What is communication process?

• Stimulation & Motivation are two important factors for any type of communication. The sender must be stimulated for the discussion and receiver must be motivated to listen or respond.
• People have different frame of reference – the sender and receiver should be aware about this to avoid miscommunication.
  • No two people have identical frame of reference
  • It is the responsibility of the sender to ensure that the message is received by the receiver the way it was sent.
• About 70% of the communication happens through non-verbal mode. It is not just the content but, even how it is delivered is critical.
• Listening is one of the important parts of the communication.
  • Paraphrase what you hear to show 1. You listened 2. You respect the person 3. You have heard it right

Attributes of informative presentation:

• Steps in informative presentation:
  • Analyze potential listeners
    • Know who they are? What do they expect? Their skill level, etc.
  • Be clear with the purpose
    • Audience should know what you are talking and why should they listen in the first 30 sec
  • Plan the body
    • Relevant content
  • Prepare conclusion and introduction
    • Most important part of presentation/speech
  • Use visual aids
• State the purpose at the beginning and set the right expectations.
• The introduction and conclusion should be very well planned. Audience usually remembers the beginning and the end for a long time. The core is also important but the conclusion reinforces what you intended
• Remember “say what you are going to say, say what you want to say, and say what you said” this shows how important is introduction and conclusion.
• Confidence is a key attribute of the delivery.
• Research well on the topic to be presented. Be prepared for the latest and greatest news on the topic, there might be questions on the current trend.
• Research need not be limited to internet alone, other sources are:
  • Printed material – newspaper, magazine, books, brochure, etc.
  • Commercial database – IDC, ProQuest, HBR, etc.
  • Personal interview with experts
  • Internet – you can find the soft copy of most of the above sources on the internet
    • At least just google the topic and read the top sites on first few pages
• Information communication should be filled with facts, statistics, and updates
• Justification should be given only upon asking
• Always start from high level information as senior management might be interested in yes/no, or go/no-go type of information

Usage of Visual aid:

• Benefits of Visual aid are:
  • Speeds comprehension of the topic
  • Improves listeners memory
• Most used/ accessible types of visual aids are:
  • PowerPoint/ Audi/video
  • Flipcharts/posters
  • Marker board/chalk board
• Best practices of PowerPoint or any visual aid include:
  • Entire slide should be understandable in under 6 sec
  • Use big fonts size (around 30 size fonts)
  • Use around half the number of visual aid of speaking time (3 slides for 5 min talk)
  • Do not read from visual aid
  • Use proper font style (Times preferred)
  • 4 to 6 lines of text per slide with max 40 characters per line
  • Use phrases/words, and avoid sentences
  • Use graphs instead of reports if possible
  • Clean the graph to show the most important information

Attributes of Persuasive presentation

• Components of a persuasive speech are: evidence, confidence and credibility.
• It is better to present both sides of argument if you are speaking to audience who has some prior knowledge in the topic.
  • It is more persuasive to talk about both sides, present why it is more positive, and how does it overcome its negative
  • However, avoid presenting arguments about both sides to those getting introduced to the topic
• Credibility of the speaker is the most important factor for persuasive speech
• Credibility of the speaker sometimes can fill the gaps on the content of the argument or evidence and still be persuasive
• Credibility can be achieved by:
  • Trustworthiness:
    • Do not avoid eye contact; do not look on the ground, over the head, etc.
    • Don not move eyes rapidly, look at each person/group for 2-3 seconds
    • Honesty, fairness and integrity in the argument
    • Good voice modulation
    • Show passion
  • Competency:
    • Be fluent in thought process
    • Avoid fillers and fill them with pauses to generate curiosity in the audience
    • Use anecdotes and examples
    • Citation from reliable source
    • Good visual aid
    • Proper dressing
  • Dynamism:
    • Forceful, enthusiastic and voice modulation
    • Be conversational at all the time
    • Over dynamism without being conversational is a negative factor towards creditworthiness
    • Example of good dynamic personality: Obama, stand up comedians, etc.
    • Example of bad /over dynamic personality: ‘God TV’ preachers who shout but are not conversational
  • Objectivity: Be open minded, unbiased, non-critical, etc.
  • Position: Higher the rank in business, the better is perceived credibility.
• Psychological needs of listeners: the speaker should motivate the listeners on theirs needs based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
• Steps to prepare in persuasive speech
  • Analyze listeners needs
  • State your purpose
  • Plan your credibility
  • Research your topic
  • Organize the body with a storyboard

Listening skills

• It is THE MOST important skill in overall communication skills
• Some of the common mistakes to avoid:
  • Don’t assume that the speaker’s topic is boring
  • Never be critical of speaker’s English, grammar, usage of words, body language, etc.
  • Understand the emotions behind the facts
  • Pay attention and do not day dream
  • Never cutoff people or start arguing when they are not finished
  • Never prepare your counter statements until they are completely finished

Interpersonal skills:

• It was interesting to see there are 4 different types of communication styles to build rapport
• I always used all 4 types of conversation with all my managers/ co-workers, which I know was a wrong thing
• Open and candid approach with an introvert makes him uncomfortable
• Open style of communication with closed style type of person, will threaten him/her even if he/she were your manager
• Ways to communicate with closed managers:
  • Don’t expect any praise, guidance, criticism or help
  • Maintain low profile and don’t make waves
  • Don’t ask questions
• Ways to communicate with blind manager
  • Take their criticism
  • Show respect
  • Let him feel the control
• Ways to communicate with hidden manager
  • Don’t expect the boss to disclose fully, watch for non-verbal communication
  • Give public appreciation to boss
  • Be tactful in confrontation
• Ways to communicate with open managers
  • Be open and honest
  • Don’t hesitate to share job feelings, doubts, concerns

Non-verbal communication:

• This consists of 70% of the communication skills
• Face expressions and eye contact play a key role
• Body gestures to be sensitive to cultural differences
• Clothing and accessories
• Distance and personal space
• Punctuality