A wise man reflects before he speaks; a fool speaks, and then reflects on what he has uttered.

- French Proverb

VERBAL COMMUNICATION

MODULE 1: Point 2- Contents

VERBAL COMMUNICATION Target group profile Barriers of Communication Listening Feedback Presentation Skills Use of Aids Public Speaking Practice Presentation Non Verbal Communication

TARGET GROUP PROFILE

THE VALS APPROACH ( Values & Life Styles Approach) Types of Audiences: - The Belongers - The Emulators - The Emulator Achievers - The Societally Conscious Achievers - The Need Directed Key Audiences: - General public - Customers - Media - Government - Suppliers - Industry - Employees - Financial sector - NGOs

BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION
By Sender/ Receiver  Barriers pertaining to semantics : - Vocabulary - Meaning - Intonation  Personal Barriers - Style and character (rude, polite, shy, outspoken) - Preparation & presentation : Information sent is too little/ too much; message encoded in wrong language, inappropriate tone; verbal & Nonverbal contradictory; wrong medium chosen; order - Lack of clarity (pronunciation, pitch, etc.) - Lack of credibility - Lack of familiarity with audience - Lack of experience - Timing (Emotional conflict if too involved in message)  Psycho-sociological barriers - Receivers physical condition - Failure to pay attention - Emotional response  Perceptual barriers Organisational Barriers and Process Barriers

(EXERCISE)

Barriers to Effective Communication By Sender/ Receiver Proper Pronunciation

Communication Buffalo Colonel Rendezvous Prakash Help Career Buffet Bulb Pradeep Pen Guest Bouquet Fax Chandrajeet

Perception
Message

Sender
Feedback

Receiver
Perception

Frame of Reference
Our frame of reference is made up of a multitude of factors: Attitude Beliefs Cultural Conventions Education Emotional state at the time Experience Gender

How Shared Experiences Affect Understanding

Little shared experience Meanings dissimilar Misunderstanding

Average amount of shared experience Meanings similar Average degree of understanding

Large amount of shared experience Meanings very similar High degree of understanding

Example: A manager dictated the following to his Secretary: What was dictated -- It has been decided that a biogas plant be setup near our canteen to make use of waste food. What was typed by the secretary -It has been decided that (a) biogas plant (b) setup near our canteen to make use of waste food

PERCEPTUAL BARRIERS: EYE CONTACT

NO OR LITTLE
YOU MAY BE PERCEIVED AS SHY ANXIOUS UNINTERESTED

RIGHT AMOUNT
PAYING ATTENTION; GIVING RESPECT; OPEN; RELAXED; DIRECT IN APPROACH

TOO MUCH

HOSTILE; THREATENING

Barriers to Effective Communication

(Contd)

 Organisational Barriers
Culture - Environment - Size & structure - Pace of activity : Match (nonverbally and verbally) & Meet expectations

Process Barriers ( In Transmission/Reception)

Channel/Medium - Defects in Channel - Poor infrastructural facilities (audio system, etc) - Use of too many transmission links - Environmental (noise, light) Irrelevant Information loading Lack of Response or Feedback Inappropriate Questions

Overcoming Communication Barriers

ABC of Constructive Communication

Approach - manner of addressing both the

person and the subject

Build Bridges - Respect, Trust, Commonality Customize your communication - Seek first
to understand, before being understood

Overcoming the Barriers

Say to yourself, I will get Response Come up with a topic for discussion everyday Start improving upon pronunciation Develop habit of reading start with the English newspaper / magazines Understand first, then communicate Dont be afraid of asking questions

Listening

Listeningthe other side of communication

Too many people see communication as merely speaking.

Messages must be received as well as sent. A good question to ask yourself is, are you really listening or simply waiting for your turn to talk? If you are thinking about your reply before the other person has finished, then you are not listening!

