Chapter 8: Mastering the art of communication skills

Mastering the art of communication skills

Communication skill is one of the most demanding skills by the employers of the 21^st century. People with good communications skills are more likely to succeed in life which is contrary to the people with poor communication skills. Communication skill is not crucial only for a career it also affects your personal life and relationship. Miscommunication can cause serious damage to relationships.

Mastering the art of communication is one of the most important skills a person can ever possess.

What is communication?

Communication is the process of sending a meaningful message to a person. A proper communication is done when the receiver decodes the message exactly what the sender meant. A proper communication requires two parties and their effort.

Types of Communication

There are two types of communication.

Verbal communication
Non-verbal communication

According to a study done by “Professor Albert Mehrabian” effective communication 93% depends on non-verbal communication and only 7% depends on verbal communication. Strangely, people mostly focus on words than their expressions hence, miscommunications occur.

1. Verbal communication: Verbal communication is done using speech. It is more than just delivering the message. A good communicator also needs to receive and interpret messages clearly. Employers highly value those people who can explain clearly and interpret messages accordingly. There are four verbal communication skills-

Listening:

Listening is a communication skill that we acquire naturally. But, mastering the skill needs extra effort. We use our ears and brain to receive and process the information which is a passive or receptive skill. Listening is important because, if you fail to listen, you will not be able to interpret or reply properly. An average adult person spends 70% of their time communicating with others of which, 45% is devoted to listening, 30% speaking, 16% reading, and 9% writing. One of the most common listening barriers is that we listen to half of what the counter person is saying and think about what our reply will be in the other half. Thus, we lose a major portion of the meaning of what the person was saying. So, listen carefully till the end.

Speaking:

The second most important language skill is speaking. Speaking skill is one the most difficult skill to master in communication. The words we utter and the tone we use combines the skill of speaking. Speaking can be interactive, partly interactive and non-interactive. Talking to a person over phone or face to face is interactive, giving a speech in front of an audience is partly interactive and recording a speech on camera or radio is non-interactive speaking. Improving communication skill require lots of practice.

Reading:

The third language skill of verbal communication reading. While reading may sound easy, some people find it really difficult to read properly. Reading skill is not about how fast one can read it is about reading and understanding the message. Practice and consistency can help a person improve reading skill.

Writing:

The language skill is writing. Although for some people writing skills may not be as necessary as the first two were but the minimum level of proficiency in writing is required for every person regardless of their profession. Writing skill is directly related to the speaking skill. Correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation are some of the elements that make your writing skill better.

2. Non-verbal communication: Non-verbal communication is the most important part of communication. Words can have different meanings when different types of expressions are added to it. But, most people underestimate the necessity of non-verbal communication. Non-verbal communication is a universal way of expressing one's feeling that can be mastered by practice. Every day we respond to thousands of non-verbal cues including gestures, postures and facial expressions. There are several more non-verbal communications-

Facial expressions:

A smile or a frown can send a thousand word. Facial expression is responsible to the major part of non-verbal communication. The first thing we notice about a person is the look on their face and try to judge what their mood is. There are some expressions that may be different in across countries but the most common ones like being sad, happy or angry are similar in corner of the world.

Body language and posture:

Body language is another most common form of non-verbal communication. Different postures carry a different kind of meaning and information that helps the communication to be more effective. Arm-crossing or leg-crossing is known as the defensive posture whereas hands on the hip is an aggressive posture.

Gestures:

Signs are the mostly used non-verbal form of communication. Although, same sign can mean a different thing in a different region it is crucial to master the sign language as it carries a great deal of information.

Eye contact:

Eye gaze is another most important element of nonverbal communication. Looking, blinking, staring refers to different meaning and information. Looking at others in different ways convey a different kind of behaviors. Eye contact is an important sign of confidence, respect, and social communication.

There are few other types of non-verbal communications available. Paralinguistic, proxemics, appearances, haptics and time are few to mention.

Everything you do in your workplace is a result of communication. Communication is the heart and soul of an organization. Improper communication can cause a great deal of loss in business or personal life. Try to master the communication skills. Never underestimate the need for non-verbal communication.

Presentation skills development

Presentation skill is not just speaking in front of a large audience. Talking to someone in person can also be a presentation. For the majority of the people, the most fearful presentation is their job interview. Job interviews are a presentation as well. Your day-to-day teamwork, showcasing your ideas to others, guiding or training someone requires good presentation skill. Presentation skill is a communication skill. Mastering the presentation skill can reduce the amount of miscommunication. Miscommunication is one of the major reasons for work-related stress. A proper presentation can reduce miscommunication thus work-related stress.

4Ts of Presentation

If you want to give your presentation to an audience. It is important that you know the formula for a proper presentation. There are 4 Ts of presentation that will help you render a quality presentation next time.

Tell them what you are going to tell them: At the beginning of your presentation, you need to brief the audience about what they will get from you. You can utter the topic of your presentation and describe what it is. Tell them why this topic is important. At this point, the audience will have a clear understanding of what to expect from the rest of the presentation.
Tell them: This is the main body of the presentation where you will talk about the detail of the topic.
Tell them what you have told them: This is the part where you conclude your presentation. Provide an overview of the presentation. Remind them what you have already told them.
Test them: At the end of your presentation, you should allow them to ask questions or you can ask them queries related to your presentation.

A to F method of sudden speech:

Sudden or impromptu speech is a kind speech that you will not be aware of until the very moment of the speech. In this kind of situations, A to F method works nicely. It’s a step by step method that will help you to excel in your next extempore speech.

A – Appreciation: At the beginning of your speech appreciate the organizer and the audience for attending there. Be humble and thank the organizer for inviting you.
B – Best: Now, appreciate the topic that is being discussed there as best suited and timely. This will make the organizer happy.
C – Care: Show that you care about the topic of the discussion. Try to share a story from your life related to that discussion.
D – Danger: The first three letters created a positive emotion among the audience. Now, it is time to give them a shock by changing the direction. Explain some of the demerits about the discussion in a positive manner. Explain further how you and the audience can help to solve the problem.
E – Empathy: At this point in time, you have reached the end of your speech. It is the best time to open the floor for questions. You can ask questions as well. This will create a two-way communication between you and the audience.
F – Finally: Now is the best time to wrap your speech in the form of finally. Give your concluding remarks. Appreciate the audience again, thank them and finish your speech.

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