Communication Skills

[Link] Mushtaq
 Communication skills:

Communication is sending or receiving ideas, thoughts or feelings

from one person to one or more persons in such a way that, the person
receiving it understands it in the same way the sender wants him/her
to understand.
 Communication skills:

Introduction:
• Communication skills are abilities you use when giving and receiving different kinds of information.
While these skills may be a regular part of your day-to-day work life, communicating in a clear,
effective and efficient way is an extremely critical and useful skill. Learning from great
communicators around you and actively practicing ways to improve your communications over time
can certainly support your efforts to achieve various personal and professional goals.

• Communication skills involve listening, speaking, observing and empathizing. It's also helpful to
understand the differences in how to communicate through face-to-face interactions, phone
conversations and digital communications, like email and social media.
 Types of communication

There are four main types of communication you might use on a daily basis, including:

1) Verbal Communication:

• Communicating by way of a spoken language

• Verbal communication requires a specific set of skills that focus on utilizing words to
convey information to those around you.
• It is primarily used when describing communicating through speech.

• Verbal skills are comprised of how you deliver information as well as how you receive
messages from others.
2) Non – Verbal Communication:
• Communicating through body language, facial expressions and tone.

• Nonverbal communication is the transfer of information through body language, facial expressions,
gestures, created space and more. For example, smiling when you meet someone conveys friendliness,
acceptance and openness.

• Nonver-bal communication is dependent on expressions and physical movements or the use of language to
transfer information through written text, sign language.

Why is nonverbal communication important?

Non-verbal communication is important because it gives us valuable information about a situation, including
how a person might be feeling, how someone receives information and how to approach a person or group of
people. Paying attention to and developing the ability to read non-verbal communications is an invaluable skill
you can leverage at every stage of your career.
3) Written communication:
• Communicating with written language, symbols and numbers.

• Written communication is any written message that two or more people exchange. Written communication is
typically more formal but less efficient than oral communication. Examples of written communication
include:
1. Emails
2. Text messages
3. Blog posts
4. Business letters
5. Reports
6. Proposals
7. Contracts

Qualities of effective written communication

All effective forms of written communication have these qualities:
• Comprehensive: Includes all the relevant details
• Accurate: All details are correct
• Appropriate: Has the right tone and level of formality
• Composition: Has correct spelling and grammar
• Clear: Is understandable
 Ways to communicate clearly with written communication
Effective writing allows the reader to understand everything you are saying. Here are a few ways you can
communicate clearly and efficiently:

1. Identify and clearly state your goal:

• Effective written communication has an obvious goal that you convey to the reader. Describe in clear words
what you want the reader to do or know.

2. Use the right tone:

• Tone can help your writing be more effective. Some forms of communication, such as memorandums,
require a formal tone. Writing to a friend, however, requires an informal tone. The tone you use depends on
the purpose of the writing and the audience.

3. Keep it simple:
• Avoid jargon, expressions or big or complex words. You want to make it easy for the reader to understand
what you are saying, regardless of their familiarity with your company or industry.
4. Stay on topic
• Avoid irrelevant information. Clarity is essential. Keep paragraphs and sentences short, as complicated
and lengthy statements slow the reader down. Only include words that add value to the reader and focus
on your main goal.

5. Use active voice

• Active voice strengthens your writing and makes your statements easier to understand. Active voice
also engages the reader and keeps their attention. An example of passive voice is, "The letter was
sent." You can communicate this statement more clearly and concisely if you rewrite it in active voice:
"I sent the letter."

6. Have someone proofread your writing

• Correct punctuation, spelling and grammar are crucial. Have someone read your writing before you
send or share it. If no one is available, then read it out loud to yourself

7. Make it easy to read and scan

• Emails, memos, letters and webpages with brief text and plenty of white space are easier to read than
text-heavy communications. Break your content into easy-to-read and understandable paragraphs or
sections. This is particularly important when viewers read on a screen, such as web content and emails.
Use bullet points, headers and short paragraphs to make your text easier to understand.
 The importance of written communication in business

Companies use written communication in nearly everything they do. Here are several reasons this form of
communication is important for business:

• Economical and efficient:

Written communication is cost-effective. A letter, for instance, costs less to make than a long-distance phone
call but can communicate the same thing. Professionals can write letters at their convenience, and recipients
can read them. Alternatively, you might receive an important phone call any time of day, including times
when you are busy.

Written communication is ideal for sending messages that are not urgent. For example, you can send a simple
postcard or letter to thank a client or inform customers about order updates.

• Accuracy:
Many business communications are long and complex. Carefully written letters help ensure that even
complicated communications are accurate. Miscommunications are more likely to occur with verbal
communications such as phone conversations.
• Record-keeping:

Written communication, particularly when signed by one or more parties, is more official than verbal
communication. It serves as a permanent record of an agreement, conversation or deal, and you can refer to it
in the future.

• Goodwill :
The best way to convey communications such as invitations, seasonal greetings, thank-you letters,
congratulatory messages and condolences is in writing. Personalized written messages help develop positive
and respectful professional relationships. You can also use letters to promote customer relationships, create a
positive impression and build goodwill. For example, you might send a professional contact a written note for
their birthday, when their son or daughter gets married or when they receive a promotion.
Written business letters make these situations more personal and promote friendship. For this reason, they are
indirect business promotion tools.
4) Visuals :
• Communication by way of photography, art, drawings, sketches, charts and graphs

• Visual communication is the act of using visual resources, such as images, videos and graphs, to convey
information or an idea.

