What factors are important for communication

Communication Skills

Transferring information to produce a greater understanding

Communication Skills

Being able to communicate effectively is one of the most important life skills to learn. Communication itself is defined as transferring information to produce greater understanding.

It can be done vocally (through verbal exchanges), through written media (books, websites, and magazines), visually (using graphs, charts, and maps), or non-verbally (body language, gestures, pitch of voice, and tone). All of these means of communication skills are essential Soft Skills that are vital for a successful Career.

The Importance of Communication Skills

Having strong communication skills aids in all aspects of life – from professional life to personal life and everything that falls in between. From a business standpoint, all transactions result from communication. Good communication skills are essential to allow others and yourself to understand information more accurately and quickly.

In contrast, poor communication skills lead to frequent misunderstandings and frustration. In a 2016 LinkedIn survey conducted in the United States, communication topped the list of the most sought-after soft skills among employers.

How to Improve Your Communication Skills

Here are some pointers to look out for when looking to improve your ability to effectively communicate with others:

1. Listening

To become a good communicator, it is important to be a good listener. It is important to practice active listening – pay close attention to what others are saying and clarify ambiguities by rephrasing their questions for greater understanding.

2. Conciseness

Convey your message in as few words as possible. Do not use filler words and get straight to the point. Rambling will cause the listener to tune out or be unsure of what you are talking about. Avoid speaking excessively and do not use words that may confuse the audience.

3. Body language

It is important to practice good body language, use eye contact, utilize hand gestures, and watch the tone of the voice when communicating with others. A relaxed body stance with a friendly tone will aid in making you look approachable to others.

Eye contact is important in communication – look the person in the eye to indicate that you are focused on the conversation. But make sure to not stare at the person as it can make him or her uncomfortable.

4. Confidence

Be confident in what you say and in your communication interactions with others. Being confident can be as easy as maintaining eye contact, maintaining a relaxed body stance, and talking with concision. Try not to make statements sound like questions and avoid trying to sound aggressive or demeaning.

5. Open-mindedness

In situations where you disagree with what someone else has to say, whether it be with an employer, a co-worker, or a friend, it is important to sympathize with their point of view rather than simply try to get your message across. Respect the opinion of others and never resort to demeaning those who do not agree with you.

6. Respect

Respecting what others have to say and acknowledging them is an important aspect of communication. Being respectful can be as simple as paying attention to what they have to say, using the person’s name, and not being distracted. By respecting others, the other person will feel appreciated, which will lead to a more honest and productive conversation.

7. Using the correct medium

There are several different forms of communication to use – it is important to choose the right one. For example, communicating in person about serious matters (layoffs, salary changes, etc.) is more appropriate than sending an email regarding the matter.

Good Communication Skills for a Great Career

Succeeding in your career requires good communication skills. You need to know what you want and how you are going to attain it. Being an excellent communicator can help propel your career.

Good communication skills can aid in helping you land an interview and pass the selection process. Being able to articulate well provides a significant advantage. To do your job effectively, you have to discuss problems, request information, interact with others, and have good human relations skills – these are all part of having good communication skills. They help in being understood well and in helping understand the needs of those around you.

Poor Communication in the Workplace

Communication drives workplace success. Although the detriments of poorly communicating with others may not be apparent in the short term, it has a crippling effect on the workplace in the long term. Here are some signs of bad communication:

An example of poor communication would be the RadioShack layoff notices in 2006. The electronics chain laid off 400 employees by notifying employees by email. The company faced significant backlash following the move, with many surprised that it used email instead of face-to-face meetings.

Bad communication by Radioshack resulted from using the incorrect medium of communicating with its employees. The company’s employees felt dehumanized and subsequently resented the company.

