What is Communication Skills?

What is Communication Skills

Definition:

      The term communication is derived from the latin word "communis" which means common. Thus          communication is rending common ideas, opinions, or information, i.e. sharing ideas opinions or           info.

      Robert Anderson has defined communication as the inter change of the thoughts,                                  opinions, info by speed, writing or signs.

      In the words of Peter Little "communication is the process by which info is transmitted                            between individuals or org. So that an understanding and response develop.

Characteristics:

     *  Communication involves at least two person. The sender and the receiver.
     *  It involves the transfer of ideas, facts, emotion, gesture, symbol & action from the sender to the             receiver.
     *  Understanding is an essential component of communication.
     *  Communication maybe intentional or unintentional.
     *  Communication is a dynamic process i.e. it grows and develop.
     *  Communication is systematic.

Process of Communication

Process of Communication

The Communication Process

Conscious or intended communication has a purpose, we communicate because we want to make someone, something, or take some action or think or feel in way.

Sender/Source:

1) Initiates the process of communication.
2) He/She has to be clear about the process of communication.
3) He/She has to be clear about target audience. The sender has to decide about putting the message content into words and symbols which can be easily understood by the receiver this process of putting ideas into symbols is called encoding.

Message:

Message is the content or the matter which the sender wants to send across to the receiver. He/She constructs the message according to the understanding level of the receiver.

Medium/Channel:

The choice of the medium is a function of the sender. It depends on several factor like

1) Urgency of the message.
2) Availability and effectiveness of the medium.
3) Relationship between the two communicants.

Receiver:

The receiver attends to the message and decodes the words or symbol into ideas. The process of decoding is the reverse of encoding. This means that the meaning a receiver gives to the words is influenced by his/her knowledge, intelligence, fast experience and relation with the sender. If the sender and the receiver have a common field of experience, the receiver understanding of a message will be closer to what the sender intended.

The receivers function are:

1) Attending to the message.
2) Interpreting.
3) Evaluating the message.
4) Storing.
5) Recalling.
6) Responding.

Feedback:

It is the knowledge of the receiver response to our communication. It can be use to modify the communication method to make it more effective.

For the communication to be complete, the sender must know whether the receiver has got the message, understand it in the way it was intended, and has receive it well . This is possible only on getting an change to see the reaction and response of the receiver.

When we receive and understand a message, we react and respond to it. We may reply, or behave in a particular way or takes some action as a result of a message. Feedback is useful for both the sender and the receiver.

Environment:

Communication take place in an environment or context. It includes elements like the situation, the place, the time, the circumstance of each communicant and the relationship between the. The context influences the sender's encoding and the receivers decoding. Each ones interpretation is influenced by it.

Objectives of a Communication

Objectives of a Communication

An objectives is something that we want to attend or accomplish by our effort, if is the purpose with which we undertake an activity.

Objectives of Business Communication are:

Objectives of a Communication

1) Information and Persuasion:

Information:  Consists of facts and figures and data arranged in patterns which are useful for different purpose.

Example:    Customer, Data, Data of the account department, etc.

Persuasion:    Persuasion needs a basic of information. It means making efforts to change or influence the attitude and behaviour of others. The element of persuasion has to be used when employees has to be motivated to put in better effort or to except a change; when the government needs the people services or taxes.

2) Instructions and Orders:

Instructions:    Instructions is information about processes and procedures.

Example:    Supervisors instruct their staff or tasks that are to be performed time to time.

Orders:    Order is formal. It is the assignment of a task. The supervisor must be clear and exact in giving instructions and orders.

3) Education and Training:

Education:  Education is a development of the general and special abilities of the mind.

Training:    Training is practice, usually under supervision in some skills.

4) Motivation:

Motivation means providing people with a motive, and incentive, and inner urge to make effort to do their best communication is the critical element in the motivation of the employee.

Managers use communication to improve employees' sense of self worth by showing recognition, appreciating good work, and providing a general sense of support. Most persons have a need for recognition, prestige, esteem, status, reputation, the need to show that they are "somebody". When people feel goods about themselves, they are motivated to their better efforts.

5) Raising Morale:

Morale is the individual and collective spirit and moral condition employees with regard to discipline and confidence.

Raising Morale cannot be done by a single communication. It can be maintained with an open communication climate.

Information about programs, policy and progress must be circulated. When morale is low the performance is poor, there is lack of discipline, absenteeism and general lack of interest in work.

Barriers To Communication

Barriers To Communication

A barrier is an obstruction or a block in communication. Several things can prevent the message from reaching the intended recipient or from having the desire effect on the recipient.

