EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

MODULE

CASA Approved Instructor: Reuben O’Connor

[email protected]

Port Moresby
 Module Objectives
• Discuss effective communication principles and techniques
and how it affects the learning process.
• Help the instructor understand effective communication
principles, recognize barriers to communication and develop
communication skills to use when teaching.
• Help the Instructor develop communications skills to convey
desired information to the students recognising that
communication is a two-way process.
• In the end, the true test of whether successful
communication has taken place is to determine if the
desired results have been achieved.
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION?

Communication takes place when one

person transmits ideas or feelings to
another person or group of people. The
effectiveness of the communication is
measured by the similarity between the
idea transmitted and the idea received.
PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION
The process of communication is
composed of three elements:

• Source (sender, speaker, writer,

encoder, transmitter, or
instructor)
• Symbols used in composing and
transmitting the message (words
or signs (model prop/desk lamp
in Figure 3-1))
• Receiver (listener, reader,
decoder, or student)
 Using Symbols in Communication
Symbols
-effective communication is achieved through symbols, which are
simple oral and visual codes. The words in the vocabulary constitute a
basic code.
-Common gestures and facial expressions form another, but words
and gestures alone do not communicate ideas.
-Ideas are communicated only when symbols are combined in
meaningful wholes, as in ideas, sentences, paragraphs, speeches, or
chapters that mean something to the receiver. When symbols are
combined into these units, each portion becomes important to
effective communication.
-The feedback an instructor is getting from a student needs to be
constantly monitored in order to modify the symbols, as required, to
optimize communication (refer figure 3.2).
Instructor Monitoring Communication

ESTJ ISTJ ENTJ INTJ

ESTP ISTP ENTP INTP

ESFJ ISFJ ENFJ INFJ

ESFP ISFP ENFP INFP

 Receiver of Communication
3 Characteristics of Receivers Instructor’s Note
Abilities of a student An instructor needs to determine the abilities of
the student in order to properly communicate. One
factor that can have an effect on student ability is
his or her background. For example, consider how
familiar the student may be with aviation.
Attitudes of a student The attitudes students exhibit may indicate
resistance, willingness, or passive neutrality
Experiences of a studen Student experience, background, and educational
level determine the approach an instructor takes.
What the student knows, along with student
abilities and attitudes, guides the instructor in
communicating.
4 BARRIERS OF E/COMMUNICATION
4 BARRIERS TO E/COMMUNICATION
4 BARRIERS TO E/COMMUNICATION Instructor’s Note
Lack of Common Experience Communication can be effective only to the extent
that the experiences (physical, mental, and
emotional) of the people concerned are similar.
Confusion between the Symbol & Confusion between the symbol and the symbolized
the Symbolized object object results when a word is confused with what
it is meant to represent.
Over-use of Abstractions Abstractions are words that are general rather than
specific. E.g. “Aircraft engines”: When an instructor
refers to aircraft engines in general, some students
might think of jet engines, while others would
think of reciprocating engines.
Interference Interference, or the prevention of a process or
activity from being carried out properly, is
composed of factors outside the control of the
instructor These factors include physiological,
environmental, and psychological interference.
DEVELOPING COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS
Some Keys Instructor’s Note
Role Playing Role playing is a method of learning in which students perform a
particular role. In role playing, the learner is provided with a general
description of a situation and then applies a new skill or knowledge to
perform the role. Experience in instructional communication comes
from actually doing it and is learned in the beginning by role playing
during the instructor’s initial training.
Instructional Instruction has taken place when the instructor has explained a
Communication particular procedure and subsequently determined that the desired
student response has occurred.
Listening Instructors must know something about their students in order to
communicate effectively. As discussed earlier, an instructor needs to
determine the abilities of the students and understand the students to
properly communicate. One way of becoming better acquainted with
students is to be a good listener. Instructors can improve the
percentage of information transfer by teaching students how to listen.
DEVELOPING COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS
Some Keys Instructor’s Note
Questioning Good questioning can determine how well the student understands what
is being taught. It also shows the student that the instructor is paying
attention and that the instructor is interested in the student’s response.
An instructor should ask focused, open-ended questions and avoid closed-
ended questions.
Focussed Qs Focused questions allow the instructor to concentrate on desired areas.
An instructor may ask for additional details, examples, and impressions
from the student. This allows the instructor to ask further questions if
necessary. The presentation can then be modified to fit the understanding
of the student.
Open-Ended Qs Open-ended questions are designed to encourage full, meaningful
Vs Closed-Ended answers using the student’s own knowledge and perceptions while
Qs closed-ended questions encourage a short or single-word answer. Open-
ended questions, which typically begin with words such as “why” and
“how” tend to be more objective and less leading than closed-ended
questions. Often open-ended questions are not technically questions, but
statements that implicitly ask for completion. An instructor’s ability to ask
open-ended questions is an important skill to develop.
Effective Questioning
-To be effective, questions, regardless of the type,
must be adapted to the ability, experience, and
stage of training of the student.
-Effective questions and, therefore, effective
communications center on only one idea.
-A single question should be limited to who, what,
when, where, why, or how and not a combination of
these.
-Effective questioning must present a challenge to
the student. Questions of suitable difficulty serve to
stimulate learning.
Paraphrasing & Perception Checking
-Two ways of confirming that the student and instructor
understand things in the same way are the use of
paraphrasing and perception checking.

1)The instructor can use paraphrasing to show what the

student’s statement meant to the instructor. In this way, the
student can then make any corrections or expansions on the
statement in order to clarify.
2)Perception checking gets to the feelings of the student,
again by stating what perceptions the instructor has of the
student’s behavior that the student can then clarify as
necessary.
Paraphrasing & Perception Checking
Since it is important that the instructor understand as much as
possible about the students, instructors can be much more
effective by using improved listening skills and effective
questions to help in putting themselves in the place of the
students (Empathy).

Questions should be phrased to focus the student on the

decision-making process and the exercise of good judgment.

Knowledge of the subject material and skill at instructional

communication are necessary to be an instructor. Increasing
the depth of knowledge in either area makes the instructor
more effective.
Paraphrasing & Perception Checking
Since it is important that the instructor understand as much as
possible about the students, instructors can be much more
effective by using improved listening skills and effective
questions to help in putting themselves in the place of the
students (Empathy).

Questions should be phrased to focus the student on the

decision-making process and the exercise of good judgment.

Knowledge of the subject material and skill at instructional

communication are necessary to be an instructor. Increasing
the depth of knowledge in either area makes the instructor
more effective.
Instructional Enhancement/Training
-An instructor never stops learning

-The more an instructor knows about a subject, the better

the instructor is at conveying that information. E.g. a
maintenance instructor teaching basic electricity might be
able to teach at a minimally satisfactory level if the
instructor had only the same training level as that being
taught.

-Additional knowledge and training would also bolster the

instructor’s confidence and give the instructional
presentation more depth.