[Pick the date]
COMMUNICATION
THE ART OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
Ask ELLE Learning Resources | Ruth Mason
Document1
SMD/Jan 11
Welcome
This workbook has been designed to cover the subject area of communication. It is part of a
series of workbooks on the subject and this one is designed to cover the art of effective
communication.
The workbook is easy to use and totally flexible. Used in conjunction with your organisations
training, the workbook can give you the knowledge and confidence to support you within
your job role.
Introduction to communication
Good, clear communications are vital in everything we do. Mistakes, arguments,
unhappiness and even disasters can be caused when information and instructions are not
passed on clearly and correctly. At work, you need to remember that some communications
are more important than others.
In today’s fast paced ever changing world the art of effective communication is a vital and
understanding how we communicate is a vital skill in improving business relationships.
Business success depends on relationships and business relationships depend on clear
communication. There are four elements to consider when communicating




Clear purpose
Target audience
Attention to message
Outcome
These four elements will help structure any form of communication activity - whether it is in
writing, presentations or face to face.
This workbook is going to give a brief overview of the four elements.
Page 2 of 13
Contents
Welcome .................................................................................................................................... 2
Introduction to communication................................................................................................. 2
The art of effective communication ...................................................................................... 4
Communication styles............................................................................................................ 4
Four elements to communication ............................................................................................. 5
Element 1 – Clear Purpose ..................................................................................................... 5
Element 2 – Understand your target audience ..................................................................... 6
Element 3 – Attention to the message .................................................................................. 6
Element 4 - Outcome ........................................................................................................... 12
Remember ........................................................................................................................... 13
Reflection ................................................................................................................................. 13
Further Learning ...................................................................................................................... 13
Page 3 of 13
The art of effective communication
In today’s fast paced ever changing world the art of effective
communication is a vital skill in improving business relationships
and by understanding how we communicate can lead to improving
business relationships and can help your organisation to deliver:






Increased productivity
Increased profitability
Greater customer satisfaction
Better staff/management relationships
High innovation
More effective sales force
Communication styles
It is your personal communication style that strongly affects other
people’s perceptions of you.
If you are direct and always insist on calling a spade a spade then
those, who are of a similar disposition, will consider you to be
dynamic and forward thinking while those with a less direct style may consider you to be
arrogant and rude. This means there will be an element of distrust as soon as you meet.
They may accede to your requests but begrudgingly and are unlikely to exceed your
expectations.
If your communication style is more indirect, you ask rather than tell and you don’t like to
rock the boat than those who are of a similar ilk will find you approachable and friendly.
However, those with a more direct approach will find you an easy touch and possibly
ineffectual. You may find it difficult to persuade or influence such people.
Neither communication style is bad, providing you know with whom to be direct or indirect.
This is not that much of problem when you are dealing with the same people on a regular
basis but what about the first time you meet someone or the cold call or the guest suddenly
thrust upon you.
Those who prefer the ‘I didn’t get where I am today pussyfooting around the subjects’ as
portrayed by Sir John in ‘the rise and fall of Reginald Perrin’ will find an indirect approach
weak and indecisive while those whose style is more acceding than demanding will prefer to
be asked rather than be told.
What is your communication style?
Page 4 of 13
Four elements to communication
Business success depends on relationships and business relationships depend on clear
communication. There are four elements to consider when communicating




Clear purpose
Target audience
Attention to message
Outcome
These four elements will help structure any form of communication activity - whether it is in
writing, presentations or face to face.
This workbook is going to give a brief overview of the four elements.
Element 1 – Clear Purpose
You need to establish a purpose for your communication. Your objectives need to be
realistic and your goals need to be defined. To get another person’s agreement you need to
reduce vagueness and ambiguity.
Effective objectives must
be positive. Focus on
what you want to do
rather than what you
don’t want to do. Build
a strategy. (Tactics –
short term Strategy – long term) If it is a long term project choose the number one
objective – the super objective – then decide on less critical ones that help build the
strategic objective – the sub – objectives.
For example if reducing the amount of waste paper being thrown away is your super
objective then a sub objective could be to stop printing out e-mail messages.
In the art of effective communication, selecting a super objective for an entire document,
presentation or meeting will make it easier to achieve your goal.
One way to do this is to express objectives as verbs. This makes the message both powerful
and positive. For example, rather than ‘to explain’ try ‘to announce’, to ‘introduce’ or even
‘to reveal’
Choosing the right verb for the occasion is the secret to creating a focussed and powerful
plan. The best verbs are physical ones, the ‘doing’ ones.
What dynamic verbs can you think of?
Page 5 of 13
Element 2 – Understand your target audience
Ask yourself six key questions






