Basic Communication Skills

July 21, 2016

COMMUNICATION SKILLS
1. Listening
2. Voice Modulation
3. Communication Barriers
4. Overcoming Barriers
The Wedding Story
The Wedding Story

Determine who is the best

man, usher, bridesmaid,
bride, and groom at this
wedding based on the
clues provided.
 The Wedding Story
The best man is the brother of the usher.
The best man and the bridesmaid went to
college with the groom.
The usher went into the army after high school.
Anns college roommate took Sally to a family
reunion in May.
Steve and Jerry had to give up their Rose Bowl
(January) tickets to attend the wedding.
Dan and Steves mother attended the wedding,
but didnt sit with her sons.
 The Wedding Story
Who is the

Bride: ________________________
Bridesmaid: ___________________
Groom: _______________________
Best Man: _____________________
Usher: ________________________
 The Wedding Story

Bride: Sally
Bridesmaid: Ann
Groom: Jerry
Best Man: Steve
Usher: Dan
 The Wedding Story Rationale
You know that the best man and the usher are brothers
from the first clue, and they are named Dan and Steve
based on the last clue, but you dont know whos who
yet.

In the second clue, you learn that the best man and the
bridesmaid went to college with the groom.

This means that either Dan or Steve went to college with

the groom. The fourth clue tells you that Ann went to
college, so you can assume that she is the bridesmaid.
 The Wedding Story Rationale
In the fifth clue, Jerry is introduced, so knowing
that he is neither the usher nor the best man,
you can assume that he is the groom.

Going back to the fourth clue, you can now

assume that Sally is the bride because she is not
the bridesmaid. So if Anns roommate took Sally
to the family reunion in May, the roommate must
have been Jerry.
 The Wedding Story Rationale
You can assume that the wedding was in January based
on the fact that Jerry and Steve had to give up their Rose
Bowl tickets to go to the wedding.

So by May, Jerry and Sally were married and thus went to

the family reunion together as husband and wife.

You also know from the fifth clue that Steve was going to
the Rose Bowl with Jerry, so he was the one who went to
college and was thus the best man, leaving Dan as the
usher who went into the army after high school.
 Processing
What needed to be done to complete this
exercise?
 Processing
What needed to be done to complete this
exercise?

What information was most useful in solving this

puzzle?
 Processing
What needed to be done to complete this
exercise?

What information was most useful in solving this

puzzle?

What information was least useful?

 Processing
What needed to be done to complete this
exercise?

What information was most useful in solving this

puzzle?

What information was least useful?

What was the most challenging clue to solve?

 Processing
It is important to pay attention to all the details
when trying to solve a problem or complete a
task.

How important it is to have this information

clearly communicated to you?

Just think what would have happened if one of

these clues was left out. Would you still have
been able to answer these questions?
 Being able to communicate effectively is a
necessary and vital part of every
professionals job.

This topic is designed to improve your

communication skills.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
1. Listening
2. Voice Modulation
3. Communication Barriers
4. Overcoming Barriers
At the completion of this lesson, you should be able to:
Indicate the value of listening and effective feedback.
Indicate how speakers and listeners nonverbal cues
impact communication.
Identify vocal factors that contribute to effective
communication.
Indicate how actively engaging the audience contributes
to effective communication.
Identify barriers to effective communication and how to
overcome it.
Communication - Meaning
Communication - Meaning
Communication is a dynamic process
through this process we convey a thought or feeling to
someone else.
how it is received depends on a set of events, stimuli,
that person is exposed to.
how you say what you say plays an important role in
communication.
LEVELS OF COMMUNICATION
VERBAL
Intra verbal: intonation of word and sound
Extra verbal verbal: implication of words and phrases,
semantics
NON-VERBAL
Gestures
Postures
Movements
TYPES OF BODY LANGUAGE
Remember that you are dealing with PEOPLE

(P)OSTURES & GESTURES

How do you use hand gestures? Stance?
(E)YE CONTACT
Hows your Lighthouse?
(O)RIENTATION
How do you position yourself?
(P)RESENTATION
How do you deliver your message?
(L)OOKS
Are your looks, appearance, dress important?
(E)PRESSIONS OF EMOTION
Are you using facial expressions to express emotion?
COMMUNICATION
7% WORDS
Words are only labels and the listeners put their own
interpretation on speakers words
38% PARALINGUISTIC
The way in which something is said - the accent, tone and
voice modulation is important to the listener.
55% BODY LANGUAGE
What a speaker looks like while delivering a message affects
the listeners understanding most.
Basic Communication
Effective communication is essential.
Basic Communication
Being an effective communicator involves
establishing a personal connection with the
audience and using basic communication tools to
reach that audience.