Listening is
Active Search for meaning; demands total concentration

Objective of Listening is
to to to to receive information understand effectively enhance clarity empathize

Types of Listening
Passive Selective Active

Characteristics of Active Listening

yEmphasising on listening than talking. yUnderstanding personal feeling, beliefs and positions rather than abstract ideas yFollowing the speaker rather than leading the area we think we should be exploring yClarifying the speakers' thoughts and feelings yResponding to speakers' feelings, beliefs and positions Factors which influence active listening are: 1. Motivation 2. Concentration 3. Empathy 4. Knowledge 5. Emotion

What listening looks like

The Listener keeps looking at the speaker

The Listeners body is in open position

The listener is smiling with a pleasant & encouraging expression Listener looks relaxed but alert, neither tense nor slouching Listener utters humming sounds

Barriers to effective listening

Perceptions Language Semantics Personal Interests: self centeredness Emotions Inflections (pitch)

Environment noise Preconceived notions/ expectations : pre-judgement Attention span Physical hearing problem Speed of thought wandering mind

So, while Listening

Avoid distractions Do not interrupt unnecessarily Be active (show interest) Paraphrase what youve heard Throw an echo

Let the other person know you are listening

S: O: L: E: R: Stand or sit straight, turn your face squarely to the other and smile Have an open body position Lean towards the other person slightly Maintain eye contact and make encouraging noises Relax and be comfortable

How can we improve our listening skills?

Eliminate distractions Concentrate Focus on the speaker : look beyond his style Maintain an open mind; reserve judgement Look for non-verbal cues Do not react to emotive words Ask questions Sit so you can see & hear Avoid prejudices Take notes Ask for clarification

How can we improve our listening skills?

PARAPHRASING
Restating what another has said in your own words

SUMMARIZIN G
Pulling together the main points of a speaker

QUESTIONING
Challenging participants to tackle & solve problems

Other questioning techniques include:

Direct questions: asked of a particular individual allows you to initiate control good for re-directing discussion from excessive talkers. Return questions: puts the question back to the questioner or group What do you think about that? General overview questions: used to initiate a discussion or set up a thoughtful exercise How would you respond to the situation? Hypothetical questions: tests the responders problem-solving ability by posing a hypothetical situation If you had an unlimited budget, what would you fund?

Other helpful techniques to foster communication (both verbal and non-verbal)

Nod Your Head

Repeat the last word or two of the prior speaker

Maintain eye contact

Keep an open body position

Make encouraging statements

Repeat a sentence or part of one

FEEDBACK
It makes me nervous when someone says, I agree with everything you say. Not even I agree with everything I say. -Jeremy Rifkind, US Economist

REASONS FOR NOT GIVING FEDBACK

I dont have time They already know how well they are doing If anything goes wrong, Ill tell them They are professionals they need not be told I dont want to interrupt their work If I told them theyre doing a good job, they would want more money I told him how he was doing 3 years ago, nothing has changed I am keeping them from getting swollen egos If I told them how they are doing now, I wont have anything to talk about during performance review

Characteristics of Perfect Feedback

Wanted not imposed Helpful discovering what should be done Timely without delay Relevant what the receiver wants Descriptive not evaluative Specific facts and incidents Practical AVOID : - Criticism (insulting words) - Qs.s putting people on the defensive (Is that the best you can do?) - Extreme statement/exaggeration (That was the most ridiculous action imaginable)

How To Receive Feedback With Grace and Dignity

1. Control defensiveness. 2. Listen to understand. 3. Suspend judgment. 4. Summarize and reflect what you hear. 5. Ask questions to clarify. 6. Ask for examples and stories that illustrate the feedback, so you know you share meaning with the person providing feedback. 7. Understand that the person giving feedback is not always right. They see your actions but interpret them through their own perceptual screen and life experiences. 8. Be approachable. 9. Determine the reliability of the feedback 10. Remember, only you have the right and the ability to decide what to do with the feedback.

Tips: 1. Show appreciation to the person providing the feedback. 2. If you find yourself becoming defensive or hostile, practice stress management techniques such as taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. 3. Focusing on understanding the feedback by questioning and restating usually defuses any feelings you have of hostility or anger. 4. If you really disagree, are angry or upset, and want to dissuade the other person of their opinion, wait until your emotions are under control to reopen the discussion.

Non-verbal feedback : receiver is no longer receptive WARNING SIGNALS

Appear confused/ startled/ astonished Expression of disagreement Shake head back & forth Furrow eyebrows Raise eyes to ceiling Begin to interrupt Fold arms firmly Lean back Look anxious to speak