M4 Basic Communication

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication UNIT-4: BASIC COMMUNICATION Structure: 4.0 Learning objectives 4.1 Meaning of communication 4.2 Methods to make communication effective 4.3 Role of body language in communication Page 1 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication 4.0 Learning Objectives After studying this unit, you will be able to:  Meaning of communication  Methods to make communication effective  Role of Body Language in Communication 4.1 Meaning of Communication Communication is a means of sharing facts, information, thoughts, and ideas with others. It is an important link that joins people together. Human beings cannot live in society without communication. At your workplace, you can achieve success only if you can communicate effectively. Communication is the process of exchanging information, usually through a common set of symbols. SMCR Berlo‘s model of communication is a very important model where how the message is sent from sender to receiver is shown. During this communication, there are several barriers that are encountered. Two types of important communication are Verbal and Non-verbal Communication. In communication, the most important skills are Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing skills. 1.2 Definitions of Communication 1. According to Peter Little, Communication is ‗the process by which information is transmitted between individuals and/or organizations so that an understanding response is created.‘ This definition touches on all aspects of the communication process: The process of communication involves the communication of ideas. The ideas should be accurately replicated in the receiver‘s mind, i.e., the receiver should get exactly the same ideas as were transmitted. If the process is perfect, there will be no distortion of the ideas. The transmitter is assured of the accurate replication of the ideas by feedback. Communication is a two-way process including the Page 2 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication transmission of feedback. The purpose of communication is to elicit action. 2. One of the simplest definitions by Robert Anderson. He defines ―Communication‖ as an interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs. 3. According to Bartol and Martin, ―Communication is the exchange of messages between people for the purpose of achieving common meanings.‖ These definitions show that communication depends on the understanding of the messages by the receiver. The sender can transmit his own ideas effectively. Communication also requires a medium or a channel to be received by a person. 1.3 Nature of Communication Communication occurs wherever life exists. It creates common ideas, strengthens the feeling of togetherness through the exchange of messages, and translates thought into action. The important features or characteristics of communication are: 1. Continuous Process: Communication is a continuous process. It is not static but dynamic. The people with whom you communicate change the situation changes and the content and nature also changes. It starts with the sender. Then it moves by encoding and decoding messages through some channel and ends with the feedback. After receiving the feedback, the sender again gives another message so it is a continuous process. 2. Interchange of Information: It aims at exchanging information. It is a two-way process. The exchange of information can happen between two or more persons. One person cannot communicate to himself so a sender and receiver both are required to complete the communication act. A manager might send many warning letters to the employees but communication is not complete unless it is read by the employee. 3. Mutual Understanding: The main purpose of sending the message is that the receiver Page 3 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication receives and understands the message. So the message should be clearly and concisely worded. 4. Universal Function: Communication is a universal function, which covers all levels of authority. 5. Spiraling Process: The receiver and the sender‘s communication do not start at the same level. The abilities of the sender and the receiver are different. Noise and time have an impact on it. So communication takes a spiral shape before it is completed and reaches the receiver at the same level and space. 6. Social Activity: The meaning of the message also depends on the social and cultural situation in which it is delivered. The components of a society are in a relationship of sharing, be it information, feelings, or emotions. 1.4 Scope of Communication Communication has unlimited scope. Broadly, the scope of communication can be explained under two headings: (i) External Dimensions (ii) Internal Dimensions External dimensions mean on a bigger level where we build relations with all external agencies and stakeholders. If there is effective communication then the external organizational climate will be based on trust, co-operation, innovation, and commitment. External activities would be related to the sale and purchase of goods and services, reporting to the government and shareholders on the financial situation and business operations, etc. Through effective communication, one comes to know how an organization looks after its advertisements, publicity, and public relations function. Internal communication is very important as it happens within an organization. It starts from formulating corporate vision, mission, and captivating goals to their implementation, etc. For framing policies, top management needs to obtain information and views of the middle and Page 4 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication lower level management people. Thus proper communication can only facilitate a proper understanding of the policies in the right spirit. Internal activities include maintaining and improving the morale of the employees, giving commands to workers, announcing policies and organizational changes, etc. Different departments in an organization execute different functions. So, for obtaining and giving co-operation to other departments, exchange of information plays an important role. For example: In the Human Resource department, the HR manager has lots of responsibilities like conducting interviews, appraising employees‘ performance standards, explaining disciplinary rules and regulations, etc. This can be achieved only through effective communication. Communication has a direct link with the motivation and morale of the employees. In addition to External and Internal dimensions, the scope of communication may be looked into many things which comprise oral and non-verbal communication, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, and Mass Communication, etc. 1.5 Functions or Importance of Communication Communication plays a vital role in every walk of life. The major functions or importance of communication in an organization are: 1. Information: Communication facilitates decision-making and problem-solving. Managers, with the help of effective communication, receive and transmit the information which helps them to solve problems and make decisions. For example: If there is a strike in an organization, the manager calls the workers, listens to their problems, explains the organization‘s position, etc. 2. Control: Control is the power to influence people‘s behavior. When the employees are expected to adhere to the company‘s policies and procedures or first communicate their job-related grievances to their boss, communication performs the control function. 