COMMUNICATION

(Link to everything)
 What is communication?

Communication is not just about talking to someone.

Identify the items in the list below that you think are examples
of communication.

Talking Listening
Holding hands Giving the thumbs up
Body language Sending a fax
Posters Using the telephone
 Communication
. . . is an active process in which information (including
ideas, specifications, goals, feelings, work orders, and so on)
is exchanged among two or more people.

. . . is any verbal or non-verbal behavior which gives people

an opportunity to send their thoughts and feelings, and to
have these thoughts and feelings received by someone else.
Elements of Communication
• listening
• seeking clarification
• body language
• blocking and barriers
• general attitude
 Communicating With Others

Communication needs to be clear and effective in order to

achieve its aim. When it is not, all kinds of problems can result.

Ineffective Communication
If people working together are not able to communicate well, it
can lead to confusion, unhappiness, frustration and annoyance.
It can also mean that an organization’s goals will not be met.
 Poor communication may lead to:
• time being lost because work needs to be redone
• accidents
• poor quality service and/or products
• wastage
• people feeling “left out”
• mistakes being made because instructions are not
clear
• teams not working well
 CONCEPTS OF EFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATION
• Gives choices regarding communication style to
adopt

• Involves creation and exchange of understanding

• Effective communication is achieved when the

message received is close in meaning to the
message sent.
 FACTORS OF EFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATION

Understand others

Self- Knowledge Communicate

effectively
 EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
At any workplace where people are able to communicate
clearly tends to be a more efficient working environment.

Effective communication leads to:

•clear instructions so people know exactly what they are
expected to do and do it properly
•people feeling involved because they are well informed
•higher morale and job satisfaction
•people working better as a team
•time and effort saved as people are clear on what to do
To communicate with people effectively you
need to:
• make sure it is not too noisy to hear what is being said
• sit or stand so that you directly face the person who you are talking
or listening to
• maintain eye contact
• use polite opening and closing greetings
• speak clearly and at a medium pace
• speak in an open and neutral tone
• be straight forward and to the point
• keep the message simple
• be patient
• show interest
• use the words that the people you are talking to can understand
• listen carefully to the conversation so that you get the right
message
 COMMUNICATION STYLES
Communication style – means overall approach to sending and
answering messages
* Voice and Speech Pattern
* Gestures, Use of Space and Time
* Eye Contact
Styles Reflecting Behaviours and Professional Values
* Aggressive
* Passive
* Assertive
 ELEMENTS OF
THE AGGRESSIVE STYLE
1.Beliefs – “Everyone should be like me”
2.Communication Style – Closed mined, poor listener,
interrupts, and monopolizing
3.Characteristics and Behaviours – Achieve goals at
others’ expenses, puts others down, bossy type, know-it-all-
attitude, doesn’t show appreciation, impatience & anger
4.Nonverbal cues – “Don’t ask why, just do it”
5.Effects – Provokes counter aggression, ill health, wastes time
and energy over supervising others, pay high price in human
relationships, fosters resistance, defiance, sabotaging,
striking back, and lying.
 ELEMENTS OF THE PASSIVE STYLE
1.Beliefs – “Don’t express true feelings”, “ Others have more rights than
I do”
2.Communication Style – Indirect, always agree, doesn’t speak up,
hesitant
3.Characteristics and Behaviours – Apologetic, self-conscious, trust
others, doesn’t express own wants and feelings, tries to sit on both sides
to avoid conflict, asks permission unnecessarily, complains instead of
taking actions.
4.Nonverbal cues – Smiles and nods in agreement, downcast eyes
5.Effects – Gives up being him/her, builds dependency relationships,
doesn’t know where he/she stands, slowly loses self esteem, is not well
liked.
 ELEMENTS OF
THE ASSERTIVE STYLE
1.Beliefs – “Believes self and others are valuable”, “ I have rights and so
do others”
2.Communication Style – Effective, active listener, states limits,
expectations, express self directly, honestly, checks on others feelings.
3.Characteristics and Behaviours – trusts self and others, confident,
consistent, open flexible, versatile, operates from choice action,
oriented, firm, fair, just.
4.Nonverbal cues – “I choose to……”, “ What alternatives do we have”
5.Effects – Increased self-esteem and self-confidence, increased self-
esteem if others, feels motivated and understood, others know where
they stand.
 The need to communicate
In the work environment, you need to communicate with:
•people who belong to your organization
•people who belong outside your organization and wish to
do business with you.

