DEVELOPMENT OF

EFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATION
SKILLS

Prof S.Rm. Sokkalingam

 Forms of
Communication
Writing
Speaking and
Listening
Types of Communication
Network
The formal network and
Informal network
 Formal Network
Business has major and well- establish
channels of information like arteries in
the body
Bulk of the communication flows
through these channels
Flow of formal network
a. Internal flow
Information by reports
Records kept in the organisation
Orders
Instructions and messages down the
authority structure
E-mail, internet and intranet
Flow of formal network
b. External flow:
Directed messages
Sales presentations
Advertising and publicity
The informal Network
Primarily of personal communication
parallel to formal network.
Informal network is veins in the body
Ever changing and complex network
linking all the members of the
organization.
It is called as “grapevine network”.
Managers use grapevine constructively.
 Formal / informal
network
Manager

officer officer

Clerk Clerk Clerk Clerk

Communication Process
1. A’s message arrives the sensory world of
the receiver ‘B’.
2. ‘B’ picks-up the message & other competing
information from his sense.
3. ‘B’ mind filters the message and gives
meaning.
4. ‘B’s unique mind forms the message and
triggers a response
5. ‘B’ sends response to ‘A’
 Process of sense
picking –up the message
Relay it to the brain
Picks-up other noises, objects, facial
expression etc.
 Filtering process
No two people will have identical minds
The message is filtered through the contents
of the receiver as given below:
1. All his experience
2. Knowledge
3. Biases
4. Emotions and
5. Cultural background.
 Meaning and response
process
Receiver mind gives meaning &
reacts.
If meaning I s strong, the response
can be through:
1. Words
2. Gestures
3. Physical actions
4. Symbols etc.
 listening
Listening involves:

 Sensing
 Filtering and
 Remembering/ Retaining
 Sensing
Ability to sense sounds
Being attentive
Senses detect symbols
Filtering / Remembering
Individual mind has unique contents
Mind gives meaning to the symbols
Remembering is part of listening
 Listening Ability
First, you must want to improve it.
Be alert and free yourself to pay
attention.
Concentrate on your mental filtering
Think from the speaker’s viewpoint.
Consciously try to remember.
In addition, follow the guidelines of “Ten
Commandments”
 Ten Commandments of
Listening
1. Stop talking
2. Put the talker at ease
3. Show the talker you want to listen.
4. Remove distractions
5. Emphasis with the talker.
 Ten Commandments of
Listening
6. Be patient
7. Hold your temper
8. Go easy on argument / criticism
9. Ask questions frequently
10. Stop talking.
Communication Barriers
Lack of planning
Unclassified assumptions
Semantic distortion
Poorly expressed messages
Communication barriers in international
environment
Communication Barriers
Loss by transmission and poor attention
Poor listening
Impersonal communication
Distrust, threat and fear
Insufficient period for adjustment to
change.
Information overload
Other Communication
Barriers
Selective perception: intend to hear
what they want.
Influence of attitude: If already made up
in their mind, they do not listen.
Difference in status and power between
the sender and the receiver
 Curriculum Vitae (CV) /
Resume
It is a brief account of a person’s
1. Qualifications
2. Pervious occupations
CV- Gaining Attention
Gain attention in the opening.
Ensure the opening fit the job
Whether prospecting or invited.
Job boards and career center web
Know about the employer & impress
Stress the need of the employer.
Use the name of the employee in the Co.
 Cvs- need to be
professional
Avoid the following:
 “I have no influential father, uncles or friends. I have
no political ties, no drag, and no pull. The result: no
job. I am just ambitious and intelligent young man
who will work hard”
 “ I have answered all the questions in the
application form given except the item against ‘sex’.
This I think a very personal matter”
 “For three years I worked for Mrs. Helen, whom I
am sending you as a reference on the attached
sheet”.
Good Attention Gainer
Sound background in advertising; well
trained; work well with others;
On the suggestion of Mr. Paul of your staff,
here is the summary of my qualifications for
work as your communication specialist.
A hard working St. Xavier’s college business
major, wants a career in office
administration? My experience, education
and personal qualities qualify me well for this
work.
 Use “you” view point
Make the employer to understand your
work.
How additional work experience will
help you to perform the new job.
The type of communication
improvement courses attended by you
1. Spoken 2. Written.
 Reference

Give suitable references in the resume

The references shall be other than relatives
References should contain the following:
1.Name and designation
2.Address for communication
3.Telephone,mobile and fax numbers
with STD code
 Conducting and
Participating in
Introduction: Meetings
Business meetings will have oral
communications.
It will range from extreme formality to extreme
informality.
Conferences and committee meetings will be
formal.
In a meeting,you will be either a leader or a
participant.Follow the generally acceptable
parliamentary procedure in conducting the meetings.
Plan the items to be covered in the agenda and
cover one after another.
 Controlling the agenda
• .You must control the agenda as a leader
while conducting the meeting.
•. When the discussions move out of the
subject of discussion,move it back to the
subject.
•.You must not cut off discussion before all the
important points have been made.
•.Permit complete discussion and avoid
repetition
 Control for effective
participation
Control them who talk too much
.allow them to talk as much as long as they are
contribution to the meeting.
.When they become to stray-step in tactfully.
.Summarise the discussion and move in to the
next topic.
Encourage participation who ever talk too little
.As a leader encourage people who talk less,to
participate by asking their view points.
.Show respect to their comments.
 Control Time
Announce time goal.
End discussions at appropriate time.
Determine in advance how much time
needed for each item
 Summarise at
appropriate places
Review progress of previous meeting.
Summarise after a key item is
discussed.
Call for a group vote, if group decision is
required.
Summarise the progress made at the
end of the meeting
Keep the minutes.
PUBLIC SPEAKING AND
ORAL REPORTING
PUBLIC SPEAKING DEPENDS ON
THE FOLLOWING:
 Your audience ( the interest of your
audience), and
 The Occasion – historic event; annual
meet of an executive club etc.,
 Preparation for
presentation
Conduct research to get the information
you need.
Gather information you need for your
speech.
You may search through your mind for
experiences or ideas, research in
library, company files, on-line network,
consult people in your own company
and other companies.
 Greetings
The first word spoken is greetings.
 To greet a mixed audience: ‘ladies and
gentlemen’
 To greet an all male:’gentlemen’
 To greet the rotary club members:’fellow
Rotarians’
Organise
information