3. Motivation: The employees need motivation at every level. Communication with employees from time to time by the organization will keep the motivation of the employees high. By giving rewards and incentives Page 5 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication managers attempt to motivate employees to do an excellent job. 4. Emotional Expression: Communication facilitates expressing or letting out the feelings and emotions of employees under diverse circumstances. It enables people to express their disappointment and discontent. In several organizations, managers are trained on how to handle the employees‘ emotional problems and grievances. 5. Helps in Co-ordination: Many a time there exists a lot of differences in departments, divisions, authority, and power. So an organization is not able to achieve its goal. Effective communication mechanisms like letters, circulars, meetings, telephones, etc. can minimize these differences, and activities are properly co-ordinated to achieve organizational goals. 6. Performance Feedback: Employees need to identify how well they are performing and what they can do to surpass the standard. So managers communicate their feedback through letters of appreciation or suggestions, etc. 1.6 Process of Communication The communication process begins with the idea. The idea is a result of the need to send a message. The sender who desires to send the message follows the following procedure: The following factors/components are part of the process of communication: 1. Source/Sender of Communication: The sender is the most important factor as the need for communication begins with the sender. Thus, the purpose of communication from the sender‘s point of view is very important. The purpose may be to inform, motivate, persuade or influence action; depending on this need, the other components are structured. 2. The Message: The message is the idea, and expression in the oral/ written and Page 6 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication verbal/non-verbal form. The type of communication of the message is dictated by the purpose of communication decided upon by the sender. 3. Encoding: While encoding the message the sender must use symbols that will have the same meaning in the mind of the receiver as was prevalent in the mind of the sender. Selecting the right symbols to establish mutual understanding is the most important process of encoding. 4. Receiver: The receiver may be an individual or a group of people for whom the message is targeted. The message that reaches the receiver, should be able to decode the code effectively. 5. Decoding: To unravel the code effectively, understanding the code is the most important thing. The deciphering of the code is most important. The deciphering of the code depends upon past experiences of the receiver, personal assessment of symbols used, and expectations of the sender. In order to increase the effectiveness of the message, the receiver‘s decoding should match the sender‘s decoding. 6. Medium/Channel: The choice of the right medium is very important. A faulty medium can affect the effectiveness of the massage. A condolence message if given in the oral form is more effective, than the written form. Whereas sales message if given in the written form is less effective than the oral form. 7. Noise: Noise is the factor that disturbs, diminishes, confuses, or interferes with the message. Noise can take place at any level of communication – when the sender is disturbed while formulating the idea if the medium of the (telephone) is not working properly or causing disturbances etc. 8. Feedback/Response: This is the most important component of communication. The effectiveness of the process of communication is determined based on the feedback received. Feedback can be positive or negative. Positive feedback allows the process of communication to happen to the next level. Negative feedback makes the sender realize the ineffectiveness of communication and so the sender makes efforts to Page 7 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication reformulate the message and send it in a manner that becomes effective. Berlo‘s S-M-C-R Model David Berol‘s SMCR (SOURCE, MESSAGE, CHANNEL, and RECEIVER) model shows that for the communication process there is a very important relationship between the source and the receiver. The communication skills need to be very well developed between the source and the receiver so that the encoding and decoding of the message happen smoothly. A SOURCE is someone who makes the message based on his communication skills, attitudes, knowledge, etc. The MESSAGES which are made by the source are then transferred along CHANNELS including sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. A RECEIVER is someone who tries to understand the message based on his communication skills, attitudes, knowledge, etc. The only limitation of this model is that there is no scope for feedback. Aristotle in his model of communication has placed the speaker in the central position and says the entire communication is in the hands of the speaker. Berlo‘s model of communication gives importance to the emotional aspect of the message. Berlo‘s model has four components: 1. S – Source: The source is also called the Sender from whom the thought or the message originated. The Sender carefully puts his thoughts into words and sends the message to the receiver. The factors are: (a) Communication Skills – A sender needs to have excellent communication skills so that a great impact is created among the receivers. The speaker should know about pauses, pronunciation, sentence construction, accent, etc. A sender should listen to all the queries of the receiver. (b) Attitude – The effect of the message is created by the attitude of the speaker. The sender‘s attitude towards his own self, receiver, and environment changes the meaning of the message. If a person is very good at speaking but doesn‘t have the right attitude then there is Page 8 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication a problem. (c) Knowledge – The educational qualification and number of degrees are not called Knowledge but the clarity of the information which needs to be given to the receiver. The sender should have in- depth knowledge about the subject. He should be able to answer all the questions of the receivers. He should be familiar with the content of the subject. (d) Social System – When the sender is sending the message it is affected by values, beliefs, laws, rules, religion, and other social factors. (e) Culture – The cultural background of the receivers where the speaker is giving the speech refers to culture. Something might be accepted in one culture and offensive in another. 2. M – Message: The content which is sent by the sender to the receiver is called a Message. Here the sender converts his thoughts into words. It is also called Encoding. The factors are– (a) Content – The beginning to the end of the message is the Content. The script of the message is Content. The words have to be chosen carefully. The impact can be created with sensible, accurate, and crisp words. (b) Element – The speech alone cannot bring a difference in communication. Non-verbal Communication like Gestures, eye contact, facial expressions, body language, etc. is Elements. (c) Treatment – The way in which the message is given to the receiver is Treatment. It has to be given in an accurate form. A person has to understand the importance of the message and should know how to handle it. (d) Structure – The way the message is structured or organized or arranged affects the effectiveness of the message. It has to be in a desired or proper form. (e) Code – It is a form in which a message is sent like language, expressions, gestures, text, video, etc. 3. C – Channel: The medium through which the information goes from the sender to the receiver is Channel. The effectiveness of the channel is affected by the five senses of human beings – (a) Hearing – Through Hearing, we receive the message. Page 9 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication (b) Seeing – We recognize through seeing. We also get non- verbal messages by seeing. (c) Touching – Touching like holding hands or shaking hands is a kind of non-verbal communication (d) Smelling – The information is collected from Smelling. (e) Tasting – Taste also provides the information to be sent as a message. 