Transcript No Slide Title

COMMUNICATION SKILLS
2009
CANADIAN
CANADIANCOAST
COASTGUARD
GUARDAUXILIARY
AUXILIARY- -PACIFIC
PACIFIC
A Thought
A man is seldom better than his
conversation
- German Proverb
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Communication Skills
Overview
Effective communication skills are
a critical element in our
professional and personal lives.
We all must use a variety of
communication techniques to both
understand and be understood.
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What is Communication?
Communication is the process of sending and
receiving information among people…
Feedback
Sender
Receiver
Encode
SENDER
Medium
Decode
RECEIVER
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Most Common Ways to
Communicate
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Communication Goals
To change behaviour
To get and give
Information
To persuade
To get action
To ensure understanding
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Distortions in Communication
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We Need To Improve
Communication... as
70 % of our communication efforts are:
• misunderstood
• misinterpreted
• rejected
• distorted or
• not heard
6 people talking in a 2 people
conversation!!
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Critical Success Factor
The majority of your perceived ability comes from
how you communicate
55% Tonal
38% Visual
7% Verbal
93% of all Communication is non verbal - SKILL
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Listening and Speaking are used
a lot…
50%
45%
45%
40%
35%
30%
30%
25%
20%
16%
15%
10%
9%
5%
0%
Writing
Reading
Speaking
Listening
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… But not taught enough
50%
45%
45%
40%
35%
30%
30%
25%
20%
16%
15%
10%
9%
5%
0%
Writing
Reading
Speaking
Listening
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Common Communication Errors
• Finishing others’ sentences
• Preparing our response before someone has
completed speaking
• Multitasking while ‘listening’
• Filtering content or meaning based on the
speaker
• Speaking for others (we…)
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A Good Algorithm
Communication is a two way process!
In order to have good communication:
• Listen to understand
• Understand before speaking
• Speak to be understood
• Seek understanding before proceeding
• Repeat
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How Can Communication Be
Improved
• Recognition of what makes good
communication
• Not being judgmental about your audience or
who you are listening/ hearing
• Stop egocentric communication
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Communication Skills
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Communication Skills
• Provide ‘knowledge’ about communication
• Give insight on ‘skills’ needed
• Suggest ways of going about it
What you need to do:
• Learn the tools
• Take up every opportunity
• Practice, Practice, Practice!
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Why Communication is Important
•
•
•
•
•
Inspires confidence
Builds respect in business and social life
Helps make friends
Develops a distinct personality
Reveals your abilities to others
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Essentials of Good
Communication
• Knowledge - Spontaneity in conversation
- Level of conversation
•
•
•
•
Organising your thoughts
Participating in discussions
Body Language - Show v. Tell
Be a good listener - Listening v. Hearing
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How to be an Active Listener 1
• Set the stage
• Ensure mutual understanding
• Understand body language
• Suspend judgment
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How to be an Active Listener 2
• Behaviors that hinder effective listening
– Act distracted (look at your watch!)
– Tell your own story without acknowledging theirs
– Give no response
– Invalidate response, be negative
– Interrupt
– Criticize
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Techniques To Improve Listening
Skills
PARAPHRASE
SUMMARIZE
Restate what was
said in your own
words
Pull together
the main points
of a speaker
QUESTION
Challenge speaker
to think further,
clarifying both your
and their
understanding
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Two Basic Types of Questions
 Closed questions:
– Get a one-word response and inhibit thought.
– Questions begin with who, when and which
 Open-ended questions:
– Invite unique thought, reflection or an explanation.
– Questions begin with how, what and how come
(not why!).
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Practice Questioning
•
Rephrase the following closed questions to
make them open-ended:
•
•
•
•
•
Are you feeling tired?
Isn’t it a nice day?
Was the last activity useful?
Is there anything bothering you?
So everything is fine, then?
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Practice Questioning 1
•
•
•
•
•
•
Are you feeling tired?
How are you feeling today?
Isn’t it a nice day?
What do you think of the weather?
Was the last activity useful?
What did you think of that training?
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Practice Questioning 2
•
•
•
•
Is there anything bothering you?
What if anything is bothering you?
So everything is fine, then?
What happened on the training exercise
and how do you think it went?
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Adding Colour to Communication
• Images describe, and
relive
• Show, don’t tell
• Use audience’s senses
– Sight
– Sound
– Touch
– Taste
– Smell
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Improving Communication
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Don’t use cliches
• Be Tactful
Brevity
Sincerity
Don’t praise yourself
Avoid argument
Silence
Enunciation
Clear, loud, syllables.
Flexibility of tone
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Practice 1
• For distinct enunciation, every word, every
syllable, every sound, must be given it proper
form and value.
• Think of the mouth chamber as a mold, in
which the correct form is given to every
sound.
• Will you please move your lips more
noticeably?
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Practice 2
• The teeth should never be kept closed in
speech.
• Through practices, we can learn to speak
more rapidly, but still with perfect distinctness
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Ways To Gain Effective
Conversation
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•
•
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Good use of English – avoid errors
Improved vocabulary – overlook v oversee
Avoid old phrases
Use humour
Add interesting story
Improve clarity of voice – practice
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Public Speaking
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What does the graphic tell you
about this speaker?
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The 5-P‘s
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•
•
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•
Prior
Preparation
Prevents
Poor
Performance
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From effective conversation to
speech
• Overcoming Fear
– Confidence
• Idea of speech
– Know your subject
• Know the audience
– Target their interest
• Organising the speech
– Tell them…
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Developing Your Presentation
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•
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•
What is your goal?
Research your topic
Develop an outline
Create or locate learning
aids
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A.I.D.A
ttention
nterest
esire
ction
POWERFUL opener
CLEAR connector
MAIN BODY
POWERFUL close
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AIDA
ttention
nterest
esire
ction
Establish credentials
(Me, You, What)
Key point
Create +ve expectations
Paint the future benefits
WIFM
The facts
The
3 facts
advantages
benefits
Me, You,
What is required
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Making the Presentation
Interesting
•
•
•
•
•
Informative
Fun
Variety
Energy
Audience Interaction
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Practicing Your Presentation
• Simulate the
presentation setting
– Practice aloud
– Practice standing up
• Time your presentation
• Memorize your opening
few sentences
• Watch yourself in a
mirror
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Presenting
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Stage fright - feelings follow action
Talk ‘to’, not ‘at’
Eye contact
Don’t judge your audience
Pause
Volume
Pace
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Summary
He who fails to prepare, prepares to fail!
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With thanks to
A. Rahim
[email protected]
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