To communicate effectivelywhether your

audience is a single individual or a large groupit
is helpful to understand the basic skills that form
the building blocks of effective communication.
Basic Communication
Oral communication is fluid and dynamic, and is
shaped by both the speaker and the audience.

Even in its simplest form, communication is a two-

way process in which several things typically
happen:
What happens when two people communicate?

You send a message using your voice and nonverbal cues.

The other person listens, interpreting and personalizing the
message, and gives feedback verbally and nonverbally.
Meanwhile, you are listening to the verbal feedback and
attending to the nonverbal cues in order to gauge how your
message was received and to understand the other persons
response.

The process is then repeated in the typical flow of conversation.

Four Basic Communication Skills

Listening.
Communicating
nonverbally.
Using your voice.
Engaging the audience.
TOTAL COMMUNICATION PROCESS

Writing
9% Speaking
30%
Reading
16%

Listening
45%
5 Basic reasons we Do Not Listen
Listening is Hard Work
Competition
The Rush for Action
Speed differences (120 wpm v/s 360
wpm)
Lack of Training
 Hearing is a sensory experience that
gathers sound waves indiscriminately.
We can hear something without
choosing to listen.

Listening is a voluntary activity that

includes interpreting or processing that
sound.
Barriers to Effective Listening
Barriers to Effective Listening
External or Internal.
Barriers to Effective Listening
External or Internal.

External roadblocks can include distracters such as noise,

an uncomfortable temperature or seating, or an
inappropriate location.
Barriers to Effective Listening
External or Internal.

External roadblocks can include distracters such as noise,

an uncomfortable temperature or seating, or an
inappropriate location.

Internal roadblocks include conditions or reactions within

the speaker or audience
Internal Roadblocks
Emotional interference or defensiveness.
Hearing only facts and not feelings.
Hearing what is expected instead of what is said.
Not seeking clarification.
Stereotyping.
The halo effect
Resistance to change or automatic dismissal
How to overcome theses barriers?
When listening, always:
Keep an open mind.
Maintain eye contact and show interest.
Listen for the central themes.
Consider the speakers nonverbal
behaviors and tone of voice.
While listening, you should avoid:
Being judgmental.
Interrupting the speaker.
Formulating a rebuttal.
Distorting the message based on your own beliefs.
Active listening involves listening with empathy and
paraphrasing.
When you listen empathically, you dont just
hear words. You attend to thoughts, beliefs,
and feelings.

Empathic listening is highly active and takes

practice.
When you paraphrase, you ensure clear
understanding by restating main points in your
own words.

Paraphrasing also provides important feedback

that helps speakers gauge how well they are
getting their message across as intended.
ACTIVE LISTENING
Decide to listen and concentrate
Enter the speakers situation
Observe
Listen without interruption
Confirm
Provide feedback
ACTIVE LISTENING
Decide to listen and concentrate on the speaker.
Use your imagination and enter the speakers situation.

Concentrate and try to imagine his or her frame of

reference and point of view
ACTIVE LISTENING
Observe the speakers vocal inflection, enthusiasm or
lack of it, and style of delivery.

These are essential components of the message.

If you are speaking face-to-face, pay attention to the

speakers facial expressions and other nonverbal cues for
more insight into the message.
ACTIVE LISTENING
Listen without interruption.

Note key phrases or use word associations to remember

the speakers content.

Use paraphrasing or clarifying questions to confirm that

you received the intended message.
ACTIVE LISTENING
Paraphrasing demonstrates that you listened
by:
o Summarizing
restating the speakers statement and feelings.
o Using your own words
not parroting back what was said.
o Remaining neutral
expressing neither your agreement nor
disagreement (verbally or nonverbally).
ACTIVE LISTENING
Provide feedback. Check your perceptions of how the
speaker is feeling.

Are you putting the text of the message in the

appropriate emotional context?