Barriers can be divided into four broad group.

1. Physical and External Barriers
2. Semantic/Language Barriers
3. Socio-Psychological Barriers
4. Organizational Barriers

1)  Physical and External Barriers:    

i) Noise:    It is any disturbance which occurs in a transmission process.

Example:     

• Noise of machinery in the factory.
• Noise at the railway station.

                       

ii) Hearing Defects:    People having hearing problems generally can face problem while                                                            generally can face problem while receiving message.

iii)Defects in the medium:  Defects in the devices used for transmitting message can create a problem in communication. It is usually not within the control of the parties engaged in communication. The only way to overcome this barrier is to postpone the communication or sieve an alternate medium.

iv) Information Overload: If too much of information is given at once then the receiver is not able to digest it. He/She may stop listening because of lack of interest etc.

2)  Semantic/Language Barriers:    

i) Vocabulary:   If the vocabulary of the sender does not match with the understanding level                                              of the receiver communication may lack.

ii) Jargon:  A jargon is a language which is special to science, commerce, technology, trade or professional . In private language with the persons in the field jargon will be incorporated.

iii) Ambiguity:  Using similar words having same spellings, different meaning.

3)  Socio-Psychological Barriers:  

Socio and psychological factors are the most difficult barriers to communication.

i) Attitude and Opinions:  The personal attitude and opinions of the receiver often interfere with communication. If the message is consistent with the reviver's attitude and opinion they receive it favourably. When the message is inconsistent with the receivers attitude and opinion, they are not likely to be received favourably.

ii) Emotions:   Emotions like fear, anger, worry, nervousness block the mind. It also blurs                                               the thinking power and one fails to organise the message properly.

iii) In attention:  In attention arises due to mental preoccupations or distractions. These                                                      causes barriers to communication.

4) Organizational Barriers:  

Organisational structure greatly affects the capability of the employee as far as the communication is concerned.

i) Organisational Policies:  Organisational policies determine the relationship among all                                                   the persons working in the enterprise. 

ii) Rules and Regulations:  Organisational rules become barriers in communication by                                                      determine the subject-matter, medium, etc of communication. 

iii) Complexity in Organisational Structure: The greater number of managerial levels in an organisation makes it more complex. It result in delay in communication and information gets changed  before it reached the receiver.

Cross Culture Barriers

Cross Culture Barriers

Cultural is a set of values and attributes of a group. Cultural is the sum of total of the ways of living built up by a group and transmitted from one group to the another. Some of the significant between cultivators are:

1. Natural Character
2. Values and norms or behaviour
3. Social relationship
4. Concept of time
5. Concept of space
6. Thought processor
7. Perception
8. Non-Verbal communication

1) Natural Characteristics:   

  

Each country has a character of its own.

Example: The Chinese are not like the Indians, although there neighbouring country.

These create a communication barrier among peoples.

2) Values:  

Values are our ideas of what is good and what's evil; they form the basis of our behaviour and action. The ideas of good and bad vary different culture.

Example: The behaviour accepted from women in eastern culture is different from what is                                       expected in western culture.

3) Social Relationship:  

They depend on the grouping is that society. The societies have groups like families, classes, cost etc. The Indian cost system is though officially abolished, still it plays on important roll in the social behaviour.

4) Concept of Time: 

It is the most trouble some differences that causes barrier in cross culture communication. Especially, between eastern and western cultures. The eastern concept of time is different.

Example: For them social relationship are more important time is money, were as for the western culture time is equal to money. The idea of keeping work time strictly from people time is a western concept and it is not easily accepted or understood by eastern culture. They find it difficult to follow.

5) Concept of Space:

This means the space and distance people use during conversation.

Example: In some cultures, speakers stand close enough to touch often, while others they maintain distance to denote respect. People in South Asian countries like India and Sri Lanka, maintain less enter personal distance. 

6) Though Processor: 

The thinking between different cultures varies.

Example:  Some cultures are very practical while others are very emotional.

This makes a situation different in the way people see it. Thinking process is affected by acceptances or rejection of superstitions, believe in magic, miraculous and so on; cultures are this believes are rejected are likely to view the word or logical clear and low based.

7) Perception:

Perception is influence by culture. People perceive those things which are acceptable in their culture and ignorance others. Differences of perception, differences of cultures may result in different attitude to life and effect are meaning.

8) Non-Verbal Communication:

Body language is a major problem between different cultures.

Example: Indians use much more natural gesture than the British.