Communication Skills
Introduction, Definition, The Importance of Communication, The Communication Process – Source, Message, Encoding, Channel, Decoding, Receiver, Feedback, Context
Barriers to communication: Physiological Barriers, Physical Barriers, Cultural Barriers, Language Barriers, Gender Barriers, Interpersonal Barriers, Psychological Barriers, Emotional barriers
Perspectives in Communication: Introduction, Visual Perception, Language, Other factors affecting our perspective - Past Experiences, Prejudices, Feelings, Environment
Communication Skills
Introduction
Communication is an important aspect in every human activity. Communication is a learned skill. However, while most people are born with the physical ability to talk, not all can communicate well unless they make special efforts to develop and refine this communication skill. Very often, we take the ease with which we communicate with each other for granted, so much so that we sometimes forget how complex the communication process actually is. Communication takes place when we are
supposedly at the same level of understanding and comprehension as other interlocutors. Common forms of communication include speaking, writing, gestures, touch, using pictures and broadcasting. Communication is therefore not what is said whether verbally or non-verbally, but what is understood.
What is communication?
Communication is a word derived from the Latin word communis or commūnicāre, which means ‘to make common’ or ‘to share’. Communication is the act of conveying intended meaning to another person through the use of mutually understood signs and language. Communication is the art of transmitting information, ideas and attitudes from one person to another. Communication is the process of meaningful interaction among human beings. The basic steps of communication are the forming of communicative intent, message composition, message encoding, and transmission of signal, reception of the signal, message decoding and finally interpretation of the message by the recipient.
Communication is simply the act of transferring information from one place to another. When you call or talk verbally to your friend, then you are said to be communicating with your friend.
1. Keith Davis: Communication is a process of passing information and understanding from one person to another.
2. John Adair: Communication is essentially the ability of one person to make contact with another and make himself or herself understood.
3. William Newman and Charles Summer: Communication is an exchange of ideas, facts, opinions or emotions of two or more persons.
4. Louis Allen: Communication is a bridge of meaning. It involves a systematic and continuous process of telling, listening, and understanding.
5. Peter Little: Communication is a process by which information is transmitted between individuals and/or organizations so that an understanding response results.
6. Murphy, Hildebrandt, Thomas: Communication is a process of transmitting and receiving verbal and non-verbal messages. It is considered effective when it achieves the desired response or reaction from the receiver.
7. G.G. Brown: Communication is the transfer of information from one person to another, whether or not it elicits confidence. But the information transferred must be understandable to the receiver.
8. Fred G. Meyer: Communication is the intercourse by words, letters or messages.
9. According to Megginson said, “Communication is the process of transmitting meanings, ideas, and understanding of a person or a group to another person or group.”
10. According to Theo Haiman, “Communication means the process of passing information and understanding from one person to another.”
Characteristics of Communication
The characteristics of communication include:
1. Communication is a process: Communication is a 2-way process which involves; listening to others (Receiving) message Asserting/Expressing (Sending).
2. Communication is dynamic: it is ever changing depending on the variables at play.
3. Communication is a complex a process.
4. Communication is a two-way process of reaching mutual understanding, in which participants not only exchange (encode-decode) information but also create and share meaning.
5. Communication involves the sharing of information using a code.
6. Communication occurs between people and sometimes animals
7. Communication is irreversible: once one has communicated something it cannot be recalled back.
8. Communication is a system
9. Communication must have the elements of communication: Source, receiver, channel, message, noise, feedback.
10. Communication can be verbal/ non-verbal or visual.
11. Communication can be accidental especially in non-verbal
Functions of communication
Human beings communicate for various reasons. Here are some of the reasons why we must communicate:
1. To change in behavior
2. To influence others
3. To express our thoughts and emotions through words & actions.
4. It is a tool for controlling and motivating people.
5. It is a social and emotional process.
6. Communication for improving self-confidence
7. Entertain
8. Educate
9. Establish relationships
10. Inform
11. Solve problems
12. Make orders
13. Give directions
The Communication Process – Source, Message, Encoding, Channel, Decoding, Receiver, Feedback,
Context
Communication Barriers
1. Physiological Barriers
Physiological barriers may result from individuals' personal discomfort, caused, for example, by ill health, poor eyesight, or hearing difficulties. These may also affect one’s personality in many different and mostly negative ways. This can best be handled by working on developing a positive perception as certain physiological features contributing to barriers may not be curable.