Related Readings

Thanks for reading CFI’s guide to communication skills. If you want to improve your written communication skills, check our Business Writing Fundamentals Course

Factors of Effective Communication

Related

As a small business owner, you’ll have six-mile-high days and you’ll have dull days – days in which you relish every minute, and days you want to end by 2 p.m. As much as you may embrace the unpredictability of day-to-day life as a small business owner, the one thing you can count on to be predictable is that you will be expected to communicate every single day – with employees, customers, vendors, sales reps, community groups, government officials and total strangers. You’ll be counted on, and judged by, your ability to communicate with words – those you verbalize orally, plus those you send in text messages, advertisements and social media posts as well as those you write in emails, letters and presentations.

You may not think of yourself as a “master communicator” – maybe not even close. But since so much rides on your ability to communicate effectively, it’s imperative that you polish your communication skills – a wise investment of time that will help ensure that you are understood at least most of the time and, in turn, understand those around you. To complete this exercise properly, here are some factors that promote effective communication:

Doing so will imbue you with the deft and confidence you need to serve as the master of your small business universe.

Follow the Communication Process

As a business owner, you’ll probably lose count of all the factors involving communication that take place on any given day. But most of them will probably be guided by a purpose, such as to:

No matter what your goal, the steps involved in all forms of communication are fundamentally the same. It may help to visualize the six steps in a circle – one following the other – or a linear sequence, from left to right:

Hone Your Active Listening Skills

If the last point has stirred the skeptic in you, then you’re probably thinking of a situation in which a confused, contentious or angry exchange ended poorly. Not only was the communication ineffective; it was divisive, too.

The root cause? In all likelihood, poor listening skills on the part of the sender or recipient. It dooms effective communication every time, and it doesn’t help that:

Before you take a closer look at some of the most common barriers and obstacles to effective communication and how to overcome them, consider the one skill that could benefit you (like all entrepreneurs) most of all: active listening.

Just as you probably turned pages of a book in a new way once you honed your active reading in skills in college, you can reach new levels of understanding when you hone your active listening skills. It’s the opposite of “passive listening,” such as when you listen to a baseball game on a low-volume radio as you make client phone calls. The University of Minnesota describes active listening as:

Active listening is a learned skill, which makes it further surprising that it’s not taught in elementary, middle, high school and college. It takes practice and concentration to become a good, active listener. But you can become a “master active listener” by practicing a five-step strategy promoted by the University of Maine:

Active listening doesn’t guarantee that you will never encounter a communication breakdown. But of all the factors that promote effective communication, it is arguably the most vital of all. And this is before you consider the vexing barriers and obstacles that lie ahead.

Overcome Barriers for Effective Communication

The first and most complex barrier to effective communication is attitude. It’s complex because it encompasses so many factors that shape a state of mind, including:

To counteract these challenges and champion factors that promote effective communication:

The second barrier to effective communication is language and medium. Like attitude, it is equally broad and includes such factors as:

To counteract these challenges and champion the factors that promote effective communication:

Saying what you mean and meaning what you say may sound simple – at least, until you drill down and consider some examples that may give you pause. Moreover, “considering the source” is important, too, because two people may respond to the same message in two different ways.

Obviously, if you must reprimand an employee, it’s better to do so privately and in person. But what about if you want to compliment an employee? Should you do so with an “audience” – so everyone within earshot can hear? Just as you didn’t master the English language in one year, you probably won’t learn to minimize the foibles of language and medium, either. Give yourself time; you’ll persevere.

The third barrier to effective communication is listening and feedback. Without good listening skills, the sender of a message will not know if the recipient understands it. And without feedback, the sender will not know if the recipient has interpreted the message properly. Many factors can impede this crucial process, but they tend to fall under the categories of:

Polishing your active listening skills will go a long way toward helping you counteract these challenges and toward championing factors that promote effective communication. You can also:

The fourth barrier to effective communication is noise and physical obstacles, factors to consider eliminating for effective communication that can include:

Removing (or at least reducing) such distractions seems like an obvious remedy – one that can solve all problems. When you cannot – when you’re at the mercy of an inferior environment – the best step you can take is to move to one that is more conducive to listening, talking and interacting. Yes, you may have to interrupt someone to suggest a change in venue. But a short interruption will probably pale in comparison to trying to forge ahead in an environment in which your important messages are competing with other sources.

