4.

2 CORPORATE COMMUNICATION SKILLS II

OBJECTIVE: The responsibilities of corporate communication is to promote the profile of the

"company behind the brand" (corporate branding) to formulate and execute effective procedures to make

decisions on communication matters to mobilize internal and external support for corporate objectives.

UNIT – 1: CONCEPTS OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

Components of effective communication - Communication process and handling them - Keep it

short and sweet in communication – Composing effective messages- Non – Verbal

Communication its importance and nuances: Facial Expression, Posture, Gesture, Eye contact,

appearance (dress code).

Development etiquettes and manners- Study of different pictorial expression of non-verbal

communication and its analysis.

UNIT – 2: WRITTEN COMMUNICATION SKILL AND GRAMMATICAL USE

Correction of errors - Making of Sentences- Paragraph Writing- Leave Application and simple

letter writing-.

Grammatical Use- Punctuation Meaning & opposites- Real Life Conversations-Vocabulary

building Understanding the Audience, Need analysis through pre presentation feedback form.

UNIT -3 TEAM BUILDING / COORDINATION SKILLS

Team Building Practices through group exercises, team task / role play- Ability to mixing &

accommodation - Ability to work together- Concept of Group, Group Dynamics, Team building.

UNIT-4 TELECOMMUNICATION SKILLS

Tele – etiquette - Receiving Calls -Transferring calls -Taking Message/ Voice Mails -Making

Outgoing Calls -Receiving Fax- Working principle of Mini exchange and its features and

facilities.

UNIT-5 SELF MANAGEMNT AND TEAM MANAGEMENT

Self-Management - Self Evaluation -Self Discipline -Recognition of one’s own limits and

deficiencies -Independency -Thoughtful & Responsible- Self Awareness - Identifying one’s

strengths and weaknesses - Planning & Goal setting - Managing self – emotions, ego, pride.

Team Management Technique - Time Management concept, Attendance, Discipline &

Punctuality - Act in time on commitment - Quality/ Productive Time.

UNIT – 1: CONCEPTS OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

Effective communication

When it comes to an office/workplace setting, effective communication can be described as the process of
exchanging information between various members of the team. This process doesn’t only consist of verbal
communication; proper nonverbal communication is also necessary to ensure that every bit of information
is correctly transferred from the sender to the receiver.

Establishing highly effective communication methods in your company can help you maximize profits and
meet expected organizational goals.

The 7 components of communication

Several variables can impact the communication process. These include:

1. Context
2. Sender
3. Ideas
4. Encoding
5. Medium
6. Receiver/decoder
7. Feedback

Each of these components of communication serves a different kind of purpose.

1. Context

The circumstances which formed the setting for an idea can be referred to as context. Various details can be
classified as context. The country or the language in which the communication is taking place can
definitely be classified as the context of the communication. The same goes for various cultural differences,
as well as your personal opinions and emotions.

Simply put, all external stimuli, which can influence how various ideas are communicated, are the context
of said communication.

2. Sender

A sender is a person sharing the message with the rest of the team. The sender will use different methods of
both verbal and nonverbal communication to transfer the information in such a way that it can be easily
understood by the receivers.

To achieve this, the sender may use words, pictures, symbols, numbers, body language, eye contact, and so
on – basically, anything goes, as long as the information can be easily decoded (understood) by the people
he is reaching out to.

For example, if you have ever given a presentation in front of the class, YOU were the sender (while your
classmates were the receivers – but we will be getting to that in a moment).

3. Ideas

The ideas, also called messages, are the information the sender is sharing with the receivers. More
precisely, they are the major points that the sender wants to communicate.
For communication to be quick and effective, the ideas need to be clear and easy to understand. This is
extremely important when it comes to written communication, as it can easily be misinterpreted when no
additional information (such as tone of voice or facial expression) is present.

4. Encoding

Encoding, simply put, is using any words or actions while sharing information. It can be text, symbols
(such as “?” or “!”), emoji’s, or even photos – anything that will help you emphasize and illustrate your
point.

