IMPROVING

COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Marielle Buscato
 CONTENT
INTRODUCTION FUNCTIONS & TYPES OF

01 A brief discussion of the overview of

communication and its importance in
life in general
03 COMMUNICATION
A brief discussion of the functions and types
of communication

COMMUNICATION COMMUNICATION SKILLS

PROCESS & BARRIERS

02 04
IN THE WORKPLACE
A discussion on the etymology, A discussion on the importance of
definition, process, and barriers of communication skills and how to improve
communication communication skils in the workplace
01 INTRODUCTION
 INTERACTION SUCCESS
Listening and talking, or giving and receiving, For your career to go well, you need to be
are both important parts of good able to talk to people. Having good
communication. The goal is to make sure that communication skills can help you move up
everyone understands what is being said. in your career.

HOW DOES COMMUNICATION HELP?

RELATIONSHIP SELF
One important life skill is the ability to Communication is a big part of how you
communicate. Communication helps you get to see yourself, and it also helps you solve
know other people and get along well with problems, learn new things, and build your
them. career.
COMMUNICATION AS COMMUNICATION AS COMMUNICATION AS
PROCESS INTERACTION SOCIAL CONTEXT

The communication that takes Listening and talking, or giving Communication is the process
place amongst the people is and receiving, are both of producing, delivering, and
active. They communicate in a important parts of good receiving significant symbolic
way that is original and communication. The goal is to messages in a setting such as a
convenient for them in order to make sure that everyone school, a church, or any other
accomplish a particular aim or understands what is being said. social gathering.
purpose.
 COMMUNICATION

02 PROCESS AND
BARRIERS
COMMUNICATION
Communication comes from the Latin word
'communicare', which means “to share”
(Weekley, 1967).

Communication is the process of

understanding and sharing meaning
(Pearson & Nelson, 2000).
COMMUNICATION
PROCESS
The communication process refers to a series of actions
or steps taken in order to successfully communicate.

SENDER MESSAGE CHANNEL

ENCODING RECEIVER
DECODING FEEDBACK
COMMUNICATION PROCESS
8 ESSENTIAL
COMPONENTS
1. Sender: This is the person that is delivering a
message to a recipient.
2. Message: This refers to the information that the
sender is relaying to the receiver.
3. Encoding: This is the transmission of the message
performed by the sender.
4. Channel of communication: This is the transmission
or method of delivering the message.
5. Decoding: This is the interpretation of the message.
Decoding is performed by the receiver.
6. Receiver: The receiver is the person who is getting
or receiving the message.
7. Feedback: In some instances, the receiver might
have feedback or a response for the sender. This
starts an interaction.
Barriers that May Cause Communication
Breakdown
Emotional Use of Lack of Noisy
Barriers Jargons Confidence Environment

You are having a bad You are a scientist You are asked to You are having a
day or you feel discussing a weather share something conversation with
frustrated phenomenon to a about your day, but some friends when a
clueless neighbor. you are hesitant song was played
because you are shy. loudly.
 FUNCTIONS &

03 TYPES OF
COMMUNICATION
 REGULATION MOTIVATION
One uses communication to control one's Communication is a tool that can be used
actions or behavior. to inspire or urge other people to lead
better lives.

4 FUNCTIONS OF COMMUNICATION

INTERACTION INFORMATION
Communication is used to make social One uses communication to convey useful
connections; it is used to build bonds, information.
intimacy, and relationships.
 VERBAL NONVERBAL
Verbal communication is the use of language Nonverbal communication is the use of
to transfer information. encompasses speech body language, gestures and facial
and verbal interactions like speaking and expressions to convey information to
listening to messages. others.

4 TYPES OF COMMUNICATION

VISUAL WRITTEN
Visual communication is the act of using Written communication is the act of
photographs, art, drawings, sketches, charts writing, typing or printing symbols like
and graphs to convey information. letters and numbers to convey
information.
 COMMUNICATION

04 SKILLS IN THE
WORKPLACE
COMMUNICATION
SKILLS
Communication skills are abilities you use when
giving and receiving different kinds of information.
While these skills may be a regular part of your
day-to-day work life, communicating in a clear,
effective and efficient way is an extremely special
and useful skill.

Learning from great communicators around you

and actively practicing ways to improve your
communications over time will certainly support
your efforts to achieve various personal and
professional goals.
COMMUNICATION
SKILLS
Communication skills are a set of activities that
ultimately make a quality public performance.

