Effective Communication
Task 2 Principles of Effective Communication
Cultural Differences:
People who have different cultural differences may have different ways to communicate with each other. As in different places people have different ways that they greet and communicate with each other. Some places greet each other with verbal and non verbal ways, some cultures use hand signs, verbally, whistling and even tongue clicking. You should make you are speaking clearly with your voice and language, so that the other person can understand you better.
Adapting Voice and Terminology:
When having a conversation with someone you need to engage with them, you can do this by having eye contact with them and also by changing the tone of your voice so that you are speaking clearly. By doing this you can help the other person to understand what you are saying, this can help to you to have good communication skills with people.
Use of Technology To Engage an Audience:
Technology can help you engage with an audience in many ways, one of them could be done by using presentations, these presentations help you communicate with audiences as you can interact with them and make them feel like they are part of it. By using images, videos and text on the screen that are relevant to the topic you are talking about, it will allow the audience to get a better understanding of what you are saying.
Question and Answering:
When in having a conversation with someone whether it is verbally or written it is good to ask questions and answer them to. By asking questions to the other person it shows that you are interested in the topic that they are talking about. If you are unsure or getting confused in what they are saying then it is good to ask questions so that you can get back on track with the conversation, this makes it easier for you to understand.
Answering questions whilst having a conversation with someone verbally or non verbally is a good way to effectively communicate with each other. If the other person wanted additional information about the topic or if they were confused about something then they may ask you questions. By answering them it will help them so that they have a better idea about what you are saying so they are not misunderstanding you. Although you should make sure that that your giving out reliable information, if you do not know the answer to something then just simply say you don't know, people would rather hear that than have you telling them incorrect information.
Interpersonal Skills
Verbal Exchanges:
There are two ways to effectively communicate verbally, giving and receiving. Without doing one or the other then the conversation would not be effective as you would not be sharing information with each other. If the person you were talking to did not speak English then you could get a translator so that both of you would be able to understand each other properly. By paying attention and being polite to one and another would also make verbal exchanges become a lot more effective as well as responding correctly to what each other is saying.
Signing:
Sign language is a way that people communicate with someone who may be mute or deaf. You communicate by doing hand movements, gestures, facial expressions and body structure/movement. If you do not know how to sign you can get a translator who will sign for you and them, this way both of you will be able to communicate and understand each other properly.
Lip Reading:
Lip reading is an effective way for someone who has a hearing impairment to communicate with you. The person would need look at your lips to be able make out what words you are saying so that they can reply to you. If you were having a conversation with someone who has a hearing impairment you should speak slightly slower as this would allow them to read your lips better and gives them more time to understand what you are saying.
Body Language:
Body language helps you to know if you are effectively communicating with someone correctly by their body posture. Depending on the other persons body posture you would be able to see if they were still interested in the topic, you would be able to change the conversation so that they are enjoying themselves too. By having positive body language you are showing the other person that you are interested with the topic of conversation. You would be able to tell if someone was bored, agitated, interested or positive all by their body language.
Use of Intonation:
Intonation is the rise and fall of someones voice when speaking, you can use this to be able to effectively communicate with people. Depending on the pitch of the other persons voice you would be able to tell how they are feeling or behaving. If you were speaking to someone and there voice was high pitched and loud this could show excitement, whereas if they were talking quietly and slowly then it could show that they are nervous or shy. You would be able to know whether they have a positive or negative attitude about the subject.
Positive and Negative Language:
Having a positive language can make other people around you more positive to, this is effective when communicating in work as you can motivate them to do better in their work by telling them they are doing good. By complementing other employers with a positive language it could make them feel better about themselves at work and it would also help them to work harder.
Having a negative language can make other people uncomfortable as you can come across as moody, angry or upset. If you were speaking to someone in a negative language then they could become uninterested in what you are saying as it might put them off, this is not a good way to effectively communicate with people. Also having a negative language could also rub off on people, you could be talking to someone about something that would then put that person in a negative mood.
Active Engagement:
Active engagement can be used effectively in communication as it can show the other person that you are interested in what they are saying or can show them that you are paying attention, this can be things like nodding you head to show them you understand what is being said. Although overusing it can make you seem like you are paying less attention, if you use it correctly then you will look like you are paying more attention to the conversation and that you understand.
Communicate in Writing
Emoticons:
Emoticons can be used to show your emotions or the way you are feeling during a conversation, they are used on things such as texting or social media sites. Using emoticons can be a good method of effective communication as you can show the other person the facial expression that you would have had when talking, or if you mean something in a good way you can send happy, funny or silly faces :) , if you mean something in a bad/sad way you can send sad, disappointed or angry faces :( . Although emoticons are not usually used in things like emails as using them inappropriately can make you look unprofessional.
Letters:
Using letters as a type of written communication can be effective if the other person does not have internet access so they can’t access their emails. Letters can be used to send information across the world; if someone is away on a business trip, you can send them relevant information to help them with what they might need for meetings and work, although though they can take weeks to arrive. Letters must be written with good spelling and grammar so that the person reading them can understand them properly, if it has bad spelling, it may confuse someone as they make not understand certain words that you have mentioned that could be important.
Fax:
Fax machines allow you to scan copies of text and images and then send it to someone, their fax machine will then print an exact copy of what you sent. This can be an effective way to communicate as the person you are sending it to may live in another country and might need a copy of a document ASAP, it would be faster to fax it to them rather than have to type out what it says and then send it to them. Faxing is also a good way to effectively communicate as you do not need an internet connection and it is mostly free.
Emails:
Emailing people is a good way to communicate as it is free and almost everyone has an emailing account. You can send them to anyone all over the world ensuring that they have an internet connection. Emails can be used to send different things such as documents, images, files and website links, this is helpful for businesses as you can send work and schedules to multiple people at once. You could use emails just to speak to someone as the messages are almost instant.
Spelling and Grammar:
When writing/sending messages to someone spelling and grammar is important as spelling things incorrect could confuse the person who is reading it or they may misunderstand what you are trying to say. If you were writing important documents or emails and they had spelling mistakes and bad grammar then you would look unprofessional to the reader or to your boss. Your employers would not like to have products or advertisements that has spelling mistakes and bad grammar as people may not take the company seriously or want to buy that product. You should make sure that you proof read all of your work so that it is all correct.
Relevance:
Relevance can be important when it comes to written communication, if you are not relevant when you are writing on a topic then people may think that you don’t know what you are talking about. If a question has been asked, it is important to give a response that is as relevant to the question as possible; this is so that all of the information that you have given them is correct, otherwise you can make yourself look unprofessional.
Proofreading:
Proofreading can be important in written communication as it allows you to check over your grammar and spelling before you hand in any of your work. It is important to proofread your work as you can check for any spelling mistakes or bad grammar, if a piece of work has bad spelling, certain things that you have mentioned might be misunderstood and therefore people may get confused.
Note Taking:
Note taking can be important as it can allow you check back over what someone has said at a later date, it can also help you jog your memory on a certain topic, this will also help as you are less likely to forget something. If you have forgot something then you can check your notes so that you can remember what was said.