Who is the target audience and what do you want them to feel?
What are their needs and expectations?
What is their level of knowledge of the topic and terminology?
What do you want the audience to understand?
Which is the most appropriate method to achieve action
What are the points of resistance or negative perceptions?
To answer these questions will provide a tactical ‘to
do list’ for example If your reaction to ‘what I want
them to feel’ is ‘excited’ or ‘with you all the way’
then you may consider asking open ended
questions in order to establish rapport and
involvement.
Taking into account your six key questions will help
you meet your target audience needs.
Element 3 – Attention to the message
The third element in the art of effective communication is to develop the required skills in
order to achieve the stated objectives. This is the big part of effective communication!
It’s a fact - most people are not born successful communicators; they have to develop the
key skills.
Only a small percentage of how we are interpreted is obtained from purely verbal
communication. The most persuasive form of communication is via non verbal messages
these include:






Attitude and behaviour
Your appearance and clothing
Body language – gestures and movements
Speech – speed and pitch
Eye contact/movement
Status symbols and objects
We form an impression of each other soon after we meet,
usually within the first four minutes. This initial impression
is vital. In just four minutes we decide how to perceive
each other and what further combination is required. The
four minute barrier is scientifically proven.
Page 6 of 13
We are going to look at some aspects that can help you get the message across and reach
your goal!
Research undertaken during the 1980’s and the 1990’s in the UK confirms that only around
50% of oral instructions are received and retained. They also found that information
delivered at a lecture drops from over 50% to less than 25% by the end of the presentation.
You need to be aware of the following:
Questions
Use the right type of questions - Who is the one in control – the one asking the question or
the one answering it?
Closed questions are those that you expect to get either a “yes” or a “no” and as such are
useful for controlling/minimising dialogue
Open ended questions start with Who, What, Why, Where, When and How. Care needs to
be taken when using ‘Why’ as this can be perceived as interrogative and therefore
aggressive. Try ‘What are the reasons for’……. rather than ‘Why’
The temptation of not getting all the
information needed from one open ended
question can be to move on to another ‘door
opener’ question on another topic. The
efficient communicator ensures he or she has
all the information needed on the original topic
by asking probing questions
Probing questions are used to extract more
specific information, thereby reducing the risk of making assumptions. Example. ‘What
other changes did you have in mind?’ ‘What was it about the proposal you particularly
disliked?’
Try to avoid multiple questioning, for example asking two questions at once. This can be
confusing and the only answer you are likely to receive is to the second question. Some
people tend to jump in with the second question because they are uncomfortable with the
silence that follows the first while the other person is thinking of their answer. Multiple
questioning can be overpowering for some people and as such can be perceived as
aggressive behaviour.
For effective communication, the speaker’s ‘Lyrics’ and ‘Music’ need to demonstrate that
they are an assertive person rather than aggressive or passive.
Here is a list of words/phrases that can be considered as passive/aggressive with a
suggested assertive alternative
Page 7 of 13
Best to avoid
Why
Suggested alternative
I can’t/shouldn’t
Passive language –
recipients are more
interested in what you can
do rather than what you
can’t
What I can do is …..
OK
Can be perceived by some
as relaxed language and
may not be appropriate for
the organisation in which
you work or the situation
I hear what you say
Is that OK
As above with the addition
that you are asking the
other person a question in
adapted child mode and
this is passive behaviour
Is there anything else?
Why haven’t you
A question starting with
this can be perceived as
being critical or
judgemental and as such is
aggressive behaviour
Have you considered ….?
You can’t/You shouldn’t
No one likes being told
what they can’t/shouldn’t
do. It is critical parent
language and as such is
aggressive
What you can do is …..
You’ll have to
Again this is instructional
critical parent language and
again demonstrates
aggressive behaviour
You’ll need to …..
What about ….?
When making your
suggestions people like to
feel that they are being led
so that they feel that have
to control to make their
own mind up rather than
pushed into a situation.
May I suggest ….?
Page 8 of 13
Push techniques are
generally considered
aggressive
Do you understand what I
am saying/Is that clear?
The onus of understanding
here is on the recipient and
suggests that if they don’t
understand then it is their
fault not that of the
communicator
Have I explained myself
clearly?
It’s company policy to
No one is interested in
company policy and
demonstrates that you
have either your interest or
those of the company you
work for at heart
At X we believe
But
Whenever you suffix
anything with this you
either dismiss anything you
said before it and/or the
recipient will immediately
be on the defensive/attack
for bad news causing a
breakdown in
communication
However
Unfortunately
Again how often does good
news follow this word?
Just avoid saying it
Obviously
This is often used as a gap
filler and can be perceived
as being condescending
and therefore aggressive
Again just avoid it
Bear with me
This can prompt an internal
question from the recipient
‘Why should I, are you not
up to the job?’ It is passive
language
One moment please while I
check that
Page 9 of 13
And
Use your voice
One of the most effective ways of improving your voice is to bring it to your attention by
listening to it on a tape, but consider the following:
Tone
Pace
Volume
Emphasis
Pause
Clarity
Monotone can sound boring; therefore people are less likely to listen. I can also make
the subject matter sound boring and uninteresting. A harsh tone can sound
aggressive. Use tone to convey interest, enthusiasm, energy and warmth.
Too slow can be annoying. Too fast can be aggressive. Pace can be used to slow down
a fast speaker through ‘pacing’.
Too loud can be aggressive, too soft can be submissive. Again a moderate volume can
be used to calm a loud speaker through ‘pacing’.
Useful in helping the receiver get the full message when used on key words. However,
it can sound domineering and aggressive when used inappropriately
This is useful for breaking information into bite size chunks. When used
inappropriately it is used as a controlling method to force dialogue from the other
party and can be perceived as aggressive. It can also be perceived as a sign of
weakness from a submissive person as their pauses allow interruptions
Mumbled words can be a sign of nervousness and submissive behaviour. Going over
the top on clarity can sound condescending and patronising.
Body Language
Body language is the most important method of communicating with others. It is also said to
be the language that we all speak but few understand. Many of the signals we send out are
communicated to the surrounding world without us consciously realising it.
There are around one million body language signals including:






