Module 2- Basic Concepts for

Effective Communication

Learning Outcomes

1. Discuss the nature and importance of

communication
2. Determine the importance of effective
listening
3. Identify the barriers to effective
communication and discuss how these may be
overcome
4. Practice effective verbal and nonverbal
communication during social interactions
NATURE AND ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION

Communication is the process of sending and receiving messages

through verbal or nonverbal means, including speech, or oral
communication; writing and graphical representations (such as infographics,
maps, and charts); and signs, signals, and behavior. More simply,
communication is said to be "the creation and exchange of meaning
(Nordquist, 2019).

It has been called the most practical of the academic disciplines. Even
the most theoretical and philosophical communication scholars are also
practitioners of communication, and even though one has likely never taken
another communication studies class, he/ she has a lifetime of experience
communicating. This experiential knowledge provides a useful foundation
and a starting point from which one can build the knowledge and practice
the skills necessary to become a more competent and ethical communicator.
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LISTENING

Are you an effective listener?

Listening is one of the four fundamental linguistics skills. Also, it is an

essential area in communication because we spend most of our time in work
and play, where we do a lot of listening. Oftentimes, however, we do not
listen effectively. Studies show that we can recall only 50% of what we hear
and eight hours later, we can recall only 25% of the entire message (Temple,
1989).

According to Deigton (1971), listening, in some ways, is more

complicated than reading. You cannot re-listen as you can reread. The
listener must be determined and word meaning must be perceived
immediately.

As a student, you need to improve your listening skills, as this play

significant role in the communicative process. When you are on the listening
end, you have the responsibility to encourage effective communication by
giving the speaker the courtesy of your full attention. If the receiver fails to
listen or to understand the sender of the message, there is no interaction;
hence, communication is neither complete nor meaningful.

GETTING WHAT YOU WANT, NOT WHAT YOU NEED:

 Whereas passive listening behaviors involve just letting the words
come and go, active listening behaviors are specific behaviors like
determining organization, asking questions, silently paraphrasing, attending
to nonverbal cues, and taking notes that help you turn a speech into a kind
of dialogue (Verdeber, 1999).

The Selective Approach .Selective listening is nearly as common as

passive listening. Selective listening is most commonly defined as hearing
what you want to hear. When you hear the message you want to hear, you
may function as a more engaged and understanding listener. But when you
don’t want to hear about the particular message being delivered, you tend to
tune out or become reactive to the speaker. In other words, you’re
consistently inconsistent in your listening efforts when you function as a
selective listener.

Someone who is listening in a selective manner to a message that he

or she doesn’t want to hear displays these behaviors:

- Gives looks of disinterest

- Looks away at other things — a watch, papers, and so on
- Sits by quietly
- Reacts with high degrees of emotion, such as being defensive or
debating every point
- Jumps in before the speaker has finished and takes over the
conversation as a speaker
- Changes the subject
- Asks a question about a point of self-interest, sometimes in an
interrogating manner, that doesn’t fit in the speaker’s current message

Judgmental actions by a listener, from tuning out to reacting harshly,

create barriers in conversation. They put up hurdles that cause the listener
not to get the full message and add strain and tension to the working
relationship.
 Falling into the trap of being a selective listener is easy to do. Humans
have emotions and biases, and sometimes, something a speaker says
triggers those emotions and biases.

In addition, people are selective not just based on what they hear — the
subject matter — but also on who is speaking and how the message is
presented.

GRABBING THE FACTS:

The attentive approach functioning as an attentive listener is more

productive than functioning as either a passive or a selective listener. When
you function as an attentive listener, you are more engaged and less
judgmental, both nonverbally and verbally. Attentive listeners display these
behaviors:

- Give steady eye contact to the speaker

- Show interested looks and sincere facial expressions.
- Nod to indicate understanding.
- Provide simple verbal acknowledgments (“I see,” “Okay,” “Yes,” and so
on) to encourage the speaker to express his or her message.
- Raise questions to begin to draw out the message.
- Ask questions that seek greater detail out of the message.