Organise your speech as

follows
1.introduction
Introduction to your
speech

Gain attention in the opening

Ability of story telling
Humor
Quotation,question and so on
The opening should set up your
subject
Body of your speech

Organise more speeches by

factors,as you would in a report
Divide the parts as for as possible
There must be clear transition
Conclusion to your
speech

You must complete/end your talk with a conclusion.

While concluding,you must bring the important points
you talked to achieve whatever the goal of your speech
had.
The ending of your speech usually shall be:
- Restate the subject
- Summarise the key points
- Draw conclusions
Presenatation
Methods

You may choose one of the

following presentation
Methods:
1. Presenting extemporaneously
 Presenting
extemporaneously

It is more popular and effective method

First, you prepare the speech thoroughly as
outlined
You can rehearse
Make sure you have all the parts clearly in
your mind
However, do not attempt to memorise
 Memorising
The most difficult method
Memorising long succession of words
requires much effort of skill
You are likely memeorise words than the
meanings
When you miss a word or two you become
confused
Few speakers memorise the entire speech
 Reading
Unfortunately, we read the text of the
speech in a dull monotone
You miss the punctuation marks, fumble
(clumsy/ nervous)
You can overcome this problem by
taking necessary efforts
 Personal Aspects
Analyse yourself as a speaker
You are the part of the message
What they see in you, can affect the meanings or
that developed in the audience minds
Evaluate your self
You may acquire
-confidence
-sincerity
-thoroughness
-friendliness
 Confidence
Have confidence in you & Audience
Project the right image
Talk in a strong clear voice
Develop your physical appearance
Prepare the presentation diligently
 Sincerity
Convey to the audience an image of
sincerity
Sincerity is valuable to conviction
You must be sincere
Pretense of sincerity is surely
successful
 Thoroughness
Consider audience need
Thorough presentation is well received
It makes the presentation believable
Avoid too many details
Design and Balance your listeners
 Friendliness
Project an image of friendliness
It has significant advantage in
communicating
Improve your projections of your
friendliness with little self-analysis and
practice
You can consider the interest,
enthusiasm, originality, flexibility etc
 Audience Analysis
Analyse the audience reactions
Watch the facial expressions
Watch the body movements
Adjust the presentation according to the
feedback
Refresh the audience by telling power
stories
Create the learning environment
Appearance

Your audience forms

impressions from the following
six factors:
1.The communication
environment (all that surrounds
you-stage, lighting, and the like),
2.Your personal appearance,
3.Your posture,
 4.facial expressions (smiles, frowns,
eye contact),
 5.your manner
 6.gestures
The communication
environment

While you speak, the audience sees the

physical things that surround you, such as,
‘the stage,lighting, back ground and so on’,
Outside noises have influence on your
speech,
Your communication effort should contribute
to your message and not detract from it,

 Your personal
appearance
 Your personal appearance is part of
your message.
 You should dress in a manner
appropriate for the audience and
occasion.
 Be clean and well groomed.
 Use facial expressions and physical
movement to your advantage.
 Posture
Posture is the most obvious thing, your audience sees in you.
You are not seeing your posture yourself.
Ask others to tell you, whether your posture needs
improvement.
Practice speaking before a mirror or watch yourself on a video.
Distribute your body weight to be consistent to what kind of
impression you want to make.
Keep your body erect, with out appearing stiff and feel
comfortable with out appearing limp.
Maintain poised, alert, and communicative bearing.
Do all above acts naturally, as there is great danger in artificial
posture.
 Walking
The audience makes impression in the manner of
your walking.
A strong and sure walk conveys an impression of
confidence.
Hesitant and awkward steps, convey the opposite
impressions.
Walking during presentation can be good or bad.
Too much walking attracts attention and at the same
time detracts from the message.
Walk when you are reasonably sure about its
effectiveness.
Facial expressions
Use of facial expressions unconsciously may convey unintended
meanings.
A frightened speaker tightens his jaw unconsciously and begins to
grin. The effect is ambiguous image and detracts the entire
communication effort.
A smile, a grimace(twisted expression on a person’s
image/expressing strong disapproval or pain), and a puzzled frown
all convey clear message.
You should use the above mentioned effective devices with out
questions.
Eye contact is important. Eye contact tends to show that you have
genuine interest in your audience.
Eye contact is the ‘mirror of the soul’ which express the speaker;s
sincerity, good will and flexibility.
 Getures
Gestures have no definite or clear-cut
meanings.
Gestures have vague meanings, but
they do communicate.
Summarize the physical movements
that helps you speaking
You must use rational movements
before the audience
 Use of Voice
Good speaking requires good voice
Voice should not hinder listeners
concentration
Fault areas of voice modulation
- Pitch variation
- Variation in speaking speed
- Vocal emphasis
Thank you