Page 11 - DENG102_COMMUNICATION_SKILLS_II

Communication Skills-II

Notes

Did u know? There are 15 different meanings of the word ‘charge’ in the English language.
They also occur when people use jargons or professional shorthand which they expect
other to understand, or language which is outside the other’s vocabulary.

z z Proper communication channels: If one wants immediate action from the receiver, there is
no need to send a lengthy discussion report. One would probably pick up the telephone or
go to his office to tell him what to do. Remember also that one picture is worth a thousand
words, and in this age of computer graphics, the information can be produced more quickly
in this way too.

z z Right feedback: Although one-way communication is quicker, two-way communication
is more accurate. In complex situations, it helps both sender and receiver to measure their
understanding and improves their joint commitment to the task. It enables both parties
to identify and correct misunderstanding leading to a higher quality of reception and
acceptance.
To communicate effectively, we need to overcome all the barriers and own skills to improve the
existing communication abilities.

Self Assessment

Fill in the blanks:

3. ………………… barriers occurs due the fact that different people assign different meanings
to one specific message.
4. ………………… barriers are also called psycho-sociological barriers.
5. ………………… hierarchical structure facilitates effective oral communication.

1.3 Two Sides of Effective Oral Communication

The two sides of an effective oral communication are listening and presenting. The meaning and
role of listening and presenting in effective oral communication are discussed below:

1.3.1 Listening

God gave us one mouth to do two jobs: eat and speak, but He gave us two ears to do just one
job: to listen.
Out of the four Communication Skills: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, the most
crucial is listening. Drivers fail to listen carefully to directions given by the traffic policeman and
roadside people and lose their way. Workers fail to perform their duties effectively as they have
not listened to their supervisors. Students are denied credit for assignments, if they have not
completed the task as instructed. Sometimes, the consequences of bad listening are insignificant,
other times they are not. In most of the cases, bad listening creates more problems. The importance
of effective listening cannot be overstated because it is crucial to the success of organizations and
individuals alike.
A study of communication preferences by first line managers and supervisors has found that
listening is perceived as the most important communication skill. Listening cannot be ignored in
performing jobs effectively. Based on a survey covering a million workers, it appears that companies
which encourage upward communication and listen to their employees perform better than other
companies. Research findings also testify to the relationship between listening and organizational
effectiveness. The more the listening, the more will be the effectiveness of organizations.

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