People are not born with the ability to listen effectively; listening skills are
learned. We should appreciate the importance of efficient listening. However,
such efficiency is reduced, if one has developed some barriers to good
listening.
Barriers to Good Listening Overcoming Barriers to Good
Listening
Prejudging Adapt to the speaker’s delivery
Criticizing Delivery and Physical Avoid jumping to conclusions
Appearance
Listening too Hard Keep your focus
Intrusion of the Past Avoid overreacting emotionally to a
message
Drifting thoughts Summarize mentally what the speaker
has said
Other factors: Listen with eyes and ears

Lack of rest

Poor nutrition

Lack of interest in the topic

Personality of the speaker

Environment

In addition to these listening barriers, communication breakdowns also

happen due to other factors. Communication process has multiple barriers.
The intended message will often be disturbed and distorted leading to a
condition of misunderstanding and failure of communication. These could be
of many types like:

Linguistic Barriers - The fact that each major region has its own language is
one of the barriers to effective communication. Sometimes
even a thick dialect may render the communication
ineffective.

Psychological Barriers- Some people have stage fear, speech disorders,

phobia, depression etc. All of these conditions are very
 difficult to manage sometimes and will most certainly limit
the ease of communication.

Emotional Barriers- Emotions like anger, frustration, humour, can blur the
decision-making capacities of a person and thus limit the
effectiveness of their communication.

Physical Barriers (within an organizational structure) - They include barriers

like noise, closed doors, faulty equipment used for
communication, closed cabins and the like. Sometimes, in a
large office, the physical separation between various
employees combined with faulty equipment may result in
severe barriers to effective communication.

Cultural Barriers of Communication- Different cultures have a different

meaning for several basic values of society. Dressing,
Religions or lack of them, food, drinks, pets, and the general
behaviour will change drastically from one culture to another.

Organisational Structure Barriers- Most of these barriers arise because of

misinformation or lack of appropriate transparency available
to the employees.

Attitude Barriers- Some people have attitude issues, like huge ego and
inconsiderate behaviours.

Perception Barriers- Different people perceive the same things differently.

This is a fact which we must consider during the
communication process. Knowledge of the perception levels
of the audience is crucial to effective communication.

Physiological Barriers- Certain disorders or diseases or other limitations like

the shrillness of voice, dyslexia and the like are some
examples of physiological barriers to effective
communication.

Technological Barriers & Socio-religious Barriers- The technology is

developing fast and as a result, it becomes difficult to keep
up with the newest developments. Hence sometimes the
technological advance may become a barrier. In addition to
this, the cost of technology is sometimes very high.
Other barriers are socio-religious barriers. In a patriarchal society, a woman
or a transgender may face many difficulties and barriers while
communicating.

VERBAL AND NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

Verbal Communication is the transmission of ideas, opinions,

feelings, emotions or attitudes through the use of words through comments,
questions or reactions. Consider appropriateness, brevity, clarity, ethics, and
vividness when engaging in this type of communication.

1. Appropriateness -the language that you use should be appropriate to the

environment or occasion (i.e., whether formal or informal).

2. Brevity -speakers who often use simple yet precise and powerful words
are found to be more credible. Try to achieve brevity by being more
direct with your words. Avoid fillers and insubstantial expressions
which do not add to the message, such as “uh,” “you know,” “I
guess,” and others.

3. Clarity - the meanings of words, feelings, or ideas may be interpreted

differently by a listener; hence, it is essential for you to clearly state
your message and express your ideas and feelings.

4. Ethics - words should be carefully chosen in consideration of the gender,

roles, ethnicity, preferences, and status of the person or people you
are talking to.

5. Vividness - words that vividly or creatively describe things or feelings

usually add color and spice to communication. Hence, you are
 encouraged to find ways to charm your audience through the use of
vivid words.

Nonverbal communication, on the other hand, refers to the sending of

message to another person utilizing methods or means other than words
such as facial expression, gesture or eye contact.

Nonverbal communication plays a significant role in our lives, as it can

improve a person’s ability to relate, engage, and establish meaningful
interactions in everyday life. A better understanding of this type of
communication may lead people to develop stronger relationships with
others. Often referred to as body language, nonverbal communication can
take many forms and may be interpreted in multiple ways by different
people, especially across cultures.

Non-Verbal Communication can…

- Repeat the verbal message (point in a direction while stating directions)

-Accent a verbal message (verbal tone indicates the actual meaning of the
specific words)

-Complement the verbal message (a nod reinforces a positive message,

based on culture)

- Contradict the verbal message (saying something is true while avoiding eye
contact or nervously fidgeting)
-Regulate interactions (touching someone’s arm to signal that you want to
talk next)

-Substitute for the verbal message (especially if it is blocked by noise,

interruption; nodding instead of saying yes.

-Change the meaning of words (e.g. saying “Okay” as a scream or a whisper)