Communication Course

Defining Communication

The transactional and relational process of transmitting information and meaning from a sender to receiver.

Why Is Communication Important to Study

Soft Skill:
While not a core skill (usually), it is a meaningful skill that is required in all professions to not have effective communication skills is not to have the ability to connect with others in any manner that is productive.

Internal and External Communication:
Internal communication (within companies) smooth communication helps increase productivity and employee satisfaction.
External communication (outside of your company) is often the difference between success or failure of a business.

Transferable:
Unlike core skills that are usually not transferable to another specialty. Communication skills are extremely transferable and are needed in every profession to some degree or another.

Layers of and Types of communication

Societal

Instituational

Group

Interpersonal

Intrapersonal

Verbal and Non-verbal communication

Nonverbal Communication:
How you look, your gestures, facial expression, etc, and how you sound, tone, pacing, pauses, etc.

Emblems:
The nonverbal cues that have a universal meaning within a specific culture.

Illustrators:
We use automatic nonverbal gestures and cues subconsciously to illuminate our words.

How do they work together

1. Repeating:
When a nonverbal behavior reinforces a verbal message.

2. Substituting:
When we use a gesture or other nonverbal cue in place of a word.

3. Turn-Taking:
Relying on nonverbal communication to signal turn-taking.

4. Complementing:
Enhancing a verbal message with nonverbal communication.

5. Emphasizing:
To accentuate a verbal message, especially in a speech, presentation, meeting, or pitch.

6. Contradicting:
This occurs when your nonverbals contradict your spoken words.
This is call nonverbal "leakage"

Microexpressions

Microexpressions:

Happiness

Suprise

Fear

Anger

Sadness

Disgust

Contempt

Microexpressions:

6 Keys of powerful communication

Assertiveness

Subtopic

Authenticity

Open-mindedness

Empathy

Clarity

Listening

Module 2: Communication Principles

Key terms

Sender

The individual who takes their idea, coverts it into symbols, and sends it to a receiver.

Reciever

The individual or individuals who a message is sent to. They interpret the message sent to them.

Encode

The act of taking an idea and putting it into symbols that can be sent. Frequently this is in the form of spoken or written words. Although, not limited to speech and written words it can be other things such as gestures, dance moves, etc.

Decode

The act of taking symbols and interpreting them to understand an idea. Frequently this is in the form of listening or reading.

Feedback

when a receiver responds to a message by sending communication back to the person that sent it to them.
This could be in the form of facial expressions, gestures, questions for clarification, or a response.
Feedback also means the roles are reversed, and a new cycle of communication commences.

Noise

Anything that disrupts or distorts a message.

Channel

This form is the media that the sender uses to send their message. Some common channels are speaking face-to-face, phone call, text, email, letter. Different context means different channels are more or less appropriate.

Field of Experience

The cultural, linguistic, social, cultural economic, and professional context that inform the worldview of any given sender or receiver.

Types of noise

Overload Interference

Too much information too quickly can cause some of that information to be missed. "Overload" of information means that more information is coming n than can be processed.

Emotional Interference

When our emotions cause us to either send or receive messages' in a way that is inaccurate o that distorts the idea.

Semantic Interference

Communication requires the shared understanding of what certain symbols mean.
Common examples are people speaking different languages, slang, and professional jargon.

Technical Interference

Any sort of technical problem. video lagging, phone cuts in and out, etc.

Physiological Interference

When pain or disability in the body or bodies of the sender and or receiver interferes a message.
People with disabilities, particularly, visual and auditory ones, special consideration is required to address physiological interference.

Phyiscal Interference

Physical interference is the result of lights, sounds, movements, etc. present in the physical environment that might distract the sender/receiver.

Channel Interference

The channel itself breakdown. The channel itself is the source of the problem.
Choosing the appropriate channel for the context of communication is crucial to avoid channel interference.

Environmental Interference

That person's culture, religion, personality, class, education will affect how they perceive the world around them, including how they encode and decode communication.

Avoiding Nosie

Make your communication purposeful

Nurture Contextual Awareness Through Perception Checking

Perception check.
describe the behaviour.
Give two possible reasons.
Ask for feedback.

Active Listening and Careful Reading

Pause before replying. They claim you avoid the risk of interrupting. show careful consideration for they words. You hear their words better.
Paraphrase their words.

Make your communication Economical

Be Proactive

Keep them updated.
Know your bosses preferred communication.

Intercultural Communication

Ask questions and Repeat what was said

Active listening

Do some research

Trying to accommodate another culture's norms can have a positive effect.

Make the effort to speak clearly

Slowing down your rate of speech a little is okay as well but try not to overdo it.

Avoid idioms

Idioms like "Kick the bucket" might make sense to native speakers but second languages will not understand.

Make the effort but accept mistakes.

Don't let setbacks or mistakes stop you from continuing to do the best you can.

culture map

Communicating

Evaluating

Persuading

Leading

Deciding

Trusting

Disagreeing

Scheduling