MBEYA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES AND BUSINESS STUDIES

DEPARTMENT OF HUMANITIES
UQF8 FIRST YEAR
ACADEMIC YEAR: 2021/2022 (SEMESTER ONE)
HS 8101: COMMUNICATION SKILLS
PROGRAMMES :
BACHELOR ELECTRICAL, ARCHITECTURE, COMPUTER SCIENCE, DATA SCIENCE,
TELECOMMUNICATION, ICT, TECHNICAL EDUCATION & FOOD SCIENCE
COURSE FACILITATOR: MR. Stephen, P. N
[OFFICE: Electrical Wing, Basement Room 018-A]
 1. THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS
The Concept of Communication
• Communication is every day and every one activity
• People earn money, connect to fellows, and their God through
communication
• The term communication according to Timm (1986) is traced from
the Latin word “communicare” which means ‘to make common’.
• The idea is that when I share my idea with somebody else, means
that idea becomes common therefore, we have communicated
• Is the art and process of creating and sharing ideas (MTD, 2012)
• It occurs intentionally, unintentionally, consciously or unconsciously.
 ..Cont.
• For example; smiling, speaking to someone, shaking hands, a picture on the
wall, a smell of a nice perfume, a dog barking, a tree shading leaves, a loud
music, dressing style etc.
• All these communicate a certain message, thus, communication is not limited
to human beings.
• Other entities such as animals, objects, plants etc. also communicate various
messages
• People communicate with each other at home, at work place, in classroom, in
vehicles , in public gathering etc.
• Communication forms an integral part of everyday human activities
•Advancement of service and technology has made communication even easier
through television, radio, mobile phones, magazines, internet etc.
Defining Features of Communication

The process of communication depends on the elements of communication which

make it complete. The elements of communication are;
i. Presence of sender: source of communication, encodes the message
ii. Receiver: destination of the message, decodes the message. Receiver can be
intended or unintended.
iii. Message: information you intend to communicate. Have various meanings
depending on context.
iv. Channel: medium you use to convey the message; speaking, writing, body
movement etc. It is like a vehicle that carries the message to receiver.
 ..Cont.

v. Setting/context: A combination of circumstances that influence a piece of

communication at a certain point of time.
Situation in which you communicate. Physical environment, time of a day,
relationship btn interlocutors , culture etc.
vi. Feedback: The immediate response of the receiver to the message. Helps to
gauge success of the communication.
vii. Noise: any thing that interferes/disrupts the communication process, physical
or psychological.
viii. Effect: desired change after communication. The messages we send and
receive are powerful enough to cause action, change the state of being and
influence particular behavior. For example: when someone decides to commit
suicide after receiving the message.
Types of Communication

Criteria:
1) Number of individuals
a) Intrapersonal communication: within one self
b) Interpersonal communication: among at least two people
 Small group communication. Just few individuals are involved
 Large group communication. Big number of people are involved
 Public communication: Occurs when one individual address the
audiences.
Here both the speaker and the audiences should be present in the setting
where communication takes place for example public speech and public
lectures
 ..Cont.

 Mass communication: Occurs when an individual delivers the message

to the mass. In mass communication it is not necessary for a speaker to
be together with the audience in the same setting. For example, news
presentation in a radio or TV programmes, films, movies and numerous
theatric performances on TV.
2) Channel
a) Verbal communication
 Involves exchange of information using spoken words
 Commonly referred to as oral communication
 Occurs in meetings, talks, discussions, presentations, interviews,
speeches etc.
 ..Cont.

b) Nonverbal communication
This is wordless form of communication
It takes the form of postures, gestures, facial expression, tones etc.
Cues and signs are the main tools used in this type
C) Written communication
Here you communicate through writings
 Possible with literate people only (writing&reading)
Commonly used in formal settings
Letters, reports, research papers, articles, note taking etc.
 ..cont.
3) Power Relation
a) Vertical communication: people with differences in power and
status
-Top-down communication
- Down-top communication

b) Horizontal communication: people with equivalent power and

status
Effective Communication
What is Effective Communication?
o The meaning of effective communication can be delivered from the
two words “effective” and “communication” to mean that a message
is successful and it is received by the receiver as it was sent or
intended by the sender.
o In other words, effective communication is the communication that
put away all barriers of communication.
o Communication which is transmitted smoothly in uninterrupted flow,
in such a way that only the intended message reaches the target
receiver at a required time and in the planned setting with the desired
effect
 ..Cont.

