Improving Communication Skills

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Improving Communication Skills
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A Thought

• A man is seldom better than his conversation
• - German Proverb

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Communication Skills Overview
Effective communication skills are a critical
element in your career and personal lives.
We all must use a variety of communication
techniques to both understand and be understood.
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What is Communication?
Communication is the process of sending and
receiving information among people
Feedback
SENDER
RECEIVER
sender
receiver
Medium
Encode
Decode
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Most common ways to communicate
Visual Images
Speaking
Writing
Body Language
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Communication Goals
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Distortions in Communication
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We need to improve communication... as

• 70 of our communication efforts are
• misunderstood
• misinterpreted
• rejected
• distorted or
• not heard
• 6 people talking in a 2 people conversation!!

70
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Critical success factor

• The majority of your perceived ability comes
  from how you communicate

93 of all Communication is non verbal - SKILL
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Listening and Speaking are used a lot
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But not taught enough
Amount taught
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Common Communication Errors

• Finishing others sentences
• Preparing our response before someone has
  completed speaking
• Multitasking while listening
• Filtering content or meaning based on the speaker
• Speaking for others (we)

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A Good Algorithm
Communication is a two way process!

• In order to have good communication
• Listen to Understand
• Understand before speaking
• Speak to be understood
• Seek understanding before proceeding
• Repeat

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How can it be improved

• Recognition
• Pavlov study
• Not being judgmental
• Stop egocentric communication

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What todays workshop can achieve

• Provide knowledge about communication
• Give insight on skills needed
• Suggest ways of going about it
• What you need to do
• Learn the tools
• Take up every opportunity
• Practice, Practice, Practice!

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Why is communication important

• Inspires confidence
• Builds respect in business and social life
• Helps make friends
• Develops a distinct personality
• Reveals your ability to others

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Essentials of good communication

• Knowledge
• Spontaneity in conversation
• Level of conversation
• Organising your thoughts
• Participating in discussions
• Body Language
• Show v Tell
• Being a good listener
• Listening v hearing

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How to be an active listener

• Set the stage
• Ensure mutual understanding
• Understand body language
• Suspend judgment
• Behaviors that hinder effective listening
• Act distracted (look at your watch!)
• Tell your own story without acknowledging theirs
• Give no response
• Invalidate response, be negative
• Interrupt
• Criticize

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Techniques to improve listening skills
SUMMARIZE Pull together the main points of a
speaker
PARAPHRASE Restate what was said in your own
words
QUESTION Challenge speaker to think further,
clarifying both your and their understanding
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Two basic types of questions

• Closed questions
• Get a one-word response and inhibit thought.
• Questions begin with who, when and which
• Open-ended questions
• Invite unique thought, reflection or an
  explanation.
• Questions begin with how, what and how come (not
  why!).

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Practice Questioning

• Rephrase the following closed questions to make
  them open-ended
• Are you feeling tired?
• Isnt it a nice day?
• Was the last activity useful?
• Is there anything bothering you?
• So everything is fine, then?

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Adding colour to communication
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Adding colour to communication

• Images Describe, relive
• Show, dont tell
• Use audiences senses
• Sight
• Sound
• Touch
• Taste
• Smell

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Improving communication

• Dont use cliches
• Brevity
• Sincerity
• Dont praise yourself
• Avoid argument
• Be tactful
• Silence
• Enunciation
• Clear, loud, syllables. Flexibility of tone

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Practice

• For distinct enunciation, every word, every
  syllable, every sound, must be given it proper
  form and value.
• Think of the mouth chamber as a mold, in which
  the correct form is given to every sound.
• Will you please move your lips more noticeably?
• The teeth should never be kept closed in speech.
• Through practices, we can learn to speak more
  rapidly, but still with perfect distinctness

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Ways to gain effective conversation

• Good use of English avoid errors
• Improved vocabulary overlook v oversee
• Avoid old phrases
• Use humour
• Add interesting story
• Improve clarity of voice practice

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Public Speaking
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What does the graphic tell you about this speaker
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The 5-Ps

• Prior
• Preparation
• Prevents
• Poor
• Performance

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From effective conversation to speech

• Overcoming Fear
• 1 fear
• Idea of speech
• Know your subject
• Know the audience
• Target their interest
• Organising the speech
• Tell them

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Developing Your Presentation

• What is your goal?
• Research your topic
• Develop an outline
• Create or locate learning aids

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AIDA
POWERFUL opener
ttention
CLEAR connector
nterest
AIDA
MAIN BODY
esire
POWERFUL close
ction
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AIDA
Establish credentials (Me, You, What) Key point
ttention
Create ve expectations Paint the future
benefits WIFM
nterest
AIDA
The facts ? ? ?
The facts ? 3 ? advantages ? benefits
esire
Me, You, What is required
ction
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Developing Your PresentationMaking the
Presentation Interesting

• Informative
• Fun
• Variety
• Energy
• Audience Interaction

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Practicing Your Presentation

• Simulate the presentation setting
• Practice aloud
• Practice standing up
• Time your presentation
• Memorize your opening few sentences
• Watch yourself in a mirror

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Presenting

• Stage fright
• Feelings follow action
• Talk to, not at
• Eye contact
• Dont judge your audience
• Pause
• Volume
• Pace

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Summary

• He who fails to prepare, prepares to fail!

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Thank You

• arahim_at_infrastructureindia.com