When you deliver a presentation and use photos or videos to make what you’re talking about easier to
understand – that is encoding. Every time you place a question mark after asking a question during the live
chat you’re also encoding; you indicate that you would like to receive a response and continue the
conversation.

5. Medium

There are three different kinds of medium – print, electronic and sound. This is how the message is
transmitted. You should know that the choice of medium will impact how the message is understood by the
receiver. That is why you should always carefully analyze the message you wish to send, its context and
urgency before picking the appropriate medium.

Written medium, for example, will be the best choice if you wish to share some highly technical ideas. If,
however, you have just some basic news about the project, it may be better to announce it to your
employees verbally.

6. Receiver

The receiver, also known as the decoder, is any person receiving any information from the sender. The
receiver will interpret the message as well as its context. Of course, this person is also influenced by their
own environment and background; it’s important to take this into account when sharing a message.

7. Feedback

Feedback is, essentially, the response that the receiver returns to the sender after analyzing the message.
Keep in mind that both verbal and nonverbal communication might be used to send feedback.

Furthermore, silence is also a valid form of feedback, especially if the receiver does not have any questions
or has nothing more to add. If you wish to receive a spoken or written message back from the receiver, it’s
important to indicate this when communicating with them.

Tips for more effective communication in the workplace

Now that we’ve explained the theory, let us move on to some tips that you’ll find useful if you wish to
establish better communication with your employees and co-workers. Remember that good internal
communication is the key to success, no matter how small or big your company is, so try and follow these
simple steps as effectively as possible.

 Your messages should have a clear purpose

Before sending a message, contemplate on what is the goal you wish to achieve. Is it to solve an urgent
issue or maybe to communicate more data? Or, perhaps, you wish to solve a customer issue? Every
message you send should have an intent that will make it easy for the receiver to interpret it in a correct
way.
  Always think twice about what you want to say

Even if you have the best intentions, sometimes your message may be taken the wrong way. It’s crucial that
you focus on the words you are about to use. Even if you plan to criticize someone, remember to do so in a
polite and friendly way. Connect your mouth to your brain before you decide to run it!

 There is often no need for complex details

Unless you wish to send information or a message that’s highly technical or incredibly critical to the
company, there may be no need to provide the receiver with unnecessary details. Remember – messages
don’t have to be long; but they should be easy to understand and precise.

 Always listen to the speaker

It’s important that the person you’re having a conversation with knows that you’re listening to what they
have to say just as actively as they’re listening to you. Maintain eye contact and try to follow up with
clarifying questions in order to ensure you understand what is actually said to you.

Active listening will definitely make the whole communication process a lot easier and considerably more
effective.

 Adjust to the reactions

Depending on what type of information you send, the receiver might react in different ways. Observe their
reactions and body language and learn from them.

Thanks to this, you will be able to send better messages and develop more effective communication skills.
Be warned, however, that the receiver’s reactions will not always match with the ones you were expecting
from them.

 Pay attention to your own body language

Regardless of whether you’re giving a presentation, participating in a discussion or just talking to someone,
your nonverbal communication can be off-putting. If you’re crossing your arms or legs, showing irritable
facial expressions, failing to maintain eye contact and similar, the whole communication may be interpreted
as you being close-minded and unreceptive, unwilling to take what is being communicated to you into
account.

Keep both arms and legs naturally outstretched and try to maintain positive facial expressions to indicate
that the conversation is interesting and you wish to continue.

 Criticize in a constructive way

If you are going to criticize someone, don’t be rude to them. Make sure that they know what mistakes they
made, but use positive reinforcement. You should also be free of emotion and any positive or negative
feelings you might hold towards the person you are criticizing.

Remember, criticism is a form of communication like any other. It should be respectful, easy to understand
and clear.

 Be empathetic and take responsibility for your words

Regardless of what you’re trying to communicate, remember the importance of being kind. It’s paramount
that the person you’re speaking with doesn’t feel threatened if your goal is to achieve effective
communication, especially in the workplace.