4. R – Receiver: The receiver responds to the message after he tries to understand what the sender wants to say. It is also called as Decoding. He should have good listening skills. The other factors are similar to that of the sender as Communication Skills, Attitudes, Knowledge, Social systems, and Culture. There are some criticisms to this model as it doesn‘t have the element of the feedback, noise, or barrier to communication, linear model has no two-way communication and the speaker and receiver should be on the same platform not always possible. 4.2Method to make communication effective Effective communication represents the process of exchanging thoughts, opinions, and ideas in a manner that ensures the purpose of the said communication process is fulfilled in the best possible way. Effective communication brings the following benefits:  Easier and better problem solving;  Easier and better decision making;  Better business relationships;  Increased engagement;  Improved productivity; Here are the 13 to take to build effective communication. Step #1: Follow the 7 Cs of communication The first step towards effective communication is to follow the 7 Cs of communication. These 7 Cs of communication are clarity, coherence, confidence, correctness, conciseness, concreteness, and courtesy. Page 10 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication C #1: Clarity Clear communication implies the communicator highlights a specific piece of information only. A clear communicator focuses on pursuing a specific goal and delivering a specific message. Being clear in communication helps: Make understanding easier and faster; Enhance the meaning of a message. How to communicate clearly To communicate clearly, you‘ll need to: Lead with your main idea; Minimize the number of ideas per sentence; Avoid jargon, slang, and absolute language; Speak in short, direct sentences. C #2: Coherence Coherent communication implies the information transmitted is logical and consistent. A coherent communicator connects all points discussed and ensures they all are relevant to the main topic. Being coherent in communication helps: Give credibility to your ideas; Avoid confusion, dissatisfaction, and exhaustion on the part of the listeners/readers. How to communicate coherently To communicate coherently, you‘ll need to: Organize and present your ideas in a logical order; Connect your ideas through the use of transitional words and phrases (e.g. ―as a result‖, ―so far‖, ―furthermore‖, ―in contrast‖, ―for example‖, etc.). Page 11 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication C #3: Confidence Confident communication implies the communicator is in control of the communication process. A confidant communicator gives extra credibility to her words by stating thoughts, beliefs, ideas, and opinions assertively. Being confident in communication helps: People appear more assertive; Give more credibility to information presented; The information presented seems more professional. How to communicate confidently To communicate confidently, you‘ll need to: Maintain a clear and stable voice volume; Maintain eye contact; Listen to others attentively; Look for compromises about points discussed; Express gratitude when appropriate; Offer apologies when you‘re wrong; Positively acknowledge the contribution of others. C #4: Correctness Correct communication implies there are no errors in communication. A correct communicator shows her respect to fellow communicators by ensuring grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary are up to par. Being correct in communication helps: Improve the impact of the message; Enhance professionalism; Enhance comprehension; Avoid misunderstandings and confusion. How to communicate correctly To communicate correctly, you‘ll need to: Page 12 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication Think about what you want to say before you say it; Proofread written communication with care; Use a comprehensive grammar manual (or an online writing assistant). C #5: Conciseness Concise communication implies the information is communicated in the fewest words possible. A concise communicator sticks to the point and keeps things brief. Being concise in communication helps: Save time and money; Underline your main points better; Make the message more comprehensible to listeners/readers. How to communicate concisely To communicate concisely, you‘ll need to: Avoid getting distracted by additional issues — stick to the topic at hand; Give only a reasonable amount of information at a time. C #6: Concreteness Concrete communication implies the information is presented in a specific, definite, but also vivid manner. A concrete communicator provides a clear picture of what she wants to convey. Being concrete in communication helps: Strengthen the confidence in your words; Maintain the audience‘s interest; Avoid misinterpretations; Speed up the course of action. How to communicate concretely To communicate concretely, you‘ll need to: Support your ideas with facts and figures; Page 13 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication Use clear, unambiguous words and phrases; Provide detailed steps for actions you want to be undertaken. C #7: Courtesy Courteous communication implies the information is delivered with respect. A courteous communicator is open, friendly, and honest. Being courteous in communication helps: Build and maintain a good rapport among teammates; People feel heard, acknowledged, and appreciated; Build a more loyal and productive team. How to communicate courteously To communicate courteously, you‘ll need to: Be positive, polite, and sensible; Be enthusiastic and reflective; Consider the viewpoints of others; Focus the message on the audience; Show respect to fellow communicators. Step #2: Establish trust among teammates To build effective communication in a team, you‘ll need to build trust in that team. After all, teammates who trust each other communicate more. And, teams who communicate more, have a better chance of solving issues faster, making decisions easier, avoiding conflicts, and exploring their creativity. According to Paul J. Zak, the author of Trust Factor: The Science of Creating High-Performance Companies, and his article ―The Neuroscience of Trust‖, people working in high-trust companies report the following benefits: 106% more energy at work; 76% more engagement; Page 14 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication 74% less stress; 50% higher productivity; 40% less burnout; 29% more satisfaction with their lives; 13% fewer sick days. How to establish trust among teammates To establish trust among teammates, you‘ll need to: Be transparent — you can achieve this by: Being accountable for your responsibilities; Providing and accepting feedback on a regular basis; Asking for