You Will Learn and Grow

You’re probably going to make some mistakes as you finesse your communication skills, just as you’re bound to make some missteps as you fine-tune your software choices, accounting system, advertising plan and all the other elements of your small business.

Unlike computers and computer programs that can be tweaked by pressing a few buttons, human beings, as you know, do not come equipped with buttons or an instruction manual. This is partially why the human dynamic of your business may turn out to be the most challenging – but also the most rewarding – of all.

Mary Wroblewski earned a master’s degree with high honors in communications and has worked as a reporter and editor in two Chicago newsrooms. Then she launched her own small business, which specialized in assisting small business owners with “all things marketing” – from drafting a marketing plan and writing website copy to crafting media plans and developing email campaigns. Mary writes extensively about small business issues and especially “all things marketing.”

4 Important Factors that Affect the Process of Communication

Modern communication is undoubtedly a complex process involving human beings as well as instruments and gadgets.

Process of communication are also influenced by several other factors, which both the sender and the receiver of the communication should take cognizance of Important factors that affect the process of communication are described in the following paragraphs.

1. Conceptual Clarity:

The starting point of every communication, as we have seen already, is the existence of an idea or a concept. It is this concept that gets translated into a message and gets transmitted to the receiver. Conceptual clarity is thus a very important factor affecting communication.

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Whatever be the method adopted, the communication must be clear about what the sender wants to convey. They have to give proper shape to their thoughts and should develop the idea meaningfully.

If one is not clear about one’s thoughts and ideas, the message formulation also gets affected. Communication is all about transmission of information and ideas that seek to translate thoughts into action. Improperly conceived ideas translate into poor messages.

Well-conceived and well-organized thoughts make for a good beginning of the communication process. This also explains why conceptual skills are given much importance in modern day business?

2. Language:

The process of communication is both oral and written. People, however, speak and understand different languages. For both oral and written communication, language becomes the vehicle of thought.

Therefore, the sender should ensure that the message reaches the receiver in a language that he/she can understand. As long as the sender and the receiver of the communication speak, write, read and understand the same language, there is direct communication.

If not, the communicator will have to resort to translation through an intermediary. The intermediary may be an interpreter or a translator. If the translation or the interpretation is not done properly, the message received would be different from what the communicator intended.

In written communication, the literacy level of the recipient assumes significance. In verbal communication too, the depth of understanding of the spoken language makes a difference.

If there are vast differences between the sender and the receiver in terms of mastery over the language and if the sender does not take cognizance of them while sending the message, communication gets affected.

Every language has its own vocabulary and the quality of communication is influenced by the word power of both the parties. When the knowledge and level of understanding of the speaker/communicator and the listener/receiver varies significantly, it results in difference in the wavelength.

This leads to overhead transmission, i.e., the message goes beyond the comprehension level of the receiver. An example of this is the usage of technical jargon and specialized words or phrases in addressing people who are not familiar with the subject.

3. Moods and Receptivity:

Communication becomes purposeful when the communicator shows enthusiasm and the Receiver shows receptivity. Both of them are influenced by the moods. The mood of the communicator and the mood of the listener thus affect the process of communication.

The mood of the person refers to the person’s state of mind or the inclination and willingness to send or receive the communication. If any one of the parties is disinclined, the purpose of communication will not be achieved.

These factors are particularly relevant when the message to be communicated is something important, somewhat complex and not of a routine nature. Moods apart, the level of fatigue has also to be reckoned with.

A tired speaker, an overworked writer and a bored listener cannot do justice to the process of communication, however good their intentions may be. Smooth communicators make efforts to ensure that the conditions are right.