o Characteristics of effective communication:

• Clarity: be clear. Choose simple/familiar words and use short sentences to express
your ideas.
• Correctness: correct use of grammar to present a correct message
• Completeness: the message must be complete, providing all the necessary
information
• Consideration: consider the receiver ability and level of understanding
• Conciseness: be brief
• Concreteness: be brief, avoid all redundant words/expressions

• Courtesy: Courtesy: speaker/writer being aware of the listener’s/reader’s feelings,

that is to say communicate wisely.
 Importance of Communication
• Communication creates understanding among people involved in
certain physical activity whose successful accomplishment requires
joint effort.
• Communication reduces unnecessary stress and frustrations among
individuals. People relieve their anger when they speak out.
• Communication creates friendly relations among people in
the society.
• Communication enables individuals express their ideas, feelings,
emotions, attitudes and point of view to others and understand
others’ point of view.
 ..cont.
• Communication enhances sharing of information among individuals
within their societies.
• Communication increases performance at workplaces.
• Communication enables an individual to make self criticism, and
hence change certain undesirable behaviour and false beliefs.
• Communication enables an individual to solve particular problem.
• Communication is an entertainment, makes us cheerful.
The Negative Side of Communication
• Communication may lead into unnecessary conflicts among
people.
• Communication may be time consuming.
• It is costly in terms of money, resources and profession.
• Communication may lead to unnecessary accidents, which in turn
may cause injuries, deaths, damage and loss of properties.
• Communication may sometimes be a disturbance.
Barriers to Effective Communication
What is a barrier of communication?
• A barrier of communication is also called noise of communication
• It is interference, interruption or an obstruction that keeps the message
from being understood as intended or expected.
• It is anything that interferes with communication leading to the failure
or breakdown of communication.
- May hinder smooth transmission of the message, alter the message,
may lead to the loss of part of the message, or completely loss of the
entire message.
- Can originate from the sender, receiver, message, channel or the setting.
• Therefore, it is important to be aware of common barriers.
 ..cont.
i. The use of jargon and slangs
Jargons are technical words and phrases used to communicate by people
in a specific profession. These words which may not be understood by
average people who do not belong to that particular profession. Jargons
differ from one profession to another. For example technical words used
by engineers, doctors and lawyers etc. Some jargons like adjournment,
defendant, diagnosis, coding, pedagogy etc. These might be a cause for
communication barrier.
Similarly, the use of slang also makes communication ineffective. Slang is
inormsl words and expressions used by a particular group of people.For
example the use of a slang “grass” to describe marijuana can act as a
barrier for the people who do not know the meaning of a particular slang.
 ..cont.
ii. Overloaded with information
This yet is another common cause of communication breakdown. When
too much information is communicated at the same time, there are
chances that the recipient may not understand this information and
becomes confused.
iii. Psychological barrier
This is related to the mind of the receiver. It happens when the receiver is
thinking something else in his/her mind. This barrier is normally
accompanied by wandering mind, worry, anger, hunger, hatred,
disappointment and lack of interest to the topic or speaker.
 ..cont.
iv. Physical barrier
There are many things in the environment that may pose difficulties in
communication. For example a wall between the interlocutors, loud
music, passing vehicles, poor hand writing, unclear photocopies,
speaking too quickly, hearing impairment, even whether condition. When
it is too hot or too cold people become uncomfortable.
v. Cultural differences
Often times, cultural diversity also results in communication breakdown
because some information shared may be interpreted differently in
different cultures. For example some signals are not universal across
cultures so, when used can have offensive message. Differences in
pronunciation, religion and taboos are also related to cultures.
 ..cont.
vi. Personality
Personality here means various combined individual person characters
that make him different from the other. It is hard to listen from a speaker
who appear different from what we view as normal. Unusual clothing,
radical hair style, mannerism, heavy jewels etc. may distract the flow of
the intended message.
vii. Other barriers
Information distortion, use of abbreviations & short forms, inadequate
information, illness, tiredness etc.