task/project expectations upfront. Be respectful — you can achieve this by: Respecting your teammates‘ time; Respecting your teammates‘ ideas, even when they don‘t align with your knowledge, experience, or expectations; Respect your teammates‘ opinions, even when they are different from your own. Be united — you can achieve this by: Not shunning members of the team; Avoiding negative gossip altogether; Helping when asked; Asking for help when you need it. Value teammates — you can achieve this by: Learning more about their likes, dislikes, and preferred workflows; Providing praise when and where due. Actively build team trust, by practicing appropriate trust-building activities, such as: Blind square — a trust-building game where a blindfolded group of people needs to form a rope into a square by collaborating; Back-to-back drawing — a trust-building game where two people sit back-to-back and provide each other with instructions on how to draw abstract shapes they‘re tasked with; Night trail — a trust-building game where a group of blindfolded people holds on to a rope and needs to navigate an obstacle course together; Minefield — a trust-building game where the first teammate is blindfolded, while the second teammate needs to verbally navigate Page 15 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication the first teammate across an open space filled with obstacles. Step #3: Manage communication barriers Communication barriers come in various forms — we typically recognize the physical, perceptual, emotional, cultural, language, gender, and interpersonal barriers to effective communication. Each of the listed barriers may manifest in different ways: Physical barriers They represent the environmental conditions that disrupt the communication process. They may manifest as an abundance of physically separate offices that make it difficult for people to interact when they want to. Perceptual barriers They represent people‘s perceptions that stop them from assessing a person, topic, or piece of information in the ways they were intended. They may manifest as skewed perceptions about someone‘s knowledge/experience. Emotional barriers They represent the emotions that obstruct effective communication. They may manifest as conflicts caused by anger, anxiety, or pride. Cultural barriers They represent culture-based differences between communicators that trigger misinterpretations of other people‘s messages. They may manifest as misunderstandings caused by culture-based norms and customs. Language barriers They represent words, phrases, pronunciation, and grammar whose use can confuse the people we are communicating with. They may manifest as the overuse of jargon and slang. Gender barriers They represent stereotypes, prejudices, and biases that influence how we view and communicate with people of different genders. They may manifest as gender-based misconceptions about someone‘s communication habits. Interpersonal barriers They represent interpersonal difficulties that stop people from reaching their full potential in terms of communication skills. They Page 16 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication may manifest as someone‘s lack of a desire to participate in conversations. How to manage communication barriers To manage communication barriers, you‘ll need to: Identify the communication barriers you are facing — once you do, it will be easier to tackle them; Learn about different cultural norms and customs, as well as cultural differences in terms of verbal and nonverbal language use — once you do, you‘ll decrease the chances of misunderstandings and confusion; Identify your assumptions, stereotypes, biases, and prejudices — once you do, you‘ll be able to work on overcoming them; Pick an appropriate official team language — in case the members of the team have different mother tongues. ������ To learn much more about the barriers to effective communication and how to overcome them, check out our detailed guide that offers examples and covers solutions for each type of barrier separately — The barriers to effective communication. Step #4: Learn how to manage nonverbal communication According to the often-quoted, popular piece of statistics, 93% of communication is nonverbal — but, this number has also been heavily disputed by experts and proven to be a misinterpreted version of the findings from the original study by Albert Mehrabian, a famous psychologist. Regardless of its actual percentage use, nonverbal communication is still an important element of many communication processes. Moreover, it‘s a form of communication we often overlook. This is tied to the fact that it is often not the dominant form of communication — it usually accompanies in-person verbal communication. Namely, we may use facial expressions, gestures, and body movements to underline our words. But, our body language can also communicate messages we do Page 17 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication not wish to convey. Alternatively, our facial expressions, gestures, and body movements may also be unintentionally misleading — or simply misinterpreted by others, just like the above-mentioned piece of statistics. Because of all this, nonverbal communication sometimes represents perceptual barriers to effective communication. For example, when someone‘s idea of what our raised eyebrows mean gets in the way of what we are really trying to communicate. Moreover, nonverbal communication may sometimes also represent cultural barriers to effective communication. For example, when the person we are communicating with interprets our nonverbal language in accordance with their own cultural norms — which do not align with what we are trying to convey. Proper nonverbal communication is an important step towards effective team communication — and you‘ll need to make the effort to properly convey and interpret nonverbal language. How to manage nonverbal communication To manage nonverbal communication, you‘ll need to: Learn how to use nonverbal communication to your advantage: Read the room and act accordingly — don‘t smile when the message is serious, or frown when engaging in casual chats with colleagues; Maintain frequent eye contact with the people you are communicating with; Introduce yourself with a firm handshake; Don‘t fold your arms — you‘ll avoid looking defensive; Adjust your voice to a pleasant and comfortable volume; Avoid too much gesticulation — you‘ll lessen the chances that you‘ll convey something you don‘t want. Learn how to ―read‖ the nonverbal messages of your fellow communicators carefully: Observe the body language of your fellow communicators — but, listen to what they say first. Page 18 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication Educate yourself about the nonverbal norms of your teammates‘ cultures: If you‘re a manager, organize cross-cultural training about the matter; If you‘re an employee, make the individual initiative to learn about the nonverbal language use of other cultures represented in your team. Step #5: Learn how to express yourself in communication Learning how to express yourself in communication is one of the most important steps towards effective communication. After all, to be able to properly communicate, you‘ll need to be able to express your thoughts, ideas, opinions, and beliefs properly. How to properly express yourself in communication To properly express yourself in communication, you‘ll need to: Decide what you want to say first — formulate ideas and opinions in your mind before you articulate them; Do not generalize your points — instead, enrich them with the right amount of details, facts, and figures; use examples and visuals to illustrate your thoughts and ideas; Be assertive — say and do what you want in a clear and respectful manner, while valuing your thoughts, needs, and feelings, alongside the thoughts, needs, and feelings of fellow communicators: recognize your values — don‘t just attribute your failures to internal flaws and your successes to luck; be objective about your contributions instead; manage your rights — aim to understand your entitlements and benefits in the workplace; then, insist on them; manage your boundaries — aim to understand and respect your boundaries, to better manage stress and expectations; before being assertive, practice — think about what you want to say in a given situation, and practice how you‘ll say it. Speak up — during meetings, brainstorming sessions, or anytime when it‘s appropriate to speak up and you have something important to say, do so; Aim to stay on topic during arguments — start small and make it Page 19 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication your goal to get to the point as quickly as you can; use details, facts, examples, and visuals that add, rather than distract from your gist; Communicate at the right time — if you have a question at a meeting, ask it right away; if you know your colleagues will be busy at a certain time, ask them when they will be able to talk with you. Step #6: Learn how to actively listen to others Contributing to discussions, debates, decision-making processes, brainstorming sessions, and problem-solving meetings with your own thoughts, ideas, and opinions is one crucial element of effective communication. Listening to the thoughts, ideas, and opinions of others with methodical flair is equally important. However, the University of Missouri cites that studies show we tend to be poor listeners. Namely, while listening to a 10-minute presentation, the average listener hears, understands, and retains only 50% of what is said. Moreover, this percentage drops to just 25% 48 hours after the presentation. In the book he co-wrote with Leonard A. Stevens, ―Are you Listening?‖, Ralph G. Nichols, a retired professor at the University of Missouri, says that the ability to give speakers our full attention drops as we age: ―If we define the good listener as one giving full attention to the speaker, first-grade children are the best listeners of all.‖ Nichols has also cited the 10 worst listening habits of people in America — according to these habits, people fail to listen because they: Find the topic discussed uninterestingly; Find faults in the speaker (e.g. a lacking delivery or appearance); Focus on a particular argument made by the speaker and then try to find counterarguments to it; Focus more on facts, than the underlying idea; Page 20 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication Try to outline everything said — so they miss the gist; Fake attention while their minds wander off; Fall prey to distractions (e.g. distractions they create or tolerate); Focus on information that is easy to understand, and avoid the more difficult concepts; Let emotional words distract them; Waste the difference between thought speed and the speed at which people speak — i.e., ―thought power‖. How to actively listen to others To actively listen to others, you‘ll need to: Be open to new information — Enter each dialogue with the intention of learning something new; Be patient when listening to other people — don‘t interrupt them just because you think you have something important to say; Be neutral and nonjudgmental when replying — don‘t actively look for problems in other people‘s ideas, beliefs, and opinions; Provide the right nonverbal feedback while listening — for example, smile, maintain eye contact, and nod; Ask the right questions at the right time — both open-ended and close-ended Yes/No questions; Encourage the speaker with select phrases and positive feedback — for example, ―Tell me more about…‖, ―And this would work because…‖, etc; Reflect on what was said and summarize the speaker‘s main points — this way, you‘ll ensure you understand what is said; Ask for clarifications when needed — this way, you‘ll increase the amount of information you understand. Step #7: Avoid assumptions According to the definition, an assumption is ―something that you consider likely to be true even though no one has told you directly or even though you have no proof‖. Assumptions can quickly lead communication to the point of breakdown. You may assume you have larger knowledge/experience than a teammate because the colleague is younger than you. Page 21 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication You may assume others feel the same as you on a particular topic because they are listening to you without interrupting. All this can lead to misunderstandings and even conflicts. How to avoid assumptions To avoid assumptions, you‘ll need to: Assess your current beliefs: Think about the following — are you basing your assumptions on past experiences/knowledge, a personal opinion, or merely a gut feeling?; basing your assumptions on past experience/knowledge may have roots in reality, but basing them on a personal opinion or gut feeling fails to provide you with the credibility you need; Ask the right questions: Ask for extra detail about the opinions and ideas you suspect are faulty — perhaps the answers will give you the full picture you‘re currently missing; View the matter from different perspectives: Ask people for their interpretations of a controversial opinion or idea — perhaps they will be able to provide you will a better overview of the points you find controversial, and even encourage you to change your mind; Be specific: While arranging meeting points or making decisions, be clear on the where, when, who, and how. Step #8: Actively work on resolving conflicts According to a report titled: ―Workplace Conflict and How Businesses Can Harness It to Thrive‖, conflicts are a common occurrence in the workplace. Namely, as much as 85% of employees deal with conflict on a particular level. Moreover, for 29% of employees, conflict is a regular occurrence. The most common causes of conflict are: Page 22 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication Personality clashes and egos — in 49% of the cases; Stress — in 34% of the cases; Heavy workloads — in 33% of the cases; Poor leadership — in 29% of the cases; A lack of honesty and openness — in 26% of the cases. Conflicts disrupt a team‘s workflow and may cause further problems, such as: Personal attacks — according to 27% of employees; Absence and sickness — according to 25% of employees; Failed projects — according to 9% of employees. Moreover, 57% of people tend to feel negative emotions after conflicts: Demotivation — 21% of employees; Frustration and anger — 18% of employees; Nervousness, sleeplessness, and stress — 9% of employees. How to resolve conflicts effectively To resolve conflicts effectively, you‘ll need to: Talk with the other person — make sure it is at a convenient time and place; Identify and summarize the points you agree and disagree on — this tactic is a great starting point; Focus negative feedback on behavior or events — rather than on someone‘s personality; Listen to what the other person has to say — rather than think about your counterarguments; If you disagree on certain points, talk them through — until you reach a compromise; Focus on a priority area of conflict first — to ensure most of your time and energy are spent solving them before you move on to matters of lesser priority; Manage all questions — ask everything you want to know and make yourself available for questions; Maintain a collaborative attitude throughout the discussion — this will stop the conflict from escalating further; Page 23 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication Plan for the future — arrange additional meetings about the controversial points, if necessary. Step #9: Manage communication channels effectively A communication channel represents the means through which people communicate with each other in a business environment. They include hardware solutions (such as mobile phones or fax machines) and software solutions (such as team chat apps or project management tools). Office-based teams use them to centralize information and communicate with colleagues who are seated far away from their own workstations. They are a crucial element in the work lives of remote and hybrid teams who cannot communicate in real-time and/or in-person due to time and/or distance constraints (e.g. different time zones and/or continents). In line with that, a crucial step towards effective communication is learning how to manage communication channels. How to manage communication channels effectively To manage communication channels effectively, you‘ll need to: Think about your workflows — what type of communication channels you will need: Traditional channels of communication, such as phones? They are great for obtaining instant feedback; Internal versions of certain public systems, such as internal podcasts? They are great for culture building; Specialized channels of communication, such as project management tools? They are great for communicating project details; All-encompassing solutions such as team chat apps? They are great for instant messaging and topical discussions. Consider the following questions: Are your messages mostly formal or informal? Page 24 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication Does most of your information need to be easy to reference? Is most of your information confidential or sensitive? Is most of your information time-sensitive or urgent? Is most of your information general or specific? Do you tend to communicate with a group or individuals? Are the individuals and groups you communicate with your peers? Or are they at a higher hierarchy level than you? Does your communication tend to require a quick response? When does communication usually happen? (e.g. one-on-one meetings, team meetings, company meetings, etc.) What type of communication do you practice the most? (e.g. written, verbal, visual, etc.) Learn and/or train others on how to use the selected communication channels — the basics and finer points can be explained through: group training; official documentation; help pages on the app‘s website. Step #10: Be a responsive communicator Being responsive in communication means you are responding to the other communicators in a clear, direct, and most importantly, timely manner. High responsiveness is a crucial component in effective team communication because it helps teammates solve problems and make decisions faster, as well as save time overall. For example, 75% of emails get opened within the first hour, and 42% of emails get replied to during this time, according to Yesware statistics. However, the open/reply percentages are higher only at a later time. Namely, as much as 98% of emails get opened within the first day, and 95% get replies during this time. Another study shows that 52% of people respond to work-related emails within 12 and 24 hours — but, as many as 60% of people claim they may wait 2 days to reply to an email. In any case, waiting between 1 hour and 2 days for email replies Page 25 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication can harm your productivity. After all, getting a reply to your question within 5 minutes will help you get on track with work much faster than if you need to wait for hours or days. So, it‘s important you employ a suitable communication solution within your team — such as an instant messaging app for team communication. Pumble, as an example of an instant messaging team communication app How to be a responsive communicator To be a responsive communicator, you‘ll need to: Keep an eye on communication channels during work hours — keep an eye on notifications and check your official channels of communication regularly; Communicate when you‘ll be able to communicate — if you‘re working in a remote or hybrid team, make your work hours public (preferably, with an indication of how your work hours compared to Greenwich Mean Time — if your team operates in several different time zones); Communicate when you‘ll be unable to communicate — if you know you will be unavailable to talk or answer questions at a particular time, notify your colleagues and managers, with a special emphasis on the time when you will be available again. Step #11: Perfect your writing skills Written communication stands out as a dominant form of communication, alongside verbal communication — after all, most of us will opt to invite a teammate to chat in person or write them a message. In line with that, another crucial step on the road to effective team communication includes perfecting your writing skills. After all, it was Marvin H. Swift, Associate Professor of Communication at the General Motors Institute, who once said that ―Clear writing means clear thinking‖ — according to him, and other experts in the field of communication, being methodical about your writing skills can greatly improve the effectiveness of team Page 26 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication communication. How to perfect your writing skills To perfect your writing skills, you‘ll need to: Plan what you want to say — to make writing more effective; Identify your trouble spots and work on them — whether it be grammar, punctuation, vocabulary, etc.; Be direct — always start with your main point/argument, and add details later; Brian Garner, the author of The HBR Guide to Better Business Writing, says that an issue and its proposed solutions should always be summarized first, in ―no more than 150 words‖; Avoid wordiness — Brian Garner points out the problem of wordiness: ―The minute readers feel that a piece of writing is verbose they start tuning out‖; so, instead of being verbose, he proposes you: Delete prepositions (e.g. write ―viewpoint‖ instead of ―point of view‖ ); Replace –ion nouns with action verbs (e.g. write ―protect‖ instead of ―provide protection‖ ); Use contractions (e.g. write ―don‘t‖ instead of ―do not‖); Use strong verbs instead of ―is‖/‖are‖, ―was‖/‖were‖ (e.g. write ―suggest‖ instead of ―is suggested‖). Avoid buzzwords — these words and phrases have been overused to the point of losing any real meaning; Garner proposes you write a ―buzzwords blacklist‖ and include words and phrases such as ―actionable‖, ―core competency‖, and ―impactful‖ in it; Read before you hit ―send‖ — before sending out an instant message or email, proofread them for grammar, accuracy, and clarity; Be mindful of formatting — you‘ll get your points across better if you use bullet points than if you write incomprehensible blocks of text. Step #12: Adjust to the communication situation How a process of communication will unfold tends to depend on the communication situation you are in: Page 27 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication Is the situation formal or informal? Are you in a meeting? Are you providing feedback? Are you accepting feedback? Are you giving a presentation? Are you listening to a presentation? Are you interviewing a potential job candidate? Are you caught up in a conflict? Another