4. Timeliness:

Most messages have a time value. Action can follow only if the communication reaches in time. This is pertinent to individuals as well as to business. For example, an invitation card received after the event is of no use.

Similarly, an intimation or notice received after the meeting is over does not serve any purpose and also shows the sender in poor light. Timeliness, therefore, is an important factor affecting communication.

Proper choice of the mode of communication—courier, telex, fax, telephone and e-mail assumes importance as it helps in achieving timeliness in communication.

As seen in the earlier chapter, a host of physical, psychological, cultural and mechanical factors affect communication. They can be either facilitators or barriers to communication.

These include power of expression, clarity, coherence, attentiveness, distance, voice or sound levels, relationship and hierarchy, type and quality of the modes of communication and the skill involved in using them.

In an organizational context, the prevailing organizational climate and the communication policy are also important factors affecting communication. Especially when it comes to communicating with the media, several organizations and institutions specifically designate spokespersons and others are discouraged from speaking to the press or media.

Any policy that encourages confidentiality, withholding of information, suppression of facts and other such controls would naturally hinder the free flow of communication.

The 6 Key Factors to Successful Communication

Communication – The Human connection – Is the Key to Personal and Career Success
Paul J. Meyer

Communication is a two-way street. This means that both the person communicating and the person being communicated to have to participate. Communication happens when information is shared between two people. Since communication is a two-way street, successful communication relies just as much on the person receiving the message as it does on the person sending the message.

When most people think of communication, they probably think of talking, or verbal communication. However, it is important to remember that talking is not the only form of communication. In addition to verbal communication, you communicate non-verbally with body movements and facial expressions. Communication can also be in written or electronic form.

With each form of communication there are different rules to guide you and help you become a better communicator. Good communication skills not only help to improve your personal relationships, but also your success in the workplace. This six part blog series will cover the following six rules of effective communication.

1. Listening
2. Verbal Communication
3. Nonverbal Communication
4. Emotional Awareness
5. Written Communication
6. Communicating in Difficult Situations

13 Reasons Why Communication Is Important In Life

From all the interpersonal skills important in life, communication is undoubtedly of primary import.

Well, communication is the basis of all human interaction. It is how we pass information to other people, and in turn, receive and interpret what is being said back to us.

This process is not unique to human beings. Animals–as well as plants–have their own way of communicating with members of their own species, and it is this medium of sharing information and knowledge that allows most species to thrive and survive in the environment.

For human beings, who are social creatures at their most basic level, communication is of even more importance.

Communication is an indispensable component of life, be it in a professional or personal setting.

In the professional setting, effective communication helps enhance employee productivity, boost team-building, and reduces turnover rates. In the personal setting, communication helps foster stronger relationships, build better trust, and provides new opportunities.

We will delve deeper into these points below. But first…

What is communication?

What does communication mean to you?

Now whatever answer you came up with, imagine a world without it, and you will get a pretty decent idea of what communication at its essence means.

A more dictionary-esque definition of communication is ‘Communication is the act or process of transferring information from one place, person or group to another.’

For communication to take place, there must be three essential components: the sender, a medium, and the receiver.

All three forms of communication play a key role in our life. Two broad areas of life where effective communication skills play a key role are workplace and everyday life. The importance of communication in these two areas has been elaborated on below.

Importance Of Communication In Workplace

1. Increases Employee Productivity

Effective communication enhances employee productivity and motivation. Employees who receive regular communication from leaders tend to be more motivated, interested, and productive than the ones who are left to their own devices and receive a negligible amount of guidance.

Also, effective communication between employees and different departments makes for the smoother functioning of an organization, thereby increasing its overall performance and productivity.

2. Improves Crisis Management

Crisis is an inevitable part of life. It is especially common in workplaces that operate in dangerous or risky environments.

Effective communication is imperative to successfully get through any potential crisis that might occur in the workplace, be it one rooted in the physical world or the mental one.

