UCU100 INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION SKILLS – MADAM ANN WAHITO (MUT)

Introduction to Communication Skills

Definition: Communication (from the Latin word “communis” which means to make common
or to share) is the activity of conveying information through the exchange of thoughts, messages
or information. It is the meaningful exchange of information between two or more persons. It
can also be defined as any act by which one person gives to or receives information from
another person about that person’s needs, desires, perceptions, knowledge or affective state. It is
the process by which meaning is exchanged between individuals or an individual and a group
through a common system of symbols, signs and behavior.

Important to note

 Communication is considered a process because it involves a series of actions that has no

beginning or end and that is constantly changing. It goes on all the time and it depends on the
interrelationships among people, environments, skills, attitudes, status, experiences and
feelings. The exchange of meaning is dynamic. The critical element of communication is
the changing nature of its occurrence.
 Communication is interactional in that people take turns at sending and receiving messages.
 Communication is also a transaction where each person communicates simultaneously. This
does not mean that they speak at the same time; it means they are aware of each other and
they are reacting to each other. Each one is actively involved in what is happening. The
sender is also a receiver and the receiver is also a sender.
Communication can be explained as the following:

1. A mental or psychological process which all starts in the mind.

2. A dynamic process that challenges what you say and how you say it at a particular
moment.
3. A transactional process that involves an exchange of ideas, information, feelings,
attitudes, beliefs and impressions.
4. A multilevel process in an organization that involves the organizational hierarchy, from
top to bottom and across horizontal levels. It is an interaction process in the corporate
world.
5. Cultural interaction where people in groups converse and share ideas in social gatherings.

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6. A disseminating process that involves passing on information to masses through the

media.
7. A transformational process that motivates and fosters growth and mutual understanding
Communication effectiveness:
Effective communication is all about conveying your messages to other people clearly. It’s also
about receiving information that others are sending to you with as little distortion as possible.
For a message to be effective, it should:
1. Be understood – there should be a common understanding of the message from both the
sender’s and the receiver’s perspectives.
2. Achieve its intended effect – we always communicate for a reason e.g. speaking in public to
inform, entertain or persuade in small groups to solve problems and make decisions. In
interpersonal relationships to build trust, develop intimacy or just enjoy someone’s company
or even simply to make human contact, to establish a relationship or just to be with someone.
3. Be ethical – ethics are the beliefs, values and moral principles by which we determine what is
right or wrong. They are critical components of human behaviour in a given culture. For most
people it means being sensitive to others’ needs, giving people choices rather than forcing them
to believe in a certain way, keeping private information that others want to remain private and
being honest in presenting information.
Effective communication must apply the following seven essentials called the 7cs to ensure that
your communication is coherent and easy to follow.
1. Clarity – refers to being specific rather than vague when communicating. It entails using
familiar words and short sentences, presenting only one idea in a sentence, avoiding
jargon and using language that the listener/reader will understand.
2. Completeness – means including details so that the recipient will not need to ask for
more information. The communication should answer the following questions: who,
what, where, when, why, how, how much?
3. Concise - avoid unnecessary words that could hamper the same communication. Such
extra words may clutter the message and make it distorted. Include only relevant
material and avoid unnecessary repetition.
4. Consistency – all communication should be consistent in fact, treatment and sequence.
Consistency in fact this refers to agreement with a source document or an established fact

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e.g. an exam scheduled for 31st April should be questioned since April has only 30 days.
Consistency in treatment means treating similar items the same way e.g. using the
courtesy title Mr. Mrs. Ms. With names indicated in a document. Consistency in
sequence refers to the arrangement of listings such as alphabetical, chronological or
numerical order.
5. Correctness – sometimes used in the place of consistency. All information in the
message should be accurate – the content, spelling, capitalization, punctuation. There
should be use of proper grammar and paragraphing. The writing mechanisms should be
acceptable.
6. Consideration – this applies sympathy, the human touch and understanding of the
human nature. It means the message is sent with the receiver in mind. Try and visualize
your readers, their desires, problems, emotions, circumstances and possible reaction to
your communication.
7. Courtesy – build goodwill at all times. Be sincerely tactful, thoughtful and appreciative.
Use expressions that show respect and choose expressions that do not discriminate.

Importance of studying Communication

Communication is central to human life. You will engage in it every moment of your life.
Experts believe that poor communication is the root of many of our problems.

Communication promotes motivation by informing and clarifying the employees about the
task to be done, the manner they are performing the task, and how to improve their
performance if it is not up to the mark. Better understanding between employers and
employees, greater efficiency at the work place, effective co-ordination therefore leading to
improved public relations and good reputation. This further leads to better business
prospects.

Communication also assists in controlling processes. It helps controlling organizational

member’s behavior in various ways. There are various levels of hierarchy and certain
principles and guidelines that employees must follow in an organization. They must comply
with organizational policies, perform their job role efficiently and communicate any work

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problem and grievance to their superiors. Thus, communication helps in controlling function
of management.

Communication is a source of information to the organizational members for decision-

making process as it helps identifying and assessing alternative course of actions.

Communication also plays a crucial role in altering individual’s attitudes, i.e., a well-
informed individual will have better attitude than a less-informed individual. Organizational
magazines, journals, meetings and various other forms of oral and written communication
help in moulding employee’s attitudes.

Communication also helps us in socializing. In today’s life the only presence of another
individual fosters communication. It is also said that one cannot survive without
communication.

Why study Communication

1) It helps us in understanding ourselves and our insight of others.
2) It helps to improve our self-worth/image and leads to more positive feelings of ourselves.
3) It can increase our knowledge about human relationships and about communication in
different situations.
4) It can teach us important life-skills like problem solving, decision making, public speaking
etc. All these are important in academic and career development.
5) It helps us succeed professionally. The ability to listen and analyze messages is considered an
essential professional skill. Employers regard highly written, oral and other communication
competencies.
6) Poor communication may lead to misunderstanding, frustration, being ignored by others,
unsuccessful careers, among many other negative consequences.

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Qualities/Principles of Communication

1. Communication is always happening – at the intrapersonal level where you are

always thinking, planning, meditating as well as observing, gathering information,

making conclusions. At the interpersonal level as you interact with each other.

2. Communication is dynamic – all elements of the communication affect each other as

it progresses.

3. Communication is irreversible – you cannot take back something once its

communicated, even if you can, it cannot be completely erased.

4. Communication has a content and relationship dimension – content is the

information that a source desires to communicate, which has to be packaged in a

strategic manner to elicit the desired reaction. Relationship dimension constitutes of

the elements in the communication that seek to signal and acknowledge the state of

social relation between the communicating parties. e.g. if a lecturer enters a lecture

room with unzipped trousers and you wish to alert him to this fact, you will not just

blurt it to him, you will need to choose your words carefully, sensitive to the

awkward situation and recognizing his superior position in relation to you as a

student.

5. Communication is contextual – it does not occur in a vacuum. It involves various

aspects of the environment in which it takes place. The psychological context is the

needs, desires, values personality etc. of the people involved. Situational context is

the place and time of communication, which affects what and how we communicate.

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Environmental context is the physical features of the communication setting such as

noise level, cultural context, objects available in the setting etc.

6. Communication is complicated – it involves choice about multiple aspects of the

message, the channel as well as the non-verbal behavior to be used. It is also

complicated because of our differing perception of the same object that we may wish

to communicate about.

Madam Ann Wahito

0727201017
Notes prepared for; Muranga University of Technology

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