Principles of effective Communaction

General Skills

In the world today it is important that people maintain there skills in communication. With technology taking over the world the use of general communication skills seems to be becoming less and less important. This enforce of technology doesn’t make the use of the common face to face communication between people any less important. We all use these techniques of communication on a daily basis were we modulate are speech and voice to what age or race we are talking to, so that we don’t offend anyone and so they understand.

Ø  Age of the Audience - The age of the audience with which you are talking to have a major factor on how to talk to them. For example if someone was to tell a older individual (70+) how to use a computer they would need to describe the functions in very loose  not factual terms, like “the blue ‘e’ in the corner is the Internet,”  were as if they where talking to a teenager they would understand some of the terminology. This has a major effect because if you were to talk to someone who has no understanding of the subject you are talking about, then they will not understand which will lead to them losing interest in the conversation and confusion.   

Ø  Cultural Considerations - Individual differences and beliefs affect everything we do and say. You may not be aware of these differences. Often we base our expectations of others on our personal experiences. If you have not had experience with people outside your own culture, you may find your expectations of how others should act are misconceived.  Quite often a different culture can mean a different language or accent, different beliefs and customs that could be politically, socially, environmentally or religiously based. All of these factors can lead to a difficulty in speaking amongst a group as your speak or what you may be taking about may need to be altered to allow the diversity of a group to understand your points weather they are fact or opinion. If this advice is not taken again it can lead to confusion and a loss in interest.

Written Communication

Written communication is still a huge part of today’s world. In a world that is technology crazed, the simple letter is still playing a vital role in the world, but letter are not the only way of written communication these days. There are two forms of communication formal and in-formal. Formal communication is the way of talking to somebody in a professional style such as business letters and bills. Were as the most common form of informal written communication is the simple text (SMS). There are some that cross in-between both of these types of written communication. The e-mail is by far the most popular form of communication. 144.8 billion Emails are sent on a daily basis, this proves that email is the most widely used form of communication. Written communication is crucial in today’s business world. Effective written communication is essential for preparing worthy advertising materials for business development. Speech came before writing. But writing is more unique and formal than speech. Effective writing involves careful choice of words, their organization in correct order in sentences formation as well as consistent configuration of sentences. Also, writing is more valid and reliable than speech. But while speech is spontaneous, writing causes delay and takes time as feedback is not immediate.

Reviewing and Editing Documents

There are plenty of methods of analysis were you can find errors that others have put in a document weather they are spelling or grammar. These analysis and editing techniques can vary between proofreading to using software on a computer. One thing a computer can’t achieve is a checking if what the person has wrote has any relevance to the content with which it is based upon. Methods that could be used to edit the document in such a way that it would be correct would be highlight text, use comment boxes, footnotes and endnotes to notify the person of there mistake.

Bullet and Key Points

The use of bullet points can make the user understand lots of information without an overload of text. Bullet Points should be used to stress a key point. They should make it stand out and draw someones attention. Bullet points are typically used for lists or expressing a short sentence but giving multiple endings for example:

 

  Through the control panel a user can easily access:

• System Security
• Network internface
• Audio Controls
• User access
• Etc

The use of Bullet Points can cut down on text but can still make somebodies point very effective in the form of one word answers or short sentences.

Using Correct Grammar

It is essential to use corrrect and proper grammar when writing a document or just a letter. It is essential 0that someone can correct grammar because if they didn’t it would be impossible for someone to every read there work. By using Commas and semi-colons that gives a person a chance to breath and break up a sentence to give a reader a chance to understand what they are reading. Also, mistakes can convey an unprofessional opinion to a reader. If a document is hand written then they may need to focus a lot harder on what they are writing, were as if a user were to use software like Microsoft word they have spellcheck and the English grammar to help them write up a document much quicker but the document would appear to be of a high standard. Correct grammar is crucial as it conveys your point clearly without a user get confused and not taking you seriously. 

Interpersonal Skills

What are Interpersonal skills? They are the every day tools that people use to interact and communicate with one another. Typically people who have a strong skill set in using interpersonal communication, often do better in there personal and professional life. The use of interpersonal skills when communicating to someone can have a great effect on the understanding that someone has. For example A doctor needs to be adequitly trained in all Interpersonal skills so that he can communicate with his patients, BUT interpersonal skills are not just limited to a certain profession typically they are used, as I said above, in everyday situations. 

Signing and Lip Reading  

This is a typically used form of interpersonal skill used around people with the loss of hearing. It helps them communicate, with people who have and have not lost there hearing. Sign language dates back as far as 5^th century BC but until the 19^th century the use of Finger spelling became unknown due to the creation of modern day sign language. The Spanish starting teaching classes on how to talk to mute (Deaf) people. They used a system of  using both oral techniques and a physical alphabet (image of the physical alphabets 1644). As you can see the language is very similar to today's sign language. It involve the use of body language , lip movements and hand signals to communicate with other people. Were as Lip reading is another form of communication between deaf people where they try to literally read the words and phrases off someones lip, mouth and facial movements.

Body language

Body language is used by everyone in the world on a daily basis without them even knowing what they are doing. Body language can be very powerful and effective to convey how you’re feeling as well as you opinion. The changes that can make in your body language can tell a thousand stories. Body language can be a great way of showing someone clues to understanding what the other person is feeling or thinking without any verbal communication. Typical behaviors that can be used can include posture, gestures, eye movement, touch and the use of space. Unfortunately the use of body language can be of no aid if some is unsighted or on the other end of a telephone call so other techniques such as raising and lowering your voice to express how someone may feel about your opinion.