COM 250 - EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUES

What is Communication?
Communication can be defined as the process of transmitting information and common
understanding from one person to another. (Keyton, 2011)
The word communication is derived from the Latin word, communis, which means common.

Why do we communicate?

To give or get information

To share thoughts and feelings
To solve problems and make decisions
To motivate or influence people
To socialize and have fun

Communication is
IRREVERSIBLE It can not be reversed.
UNREPEATABLE You can not recapture the same situation.
INEVITABLE You can not NOT communicate.

Communication is not just:

Speaking
Talking
Listening

Effective Communication:
In one way communication the source is sending a message. But the sender does not care if his/her
messages are understood. He/she does not try to get the receivers response or feedback. The
receiver is in a silent and passive mode.
In two way communication there is sender, receiver, message, channel and feedback. (Five actors of
communication process)
Effective communication is a two-way process that requires effort and skill by both sender and
receiver. The sender and receiver are both active during the communication process.
Elements of Communication:

Types of Communication:

Communication Channels:
Face to face communication
Videoconferencing
Telephone conversation
E-mail
Text messages
Written letters and memos
Social media

Barriers To Communication:
There are many reasons why interpersonal communication may fail. In some situations, the message
(what is said) may not be received exactly the way the sender intended.

Physical Barriers
Noise and distractions
 Physical separation
Lack of time
Physical disabilities

Semantic Barriers
Lack of common language
Poor vocabulary
Poor grammer, punctuation
Use of jargons
Lack of clarity in the message

Socio-Psychological and Cultural Barriers

Different backgrounds (Gender, age, education)
Past experiences
Values and beliefs
Emotions
Listening barriers
Status differences

Self Awareness & Disclosure

Johari Window is a disclosure/feedback model of awareness.

Healthy self-disclosure is a matter of balance, of learning when to tell what to whom.

Generally, the more information you move into OPEN SELF, the better your communication
will be.
 The more you keep HIDDEN or remain BLIND to, the less effective your communication will
be.
If your BLIND SELF is too large, you will be unaware of how you appear in the world.
If your HIDDEN self is too large you will be closed and out of reach.

Communication/ Behavior Styles:

1. Passive Behavior:
Passive behavior involves saying nothing in a response, keeping feelings to yourself, hiding feelings
from others, and perhaps even hiding your feelings from yourself. Passive behavior is often
dishonest and involves letting other people violate your personal right to be treated with respect and
dignity.

2. Aggressive Behavior:
Aggressive behavior involves expressing your feelings indirectly through insults, sarcasm, labels, put-
downs, and hostile statements and actions. Aggressive behavior involves expressing thoughts,
feelings, and opinions in a way that violates others rights to be treated with respect and dignity.

3. Assertive Behavior:
Assertive behavior involves describing your feelings, thoughts, opinions, and preferences directly to
another person in an honest and appropriate way that respects both you and the other person. It
enables you to act in your own best interests, to stand up for yourself without undue anxiety, to
express honest feelings comfortably, and to exercise personal rights without denying the rights of
others. Assertive behavior is direct, honest, self-enhancing self-expression that is not hurtful to
others and is appropriate for the receiver and the situation.
VERBAL COMMUNICATION
Verbal communication uses words (spoken or written) to communicate a message.
Improving verbal communication skills can help you to foster better relationships with your
family, friends and coworkers.

Poor Verbal Communication:

Confusion
Misunderstandings
Poor interpersonal relationships
Conflict and arguments
Low performance

Verbal Communication Rules:

1. Be friendly
2. Think before you speak
3. Be clear and make sure you are understood.
4. Dont talk too much.
5. Be your authentic self.
6. Learn to listen.
7. Use magic words when necessary.
Thank you
Please
I understand you
Im sorry
8. Use language correctly.

Using Voice Effectively

Your voice is your trade mark in verbal communication.
Pitch ses perdesi ses rengi
Speed/Rate konuma hz
Volume sesin ykseklii
Pronunciation kelime telaffuzu
Fluency - konuma akcl
Punctuation/Pauses - duraklama, es verme
Stress - vurgu
NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION (Body Language)
A type of nonverbal communication that relies on body movements to convey messages.
movements or positions of the body that express a person's thoughts or feelings.

When we interact with others, we continuously give and receive wordless signals. All of our
nonverbal behaviors send strong messages. These messages don't stop when you stop speaking
either. Even when you're silent, you're still communicating nonverbally.

Types of Non-verbal Communication:

Facial expressions
Eye contact
Hand & arm gestures
Posture
Personal space and distance
Appearance

A. Facial Expressions:
1. Happiness
2. Sadness
3. Fear
4. Disgust
5. Surprise
6. Anger

B. Eye Contact:
It supports our facial expressions.
Eyebrows can give strong messages.
Men and women establish eye contact differently.

Too much eye contact and you could be seen as aggressive, too little eye contact and you can be
seen as having no interest in the person speaking.

As a general rule, direct eye contact ranging from 40% to 70% of the time during a conversation
more when you are listening, less when you are speaking should make for a comfortable
productive atmosphere.
Lack of Eye Contact:
Communication and feedback quality decreases.
Messages can be misunderstood.
Genuineness decreases.

C. Hand and Arm Gestures:

Hand and arm movements helps us to express our feelings more effectively.
Too much hand movement can be distracting or annoying.
When we are angry our hand movements can give negative feedback.

Hand shakes are very essential in business life.

