Communication

By Sandhya Rani ECE(2910305)

                           Introduction

Communication is the process of sharing our ideas, thoughts, and feelings

with other people and having those ideas, thoughts, and feelings

understood by the people we are talking with.When we communicate we

speak, listen, and observe.

The way we communicate is a learned style. As children we learn from

watching our parents and other adults communicate. As an adult we can

learn to improve the way we communicate by observing others who communicate

effectively, learning new skills, and practicing those skills.

Attention: The ability to effectively communicate at work, home, and in

life is probably one of the most important sets of skills a person needs.

What would our life and world be like without communication? We cannot

get along without it. It is also not easy, and we all have probably had

experiences where our communication failed or ran into a barrier. So, if

we can understand the communication process better and improve it, we

will become a more effective and successful communicator.

Motivation: As you continue to reach your goals, specifically your educational

goals, communication will become increasingly more important.

The ability to effectively communicate is a primary skill. The more you

become an effective communicator the more likely you are to achieve

what you want. Over 80% of your waking life is spent sending or receiving

information. Poor communication can waste time and energy and

cause conflict between people. Let’s think of how you can benefit by

improving your communication skills: You will have a clearer understanding

of what people are saying to you, others will be less likely to misunderstand

you, problems will be solved quickly, you will be able to

identify others’ needs and you will be able to resolve conflict.

At another time we will take a more in-depth look at the EFF Communication

Standards of Speaking So Others Understand and Listen Actively. At this

point we are putting those communication skills into the larger context.

This lesson provides a foundation for developing effective communication

skills at work, at home with the family, and in our everyday activities.

Overview for Learners: This lesson will cover what effective communication

is, the key elements of the process, the various ways we communicate,

and a brief look at barriers that get in the way. Let’s begin by

looking at the definition of effective communication.

Body of the Lesson

Main Point 1. Effective Communication

A good working definition for effective communication is to share meaning

and understanding between the person sending the message and the

person receiving the message. The key element is “understanding.”

Main Point 2. Communication Process

Now that you understand the purposes of effective communication, let’s

take a closer look at the elements in the communication process. By analyzing

the parts of the process, we are better able to understand the whole.

The communication process is a simple model that demonstrates all the

factors that can affect communication. Communication is effective if the

message that is received is the same one that is sent.

A. Sender – The communicator or sender is the person who is sending

the message. There are two factors that will determine how effective the

communicator will be. The first factor is the communicator’s attitude. It

must be positive. The second factor is the communicator’s selection of

meaningful symbols, or selecting the right symbols depending on your

audience and the right environment. Talk about a few wrong examples.

B.Message – A communication in writing, in speech, or by signals

C. Receiver – The receiver is simply the person receiving the message,

making sense of it, or understanding and translating it into meaning. Now

think about this for a moment: the receiver is also a communicator. How

can that be? (When receiver responds, he is then the communicator.)

Communication is only successful when the reaction of the receiver is that

which the communicator intended. Effective communication takes place

with shared meaning and understanding.

D. Feedback – Feedback is that reaction I just mentioned. It can be a verbal

or nonverbal reaction or response. It can be external feedback (something

self-examination. It’s the feedback that allows the communicator to

adjust his message and be more effective.Without feedback, there would

be no way of knowing if meaning had been shared or if understanding

had taken place.

Discuss that communication is a two-way process. The information goes

out to a person on the other end. There is a sender and a receiver. Simply

put, effective communication is getting your message across to the receiver.

It is the sender’s responsibility to make sure that the receiver gets the

message and that the message received is the one sent.

Communicating is not an isolated series of one skill, it involves several

skills. For example, speaking involves not only getting your message

across but also being able to listen and understand what others are saying

(active listening) and observing the verbal and nonverbal clues in order

to monitor the effectiveness of your message.

Main Point 3. Barriers

Have you ever been talking to someone and they misunderstand what

you were saying? Why do you think that happens? (Give learners the

opportunity to share their experiences.) At any point in the communication

process a barrier can occur. Barriers keep us from understanding

other’s ideas and thoughts. Barriers can appear at any point of the communication

loop.

There are two types of barriers—internal and external. Examples of internal

barriers are fatigue, poor listening skills, attitude toward the sender or

the information, lack of interest in the message, fear, mistrust, past experiences,

negative attitude, problems at home, lack of common experiences,

and emotions. Examples of external barriers include noise,

distractions, e-mail not working, bad phone connections, time of day,

sender used too many technical words for the audience, and environment.

Barriers keep the message from getting through.When communicating,

watch out for barriers. Monitor the actions of the receiver.Watch

her body language; check to make sure the message the receiver received

is the one sent—ask questions and listen.

Main Point 4. Types of Communication

A. Self-Action or One-Way Communication is focused on

getting the message to the receiver. Self-action treats communication

as a manipulation of others. It is very message

centered. There is no way to know if the meaning is shared

between the sender and the receiver. (To demonstrate one-way communication,

do the following activity with the class.)

Procedure: (Using the attached diagram, ask for a student volunteer

from the class to assist in this demonstration about communication.

Explain to the other students that the volunteer is going to describe

something to them and their task is to simply follow instructions in

sketching out exactly what is described.

Take the volunteer outside of the classroom to explain the following

directions. Provide the volunteer with the diagram shown. Tell the volunteer

to describe the diagram to the rest of the class. However, the volunteer

must keep his or her back toward the rest of the class. There can be

no eye contact. The volunteer can only use verbal communication to

describe the diagram, i.e., no gestures, hand signals, etc. Further, no questions

are allowed on the part of the other students. In brief, only one-way

communication is allowed.

B. Interaction or Two-Way Communication. This approach

recognizes the role of the receiver as a communicator

through feedback. It is message centered and is a very simplistic

view of the communication process. Feedback allows

senders to see if their message got across.

C. Transaction. This approach focuses on meaning and

sharing by accounting for all other factors in the communication

process. It is concerned with the barriers that might

affect the communication. Transaction is best described as

effective communication. This is when the communication process is

applied and carried out completely. The sender gives a message that is

passed on to the receiver. In return, the receiver can give clear feedback

that allows the sender to know whether or not the message was perceived

as intended. If the message wasn’t received as intended, then the sender

will continue the communication process again in order to ensure effective

communication.

Now that you know all three types of communication, we can reflect and

evaluate our own communication approaches in different roles and situations.

Knowing the three approaches to communication will help us to

be aware of our types, when they occur, and how to improve our communication

and create clear transactions.

Conclusion

Effective communication is a major part in achieving your educational

goals. Effectively communicating with your teachers and peers is essential

when it comes to your learning.Many times your instructor is the sender.

Her job is to send you messages that include information about the skill

you need to learn. Your instructor’s messages might include lectures or

handouts for you.

Your peers can also be the senders of a message. Many times learners are

asked to work together as a team. You might be asked to work on a specific

activity that would require you to receive messages from other team

members or an appointed leader. Sometimes you may be asked to be the

sender. Remember that communication involves speaking, listening, and

observing.

Summary: Communication is a two-way process that involves getting

your message across and understanding what others have to say. Communication

involves active listening, speaking and observing. Now that you

have learned the communication process, you can begin to evaluate your

communication skills. Begin to watch yourself in action. Each time you

communicate observe what you do, how it went, what went well, and

what could have been better.

Re-Motivation: The ability to effectively communicate is a critical skill.

The more you become an effective communicator the more likely you are

to achieve what you want. Remember, you can improve your communication

skills by observing people who communicate effectively, learning

new skills, and practicing those skills. Acquiring effective communication

skills will help you be a better student, parent, family member, worker,

and citizen.