You communicate with people at work for

several reasons, example to:
•take a part in friendly conversations
•assist customers
•receive or pass on information and instructions
•discuss problems
•ask for information or ask questions
•get help
 The Communication Process

•a sender who has a message or idea which they wish to send

•a message which is sent between the sender and the receiver
•a method (face-to-face, telephone, letter, form) by which the
message is sent
•a receiver who receives and understands the message
•feedback passed from the receiver to the sender showing that the
message has been received and understood.
 Barriers to Good Communication
Barriers to good communication can make things difficult and
cause misunderstandings. Good communication is affected when
the sender and the receiver do not understand the message in the
same way.

Good communication
can be affected by:
1.Non verbal communication which sends the opposite message to
what is being said.
2.Poor listening.
3.Use of slang
4.Ambiguity.
5.People who think they know everything and don’t listen
6.Making assumptions about what people do or don’t know.
7.Poor expression
 Listening

Many people think that being a good communicator means

being a good talker. In order to communicate well, a person
does need to be able to speak clearly and present ideas in
a logical, well ordered manner. However, another factor is
also extremely important if communication is to be effective.
A good communicator is a good listener. Unless a person
listens to what is being said, no communication actually
takes place.
In the workplace, effective listening
helps you to:
• understand instructions clearly
• learn from others
• convey clear messages
• promote good listening in others (if you are prepared to
listen to others, they will be prepared to listen to you)
• offer ideas and take part in discussions
• co-operate with others and work well in a team
• understand the ideas and suggestions of others
• respond in an appropriate manner
 The Difference Between
Listening and Hearing
People are not often aware that there is a difference
between listening and hearing. It is commonly assumed
that because people can hear they can also listen.
Unless people have a physical disability they are able to
hear. At any one time, a person is able to hear many
different sounds. Hearing is something which just
happens.
 Processing Sounds

Listening involves far more than hearing all these

sounds. It requires you to translate them, to make
sense out of them, to sort out what is important from
what is irrelevant.
 Interference with Effective Listening
Noise - it is very hard to listen in a noisy environment.
Temperature - if you are feeling uncomfortably
hot it is hard to concentrate on
listening.
Closeness - when a speaker is too close to
you, your mind may be on the invasion
of your space rather than what is being said.
Time - When people are tired or hurried they are less able
to fully concentrate on what is being said
Impatience - if you are feeling impatient and want to
get away to do other things your mind will not be
concentrating on the speaker.
Distractions - any type of distraction whether it be
something going on outside, work or personal
worries tends to stop you from paying full attention
to what a speaker says.
Attitude - if you do not like a speaker or do not like what
they are saying you may quickly tune out.
Lack of interest - when you are not interested in a topic
it is difficult to pay full attention.
Personal Perception - often people think they already
know what is about to be said and so they don’t
bother to listen.
 Ways to improve your listening skills are:
•always give your full attention to the speaker
•React by using positive body language such as:
› looking at the speaker
› sitting up straight
› slightly leaning towards the speaker
› nodding as the speaker talks
› responding with appropriate facial expressions
•don’t think about what you want to say while the speaker is
speaking – listen first
•try not to interrupt the speaker and start talking yourself -
concentrate on listening
• give the speaker feedback so they know that you are
listening, for example: you may ask questions to get more
information
• ask questions to check that you have understood
› you may repeat back what the speaker has been saying,
e.g. “So what you’re saying is ……”
• keep an open mind about what the speaker is saying – you do
not need to agree with everything but it is important to listen
first and then make decisions.
• empathize with the speaker – this means trying to see the
situation from their point of view.
 Questioning
At work we need to ask questions for many reasons
like:
• we need to find out what to do
• we need to get information
• we need to check that we have understood correctly
Questions can be divided into two main categories:
• closed questions
• open questions
Closed Questions
Closed questions are used to find out quite particular
information. They are questions which can be answered with a
simple yes, no or one word. Such questions do not need a long
and detailed response. They are very useful if you need to find
out simple information or need to check specific details.

Examples of closed questions are:

•Is this where I can store the boxes?

•Can I use this tool?
•Is it lunch time?
Open Questions
Open questions are used to find out detailed information. These
questions encourage the receiver to explain a longer answer.
Open questions start with words like “What, When, Where,
Why, and How”. They are used to open up a discussion or
conversation. You cannot give one word answer to these
questions.