Communication today is very important both in the

business world and in private life.

Successful communication helps us better

understand people and situations. It helps us
overcome diversities, build trust and respect, and
create conditions for sharing creative ideas and
solving problems.
LET US TEST YOUR COMMUNICATION
SKILLS KNOWLEDGE
WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS POSITIVE BODY
LANGUAGE TO USE WHEN SPEAKING?
A. Fold your arms or cross your legs

B. Stand behind a lectern and keep your

body hidden

C. Keep arms open and use open gestures

D. Don't make eye contact

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS POSITIVE BODY
LANGUAGE TO USE WHEN SPEAKING?
A. Fold your arms or cross your legs

B. Stand behind a lectern and keep your

body hidden

C. Keep arms open and use open gestures

D. Don't make eye contact

YOU'RE GIVING SOMEONE VERBAL FEEDBACK ABOUT
SOME WORK THEY HAVE COMPLETED THAT ISN'T UP
TO STANDARD: WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?
A. Point out everything that they did wrong

B. Base your feedback on what you have

heard from others

C. Criticise them for their poor work

D.Suggest where improvements can be made

and agree on a plan
YOU'RE GIVING SOMEONE VERBAL FEEDBACK ABOUT
SOME WORK THEY HAVE COMPLETED THAT ISN'T UP
TO STANDARD: WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?
A. Point out everything that they did wrong

B. Base your feedback on what you have

heard from others

C. Criticise them for their poor work

D. Suggest where improvements can be

made and agree on a plan
WHICH OF THESE IS THE BEST WAY TO ASK A
QUESTION?
A. Only offer a yes/no response

B. Use open questions that encourage a full

response

C. Use leading words to suggest the response

you require

D. Ask something that you wouldn't want to

answer yourself
WHICH OF THESE IS THE BEST WAY TO ASK A
QUESTION?
A. Only offer a yes/no response

B. Use open questions that encourage a full

response

C. Use leading words to suggest the response

you require

D. Ask something that you wouldn't want to

answer yourself
YOU DISAGREE WITH WHAT SOMEONE HAS
SAID: HOW SHOULD YOU REACT?
A. Ask questions to learn more about their
opinion

B. Be unreasonable and refuse to listen

C. Get emotionally involved and have a heated

discussion

D. Stick with your one-sided view on the

situation
YOU DISAGREE WITH WHAT SOMEONE HAS
SAID: HOW SHOULD YOU REACT?
A. Ask questions to learn more about their
opinion

B. Be unreasonable and refuse to listen

C. Get emotionally involved and have a heated

discussion

D. Stick with your one-sided view on the

situation
WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WILL NOT HELP YOU
TO BE MORE PERSUASIVE?
A. Mirror body language and tone

B. Use words that the other person agrees with

C. Talk about your own interests and goals

D. Make your aims appear to put the other

person at an advantage
WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WILL NOT HELP YOU
TO BE MORE PERSUASIVE?
A. Mirror body language and tone

B. Use words that the other person agrees with

C. Talk about your own interests and goals

D. Make your aims appear to put the other

person at an advantage
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE TOP 3
WINNERS!!!
 WHY ARE
Clear expectations
COMMUNICATION Collaboration with coworkers
SKILLS Career opportunities
IMPORTANT?
 EFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATION
 Developing strong
communication is one
of the leaders’ top
priorities
 THE POWER OF With strong communication skills, you can
clearly impact your business. Great
STRONG communicators are the ones who bring
solutions, drive change, motivate and
inspire their colleagues.
COMMUNICATION
By improving communication skills, we can
SKILLS IN THE improve employee engagement, teamwork,
decision-making, and interdepartmental
communication in the workplace.
WORKPLACE
 Good communication skills
enable managers to receive and
send negative or heavy messages
without creating frustration and
disruption of trust. This is
important to keep employees
motivated and engaged.
 74%
of employees have the
feeling they are missing
out on important
information at work
MORE INTERESTING FACTS AND STATS ON
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Research says 7% of communication is verbal, 55% is body language, and 38% the tone
and inflection.
More than 80% of Americans think that with effective employee communication,
employers can have a trustworthy relationship with their employees (Slideshare, 2020)
98% of top salespeople believe a relationship is an essential factor in generating new
business. (Salesforece.com, 2021)
57% of recruiters say there will be a growth in demand for interpersonal skills over the
next five years (MBA.com, 2021)
Companies lose an average of $62.4 million per year because of miscommunications
among employees. (SHRM, 2020)
10 BENEFITS OF EFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATION IN THE
WORKPLACE
Mitigated conflict
Improved
productivity