Weigh your words before you speak, and if you realize someone failed to interpret your message correctly
and feels personally offended, do your best to explain what you really meant.

Never try to shift further blame on them, so instead of saying something like “you misunderstood me”, it
would be better to say “I’m sorry, I didn’t express myself correctly”. Also, be ready to apologize if your
words hurt someone on a personal level.

 The result is what matters

Ultimately, the goal of each message you send is to achieve a certain result. Always keep the goal you wish
to accomplish in mind. It will help you construct the proper ways of communicating with your employees
and co-workers.

Communication process

The communication process is a dynamic framework that describes how a message travels between a
sender and receiver using various communication channels. Its goal is to ensure the receiver decodes the
message correctly and can provide feedback with ease and speed. This is especially important for larger
organisations that need to notify people in different areas and time zones about an event, problem or
change.

Technology in the workplace has made the communication process more effective. A message is no longer
communicated just through voice or writing; it is also shared through audio, video, email and social media.
A communication process streamlines the flow of information and takes advantage of multiple channels in
the best way possible.

Communication processes need good management to sustain them in the long-run. Leaders in the
workplace establish the style, tone and function of communication. If you are in a position of authority, it is
especially important that you model good communication.

Key components of the communication process

Here are seven essential components that make up the communication process:

1. Sender: The person who conceptualised the idea and wants it delivered to the recipient.
2. Encoding: The way the information is described or translated into a message.
3. Message: The idea, fact or opinion that the sender wants to communicate.
4. Communication channel: The method of delivering the message.
5. Receiver: The target audience of the message.
6. Decoding: The interpretation of the message.
7. Feedback: The response or action a receiver takes after decoding a message.

How does the communication process work?

The communication process works through a series of seven steps, they include:

1. The sender develops an idea to be sent

Communication begins with an idea. For you to construct a clear and actionable message, you need to
organise your thoughts. To understand the purpose of your message, answer these three essential questions:
  Who do you want your message to reach?
 What information does the receiver need to know?
 What do you want the receiver to do with this information?

2. The sender encodes the message

Once the sender develops an idea, they need to present the message in a coherent structure. Ask yourself
the following questions to understand the receiver's communication style better:

 Is the receiver knowledgeable about the topic?

 Does the receiver prefer a general overview or detailed information?
 Do you need to provide any additional resources to aid their judgement?
 Can you think of any distractions, such as preconceived ideas, that could influence their
interpretation of the message?

3. The sender selects the channel of communication that will be used

Think about how you need to send your message. The communication channel you use should organise
your information in a way that enhances your point. Consider the four main types of communication
channels when making your decision:

 Verbal: Face-to-face, telephone, video conferences, presentations and visual media

 Non-verbal: Eye-contact, facial expressions, body language and dress code
 Written: Emails, newsletters, press releases, text messages, social media posts, records, proposals
and other business documents
 Visual: Graphs, charts and drawings

4. The message travels over the channel of communication

The sender should select an appropriate medium for the message. This will depend on your relationship
with the receiver, the purpose of your writing and the urgency of the message.

Technology has made it faster than ever to share important information. However, in the business
environment, formal written communication, such as contracts and legal documents, continues to exist to
safeguard the interests of an organisation and its employees.

5. The receiver receives the message

Next, the recipient receives the message. The receiver will process the message according to the
communication channel the sender uses. For example, the sender could deliver the message by speaking to
the receiver face-to-face. For more formal messages, the sender may present the message during a board
meeting instead.

6. The receiver decodes the message

The receiver then decodes the sender's message. In this stage, the receiver processes the information,
understands its context and analyses its implications. This is one of the most crucial stages in the
communication process. If the receiver can successfully decode the message, this implies the effectiveness
of the communication process. As a result, businesses can continue their operations with little disruption.

7. The receiver provides feedback

Feedback is the most important step in the communication process. Ask yourself the following questions to
analyse and improve your future communication:

 Have you arranged a process for collecting feedback?

