Communication Skills

ELE205
Chapter One

Communication Process
Eng.Mohammed Alsumady

Outline
1. Communication definition.
2. Functions of communication.
3. Communication process model.
4. Types of noise.
5. Communication climate.
6. Communication tools.

Communication definition
Communication is shared understanding of:
a) Feelings.
b) Thoughts.
c) Wants.
d) Needs.
e) Intentions of the communicators.

Why we need Communication?

We need Communication to deal
with people who are important in
our life, work with, live with,
learn with

Functions of Communication
a) Practical.
b) Social.
c) Decision making.
d) Personal growth.

Functions of Communication
Why we communicate?

Practical needs; buying food, securing a job, renting

apartment, health, ..
Social; meeting other people, demonstrate ties, friendships,
and relationships.
Are social functions important? & What are the
symptoms of failure of social functions?

Functions of Communication
Why we communicate?

c) Decision making; More information we

receive, better decisions we make. We use
information to decide: better job, who to
marry, where to live, which car to buy, what
to wear a coat or T-shirt.

Functions of Communication
Why we communicate?

d) Personal growth; intellectual, emotional, social &

psychological growth. Through self expression and
feedback from others. Feel appreciated and successful,
obtain new information, increase awareness, new
challenges & experiences.So, we grow as people

Communication Process Model

Communication Process Model

1-Sender & receiver: we can be considered

as transceivers. (both sending & receiving
messages simultaneously.
2- Encoding: senders originate a
communication message. An idea comes into
mind, and an attempt is made to put this
thought into symbols the receiver will
understand. Changing thoughts into symbols.

Communication Process Model

3-Decoding: The receiver who is the

distention of the communication
message must assign meaning to the
symbols so they can be understood.
Encoding & decoding are unique for
each person.

Communication Process Model

4- Message: is the idea, thought, feeling,
opinion, to be communicated. The messages
can be clear (direct) or unclear.
5-Channel: The line through which the
message travels from sender to receiver,
such like: face to face, messages are carried
by sound and light waves. Now, technology
takes place: email, SMS, voicemail.

Communication Process Model

6-Feedback: receivers response to the

heard, seen or understood message.
How the receiver feels about the
message &/or sender

7-Noise: any interference that prevents

shared understanding.

Communication Process Model

8- Context: can be divided into:

I. Social: deals with the relation between
sender & receiver. With who you
communicate with: boss, friend, father,
son, leader.
II. Physical: will dictate what you say and
how you say it, in class, home, coffee
shop.

Types of Noise

1) Internal Noise: the dialogues which occur

inside our heads.
2) External Noise: noise in the environment.
3) Semantic Noise: occurs when sender and
receiver have different meaning of words.

1) Internal Noise
Internal Noise includes:
a) Attitudes.
b) Beliefs.
c) Feelings.
d) Opinions.
One of the above or all would influence
our ability to send and receive messages.

2) External Noise
External noise deals with environment noise
like other voices, buzzing of machines and so
on.
This type of noise is more obvious than internal
noise and is easier to deal with.

3) Semantic Noise
Occurs when sender and receiver have
different meaning of words.
Semantic noise often occurs when technicians
and lay people talk together.

How to overcome noise??

1) Internal noise: being aware of topics and
words that you reeling.
2) External noise: turn off noise sources.
3) Semantic Noise: take aware (keep in mind)
that people may have different meaning of
some words.

Outline
1. Communication definition.
2. Functions of communication.
3. Communication process model.
4. Types of noise.
5. Communication climate.
6. Communication tools.

Communication climate is:

Communication climate is the environment in which
communication either thrives (grow) or languishes
depending on the sum of elements (and their
variations):
a) Sender.
b) Receiver.
c) Channel.
d) Method of communication.
e) Objective of communication.

Communication climate
Good communication dose not just
happen.
Effective communication happens
when the people involved work to
create a climate of openness, honest
and respect.

Communication climate
Effective communication also happens when
people act to minimize the break downs that
are likely to occur .

Communication climate
Awareness of the following principles may
prevent some breakdowns:
1)We are always communicating:
We spend more than
75% of our total time
communicating.

Communication climate
Awareness of the following principles may prevent
some breakdowns:
2) The message sent is not necessarily the same
message received:
Some experts claim that
50% of our communication
is misunderstood.

Communication climate
3) Who sends the message is a part of it:
For example if we hear the message I hate you the meaning
of message change if it were said by a stranger, friend or
enemy.

Communication climate
4) The meaning of words are inside of us.
In USA when farmers talk about
hogs they mean animals.

Communication climate
5) Communication is learned:
In general, communication is culture bound
thus we can learn new and better ways of
communication.