important element in a communication situation that dictates how you should behave and respond are the people you are communicating with: Are you communicating with peers, superiors, or clients? How to adjust to the communication situation To adjust to the communication situation, you‘ll need to: Being able to recognize the formality of the situation — whether a situation is formal or informal (which, again, may depend on whether you are speaking with a peer, superior, or client) will determine the formality of speech/writing; Follow the situation‘s etiquette — meetings, feedback sessions, and presentations all have their etiquette: Meeting etiquette: Be punctual; Speak loud enough when it‘s your time to speak; Actively listen to others when it‘s their time to speak; Contribute with meaningful information when you can. Etiquette for providing feedback: Ask for permission to give feedback; Base negative feedback on behavior and not the person; Explain the impact of a negative behavior; Discuss one issue at a time; Suggest concrete steps for improvements. Etiquette for accepting feedback: Listen attentively; Recognize good intentions; Ask for additional pointers on how to improve; Summarize the feedback; Page 28 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication Be gracious to the feedback provider. Presentation etiquette for the speakers: Arrive earlier to prepare everything; At the end of the presentation, thank the audience for listening; Don‘t be defensive come question time — instead, answer the questions patiently by using facts, figures, examples, and anything else that supports your claims; Be mindful of your nonverbal communication — don‘t gesticulate too much, to avoid distracting the audience; Use your visual aids with care — no more than 5-6 bullet points per presentation slide; if you can use an example or image to illustrate a point, do so; Presentation etiquette for the audience: Don‘t talk, unless you‘re asked to participate; Don‘t interrupt the speakers — instead, ask questions during question time; Turn off mobile phones; Listen attentively. Step #13: Follow the four NVC steps The four NVC steps (NVC stands for Nonviolent Communication, but the abbreviation also often refers to Compassionate Communication) help you consciously use words to express what you want. The concept, developed by Marshall Rosenberg, PH.D., includes the following steps: Observations; Feelings; Needs; Requests. In a business setting, these steps help increase the chances you‘ll establish mutual understanding with teammates. They also help teams make the following improvements: Boost communication skills overall; Improve self-awareness; Page 29 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication Grow their management skills; Strengthen interpersonal relationships; Solve conflicts easier and quicker; React properly to unexpected developments; Take care of personal needs, while having in mind the needs of others; Positively influence the organization as a whole. How to follow the four NVC steps To follow the four steps of NVC, you‘ll need to: Start with the observations step — Observe what you hear or see without evaluating or judging. By doing so, you‘ll add objective data to your opinions. Example: ―Jake ignored my opinion at today‘s daily meeting.‖ Move on to the feelings step — Express your feelings in a reasonable amount for a business environment. By doing so, you‘ll decrease the chances of having your bottled-up emotions and repressed opinions burst out unexpectedly. Example: ―I feel disappointed when my opinion is ignored at daily meetings.‖ Advance with the needs step — Express your true needs directly if you want them fulfilled. By doing so, you avoid sounding overly critical to people (as opposed to expressing needs indirectly, through judgments, evaluation, and unsupported opinions). Example: ―When you don‘t finish your part of the work on time, I feel disappointed because I want to be able to rely on you.‖ End with the requests step — Avoid vague, abstract, or ambiguous statements. Instead, use concrete, positive language. By doing so, you‘ll seem more action-oriented. Example: ―I would prefer if you were to knock before you enter my office, please.‖ Wrapping up The road to effective team communication is a clear and easy one if you follow the right steps. So, follow the 7 Cs of effective communication — make your communication clear, coherent, confident, correct, concise, concrete, and courteous. Page 30 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication Make the effort to establish and maintain trust among teammates. Aim to recognize and overcome physical, perceptual, emotional, cultural, language, gender, and interpersonal barriers to effective communication. Learn how to manage your personal nonverbal communication and the nonverbal communication of fellow communicators. Learn how to express your thoughts, ideas, and opinions in communication. Learn how to listen to others attentively. Avoid assumptions about other people and certain topics. Actively work on resolving conflicts. Make the effort to select and use the communication channels that fit your team‘s workflow. Be a responsive communicator. Perfect your writing skills. Adjust your approach to the communication situation. Follow the four steps of nonviolent communication (NVC) — make observations, manage your feelings, act on your needs, and use concrete, positive language when making requests. As a result, you‘ll establish effective communication in your team, which will help you establish, maintain, and enjoy better teamwork. 4.3 Role of Body Language in Communication Body language is used in nearly every aspect of daily life, and Page 31 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication observing someone can sometimes tell you a lot about how a person is feeling and what is on their mind. For example, in poker, people try to limit their body language to prevent others from guessing their hand or what they might do. Without saying anything, body language can often get a person's point across. This article will discuss how body language became a necessary part of our communication palette and why it continues to be that way. What is Body Language? Body language is a form of non-verbal communication, which includes actions and mannerisms such as: Facial expressions Gestures Posture Head movement Eye contact All of these are universal to all humans, and people can perform them consciously or subconsciously to convey their thoughts and feelings towards countless things. In fact, body language is believed to constitute about half of what we are trying to communicate. [1] However, this can depend greatly on context; for example, a person does not always need to verbally say \"no\" to communicate that something is wrong or that they disagree with what a person is saying. Instead, they can shake their head from side to side to communicate the same thing. Nonetheless, we all use various forms of body language in communication every single day, which is then interpreted by others. If a student is slouching in their chair in class and is making indirect eye contact, this will signal to the instructor that they are bored. It can also be used to enhance our verbal communication skills, and these often complement each other very well. For instance, if Page 32 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication someone is asking for directions in a store on where to find a product and an employee merely says \"over there,\" this information is not entirely helpful to the customer because it is too vague. At that point, the