English

speaking can be looked at, as a different subject, all together.

Yet, before going any further, one tip for improving English skills, one can practice grammar and

vocabulary exercises, as often as possible. Also reading loudly in front of a mirror helps one

improve their language skills. Exposure to the language is also important, which includes

reading English newspapers and books, listening to English music and watching English

movies.

Coming back to public speaking... here are 9 tips to speak successfully in a public situation...

Control stage fright

Select the subject well

Gather all ideas and information

Organize the material

Plan the beginning of the speech

Plan the body of the speech

Plan the conclusion of the speech

Practice the speech

Bring in humor, spontaneously

Here are the 6-key details to ensure smooth speaking at a public event, of any magnitude...

Check all arrangements

Be comfortable in venue

Know how to use the microphone

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Conduct a microphone check before the function begins

Be ready to deal with distractions

Be prepared to answer questions, politely avoid irrelevant questions

Improving Communication Skills

When one is required to communicate complicated ideas, one needs to first and foremost work

on improving their skills in communicating. Firstly, one needs to overcome all language

related barriers by first seeking how to learn English speaking. This is essential, because most

people find it difficult to convey their thoughts, because of a strong influence of their national

language, regional language and mother tongue.

Well, to overcome the language barrier, one can attend English speaking classes. But then

thereafter one also needs to be aware of other nuances involved in

improving communication skills. In fact, one needs to ensure that as when they communicate

they should not be misunderstood, so as to ensure a free flow of thoughts and ideas, doing

away with stumbling roadblocks.

One way of ensuring that one will not be misunderstood is to look into the use of ‘scope'.

‘Scope', essentially refers to the words that combine with each other in order to create a ‘sense

unit', in a sentence. For instance, which nouns are covered by a particular verb or preposition.

Often poor punctuation or poor sentence construction brings about ineffective communications.

There are varied grammatical devices that help to indicate ‘scope'. These devises can be

perfected by constantly practicing grammar. In fact, no matter how eloquent a speaker or

communicator one maybe, one should spend sometime, ever so often in practicing grammar

exercises.
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One can refer to the various English speaking books that will help them improve. In fact, parents

can improve their own grammar skills by working on exercises with their children, making it a

family activity, rather than a boring homework lesson