2. Physical Barriers
Physical barriers include:
· Office doors, barrier screens, separate areas for people of different status
· Large working areas or working in one unit that is physically separate from others.
· Distance
Research shows that one of the most important factors in building cohesive teams is proximity. Proximity in different cultures is different and therefore needs to be taken in the right context. It has been observed that people coming from rural backgrounds with more physical space available may not feel comfortable in closed quarters as they tend to have larger personal spaces as compared to people living in urban conditions. This aspect alone can become a significant psychological barrier if they subconsciously feel “threatened” by inadvertent “invasion” of their personal space in case an urbanite approaches them in close proximity considering it as a
normal personal space.
3. Cultural Barriers
Culture prescribes behavior. Humans can adapt to different culture once we come to accept it and appreciate that cultures are different so that we can be recognized from others and that no specific connotations need to be attached to one culture or the other.
4. Language Barriers
Language that describes what we want to say in our terms may present barriers to others who are not familiar with our expressions, buzz-words, and jargon. When we couch our communication in such language, it is a way of excluding others. In a global setting, the greatest compliment we can pay another person is to talk in their language.
5. Interpersonal Barriers
Withdrawal is an absence of interpersonal contact. It is both refusals to be in touch with others.
6. Psychological Barriers
There are 3 types of psychological barriers would be discussed as they are the most common ones.
a. Perceptual barriers
b. Emotional Barriers, and
c. Experiential barriers.
Perceptual barriers
The problem with communicating with others is that we all see the world differently. A bad experience would perceptually block out unpleasant things. This could be in the shape of avoiding it and if that is not possible by altering the behaviors i.e., response types in different ways. Similarly, retention filters out things that feel good, and gives the tendency to forget those things that are
painful. It is very interesting to note that how our experiences taint or color our perceptions. Perceptual barriers can significantly alter our understanding and thus affect our communication. They are deep rooted and work in conjunction with our experiences.
Emotional barriers
One of the other chief psychological barriers to open and free communication is the emotional barrier. It is comprised mainly of fear, mistrust, and suspicion. As mentioned earlier the roots of our emotional mistrust of others lie in our childhood and infancy when we were taught to be careful what we said to others.
Experiential barriers
Experiential barriers on the other hand become barriers by virtue of not having experienced them leading to altered interpretation and comprehension. Our experience shapes our view of the world. For example, when children experience trauma at the hands of trusted adults (especially family members) their emotional link with the adult world is severed, creating distrust. They are left with three companions: guilt, fear and feelings of inferiority.
Perspectives in Communication
A communication perspective not only examines the way that messages transmit information and influence individual and collective behavior; it also examines the way that messages create, sustain, and change cultures and communities. Communication scholars explore the form, content, medium and patterns of messages and how they influence the way that people make meaning and take action. We examine how messages are produced, how they are circulated among a group of people, and how they are interpreted with an eye on the important consequences of messages.
A communication perspective helps us engage some of the most pressing social, political, and cultural issues facing our nation and our world.
What is Visual Communication/Visual perception
Visual communication is the communication that relies on vision. As another type of communication with verbal and nonverbal communication, it takes place with the aid of visual elements.
Types of Visual perception
There are many forms of visual perception. To choose a proper form of visual communication, you need to think about the background of your audience, your communication purpose, the nature of your statistics and so on. See some of the commonly used visual communication presentation forms.
1. Public Signs
2. Visual symbols
3.Charts, Graphs and table
4. Map
Language
The different perspectives we experience can be with language as well. How many times have you received an email that seemed to have a certain ‘tone to it,’ and that perception of tone colored the way that you might have responded?
The same words can have very different meanings depending on how one interprets them.
Here’s another example. What is the meaning of the following sentence?
A woman without her man is nothing
Sounds pretty bad at first glance, doesn’t it? Look again. If you add punctuation or change the word emphasis, how does the meaning change?
A woman: without her, man is nothing.
A woman without, her man is nothing.
The words were the same in both cases. But the meaning has now changed completely. So although we think our meaning may be clear when we use specific words in a certain order, we can’t always be certain that the other person will read or hear them in that way.
