INTRODUCTION TO

COMMUNICATION SKILLS
PETER MWENYA:
MBA Generic, MSc PH, BSc OSHE, BA PHILO, Pgd TM, Pgd M&E
[email protected]: 0970869683
GENERAL DEFINITION OF COMMUNICATION

 Communication comes from the Latin word

communicare, which means “to make
common” or “to share.” Communication is
defined as the process of using messages to
generate meaning (Judy Pearson, 2008).
 Communication is the process of transmitting
information and meaning from one individual
or organization to another by means of
mutually understandable symbols.
 ROLE/ PURPOSE OF COMMUNICATION IN AN
ORGANISATION

1) Managing the human resource.

 Communication is the tool with which we exercise
influence on others, bring about changes in the
attitudes and views of our associates, motivate them
and establish and maintain relations with them.
 The primary element in the skills of management is
competence in communication.
 2. Brings about success

Communication is central to the success of

everything that we do in an organizations
(objectives); our family, school/college, office, hobby
group, community group, our city/town are the
organisations in which we live and act.
 Our activities succeed or fail, and our goals are
achieved or not achieved, according to our ability
to communicate effectively with other members.
 3. Building positive interpersonal relation.

 Communication plays a foundational role in the

development of any healthy interpersonal
relationship.
 It can strengthen a mutual sense of
commitment; it also helps to bridge the gap
between people who have misunderstandings.
 Indeed, communication plays a critical role in all
phases of interpersonal relations, from creating a
relationship to maintenance of relationships.
 4. Communication is the glue that
holds an organisation

 Communication is the glue that holds an organisation

together, whatever its business or its size (creates unity and
harmony).
 Without communication an organization cannot function at
all. Without effective communication, information cannot be
collected, processed, or exchanged; words and data would
remain isolated facts.
 With effective communication, multinational organizations
which are spread all over the world can function like a single
unit.
 5. Team Building
 . Communication helps in team building and team-
work. Owing to advances in information technology,
companies downsize and decentralize, and work is
increasingly carried out by teams.
 Team members must be able to work together to identify
problems, analyse alternatives, and recommend solutions.
They must be able to communicate their ideas
persuasively to others.
 Ability to work well in teams, to manage your subordinates
and your relationships with seniors, customers and
colleagues, depends on your communication skill.
6. Helps in Marketing

 . Marketing the products and services.

Communication in the form of advertisement and
public relations is needed in order to inform the public
and to persuade potential customers to buy the
products.
 Production of goods is of no use if potential buyers
have no information about the product.
Communicating to the public about the product is the
essence of business.
The other purpose is as follows……..

 Delegation of work horizontally and vertically.

 Transacting business: through internal and external
communication.
 Building positive public relations
 ESSENTIALS/PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATION

 Communication is effective only when both the sender and

the receiver are focused on the act of communication.
While the sender must sharpen and improve skills of
speaking and writing, the receiver must improve skills of
listening and reading.
 The qualities of communication which the sender must
achieve are called the C's of Communication because most
of them begin with the letter C. Cs of Good Communication
 ESSENTIALS/PRINCIPLES OF
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
1. CORRECTNESS
 A letter must be correct in every respect:
 (i) In spelling, grammar, pronunciation, and use of
language. Incorrect language spoils the message, distracts
the receiver's attention, and creates a poor impression of
the sender; it may also convey a wrong meaning.
 All spellings must be checked; spelling of names must be
checked with extra care. Most people are offended if their
name is wrongly spelt or pronounced
 There must be consistency in the use of numbers,
units of measure, technical terms, abbreviations,
hyphens, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and
capitalization.
 Hyphenation and punctuation and capitalization do
not have absolutely fixed rules. Whatever you decide
on, be consistent throughout the document.
2. CLARITY
 The message must be clear at the first reading so it
that takes very little time to follow and understand.
Clearly written or spoken messages avoid
misunderstanding and save time.
 Write and speak to express, not to impress. Clarity
depends upon five factors:
 (i)Simple, common everyday words which everyone can
understand. Never send the reader to the dictionary.
Technical terms should be avoided unless absolutely needed
and if you are communicating within the profession.
 (ii) Short and simple sentences. Long sentences confuse the
reader, and often confuse the writer also. Phrases and
clauses should not be added on to a sentence. Each bit of
important information should be given in a separate
sentence.
 (iii) Proper punctuation and pauses. It helps to provide pauses
and stops and to break up groups of words into sensible
units.
 Besides the full stop, there are other, shorter pauses like the
semicolon and the comma which help to break up a sentence
into readable units.
3. CONSISTENCY
 Consistency should be in the use of numbers, units of
measure, technical terms, abbreviations, grammar, spelling,
punctuation and capitalization and dates. British or
American spellings vary.
 Hyphenation, punctuation and capitalization do not have
absolutely fixed rules. Whatever you decide on, be
consistent throughout the document
4. COHERENCE
 Coherence is logical sequence of ideas. Making a clear plan
for a presentation or a letter ensures that the ideas are in
logical order; coherence, that is, logical connection of ideas
makes any composition easy to understand.
 Consistency in numbering also helps in achieving coherence
5. Concreteness
 Giving definite and concrete details with figures and names.
Vague phrases like "in due course" or "at your earliest
convenience" are not so useful as definite time phrases like in
two weeks or within three weeks, soon, good, any time.
 Use words and expressions which communicate exact and
definite information. It is better to use concrete words with a
definite meaning, or to give concrete examples and
description. Words like good, bad, far, near, make sense only
when you indicate the level of efficiency or quality and say at
what speed.
6. Conciseness
 Conciseness means expressing much in a few words;
in business communication it means keeping to the
point, using as few words as possible without
sacrificing clarity or courtesy.
 It does not necessarily mean being brief; it means
making every word count. Conciseness can be
achieved by
 Leaving out unnecessary modifiers; for example, "new
innovation;" (can there be an old innovation?) or ''very
unique" (unique means only "one of its kind"). Other
examples are: "advance plans", "actual experience",
"cylindrical in shape", "three cubic meters in volume."
 Reducing unimportant ideas to phrases or single words like,
in the form of - as in many cases - often exhibits the ability to
- can in the event of - if
 Making sure that only the necessary and relevant details are
included. Using more words than necessary confuses the
idea.
 7. COURTESY
 Courtesy is consideration for other people's feelings. It is seen
in an individual's behavior with others.
 A well-mannered and courteous person shows consideration
and thought for others. In a letter, the style, the manner and
the choice of words reflect the courtesy of the writer. Some
simple rules for courtesy are:
 Some simple rules for courtesy are:

 Use the courtesy words please, thank you, excuse me and

sorry as the situation requires.
 Express appropriate feeling according to the situation. For
example, sympathy when someone suffers, good wishes when
someone begins something new, and congratulation when
someone achieves something.
 Make the other person feel comfortable. This is an important
factor of courtesy. Care and consideration for the reader is
reflected in the letter. The opening sentence itself shows the
courtesy of the writer: