Principles of Effective Communication

 

  Principles of Effective Communication

General:

For general communication to take place, you have to have an audience for your message to be communicated to. Depending on your audience will determine the type of language you use for example the way you deliver your message / presentation.

Cultural Differences:

When using general communication skills you have to be aware of cultural differences, for example certain words or signs that are acceptable in one language or culture may not be acceptable in another or could even be offended by them. This means you will have to be careful when using certain words and signs. You need to be aware of this when communicating or presenting a powerpoint as you need to adapt to your audicence. You would need to be aware of your audience as they may find it difficult to understand you. To help this you should talk at a steady pace and talk with a clear voice. If you did not take into consideration to adapt to your audience they may take offence to this as it could show that you are not concerned about them.  

 

Adapting to suit the audience:

 

 

 

 

There are three main features to consider when you’re trying to adapt to your audience; Voice Modulating, Pitch Change and Terminology.

 

Voice Modulating:

 Modulating is when you move the pitch of your voice up and down. You could also keep your voice at the same pitch throughout your presentation but this would come across as very boring and confusing.

 

Pitch Change:

Changing the pitch of your voice will keep your audience more interested in what you’re saying. Changing the frequency of your voice will allow the listener know that something is happening. Heightening and lowering your tone will add more meaning to the words your saying.

 

Terminology:

You have to be aware of certain words or phrases you use as all your audience may not understand what you are saying. You also don’t want to have to simple of terminology depending on the audience.

Interpersonal:

 

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.

There are several interpersonal skills which are; Verbal communication, Non – Verbal Communication, Listening Skills, Negotiation, Problem Solving, Decision Making and Assertiveness.

Listening Skills:

 

Listening is the ability to accurately receive and interpret messages in the communication process. Listening is key to all effective communication, without the ability to listen effectively messages are easily misunderstood , communication breaks down and the sender of the message can easily become frustrated or irritated.

 

Listening is so important that many top employers provide listening skills training for their employees.  This is not surprising when you consider that good listening skills can lead to, better customer satisfaction, greater productivity with fewer mistakes, increased sharing of information that in turn can lead to more creative and innovative work.
 
 

Problem Solving:

 

Everybody can benefit from having good problem solving skills as we all encounter problems on a daily basis; some of these problems are obviously more severe or complex than others.

It would be wonderful to have the ability to solve all problems efficiently and in a timely fashion without difficulty, unfortunately there is no one way in which all problems can be solved.

 
Body Langauge:

Using the correct body langauge is very important. Examples of good body langauge would be maintaining good eye contact with the person you are talking to or the group of people you are talking to. Another good body langauge feature would be to smile and laugh, this would show that you are a positive and confident person. Bad body langauge could be slouching when someone is talking to you and crossing your arms. These show that you are not interested in what the person is telling you.  

Written Communication Skills:

Written communication is different from other forms of communication.

It requires special skills in the construction of the message and the ability to handwrite or type.

It also requires a good knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar of a language so that the written word conveys the intended message to the audience. You cannot use body language or your voice such as tone of voice.

Smileys or Emotions:

Smileys and emotions can be used to express a frame of mind. These are usually used during text messages and also on social networking sites such as Facebook chat.

Smileys and emotions would not be suitable for serious communications and would be frowned upon in the workplace as they would look immature.   

Proofreading:

Proofreading is the process of checking/looking for errors in a written piece of text. For example, before you send an email or a letter you should read over it again to check for spelling mistakes or use spell checker to ensure there’s no grammar errors. You should always get someone else to read over your work as they may find errors in it that you could not find.