Communication Tools is:

A series of guidelines and skills for improving our interactions
with others:
1) Overcoming barriers
2) Giving and getting feedback
3) Recognizing and limiting overload
4) Improving relations
5) Remaining sensitive to organization structure

Communication Tools
1)Overcoming barriers:
a)Gossip: unsubstantiated rumor.
When you hear gossip, check facts,
think about the matter again,
In worst case check facts by
face-to-face with the People directly
involved.
Dont pass any message on.

Communication Tools
1)Overcoming barriers:
b) Gaps: Occurs because people are different.
The greater the difference, the greater the miscommunication
Assuming that all people in a one group have a certain
stereotype can produce divisions between people.
We must questioning these stereotypes and focus
communication on individuals not on representative members

our

Communication Tools
1)Overcoming barriers:
c) Loss of emotional control: is inability to control
emotions, for example:
-Skillful persuader may prevent listeners from receiving the
information objectively.
-Disagreeable or offensive (( topics almost always
cause defensive responses.
We can overcome loss of emotional control by:
- being aware of phrases , terms or topics that may
create an emotional response.
- Recognizing that people have different views of the world

Communication Tools
1)Overcoming barriers:
d) Defensiveness: The tendency to misinterpret another
comments as a personal attack when that was not the intention.
can be minimized by developing an accurate self-concept
by checking possible interpretations with speakers and by
sharing feelings and thoughts honestly.

Outline
1. Communication definition.
2. Functions of communication.
3. Communication process model.
4. Types of noise.
5. Communication climate.
6. Communication tools.

Communication Tools is:

A series of guidelines and skills for improving our interactions
with others:
1)Overcoming barriers
2)Giving and getting feedback
3)Recognizing and limiting overload
4)Improving relations
5) Remaining sensitive to organization structure

Communication Tools
2) Giving and getting feedback: always worthwhile

for

increased understanding.
The source of difficulty come from how we receive feedback and how
we provide feedback.

Make your feedback have the impact it deserves by the manner and
approach you use to deliver feedback.

Communication Tools
2) Having and getting feedback

Sender/
Receive
r

Get feedback

Receiver/
Sender
Give feedback

Communication Tools
2) Giving and getting feedback:
a)giving feedback strategies :

Make the feedback appropriate.

Make the feedback specific.
Make the feedback positive.

Communication Tools
2) Giving and getting feedback:
b) receiving feedback:
Ask for feedback then receive it openly.
Acknowledge the feedback.
Consider the feedback received.
Suggestion boxes, open door policies and team meeting are ways to
promote feedback.

Communication Tools
3) Recognizing and limiting information overload:
Information overload occurs when you become burdened and overwhelmed
by too much paper-based, electronic and verbal information.
Information overload can lead to reduced productivity, added stress,
difficulty of making decisions, and decreased attention span and memory.
.

Communication Tools
3) Recognizing and limiting information overload:
To combat this overload, it is essential to adopt effective strategies for
managing information:
Recognize overloads in others
Recognize overloads in self
Limit overload situations

Communication Tools
4) Improving relations:
a)Positive regard: accept other people for who they are as human beings,
regardless of race, attitudes or believes.
b)Empathy: develop an interest of others (even a curiosity)
c)Openness: share your own true feelings, experiences and thoughts.
d)Trust:
Task trust: carrying out whatever is expected of you.
Interpersonal trust: keeping secrets and supporting colleagues.

Communication Tools
5) Remaining sensitive to organization structure:
a)Formal networks:
Are those established by management and are often represented in organization charts.
These networks identify a chain of command provide a feedback system and regulate
the kind of communication.

You must know your responsibilities which involve sending and receiving

information through the proper channels in a specific chain.

Communication Tools
5) Remaining sensitive to organization structure:
a)Formal networks:
The greatest advantage of formal networks is the structure they provide for
getting the work done. However communication flow may be slow,
cumbersome( ) and impersonal.

Such networks could save the

company time and money!!

Communication Tools
5) Remaining sensitive to organization structure
b) informal networks :
Developed as the result of employee friendships, common interests and
proximity workers have to one another outside of the chain of command.

Communication Tools
5) Remaining sensitive to organization structure
b) informal networks :
They build morale and establish rapport by providing face-to-face contact,
immediate feedback, and additional information.

They may generate inaccurate or incomplete information, gossip, or cause

resentment among workers who are not a part of the network.

Communication Tools
5) Remaining sensitive to organization structure
In summery:
Sensitivity to organizational structure requires that you
understand informal and formal networks and keep in mind the
advantages and disadvantages of both .

Conclusion:
1. Communication is a process that satisfies basic human needs.
2. In order to communicate effectively we need to understand the

elements, principles, and barriers that influence this process.

3. Also we need to develop

understanding.

strategies that will promote

End of chapter 1
Any Question?