Communication

Communication is simply the act of transferring information from one place to another.

Although this is a simple definition, when we think about how we may communicate the subject becomes a lot more complex. There are various categories of communication and more than one may occur at any time.

Interpersonal skills are the skills we use every day when we communicate and interact with other people, both individually and in groups.

People with strong interpersonal skills are often more successful in both their professional and personal lives.

Being able to communicate effectively is the most important of all life skills.

Communication is simply the act of transferring information from one place to another. It may be vocally (using voice), written (using printed or digital media such as books, magazines, websites or emails), visually (using logos, maps, charts or graphs) or non-verbally (using body language, gestures and the tone and pitch of voice).

How well this information can be transmitted and received is a measure of how good our communication skills are.

Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills include a wide variety of skills, though many are centered around communication, such as listening, questioning and understanding body language. They also include the skills and attributes associated with emotional intelligence, or being able to understand and manage your own and others’ emotions.

What are Interpersonal Skills?

Interpersonal skills are generally considered to include a wide range of skills, such as:

· Communication skills, which in turn covers:

o Verbal Communication – what we say and how we say it;

o Non-Verbal Communication – what we communicate without words, for example through body language, or tone of voice; and

o Listening Skills – how we interpret both the verbal and non-verbal messages sent by others.

· Emotional intelligence – being able to understand and manage your own and others’ emotions.

· Team-working – being able to work with others in groups and teams, both formal and informal.

· Negotiation, persuasion and influencing skills – working with others to find a mutually agreeable (Win/Win) outcome. This may be considered a subset of communication, but it is often treated separately.

· Conflict resolution and mediation – working with others to resolve interpersonal conflict and disagreements in a positive way, which again may be considered a subset of communication.

· Problem solving and decision-making – working with others to identify, define and solve problems, which includes making decisions about the best course of action.

The different categories of communication include:

· Spoken or Verbal Communication: face-to-face, telephone, radio or television and other media.

· Non-Verbal Communication: body language, gestures, how we dress or act - even our scent.

· Written Communication: letters, e-mails, books, magazines, the Internet or via other media.

· Visualizations: graphs and charts, maps, logos and other visualizations can communicate messages.

The Communication Process

A message or communication is sent by the sender through a communication channel to a receiver, or to multiple receivers.

The sender must encode the message (the information being conveyed) into a form that is appropriate to the communication channel, and the receiver(s) then decodes the message to understand its meaning and significance.

Verbal Communication Skills

Effective verbal or spoken communication is dependent on a number of factors and cannot be fully isolated from other important interpersonal skills such as non-verbal communication, listening skills and clarification.

Clarity of speech, remaining calm and focused, being polite and following some basic rules of etiquette will all aid the process of verbal communication.

Non-Verbal Communication

Interpersonal communication is much more than the explicit meaning of words, the information or message conveyed. It also includes implicit messages, whether intentional or not, which are expressed through non-verbal behaviors.

Non-verbal communication includes facial expressions, the tone and pitch of the voice, gestures displayed through body language (kinesics) and the physical distance between the communicators (proxemics).

These non-verbal signals can give clues and additional information and meaning over and above spoken (verbal) communication.

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. As a result, communication breaks down and the sender of the message can easily become frustrated or irritated.

If there is one communication skill you should aim to master, then listening is it.