Communication Skills
Communication Skills
Communication Skills
1 Communication
LEARNINGOUTCOMES
By the end of this topic, you should be able to:
Explain what is meant by the word communication in general;
Identify the main elements in the communication process;
Differentiate between oral and written communication;
Highlight some basic tips on writing; and
List the common pitfalls to avoid in written communication.
▶INTRODUCTION
This topic gives you an overview of communication and introduces you to
themain elements in the communication process. It also highlights the
importance ofwriting clear, positive messages and offers you some basic tips and
guidelines onthis form of communication so that you may become more
proficient in the kindof writing needed at home as well as in the college and
workplace. You will alsolearn about some of the common pitfalls which may
impede the effectiveness ofwrittencommunication.
1.1 WHATISCOMMUNICATION?
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 skill further. 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.
2 ▶ TOPIC1 INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION
Figure1.1:Thecommunicationprocess
The sender sends a message with a certain intention in mind. The receiver of the
message tries to understand and interpret the message sent. He then gives
feedback to the original sender, who in turn interprets the feedback. This process,
repeated continuously, constitutes communication.
Clearly, there are several major elements in the communication process–a sender,
message, channel, receiver, feedback, and context. There is both
A speaker’s intention to convey a message and a listeners reception of what has
been said. Thus, listening skills are just as important as speaking skills in order
for communication to be effective.
This means that if you want to get your message across accurately, you need to
consider these three things:
The message;
The audience or receiver; and
How the message is likely to be received.
TOPIC1 INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION◀ 3
ACTIVITY1.1
The meaning of communication lies in the way that it is received.
Do you agree with the above statement? Discuss with your friends during the next tutorial session.
Below are some possible problem areas that may turn out to to be barriers to
effective communication:
(a) Status/Role
The sender and receiver of a message may be of equal status within
ahierarchy (e.g. managers in an organization) or they may be at different
levels (e.g. manager/ employee, lecturer/ student, business owner/ clients).
This difference in status sometimes affects the effectiveness of the
communication process.
(f) Disabilities
Disabilities such as impaired sight, dyslexia and poor mental health can
also be barriers to good communication, and should be taken into
consideration when evaluating the effectiveness of the communication
process. You may need to use hearing aids, sign language, magnifying
systems, and symbols to alleviate problems caused by disabilities.
ur decision to study medicine in theUnited Kingdom. How can you persuade him, bearing in mind the barriers to communi
When choosing the most appropriate channel of communication, you should heed
the following:
(a) Consider all aspects of the communication process (interpretation,
understanding, feedback).
(b) Think carefully about possible barriers.
(c) Evaluate the complexity of the message and decide how it might be best
conveyed.
(d) Ask yourself these questions:
Who? – Characteristics of the receiver(s).
Why?– Purpose of the communication.
What?–Content of the message.
How?–Oral, written, visual or a combination of all three.
Where?–Location of the meeting.
When?–Timing/ time limit/ expected response time.
(e) Determine whether you are meeting or writing to the people concerned. Is
the communication via face-to-face interaction, telephone, letter, e-mail,
memo or a report?
(f) Decisions about the most appropriate channel of communication also
depend on factors such as cost, time, confidentiality, convention, urgency
and whether written documentation is required.
You can acquire good writing skills through extensive reading, note-taking and
listening. In order to communicate effectively via writing, you need to have a
sound grounding in grammar and vocabulary so that you can present ideas,
together with supporting details, in a unified and coherent manner.
For one thing, once you put something into writing, the message is there for
posterity, so that others can read it again and again, whenever they like. This is
TOPIC1 INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION◀ 7
Such material must be acknowledged and cited, irrespective of whether you have
paraphrased, summarized or quoted directly. The only exception is what is
loosely termed general knowledge or common knowledge which is information
or ideas generally known and accepted by everyone, including the writer and the
audience.
You must cite and document all ideas and arguments borrowed from an
outside source.
ACTIVITY1.3
m we are speaking. When a relationship is working, the act of communication seems to flow relatively effort less. Wh
As the above quote shows, writing is a complex process. There is no short cut to
being a good writer. If you want to write well, you need to first of all, read
extensively. You must read not just books on writing but magazines, websites,
newspapers, news letters and others–anything that you can get your hands on.
Do not be overly concerned with grammar and spelling when you first start out.
You can always fix those later. What is important is to put your thoughts down
on paper first. The next section will outline some tips and guidelines to help you
get started.
A well-written piece of work requires you to pay attention to the following three
stages in the writing process:
Planning;
Writing; and
Editing.