D. Posture:
E. Personal Space and Distance:
F. Appearance:
Dress & clothings
Accesories & jewellery
Hair
Make-up
Personal hygiene

ACTIVE LISTENING & EMPATHY

Barriers to Listening
Uninteresting topics
Speakers delivery
External distractions
Mentally preparing response
Personal Bias
Emotions
Language/Culture Differences

Listening Types:
Passive listening:
Pseudo Listening
Pretending to listen but actually spending more time thinking other things. Giving no response or
feedback. Listening without showing interest.
Biased listening:
Listening through the filter of personal bias.
Judgemental listening:
Listening in order to evaluate, criticize or otherwise pass judgment on what someone else says.
Defensive listening:
To take innocent comments as personal attacks.
It creates impressions of insecurity and a lack of confidence.
Partial/selective listening:
Listening partially, only hearing things we want to hear.
Partial/selective listeners may find some topics interesting and the others boring.
Stage hogging:
People who are only interested in expressing their own ideas, and who don't care about what
others have to say on the subject.
Stage hoggers constantly try to turn the conversation towards them.
 Active listening:Empathetic Listening
Listening in a way that demonstrates interest and encourages continued communication.Seeking
to understand what the other person is feeling. Demonstrating empathy.
Empathy is the ability to understand and share another person's experiences and feelings.

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CONFLICT RESOLUTION/CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
What is conflict?
Disagreement or struggle between individuals with opposing needs, ideas, values or goals.
A conflict is more than just a disagreement.
Conflicts become serious when they are ignored.

Conflict is
a normal, inescapable part of life
a periodic occurrence in any relationship
an opportunity to understand different preferences and values
energy

Conflict resolution/management is identifying and handling conflict in a sensible, fair and efficient
manner.

Causes of Conflict:
Poor communication
Lack of empathy
Intolerance
Bias and prejudice
Different values and beliefs
Different needs

Conflict Types: (1)

a. Man vs. Himself
b. Man vs. Man
c. Man vs. Society

Conflict Types: (2)

a. FUNCTIONAL
* Task/issue focused
* Constructive
* Stimulates creativity
b. DYSFUNCTIONAL
* Person focused
* Destructive
* Breeds hostility

Prejudices and Biases

We must be careful about our prejudices and biases. They may affect the trust and relationship we
have with other people. We cannot let our prejudices and biases dominate our relationships.

Most Common Prejudices:

Age
Sex/Gender
Class
Country of Origin
Religion
Color
Ability
Weight/Size
Appearance

Difficult People Types:

Indecisive
Know-it-all
Agreeable
Complainer
Silent
Aggresive

Dealing With Difficult People:

Realize there will always be difficult people.

Avoid topics that are likely to start a conflict.
Check your body language.
Dont take it personally
Minimize your interactions.
Try to stay calm and be polite.
Anger Management:
There are two steps to build a healty anger management strategy.
1. Controlling anger in the moment (Short term solution)
2. Controlling chronic anger (Long term solution)

1. Controlling Anger In the Moment:

a) Watch for physiological signs of anger.
b) Watch for signs that your anger is out of control.
c) Take a break as soon as you recognize that you're angry. (Walk, count to 10, get some fresh
air)
d) Breathe deeply.
e) Repeat a calm word or phrase such as "relax," "take it easy." (Positive self-talk)
f) Visualize a "happy place.

2. Controlling Chronic Anger:

a) Accept that anger can be a normal, healthy emotion.
b) Think about an anger management plan.
c) After you've calmed down, try to see some humor in what angered you.
d) Exercise
Running/Jogging
Cycling
Yoga
Basketball
Swimming
Dancing
Boxing
Meditating
e) Ask for the support of someone you trust.
f) See a mental health professional if necessary.
Conflict Management Strategies:
1. Competing:
Competing is assertive and uncooperative, a power-oriented mode.
Competing might mean standing up for your rights, defending a position you believe is correct, or
simply trying to win.

2. Avoiding:
When avoiding, an individual does not immediately pursue his or her own concerns or those of the
other person.
Avoiding might take the form of diplomatically sidestepping an issue, postponing an issue until a
better time, or simply withdrawing from a threatening situation.

3. Accomodating:
Accommodating is unassertive and cooperative-the opposite of competing.
When accommodating, an individual neglects his or her own concerns to satisfy the concerns of the
other person; there is an element of self-sacrifice in this mode. Accommodating might take the form
of obeying another persons order when you would prefer not to.

4. Compromising:
When compromising, an individual has the objective of finding an expedient, mutually acceptable
solution that partially satisfies both parties.
Compromising falls on a middle ground between competing and accommodating, giving up more
than competing but less than accommodating.

5. Collaborating:
When collaborating, an individual attempts to work with the other person to find a solution that fully
satisfies the concerns of both.
It involves digging into an issue to identify the underlying concerns of the two individuals and to find
an alternative that meets both sets of concern.
STRESS MANAGEMENT:
What is Stress?
Stress is the bodys automatic response to any physical or mental demand placed on it.

Common Stressors:
School
Work
Family
Relationships
Finances
Health/illness
Environment
Stress and Personality Types:
There is a link between stress and personality.

Stress management involves

- changing the stressful situation when you can,
- changing your reaction when you cant,
- taking care of yourself and making time for rest and relaxation.
Stress management teaches you healthier ways to cope with stress.
TEAMWORK:
Team is a group of people with complementary skills and who are working together towards a
common goal.

1. Forming
2. Storming
3. Norming
4. Performing

Characteristics of Effective Teams

Shared vision, mission and values
Planning and defining roles
Leadership
Commitment and loyalty
Communication and trust
Creativity
Owning the results

Negative Verbal Communication:

I
It was your fault
You did a terrible mistake
I dont need your advice
I can do this by myself
I said this wont work but the other team members insisted on that
Positive Verbal Communication:
We
Yes, I think I could have done this better
That is a great idea!
What do you think about this issue?
Lets work together on this
Thank you

Team Leadership:
The difference between a Manager and a Leader is;
Manager says Go!
Leader says Lets go!

What are the qualities that make a good leader?