Increased Improved
employee client relations
engagement

 Healthy
workplace culture
Boosted employee
job satisfaction

Improved direction
Increased innovation
for employees
 Improved
public impression

Strengthened
team building
 8 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO
IMPROVE YOUR COMMUNICATION
SKILLS
According to Harvard Division of Continuing Education
1 BE CLEAR AND CONCISE

Tip 1: Before engaging in any form of communication, define your goals

and your audience.

Tip 2: Avoid unnecessary words and overly flowery language, which can
distract from your message.

Tip 3: Use repetition carefully and sparingly. Repeating your message can
ensure that your audience receives it, but too much repetition can cause
them to tune you out entirely.
2 PREPARE AHEAD OF TIME

Tip 1: Think about the entirety of the communication, from start to

finish. Know what you are going to say and how you are going to say
before you begin any type of communication.

Tip 2: Research the information you may need to support your message.

Tip 3: Consider how you will respond to questions and criticisms. Try to
anticipate the unexpected.
 BE MINDFUL OF NONVERBAL
3 COMMUNICATION
Tip 1: Be adept at reading nonverbal cues. If you are aware of others’
body language, you may be able to adjust your communication tactics
appropriately.

Tip 2: Be able to control your own nonverbal communications. Your

nonverbal cues must, at all times, support your message.
4 WATCH YOUR TONE

Tip 1: Be mindful of your tone to enable you to alter it appropriately if a

communication seems to be going in the wrong direction. When speaking,
tone includes volume, projection, and intonation as well as word choice.

Tip 2: Tone can be easier to control when writing. Be sure to read your
communication once, even twice, while thinking about tone as well as
message.

Tip 3: When engaging in a heated dialogue over email or other written

medium, don’t be too hasty in your replies. Write out your response but
then wait for a day or two to send it.
5 PRACTICE ACTIVE LISTENING

Tip 1: Listening carefully shows other people that they matter. Nonverbal
cues like eye contact, engaged facial expression, and attentive focus all
demonstrate you are lslitenning.

Tip 2: Listening to others demonstrates you have an open mind. Listen in

ways that show you are willing to learn from others.

Tip 3: Listening demonstrates that you are following other people's

messages. Ask good questions and make short affirmative statements
that show you are trackig them.
 BUILD YOUR EMOTIONAL
6 INTELLIGENCE
Tip 1: Self-awareness is the cornerstone of emotional intelligence and
the other components of EI depend on this self-awareness. Identify and
understand your own emotions and the impact we have on others.

Tip 2: Self-awareness opens the door to self-regulation, which is the

ability to manage these emotions and behaviors. Once we’re aware of our
emotions, we can begin to manage them and keep the disruptive emotions
and impulses under control.

Tip 3: Social awareness is our ability to understand the emotions of

others and a key component of this is empathy - identifying what others
feel, sharing this emotion, and wishing to improve their experience.
 DEVELOP A WORKPLACE
7 COMMUNICATION STRATEGY
Tip 1: Use technology to facilitate communication
Tip 2: Create an open environment
Tip 3: Provide opportunities for feedback
Tip 4: Get specific with instructions
Tip 5: Celebrate achievements and milestone
Tip 6: Open multiple lines of communication
Tip 7: Connect across departments
 CREATE A POSITIVE
8 ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
Tip 1: Take a genuine interest in other people. Ask them appro[riate
questions about their work, where they are from, and about their life
outside of work.

Tip 2: Be easy to get along with. Be approachable, patient and kind. Talk
about your life outside of work occasionally.

Tip 3: Be generous with envouragement. A specific word of

envouragement is a valuable gift and builds positive connections.
UP FOR A CHALLENGE?
YOUR COMMUNICATION PLAN
Step 1: Look at your weekly calendar and pick one meeting or important
conversation each day.

Step 2: Set a skill goal for each upcoming interaction. For example, you
may choose "clear communication" for your Tuesday one-on-one with
your supervisor.

Step 3: Practice one specific tip for that interaction (e.g. a clear
"headline"). Try a different tip next time. Cycle through the list.

Step 4: Make notes beforehand to remind you to practice that skill

during interaction.
THANK YOU