ENHANCING PERSONAL
COMMUNICATION WITH
PARTICIPANTS
HEV COURSE 305
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Tools We Will Explore Today
 What is communication?
 Types of communication
 What are communication challenges?
 Steps for effective communication
 Communication techniques
 Giving constructive feedback
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Enhancing Personal Communication
Photo by Minnesota Department of Transportation
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Enhancing Personal Communication
 What is communication?
 A process by which information is exchanged
between individuals through a common system of
symbols, signs, or behavior
Merriam-Webster
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Enhancing Personal Communication
 Types of communication
 Intrapersonal
 Individual communication
 Interpersonal
 Between two or more people
 Can be formal and informal
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Enhancing Personal Communication
 Types of communication
 Organizational
 Takes place at different hierarchical levels
 Internal operational- all communication that occurs
in an organization
 External operational- work related communication
with people outside an organization
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Enhancing Personal Communication
 Types of communication
 Mass
 Books, journals, television, newspapers, etc.
 Requires a mediator to transmit information
 Large reach- reaches audience in wide geographical
area
 Impersonality- participants don’t know one another
 Presence of gatekeeper- communication needs
additional persons to convey message
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Enhancing Personal Communication
 Types of communication
 Informal
 Engage with people on a casual basis
 Formal
 Interviews, focus groups, meetings
Participation Handbook for Humanitarian Workers, Chapter 4: Communication
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Enhancing Personal Communication
 Types of communication
 Non-verbal
 Often say one thing, but communicate something
different with vocal intonation and body language
 Reflects underlying thoughts or feelings about an
issue
 Includes facial expressions, eye gaze, voice, posture
and gestures, personal space and distance, and
personal appearance
“Communication Skills”
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Enhancing Personal Communication
Photo by Minnesota Department of Transportation
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Enhancing Personal Communication
 What are communication challenges?
 Misunderstanding what is trying to be expressed
 Communication can be vague and complex
 Message can be distorted by:
 The experience/filters of both speaker and listener
 The medium used to communicate
 Listeners make assumptions
 Can create tension and distrust
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Enhancing Personal Communication
 How do you solve challenges?
 Get feedback from those with whom you have
informed on what they have understood
 If feedback agrees, you have effectively
communicated
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Enhancing Personal Communication
 Steps for effective communication
1. Inform
2. Get feedback
3. Check the feedback versus intended meaning
4. If learners agree, then effective communication
has happened and you can stop the process
5. If misunderstanding, re-inform using different
words
6. Repeat steps two through five
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Enhancing Personal Communication
Photo by Minnesota Department of Transportation
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Enhancing Personal Communication
 Communication techniques
 Decide the purpose of the exercise before




communicating
Gather background information beforehand
Keep a record during the meeting or presentation
Begin with large group meetings, then smaller
groups later
Keep discussions on topic
Participation Handbook for Humanitarian Workers, Chapter 4: Communication
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Enhancing Personal Communication
 Communication techniques
 Control your reaction to comments
 If unsure about a question, be able to direct
audience elsewhere
 Be sure to summarize and clarify before closing
 Be available for questions after communicating
Participation Handbook for Humanitarian Workers, Chapter 4: Communication
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Enhancing Personal Communication
Photo by Minnesota Department of Transportation
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Enhancing Personal Communication
 Giving constructive feedback
 Be honest, supportive, and encouraging
 Can be reinforcing and motivation to improve
 Guidelines:
 Be specific
 Offer a solution
 Deliver face to face
 Be sensitive
“Communication Skills”
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Enhancing Personal Communication
 Giving constructive feedback
 Can range from informal to more formal settings
 Schedule a meeting
 Agree on process, content, and location
 Start the discussion with open questions
 Exchange feedback
 Develop plan for improvement
 Summarize what has been agreed and sense of
direction when closing the discussion
“Communication Skills”
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Enhancing Personal Communication
 Giving constructive feedback
 If a conflict occurs redirect the exercise by
 Active listening
 Acknowledge their point
 Agree whenever you can
“Getting Past No”
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Enhancing Personal Communication
 What not to do:
 Don’t be too direct or straightforward
 Don’t interrupt
 Don’t give up quickly
 Don’t bring up past issues
 Don’t be passive, pout, or criticize
 Don’t use words such as “always” or “never”
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Enhancing Personal Communication
 Evaluate feedback
 Evaluate effectiveness by asking yourself:
 Your purpose in giving feedback
 What specific actions do you want to reinforce or
correct? What are the consequences?
 What suggestions may be helpful?
 What pitfalls might occur during this meeting?
 How do you plan to overcome the pitfalls?
“Communication Skills”
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Enhancing Personal Communication
Photo by Minnesota Department of Transportation
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The Tools We Explored Today
 What communication is
 Types of communication
 What communication challenges are
 Steps for effective communication
 Communication techniques
 Giving constructive feedback
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Sources and Resources
 Participation Handbook for Humanitarian Workers,
Chapter 4: Communication
 http://www.urd.org/IMG/pdf/MP_GB_CHAPITRE4.pdf
 “Communication Skills”
 http://cw.routledge.com/textbooks/9780415537902/data/le
arning/11_Communication%20Skills.pdf
 “Getting Past No”
 http://krypton.mnsu.edu/~tony/courses/609/Frame/No.ht
ml

Lindy Crawford for the Urban and Regional Studies Institute at Minnesota
State University, Mankato

http://www.sbs.mnsu.edu/ursi
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