• The right type of visual communication for a brand or company may depend on its target audience and
on the organization's goals. It can also depend on the modes of visual communication that consumers
frequently use and interact with, such as social media platforms, online forums or company websites.

Types of visual communication

There are several visual communication tools companies can use to convey messages and information to a
variety of audience. An organization may use them to convey data and information, describe the features of
a product and keep employees informed about changes within the company. Common tools professionals
can use for visual communication include infographics, pie charts and animated GIFs. Some other types of
visual communication include:
•Screenshots
•Slide-deck presentations
•Mind maps
•Visual reports
•Social media posts
•Screen recordings
•Tables and graphs
•Whiteboard animations
•Face-to-face camera video recordings

How to use visual communication

Identify the goal of your communication

• Depending on whether you create a visual aid to convey a message to internal members of an organization
or communicate and interact with consumers, the goal of your content may vary. You can begin to create
an image, video or infographic by determining the purpose of sharing information with a particular
audience, and clearly defining the information you plan to convey. Some communication goals may
include:
Making comparisons:
• A company may use a visual communication strategy to make a comparison between two data sets,
products or systems. Professionals can use visual tools such as graphs, tables, pie charts and photographs
to convey the similarities

Demonstrating relationships:
• Companies can also use visual communication strategies to convey and demonstrate correlations between
variables. This can allow professionals to provide information to internal members of the organization or
show consumers the impact of a company's products and services by highlighting the relationship between
data values.

Develop a consistent visual brand:

• For external communication, it's important to develop a consistent and recognizable brand and ensure that
any visual content you and your team members develop aligns with overall brand image This can ensure
that all aspects of your consumer-facing marketing campaign, such as social media posts, flyers and email
newsletters, cohesively align with the company's image.
 Top 10 communication skills

1) Active listening:

• Active listening, sometimes called appreciative listening or mindful listening, means paying close
attention to who you're communicating with by engaging with them, asking questions and rephrasing.
Practicing active listening can build respect with your colleagues and increase understanding in the
workplace. As you actively listen, focus on the speaker and avoid distractions like cell phones and
laptops.

• Improve your Active listening y paying attention to other people's facial expressions, body language
and tone of voice. Instead of preparing what you plan to say next, focus on what the other person is
saying and how they're speaking. If you want to clarify something, ask follow-up questions or
rephrase what they've said to confirm that you understood them correctly.
2) Using the right communication method:
• Using the right way to communicate is an important skill. There are benefits and disadvantages to
communicating through emails, letters, phone calls, in-person meetings or instant messages.
Communicating is better when you consider your audience, what information you want to share and
the best way to share it.

• For example, if you're communicating with a potential employer, it may be better to send a formal
email or call them on the phone. In the workplace, you may find it easier to communicate complex
information in person or via a video conference than by email. Building remote workplace
friendships is easier when you can communicate through instant messages.

3) Friendliness:
• Friendly traits like honesty and kindness can help foster trust and understanding when
communicating at work. Try to communicate with a positive attitude, keep an open mind and ask
questions to help you understand where they're coming from. Small gestures such as asking someone
how they're doing, smiling as they speak or offering praise for work well done can help you foster
productive relationships with colleagues and managers.
4) Confidence:

• In the workplace, people are more likely to respond to ideas that are presented with confidence. There are
many ways to appear confident, including by making eye contact when you're addressing someone, sitting up
straight with your shoulders open and preparing ahead of time so your thoughts are clear and you're able to
answer any questions.

• Confident communication is useful not just on the job but also during the job interview process. Additionally,
to display confidence, avoid adding filler words.

5) Sharing feedback:

• The key to effective feedback is sharing specific examples of the issue, and the consequences of the issue and
asking questions to formulate solutions to the issues. Strong communicators can accept constructive feedback
and provide constructive input to others.

6) Volume and tone:

• When you're speaking, be clear and audible. Adjusting your speaking voice so others can hear you is a skill,
and it's critical to communicating effectively. Speaking too loudly may be disrespectful or awkward in certain
settings.
7) Empathy:

• Having empathy means that you can not only understand but also share in the emotions of others. This
communication skill is important in both team and one-on-one settings. In both cases, you attempt to
effectively read and translate other people's emotions and select an appropriate response.

• For example, if someone is expressing anger or frustration, empathy can help you acknowledge and diffuse
their emotion. At the same time, being able to understand when someone is feeling positive and enthusiastic
can help you get support for your ideas and projects.

8) Respect:

• A key aspect of respect is knowing when to initiate communication and respond. In a team or group setting,
allowing others to speak without interruption is seen as a necessary communication skill tied to
respectfulness. Respectfully communicating also means using your time with someone else wisely—staying
on topic, asking clear questions and responding fully to any questions they've asked you.
9) Non-verbal cues

• Some amount of communication happens through nonverbal cues such as body language, facial
expressions and eye contact. When you're listening to someone, you may choose to attention to what
they're saying and their nonverbal language. It's essential to not judge others based on their body
language, as not all people display the same physical gestures due to cultural or ability differences.

10) Responsiveness:

• Whether you're returning a phone call or sending a reply to an email, employers often view fast
communicators as more effective than those who are slow to respond. One method is to consider how long
your response takes. Is this a request or question you can answer in the next five minutes? If so, it may be
a good idea to address it as soon as you see it. If it's a more complex request or question, you can still
acknowledge that you've received the message and let the other person know you're going to respond in
full later.