Examples of open questions are:

•How should I sort this cabinet full of different paints?
•What training will I need to use this equipment?
•What did you mean when you asked me to check the supplies?
 INTENTIONS OF ASKING QUESTION
•Asking questions to clarify understanding
•Asking questions shows interest, not ignorance
You will always need to ask questions to clarify information and
check instructions. Remember you have a responsibility to make
sure you have understood the information correctly.
It is much better to ask questions to make sure you are doing the
job right than to muddle on and make a mistake. You will feel
upset if you make a mistake, especially if it could have been
avoided by asking a simple question.
Someone who is giving you some information or instructions
may not do it very well because they:

• think you already know more about the subject than you
actually do now
• assume that you understand their abbreviations and
jargons
• have not planned the instructions or thought about how to
give you the information or instructions
• are too rushed or hurried, they may leave out important
pieces of detail
If a person is giving you information or instructions and you
are not clear what they mean, always ask questions:

•Do you mean ……?

•Where is that exactly?
•The large ones or the small ones?
•Do you want me to do right away or when I have finished this?
When you ask a question, it is often a good idea to repeat back
the answer to make sure you have heard it correctly.

To check that you have heard and interpreted the message

properly, put the message into your own words and ask whether
that is what they meant.

For example:
•So you want me to ………
•Can I just check the details? I need to ………
•Let me see if I’ve understood properly, this goes…
•Reconfirming that you would like me to ………
Sometimes the instructions you are being given are quite long. In
this situation you might need to interrupt to seek clarification
before the speaker moves onto the next instruction. For example:

• Excuse me. I don’t understand where the boxes are.

• Could you repeat that please?
• I didn’t catch the name of the item you want me to move.

Sometimes people give vague instructions that you may want to

clarify:

• How far down there do you want me to put it?

• How many of them do you want me to bring?
• What time this afternoon do you want that done by?
 Receiving and
Following Instructions
Receiving Instructions
When you are receiving instructions from someone else,
especially if they are speaking to you:
 stop whatever else you are doing
 focus on the person speaking
 if you can, make notes about the details
 when the person has finished, tell them what you
understood from their instructions to make sure you have
understood them correctly
Receiving Instructions

the instructions were not heard correctly due to:

too much noise around – ask to move to a quieter place
the person not speaking loudly or clearly enough – ask them to
speak up
not enough detail was given:
 ask for more information – don’t assume you know what they mean
the meaning was unclear:
check the outcome and the purpose of the task
repeat back what you have heard and understood to check that it is
correct.
Written Information Sources
In the workplace, written information can take the
form of:
 letters
 memos
 informal notes
 faxes
 emails
 text messages
 workplace signs
 instruction manuals
 Following Written Instructions
The following points should help you to follow written instructions in a more
effective way.
 Read through all the instructions or steps before beginning the task. This
will give a clear picture of what the whole tasks involves
 If diagrams are provided take the time to look at them carefully. As you
work through the task check the diagrams to make sure that your work
matches the example given.
 If you are not sure of the meaning of any words or terms take the time to
find out the correct meaning. Ask your workplace supervisor if you guess
correctly you may find that you cannot complete the task or that the
finished task is not done properly.
 Avoid the temptation to try to complete the task before reading all the
instructions. Although the job may take a little longer, it will save time in
the long run as you may avoid mistakes.
Following Spoken Instructions
 Spoken instructions are generally received face to face or via the
telephone. The following points should help you follow spoken
instructions in a more effective way.

 When following spoken instructions, it is absolutely essential that you

listen. Avoid jumping to conclusions or assuming that you know how
to complete the task. Use all your listening skills to ensure that you
receive the message accurately.

 Ask questions if you are uncertain about particular steps. Sometimes

people are afraid to ask questions because they think they will look
stupid. Remember questioning shows that you are keen and
interested and it is always better to ask questions rather than make a
mistake.
Following Spoken Instructions

 Be sure that you understand all he words or terms being used.

 If you are receiving instructions over the telephone, always write

down the information accurately.

 Repeat the instructions back to the instructor to be sure that you

have fully understood all the details.

 It often helps if you can complete the task once with the instructor.
This will give you a chance to ask questions and check other things as
you work through the job.
Thank you very much
for listening!