 Have you given the receiver an opportunity to ask questions?
 Can you pick up on non-verbal cues to understand how the message has been received?
 Could you have done anything differently to achieve a better result?

Writing and Delivering an Effective Message

Writing and delivering a speech can be an intimidating experience, even for the most experienced educator
or public relations guru. But, as with anything in life, practice will make perfect or, at least, as close as one
can get to perfection. To be a successful communicator, you must be able to develop and deliver messages
that effectively and efficiently convey your thoughts, position, and meaning to an audience. The length and
the type of message may vary greatly from a fundraising event to a school wide student assembly to a
weekly student meeting, or to a graduation commencement ceremony.

The opportunity to address one or two individuals can be just as important as the opportunity to address a
large group or a crowd of several hundred. Each audience re p resents an opening to communicate the
importance of your group and the benefits their actions have for the school and community.

Nature abhors a vacuum, so take advantage of every opportunity to make a point. What you say and how
effective your message is depends on your preparation. The time it takes to prepare and deliver your
message depends on you, your audience, the message you want to get across and the forum in which you
will deliver it. He re are a few tips that may make the process a little easier.

Analyse

When given an opportunity to deliver you r message, you should first analyse and understand your
audience. Understanding the intended audience will help you select the message that will be most
meaningful to that audience.

Brainstorm

Be f o re you actually sit down and start pre p a ring your message, let your mind run wild. Toss different
ideas around before committing to a specific approach. Put those ideas to paper, creating a running list of
ideas that is sure to surprise you when you take a second look. It’s OK to have a full spectrum of thoughts
ranging from outrageous to bland. This will help you fully develop the message that you want to express to
the audience you are addressing.

Have a Point

Once you’ve arrived at a topic, agenda, or the approach you’re going take, decide on the main points you
want to make or cove r. Hu m o r, anecdotes, and personal experience are all great ways to drive a point
home, but you need to have a point first. Be sure to focus your message on one or two main points. Any
more, and you run the risk of asking your audience to grasp too much and thus waste an opportunity drives
a key point home.

Do Your Homework

Remember the purpose of a speech is to educate and inform others. Remember that you are the expert and
thus the audience will be open to what you have to say. However, be sure that your message is on target,
up-to-date, and pertinent. If you use an anecdote or personal experience that doesn’t provide substance to
the topic, it probably doesn’t belong.

Who, What, When, Why, and How?

When preparing to deliver a message, consider these questions:

• Who wants this information?

• Who will be affected by it?

• What are the important facts?

• What is the best way to relate these facts?

• What might happen next?

• When did this information or event happen?

• When will it begin affecting the audience?

• Why is this information timely?

• How did this information come about?

Not all the questions will apply in every case, but they are good to keep in mind as you move forward with
your preparations.

Illustrate Your Point

Human beings write and speak in words, but our minds think in images. To communicate your thoughts
successfully when you deliver a message, you must remember that an audience likes to be entertained. Su p
port your message with quotes, anecdotes, or a story. The appropriate use of humour can also be beneficial
in getting an audience to be more receptive of your key points. All of these tools help the listener
understand what you’ve said while adding a personal touch.

Dealing with a Confrontational Issue

On some occasions, you must address a confrontational issue. These situations may occur during a
question-and-answer session after a formal presentation or in written dialogue on a particular issue on
which you want to take a stand. Unfortunately, whatever the case, you may not always be able to choose
the time or place for confrontation. When confrontation does occur, remember that reason does not always
prevail and that logic is sometimes lost to the emotions surrounding a particular issue. Refrain from using
negative buzzwords and make positive statements that support positive images. Try your best to maintain a
positive attitude while delivering a clear and concise message.

General Speech Outline

When delivering your message in a speech, the layout of your comments must fit appropriately into the
event program. The majority of effective speeches contain the following elements:

1. General greeting

2. Recognition of hosts and key figures

3. Comments on the event at which you are speaking

4. Story or experience that can segue into speech topic

5. Introduction of topic

6. Main body of speech—covering key points

7. Story or personal experience

8. Closing remarks.

Preparation, poise, persistence in message, patience, and practice are the keys to delivering an effective
message that wins support and moves a school community forward.

NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

When you don’t want to take part in a particular conversation, you may look the other way. Without
uttering a word, you convey, “I am not interested.”

Nonverbal communication is conveying your message through gestures, postures, signals, or clues. In our
personal and professional lives, we give and receive countless nonverbal clues every day.

USES OF NON VERBEL COMMUNICATION

1) Reinforcement or modification of spoken words

You can nod your head when you give your consent for something to underline that you are in full
agreement with the other individual. A wave with a sad look may mean that things aren’t excellent!

2) Expressing emotions

Your facial expression, vocal tone, and posture can often tell people exactly how you feel, even if you
haven’t spoken a word.

Example:

“Are you fine? You look a little unwell.”

No one tells you that they are unwell, but from their non-verbal communication; you will get to know how
people feel.

3) Defining relationships

You may have noticed that the body language of sisters, they tend to have a relationship without expressing
it through verbal means, which is visible through their nonverbal communication.

The comfort or the discomfort, or way of communicating with each other, etc. are the traits that tell others
about the relationship between two individuals.

4) Giving Feedbacks about different things

Smiles and expressions tell you that you’re listening and that you’re in agreement with what they’re doing.
Movements and hand gestures can mean that you want to talk.

Your instant expression can tell people about your likings or disliking, and those who are supposed to make
decisions as per the inclinations of their audiences always notice such gestures and postures.

5) Regulation of communication flow

We use a variety of signs to tell people that we’ve finished speaking or that we want to talk. For example,
an emphatic nod and a firm lip closure suggest that we have nothing more to say.

Contacting the chair of a meeting with your eye and slightly nodding will indicate you want to talk.

TYPES OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

Let us explore the types of nonverbal communication.

BODY LANGUAGE:

Body language is an effective means of nonverbal communication. You can tell a lot about a person from
their facial expressions, body posture, gestures, eye movement, and use of space. One of the best-known
examples is actor Amitabh Bachchan whose effective body language gave an aura to his angry young man
persona in his early films.

Learn to read the body language of people around you by noticing their postures and gestures.

EYE CONTACT:

Eyes are an effective communication tool to convey messages without saying a word. Eye contact says a lot
about a person. For instance, those who avoid eye contact are often perceived as shy or less confident.

It is said that actor Irrfan Khan spoke a thousand words with his eyes. “I’m just beguiled by Irrfan’s magic
eyes,” Hollywood star Tom Hanks once said.

FACIAL EXPRESSIONS:

From a lip movement to the raising of eyebrows and shifting of the glance, our facial expressions convey a
wide range of emotions. Some facial expressions are very powerful. For instance, a smile makes any
situation easier to handle.

GESTURES:

A gesture is another form of nonverbal communication. Different gestures could mean different things in
different situations.

Have you seen people communicate using sign language? Every hand gesture means something. Even
during regular conversations, most of us knowingly or unknowingly use certain gestures such as nodding or
giving a thumbs-up or high five.

PARA-LINGUISTICS:

Para-linguistics means vocal communication through the tone, pitch, and volume of your voice. Remember
the community tennis matches held on the weekends? The way your sister came shouting, you knew she
had won the match.

“The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said,” said Peter Drucker, a well-known
management consultant.

PERSONAL APPEARANCE

Personal appearance, or the way we dress, groom, and present ourselves physically, communicates
meaning. In an age when our society gives lip service to the cliché that beauty is only skin deep, one might
surmise that personal appearance represents a secondary and superficial value, one to which few people
devote attention or time.

EXAMPLES OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

Let’s look at an example of nonverbal communication.

Hitesh works in an ad agency. He is always given the first preference for final presentations, and his
colleagues wonder why. The reason is that his manager knows that in addition to content creation, Hitesh
has excellent nonverbal communication skills. His body language exudes confidence and his habit of
making eye contact and his gestures express trust and clarity.

