Communication is very important for everyone, especially for managers now that if there is no any communication or communication is poor, it will not possibly make their cooperation better. Managers take much time on communication to exchange their information, develop their regulations and acquire ideas given by their subordinates. Good communication leads to a better facilitation and management. "We all use language to communicate, to express ourselves, to get our ideas across, and to connect with the person to whom we are speaking. When a relationship is working, the act of communicating seems to flow relatively effortlessly. When a relationship is deteriorating, the act of communicating can be as frustrating as climbing a hill of sand”
Communication is made through variety channel to get information/messages across. Means of message delivery such as face-to-face conversation, on-the-phone conversation, memorandums, letters, report delivery through a computer or other networks, posting, meeting, publication, etc. For another communication to be publicly conducted: information dissemination, press conference and advertisements on TV, radio and newspaper. “The attitudes you bring to communication will have a huge impact on the way you compose yourself and interact with others.
Communication is the transferring of information and understanding from one to another person through any means. It is a series of interrelated process in the society not only for the face-to-face communication between one and another or between a group of people and other groups, but also for the social activities as a whole.
Major Steps of Communication: Communication is comprised of key elements such as information senders, news, means, recipients and feed backs.
ü Senders: is a person who sends information/message.
ü Message:is a message/information sent to someone whom we set.
ü Channel: means of message delivery/there are many kinds of information such as face-to-face conversation, on-the-phone conversation, memorandums, letters, report delivery through a computer or other networks, posting, meeting, publication, etc. For another communication to be publicly conducted: information dissemination, press conference and advertisements on TV, radio and newspaper.
ü Receiver: is a target person who receives message/news.
ü Feedback: the type of giving feedback through a talk and other means from a receiver to a deliverer is the most vital for a better communication. This feedback hereby lets the information sender understand that the recipient really get it and is clearly aware of his/her idea.
Type of Communication
- Communication Related to Major Factors: (1) Verbal Hello,(2) Voice (3) Eye contact.
- Listening to someone speaking, we can catch: (1) Verbal: 7%, (2) Voice: 38%, (3) Eye contact: 55%, and Total: 100%
- Non-Verbal Communication: Facial appearance and kinesthetic movement simultaneous with our speaking may lead to a worse communication. A nonverbal communication like a body language is also a major part leading to a better communication. An expert conformed that the result of our face-to-face communication is only 7% gained from words, while 93% gained from voice, facial expression, attitude and character.
- Body Language: A body language is divided into three kinds: face, gesture and attitude. A speech deliverer can speak by combination of gesturing such as gaze, dignified attitude and gesture of approval drawing audience’s attention. But some managers, including parents, teachers and school principals neglect or are unaware of how to give feedback without using these instead. This kind of a person cannot be a good communicator.
- Body Language Reading : Example: message and attitude without using the following words: Come here, Go away, Sleep, Very good, Very bad, Shut up, Money, I am confident, I am shocked, and I am your boss
- Other Signs: Traffic Signs, Sign of Mine Accident , and Prohibition Sign (hospitals: No Smoking)
- Whispering Communication: All organizations and institutions, either small or large, always have two communication systems, including formal and informal. The means of a formal communication has been already mentioned above, but another communication system- whispering- is called an informal communication. An expert speculated that the information forwarded through a whispering communication remains only 75% real. For fear of catching any mistake, staffs always whisper to express their own feeling. But a whispering can deliver the news fastest; furthermore, this can also let a manager obviously aware of staff’s feeling relevant to the policy and management.
How to become a good communicator?: There are three categories of communication deemed to be crucial in today’s context- listening, writing and explaining or speaking.
- Effective Listening: Almost all the workshop venues on a verbal communication are focused on a topic “effective talking”, whereas listening is a skill in communication, how do they think?
- There are two steps of listening in communication. First, a news recipient need listen to demonstrate and find out the meaning of the received message. Second, someone who delivered the message becomes a listener, trying to illustrate and find out the feedback given back by the recipient.
- The effective listening means listening to the language and seeing the speaker gesturing. To effectively listen, you should:
· Show that you feel like looking at the speaker, looking like a normal feeling, nodding over time, not hug your hands.
· Ask a question (ask for illustration from the speaker to be clearly aware, but do not ask like interrogating a criminal)
· Focus only on the topic (listen to the speaker talk about what have be said, bearing in mind, waiting for someone to complete their sentences/phrases, circumventing prior judgment, being patient.)
· Test your understanding (to know that you are really unaware of any point, repeating that point and asking what you say is alright)
· Evaluate message (identifying the speaker’s purpose through assessment of his/her words and separating them between the fact and his/her idea)
· Keep calm (calming down, not being in bad temper, being open-minded), proving that you are really listening to him/her. You can do this by re-asking:
· Example: You want to say that…..? You say that……..? The problem you raised is really……..?
· Repeat such as (in my mind, your plan is………; therefore, you decide that…….. because………
· Encourage the speaker to continue (I understand… it’s absolutely interesting)
· Reflection: Show that you understand the speaker’s feeling (I feel that… I am shocked, hearing that…)
· Summary: for continued discussion on other new issues, listen to me summarizing that I catch it properly.
- Effective Writing: A good writing is part of step to use words in communication process requiring more carefulness to avoid words-related issues.
· Using straightforward words
· Using brief words
· Using brief sentences/paragraphs
· Disusing words like composition
· Writing briefly, straightforwardly and understandably
· Disusing unnecessary information
· Disusing complicated slangs or idioms
· Dividing writing into steps or paragraphs
· Writing based on the format you have used.
- Good Speaking or Explanation
· Raise any topic or issue you wish to speak about
· Get it recognized that topic or issue is indeed important
· Then start talking about it
· Let audiences get involved in the discussion, asking them any question
· Listen to others expressing their ideas
· Let others raise their own issue for discussion
· But if others do not answer, please ask them that “how do you think about this problem”? or “have you seen any problem”?
· Agree on what to be applied next, those who will apply and time to be completed in the implementation.
· Agree on the time to meet later.
Barriers to Communication process:
· When a listener hears only what he thinks he will have known, but in fact there should be something different.
· When a listener still has other choices such as hunger, household issues etc.
· When a listener is not interested
· Speaking or message is complicated
· When a speaker and listener has different opinions
· When a listener judges, while a speaker listens.
· When a listener doesn’t want to hear anything contrary to his/her interest.
· A speaker and listener misunderstands the same word
· A listener doesn’t think of gesture and idioms of a speaker
· When a listener and speaker cannot control his/her feeling
· When there is a noise from the outside
· When there are too many problems in the same time
· When a message sender and receiver have different attitude
· Have different cultures
· Do not have enough time
· Have problems between men and women
· Suffer political pressure
· Do not have clear encouragement
· Different ranks and roles
· Fail to directly communicate
· Do not have enabling environment
· Different purposes and expectations
· Lack communication means or insufficient feedback, etc.
In sum up the attitudes you bring to communication will have a huge impact on the way you compose yourself and interact with others.
Emoticon Emoticon