The key to effective communication during a crisis is to have conversations with the involved stakeholders. Whether it’s our team mates, customers or a third party, we need to build up the ability to listen with intent instead of waiting for our turn to speak. We’ve created an entire video on how we can listen without arguing which we highly recommend you check out:

3. Boosts Knowledge Sharing & Innovation

Knowledge, if kept to oneself and never shared with the world, tends to lose its worth. It is only by sharing ideas, information, and knowledge that one can expand and improve on them, as well as figure out how to apply them to everyday life.

Effective and regular communication, between different departments as well as between the management and employees, is key for sharing & expanding knowledge as well as applying this knowledge for generating innovative ideas.

4. Promotes Team Building

Team building is an essential component of any workplace or organization.

And the basis of this process is communication. It is only through effective, honest, and regular communication that members of a team–be it a permanent or temporary one–can learn to trust each other and work effectively.

Breaking down of communication between members is often a sign of breaking down of a team.

5. Enhances Employee Satisfaction

We all know that consumer satisfaction is imperative for the success of any company. However, equally important is the satisfaction of the employees that contribute to the effective functioning of the organization.

If employees are not allowed to have a voice and feel like their opinions are not being given due importance or simply heard, then there is a drastic drop in employee satisfaction.

This will ultimately lead to the company suffering in the long run, as dissatisfied employees tend to face a decrease in work motivation and overall productivity.

6. Reduces Absenteeism and Turnover Rates

Another reason why communication is of utmost importance in a workplace is that it plays a key role in reducing employee absenteeism as well as decreasing turnover rates.

Employees that receive honest communication tend to feel more valued, involved, and important. Not only this, but relationships are key for making a worker feel more connected to their place of work.

It is only through regular and meaningful communication that employees can build strong relationships with each other, which is of primary importance in any workplace.

Importance Of Communication In Everyday Life

1. Building Trust & Relationships

One of the primary reasons why communication is imperative is because it helps foster stronger relationships and build trust between people.

A key thing to note here is that communication is not a one-way process. That is, while speaking is an essential component of communication, listening is also an indispensable one.

So, if you wish to forge stronger relationships with people, don’t just talk to them, but also listen to what they’re saying.

2. Opens Up New Doors Of Opportunities

Communication is not just a medium to share and receive information, it is also a skill set that is highly appreciated and sought after in all fields of life.

Effective communication skills are given primary importance while selecting job and college applicants.

Not only this, but simply being more effective communicators makes it easier to seek out opportunities yourself, and to grab an opportunity when it presents itself.

3. Develops Your Personality

Another reason why communication is imperative in everyday life is that it helps build and enhance your personality and self.

This is because, through communication, you are better able to navigate the world and exploring new and challenging situations. You also meet new people, many of whom might have different opinions, views, and experiences.

This makes you grow as a person, and discover who you truly are.

4. Helps Solve Conflicts

Communication is the best way to solve any conflict that might arise in your life or relationships.

Not only this, but in most cases, communication is an excellent way to avoid any conflict from arising in the first place.

Communication also helps gain better knowledge and understanding of another person. It helps you get your point across clearly. Effective communication also helps avoid any misunderstanding and to quickly solve any that might arise.

Indeed, effective, honest and regular communication is the basis of any successful and long-term relationship.

5. Helps Express Your Ideas & Personal Needs

Another important reason why communication is so important in life is rooted in the basic definition of communication itself: it helps clearly tell others what you want, and express any ideas you might wish to share with them.

This is not a trivial requirement: if you are unable to express your ideas and wants, you won’t be able to achieve them.

So, say, if you have an awesome idea about how you can level up the trip you’re going to be taking with your friends tomorrow…

Well, you can’t very well do anything about it until you actually tell your friends about it, right?

6. Makes You Stand Out From The Crowd

There are many things that set a leader apart, however, communication is definitely one of the most important skills that you require in your life to become a leader. Think of every great leader from history, and you’ll most likely end up discovering that they were great communicators.

