Communication Skills

Communication Skills

Empathy Attentiveness Listening Articulation Other-orientation

Fluency Adaptability

Communication Process

Point is to convey meanings

Goal is to achieve understanding Figurative Literal meanings Culturally-based

Communication Process

Roles change throughout the process

Sender Initiates the message Encodes

Message Object of interaction

Communication Structure

Channel Medium through which message is sent

One-way, two-way

Receiver Receives message Decodes (interprets) message

Communication Structure

Feedback Reaction Response Provides clarification

Noise Interference Internal (individual)/External (environment)

Lessens communication effectiveness

Functions

Persuasion Adoption of ideas

Information sharing One-way Two-way Up/down chain of command Peer to peer

Functions

Social/Expressive Express emotions

Command Dictate Instruct

Conflict Resolution Must be desired by those involved

Effective Communication Internal factors

Shared meanings Sender/receiver bias Individual readiness Skills

External factors Environment Timing Noise

Effective Communication

Credibility Character Composure Competence

Professionalism Appearance Attitude Confidence

Increasing Effectiveness

Know your audience Speak/write to their level

Be other-oriented Communicate to share ideas

Consider content and affect

Understand intent and interpretation issues

Effective Communication: Six C’s

Clear Concise Correct Complete Courteous Convincing

Miscommunication

Improper encode Ambiguous Inappropriate channel

Intrusive noise Misinterpretation Inadequate feedback

Communication Barriers Sender

Lack of credibility Disorganized Strong emotions Too much at once

Receiver Defensiveness Poor listening skills Incorrect assumptions

Communication Barriers

Group problems Lack of cohesion Lack of openness Lack of willingness Cultural differences

Internal biases Ineffective leadership

Verbal Language Skills

Right information at the right time

Silence is often virtuous Strong and appropriate vocabulary

Know information to be shared Understand personalities Develop cultural competence Read, retain information

Listening Skills

Empathic Relationship focused Understand views Understand feelings

Comprehensive Goal is understanding what is said and what is not said

Message and context

Listening Skills

Critical Evaluating ideas Discerning the ‘truth’

Appreciative For pleasure Stimulates the mind, senses

Listening Skills

Attending To hear, not to hear Paying attention SOLER technique

Following Nonverbal door openers Interpretive statements

Attentive silences

Listening Skills

Reflecting Paraphrasing Reflecting meaning

Summarizing Restating to ensure understanding

Intercultural Communication Communicators hold different cultural beliefs

Understand perceptions of power

Use care with generalizations Be aware of group understanding Word choice Comprehension

Ethnic Variations

Ethnocentrism Styles of communication Elaborate Exacting Succinct

Degree of familiarity

Family or street language

Racism in Language

Promotes exclusion Word choice affects acceptance of leader Connotations Denotations

Avoid inappropriate labeling

Gender and Language

Women Intimacy Connection Relationship Problems Listening

Men Independence Status Information Solutions Lecturing

Sexism in Language

Ignoring gender “Chairman”

Defining gender “Women and children”

Deprecating gender “Women’s work”

Facilitation and Processing

Help group members learn about selves, the team

Build a sense of ‘team’, increase cohesion

Can aid in the therapeutic process

Helps a group to achieve goals Requires trained leaders

Facilitation and Processing

Essential leader skills Preparation Caring attitude Personal communication skills

General communication strategies

Strong conceptual, interpersonal, task skills

Facilitation and Processing

Five approaches Let the experience speak for itself

Speak for the experience Debrief the experience Directly frontload the experience

Frame the experience

Facilitation and Processing Questioning skills Transfer of learning

Front loading Framing

Analogies Metaphors Real world