Movement and posture
Facial expressions
Eye contact
Handshakes
Distance from others
Sitting position
Words may lie but body language seldom does. Using body
language involves four stages:




Understanding what you are looking for
Read people better
Recognise it in yourself
Learn how to control it
Page 10 of 13
Body language can tell us if people are:










Bored
Impatient
Not telling the truth
Sympathetic
Agreeable
Nervous
Tired
Angry or worried
Insecure
Truthful
Give examples of how you can tell someone is
bored, angry and nervous
In learning what to look for it is important to consider CLUSTERS. In other words single
gestures taken in isolation cannot be taken to be an accurate indication (they may simply be
scratching the back of their neck because it itches)
It's a fact - If a person' thoughts and words agree they will tend to transmit a clear signal.
But remember while you are reading the other person's body language they are reading
yours!





Actions speak louder than words
The other person will be reading you
Judge by posture, facial expression or gestures
Gesture should be seen in clusters
Don’t make hasty judgements
Active Listening
There is a world of difference between listening
and waiting for your turn to talk. The skill of
active listening is about not only hearing the
words but to understand the meaning and
emotions behind them.
Active listening involves four main areas
 Observation. Non verbal
communication. Body language, facial
expression and gestures.
 Reflecting information. Paraphrasing or
summarising what has been said to confirm you have understood what has been
said.
Page 11 of 13


Reflecting feelings. Testing out your perception (later) of how the person feels
about what they are describing.
Supporting. Demonstrating through facial expression, eye contact and gestures that
you are actively listening and are still interested.
Often listening is done in a half hearted fashion because the listener is preparing a response
waiting for their turn to talk. Real influence can only occur in an atmosphere of trust and
acceptance. Active listening is a key element to developing this environment as the speaker
feels understood and has the opportunity to express their thoughts more clearly and
concisely.
Element 4 - Outcome
The final stage is getting your audience to do something in accordance with your objectives.
Choosing direct command words such as 'do it now' 'call me straight away' 'send me an email now' negates any complacency but the more subtle approach can work equally as well
where appropriate. Your communication can end with a combination of urgency and
optimism. Example; set a challenge, 'which department will be the first to eliminate all
waste paper?' ‘let's look at how we can increase productivity by just 2% next month', 'can
we agree to read the Chairman's report before tomorrow morning?'
There is a long held theory that we are all driven
by the right hand / left hand brain theory. This a
scientifically proven study that indicates most
people have a bias towards one side of the brain.
The right side deals with creativity and pictures
while the left hand side considers logic and
analytical functions such as numbers and words.
A good communicator, by understanding how the
brain works, ensures his or her messages appeal
to both sides of the brain. Those with a left hand bias will soon tire of 'painting pictures' and
start demanding more reasoned argument, possibly with facts and figures while those with
a right hand bias will not appreciate 'cold facts' being presented. The human brain thrives
on a mix of facts and fantasy; a good communicator weaves all the key senses into the
message.



Facts and Fiction - use anecdotes to illustrate your point
Paint the brightest picture - use metaphors or show them something relevant to the
message (a pie chart showing the savings made through recycling waste paper)
Try using rhyme for enabling people to remember
Page 12 of 13
Remember
Here is some food for thought when thinking
about effective communication





 When passing on information we
regularly distort or omit facts
 When receiving information we often filter
unwelcome news and remember only the positive things
People switch off if given too much information
We restrict the sharing of information by self-selection
Despite the internet, distance is still a barrier. Near-by people are kept more
informed than distant colleagues
People respond best to urgent communications
The fewer links the better the communication
Reflection
Think of a time you have communicated with colleagues, how would you have taken what
you have learnt from this workbook to make the communication better?
Further Learning
Visit Ask ELLE for learning against all aspects of communication
Page 13 of 13