(a) Planning
To write a good report, you need to plan what you want to say. After you
have decided on what you want to say, list down all the points and arrange
the mina logical and suitable sequence. This approach will ensure the
clarity of your message and help you to avoid omitting relevant details.
TOPIC1 INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION◀ 9
(b) Writing
The writing stage requires careful planning. It includes a pre-writing stage
where you gather all the information necessary to ensure that there is
substance to your writing. Start writing in simple and plain English and
move from something concrete to something more abstract and expressive.
In order to improve your writing skills, you need to practice writing in the
target language everyday until you are able to express yourself clearly and
meet the needs of your reader. Once you start writing, the words,
sentences, paragraphs and lay-outs become writing tools which you can use
to convey your message concisely, courteously, and confidently.
Sebranek, Meyer and Kemper (1996) summed it up in a nutshell when they
say that writing is like „...basketball and juggling, (it) is not a God-given
mysterious talent given only to a chosen few but, rather, a skill that gets
better with practice, practice that involves increased challenges and,
therefore, risk.
Adopt a plain, straight forward style when writing as this makes your
workeasy to understand and reduces the chances of misunderstanding
arising from ambiguity.
(c) Editing
The third stage in the writing process is editing. It is crucial to check for
grammatical errors and ensure that there is smooth language flow. The
longer the report, the more editing is usually required. It can be useful to
get someone else to read through the written piece for you.
(a) ConfusingLanguage
Confusing language refers to words that mislead the reader and cause
communication breakdown. It may also result in barriers being erected
between the writer and the reader. Avoid words which are ambiguous,
bombastic, vague, sexist, exaggerated, inflated and archaic. Remember to
write in plain, good English.
10▶ TOPIC1 INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION
Figure1.2:Commonerrorsinwriting
(b) Verbosity
Verbosity means the use of too many words, so much so that they interfere
with understanding. If verbosity persists, it may antagonize, confuse, and
bore the reader.
ACTIVITY1.4
VITY1.5
llowing examples have misplaced modifiers*. Re-order the words to make them acceptable, presentable and grammatical
le. Antique desk suitable for lady with thick legs and large drawers.
ed cow injures farmer with an axe.
er,B.D.,2004)
odifier is an adjective or adverb that changes the meaning of a noun or verb. It is an optional element in a sentence.)
ACTIVITY1.6
Tell me and I’ll forget.
Show me and I may not remember. Involve me and I’ll understand.
In your opinion, how does this saying relate to the art of written communication?
1.5 CHALLENGES IN
WRITTEN
COMMUNICATION
Although some people are intimidated by writing, there are times when writing
is perceived as the best way to communicate and to get your message across.
Some people consider written communication to be more concrete and solid as there
is less room for errors and mistakes when compared with other forms of
communication like oral communication.
Unfortunately, these tools are not foolproof and will require your attention, thus
making knowledge in this are an important. Currently, you can even send
messages electronically via e-mail so networking technologies such as SMS.
irrespective of the form that written communication takes, you need to adhere to
certain accepted norms when communicating; otherwise, others might not be
able, or want to, communicate withyou.
Sometimes, people may not respond to your communication for the following
reasons:
Their own poor writing skills (for example, language deficiencies).
Too much information in the text/message.
Too many grammatical errors and mistakes.
Barriers between the sender and receiver (cultural, status, role).
Message is not clear or precise.
TOPIC1 INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION◀ 13
reasons why people have failed to respond to your written communication in the past. Share this with your friends at the
The answers to these questions may shed some light on where the
communication had gone wrong.
This topic highlights the importance of communication, its meaning, and the
relationship between the message, sender and receiver.
The receiver of any written report should be able to understand the contents
of the report, know precisely what action needs to be taken, how to do it and
in what manner it should be done.
TOPIC1 INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION◀ 15
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Flesch,R.(1996).Theartof plaintalk.NewYork:HarperBrothersPublishers.Hacker,D.
(2003).AwriterÊsreference(5thed.).Boston/NewYork:Bedford/
St.MartinÊs.
Ludlow,R., &Panton, F. (1992). Theessence of effective communication.
NewYork:PrenticeHall.
Strunk,W.Jr.,White,E.B.,&Roger,A.(2004).Theelementsofstyle:Astyleofgenderfor writers
(4thed.).NewYork:Longman.
Taylor,S.
(2000).Essentialcommunicationskills:Theultimateguidetosuccessfulbusinesscomm
unication.Boston:PearsonEducational.
Prepared By:
Stephanie D. Arias
English 1 Instructor