There are many reasons why leaders require good communication skills, and why these skills are in most cases the pre-requisite of landing a leading position in life. Most of these reasons have been listed in the points above.

7. Helps Improve Decision Making

In almost every sphere of life, decision-making is a process that plays a key role. People make decisions every single day for a variety of purposes.

However, the quality of those decisions is not always the same. That is, not every decision that people take will lead to the desired outcome. Sometimes, our decisions might backfire and lead to an undesired outcome as well.

One way of reducing the chances of our decisions leading to undesired–sometimes even negative outcomes–is through developing our communication skills.

This is because, when you communicate effectively, you receive more information than you otherwise would’ve. Not only this, but the quality of your information also increases.

This increase in the quantity and quality of information ultimately leads to the quality of your decision-making to improve, as you now have more information to draw upon before making your decision.

6 Easy Tips To Develop Your Communication Skills

1. Develop Active Listening

Active listening is different than listening or its counterpart, hearing. Active listening not only involves simple listening but also engaging with other people by responding to what they’re saying and asking follow-up questions to show that you’re actually listening.

This process is an excellent way to develop not just your listening abilities, but also boosts the quality as well as the quantity of your interaction with others, which ultimately boosts your communication skills.

2. Ask For Feedback

Another way to develop your communication skills is by asking people about them. And no, we’re not asking you to hand out questionnaires to strangers.

Rather, what we want you to do is reach out to people whom you’re close with and feel comfortable around, and ask them what they feel about your communication with them.

Take into account everything they mention, and use the information to improve the quality of your next interaction.

3. Practice Public Speaking

Public Speaking is a great way to develop your communication skills. This is because the basis of a public speaking event–say, delivering a speech in front of an audience–involves effective communication between the speaker and the audience.

So, don’t pass on any opportunities to speak in front of a crowd, even if the idea seems a little intimidating at first.

In fact, I’d suggest you actually look up public speaking opportunities and begin your journey to become an awesome communicator!

4. Pause Before Speaking

When someone is talking with you or asking you a question, don’t say the first thing that pops up in your mind. Chances are, it doesn’t sound as good in the real world as it did in your head.

Instead, let the other person finish. Pause for a second. Take a moment to understand what they’re actually trying to say. Then respond.

This is a great way not just to boost your communication skills, but to also avoid any misunderstandings from occurring because of ineffective communication.

5. Pay Attention To What Your Body Is Saying

Non-Verbal communication is just as important as verbal communication. However, you’ll be surprised at how many people neglect this important component of public speaking.

In fact, sometimes the body-language language of a person can say even more than what the person is actually saying. Indeed, it can sometimes even contradict a person’s actual words.

So, next time you’re communicating with someone, pay attention to your body language. Ask yourself: what is your posture or eye contact saying that you’re not, and how can you use it more effectively to improve your communication with this person?

For more information on the importance of body language in communication, check out our article on Body Language And Its Contribution To The Process Of Communication.

6. Developing Empathy

Empathy is different from sympathy, as it involves actually putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and seeing the world from their perspective.

It is an essential skill in many areas of life. However, in the world of public speaking, it becomes even more imperative.

This is because understanding how other people feel will help you better understand how to communicate your ideas in such a way that the other person is able to derive more meaning from them. It also helps you improve your understanding of what another person is saying.

There are many ways of developing your empathy.

For example, actually visualizing yourself in someone else’s shoes is one way of improving your empathetic skills.

Conclusion

To sum up, communication skills are imperative in almost all spheres of life. In professional speaking, communication skills are often the basis of the organization itself.

They’re imperative for the smooth functioning of the institution, to improve employee productivity, and to provide them with a better experience, as well as for the overall success of the institution.

In personal life, too, communication skills are essential to foster better relationships, avoiding misunderstandings, achieving a better position, and growing and developing as an individual.

Thus, it would not be erroneous to say that the importance of communication skills goes beyond merely effective communication.