employee can be more specific with the location of the item by stating what aisle or department it is in; however, more often than not they will also gesture and point in the direction that the person should be headed in. Even if the employee was not very specific, and they said \"over there\" while also pointing, it still would be more helpful than the original scenario with no body language at all. You may not have realized it until now, but body language plays a major role in your everyday interactions, which is why it is one of the most popular topics within communication studies. In fact, it has been of interest for thousands of years - even the Ancient Greeks interpreted the meanings behind human physical behavior. [1] Body Language as a Form of Unconscious Communication The previous section discussed a couple of examples that show how movement can be used to enhance speech. However, body language psychology also considers unconscious communication as well, because although these physical cues are unintentional, they can still be interpreted by others. Take law enforcement as an example - a forensic psychologist or someone working with intelligence is trained to notice micro- expressions or quick full-faced expressions of emotion that are brief due to their unconscious nature. [2] People who are in charge of carrying out investigations are interested in these nonverbal cues because they can indicate whether a person is lying or trying to conceal something from the interrogator. They can happen in a split second, but if an observer slows or freezes a video, Page 33 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication they can witness a clear change in expression in that small moment in time. Some other common situations where unconscious body language can occur are during periods of experiencing nervousness or attraction, and, as always, this can vary from person to person. For example, someone might cough when placed in a scenario that makes them nervous, whereas another might touch their face or scratch themselves as though they have an itch. Most people are unaware of their body language in these situations due to them being performed on a largely subconscious level. However, to others they are observable, and over time people might notice patterns. This is especially true for people who interact with each other regularly, such as between parents and their kids. Because they know each other‘s baseline or default personality, someone can spot when something is off by noticing changes in body language. For instance, if a boy lies to his mother about where he is going, he might exhibit distinct body cues that he normally would not do, such as avoiding eye contact or talking more rapidly. Evolution & the Origins of Body Language The use of body language actually pre-dates any spoken or written language that has been created by humans. Since they do not have the same vocal anatomy and brain size to produce speech as humans do, non-human primates constantly use body language to communicate with each other in addition to vocalizations. It is also believed that genetic differences are similarly responsible for why we can speak while our closest ancestors, chimpanzees, and bonobos, cannot. A variation of the FOXP2 gene is suggested to be the reason why this is the case, and humans had a unique mutation of it. This mutation had to have occurred within the last 4 to 6 million Page 34 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication years because that is when the last common ancestor of the Homo and Pan species lived. [3] The mutation stuck around rather than gradually being bred out because the resulting increased communication abilities increased our individual and species‘ survival. Although they cannot speak like we can, studying non-human apes provides us great insight as to why body language developed in the first place. We can observe them and see how they use them to communicate with one another. In fact, the need to communicate is the reason why body language developed in the first place, aside from vocalizations. Gestures have been noted numerous times in monkeys and all of the great apes to produce different signals, some of which are also used by humans. For example, a hard touch or brush of the hand can tell another individual to stop, whereas a soft one or a light pull can be more inviting. Some species, such as orangutans, also embrace one another. Others have unique forms of body language to communicate. Male gorillas will attempt to show dominance by standing up on two legs and beating their chest. Despite this being exclusive to gorillas, humans also have ways to assert dominance and strength non- verbally, such as standing with our feet set at a wider stance than usual. Some primates, such as chimpanzees and bonobos, are also known to pout; however, instead of signaling sadness or disappointment, pouting usually means that they want something related to food or grooming. [4] In primates, gestures are also often accompanied by facial expressions and eye contact. Baring teeth is universally a sign of aggression among non-human primates; on the other hand, lip- smacking can be a friendly facial signal and is a form of submission in some situations. As our brains have grown and our facial structure has changed over time, humans have been able to utilize their own ways of using body language in communication. While we usually do not show our teeth Page 35 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication as a primary way to be aggressive, we have other ways to convey the same message, such as scowling, glaring, or using unique gestures like using the \"middle finger,\" which happens to tie in with language and culture. Certain actions have been phased out in favor of newer ones like these, but by researching non-human primates, we can better understand how we used body language early in our evolution as a species and how that has influenced our growth and development. Conclusion: The Importance of Body Language in Modern Society In today's digital age, many people rely on social media and text messaging to communicate with each other, as it offers a very convenient way to do so. Although virtual interaction allows people to talk at their leisure and can minimize social pressure and anxiety for some, certain things are lost in doing so – by being unable to see the person as you are speaking with them, you might miss important non-verbal cues on top of verbal ones like vocal inflections. Online communication is becoming the primary modality for millions of people, and there is the possibility that body language will continue to evolve to accommodate this. However, body language has been around for millions of years, and despite it being absent in certain situations, it is still very much relevant, and it will continue to be for the foreseeable future, as long as people keep interacting face-to-face. Research has shown that body language is vital for human cognitive functioning because it helps enhance the transferring of information and lexical retrieval. [4] Producing gestures is ingrained in all of us, and this is evident because individuals who are blind also use them, along with facial expressions, at the same rate as people who have sight. [4] Interpreting body language is an ability that people who have sight Page 36 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Art Of Public Speaking: Basic Communication possess, yet those without the sense of sight still utilize body language no matter who their audience is. Page 37 of 37 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022