Teachers, actors, lawyers, TV anchors, journalists, or salespeople, who communicate with their students,
audience or customers regularly, need to have excellent nonverbal communication.

“The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said,” said Peter Drucker, a well-known
management consultant. This pretty much sums up the importance of nonverbal communication.

It is said that 80% of communication happens nonverbally. We express our innermost emotions such as
love, hope, pleasure, anger, sadness and anxiety without words.

Empathetic nonverbal communication is the secret ingredient of happy relationships and has the power to
clear misunderstandings.

IMPORTANCE OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

Here’s how nonverbal communication helps. It:

 Adds value to verbal communication

 Helps overcome cultural barriers
 Helps communicate with the no literate or people with a hearing disability
 Increases workplace efficiency
 Reinforces trust and credibility
 You will be an effective communicator if you pay attention to yours as well as other people’s body
language.

Workplace Nonverbal Communication Tips

1) When you are participating in low-risk conversations, the sound of your voice and body language will
play a key role in supporting your words

2) While listening to others at your workplace, you need to pay attention to the nonverbal messages that
you show with your actions

3) You should beware of the distracting and nervous habits, as this may dilute your intention

4) You should practice for the right gestures for business communications so that you can enhance the
impact of your essential points

5) Managing emotions adeptly while communicating with someone so that you can make best out of
essential conversations is also important

Etiquette
Etiquette enables the individuals to earn respect and appreciation in the society. No one would feel like
talking to a person who does not know how to speak or behave in the society. Etiquette inculcates a feeling
of trust and loyalty in the individuals. One becomes more responsible and mature.

What is Etiquette?

Etiquette in simpler words is defined as good behaviour which distinguishes human beings from animals.

Human Being is a social animal and it is really important for him to behave in an appropriate way. Etiquette
refers to behaving in a socially responsible way.

Etiquette refers to guidelines which control the way a responsible individual should behave in the society.

Need for Etiquette

 Etiquette makes you a cultured individual who leaves his mark wherever he goes.
 Etiquette teaches you the way to talk, walk and most importantly behave in the society.
 Etiquette is essential for an everlasting first impression. The way you interact with your superiors,
parents, fellow workers, friends speak a lot about your personality and up- bringing.
 Etiquette enables the individuals to earn respect and appreciation in the society. No one would feel
like talking to a person who does not know how to speak or behave in the society. Etiquette
inculcates a feeling of trust and loyalty in the individuals. One becomes more responsible and
mature. Etiquette helps individuals to value relationships.

Types of Etiquette

 Social Etiquette- Social etiquette is important for an individual as it teaches him how to behave in
the society.
 Bathroom Etiquette- Bathroom etiquette refers to the set of rules which an individual needs to
follow while using public restrooms or office toilets. Make sure you leave the restroom clean and
tidy for the other person.
 Corporate Etiquette- Corporate Etiquette refers to how an individual should behave while he is at
work. Each one needs to maintain the decorum of the organization. Don’t loiter around unnecessary
or peep into other’s cubicles.
 Wedding Etiquette- Wedding is a special event in every one’s life. Individuals should ensure they
behave sensibly at weddings. Never be late to weddings or drink uncontrollably.
 Meeting Etiquette- Meeting Etiquette refers to styles one need to adopt when he is attending any
meeting, seminar, presentation and so on. Listen to what the other person has to say. Never enter
meeting room without a notepad and pen. It is important to jot down important points for future
reference.
 Telephone Etiquette- It is essential to learn how one should interact with the other person over the
phone. Telephone etiquette refers to the way an individual should speak on the phone. Never put the
other person on long holds. Make sure you greet the other person. Take care of your pitch and tone.
 Eating Etiquette- Individuals must follow certain decorum while eating in public. Don’t make noise
while eating. One should not leave the table unless and until everyone has finished eating.
 Business Etiquette- Business Etiquette includes ways to conduct a certain business. Don’t ever cheat
customers. It is simply unethical.

To conclude, etiquette transforms a man into a gentleman.