E.I - Engineering - Communication

CommunicationSkills

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What are communicationskills?

Communication skills are vital for conveying and understanding various information types, like new ideas or project updates. They encompass listening, speaking, observing, and empathising, which are crucial for making positive first impressions.In today's world, effective communication is essential for success in both professional and personal realms. It enhances understanding, fosters trust and respect, encourages diversity recognition, and facilitates problem-solving and creative idea-sharing. Strengthening these skills enables better connections with friends, colleagues, and superiors.

The art of communication

The importance of communication skills

Communication skills shape first impressions and are crucial for success in both personal and professional life. They foster understanding, trust, and problem-solving, facilitating connections with others. At work, clear communication boosts productivity, morale, and trust. Effective communicators are valuable assets, promoting team building, innovation, and growth while ensuring everyone's voice is heard and valued.

Here are five examples why strong communication and interpersonal skills are so vital in the workplace:

Face-to-face communication skills

Face-to-face communication skills are extremely important - they allow for a better exchange of information since both speaker and listener are able to see and interpret body language and facial expressions.

Here are some vital tips for improving your face-to-face communication skills

Virtualcommunication skills

Virtual communication is how people interact with others without being in the same room. It's used by remote teams in an office environment and practically every industry. For most employees, business communication takes place over many different channels, such as instant messaging apps (iMessage, Slack, WhatsApp), or more traditionally, email.Virtual communication makes it easy to stay in touch and share information with work colleagues who may be located miles away. Consistent communication increases employee efficiency and productivity, and is becoming more common in the modern world, particularly since covid-19.

Improving your virtual communication skills may include addressing the following:

Verbal and non-verbal communication

Verbal Communication

Non-verbal Communication

Public Speaking

Written and visual communication

Visual Communication

Written Communication

Questioning

Listening and active listening communication

Active Listening Communication

Listening Communication

Optional activity: Listening

Let’s have a bit of fun with this.Take a look at this classic Sesame Street clip. For those of you who may not have heard of Sesame Street, it is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It was particularly famous amongst kids in the 1970s and 1980s but it’s still running today!So, to the clip, you can watch this by clicking the blue play button. It features two of Sesame Street’s most famous characters, Bert and Ernie. Bert is yellow, and Ernie is orange - just so you know!Watch it at least twice, then answer the questions below, you can make a word doc or pdf for this, and submit your answers by clicking the orange button.

1. What’s the initial problem with the way that Ernie tries to communicate with Bert?
2. Do you think Bert reacts appropriately, or could he have reacted better?
3. Is Ernie’s new approach to communication at the end of the video any better or not?

Why not give this activity a try when you have some free time? It could be a great way to kickstart your journey toward future employment. Please note that participation in this activity is entirely optional, and you're not obligated to take part if you prefer not to.

Activity: listening in the workplace

Take a look at the following video - it distinguishes between poor listening skills and excellent, constructive listening skills in the workplace:You will be given 4 questions in response to this video (try to keep your answers between 50-150 words). You can make a word doc or pdf for this, and submit your answers by clicking the orange button.

Click here to view questions!

Why not give this activity a try when you have some free time? It could be a great way to kickstart your journey toward future employment. Please note that participation in this activity is entirely optional, and you're not obligated to take part if you prefer not to.

1. Why did the manager handle the situation poorly initially? Think about his tone of voice, body language and approach to resolving the problem.
2. What can you identify in the body language of the employee initially? How do you think she is feeling about her manager’s aggressive response?
3. What does the manager do well in the second response to rationalise the situation?
4. How do you feel the situation has been resolved? Are both the manager and employee satisfied with the outcome? How does their body language change to promote positivity?

Written communication conveys and documents information, serving as a reference. It's used in various forms such as books, blogs, emails, and social media platforms like Facebook Messenger and Twitter, facilitating communication in diverse settings.Here are a few steps you can take to develop your written communication skills:

1. Simplify your writing - clarity is key, avoid overwhelming your audience with unnecessary details.
2. Be cautious with tone - in written communication, nuances like humor or sarcasm may be misinterpreted, so keep it neutral and save personality for face-to-face interactions.
3. Review your writing - take time to proofread emails, letters, or memos for errors or opportunities to improve. Consider seeking input from a colleague for a fresh perspective.
4. Maintain a reference file - save examples of effective communication for future inspiration and improvement.

Non-verbal communication, including body language and facial expressions, conveys information consciously and unconsciously. It helps understand others' emotions; closed body language indicates negative feelings, while open body language suggests positivity and receptiveness.Here are a few steps you can take to develop your nonverbal communication skills:

• Recognize how emotions manifest physically - identify where you feel emotions in your body (e.g., tight stomach when anxious) to gain self-awareness and control over your outward expression.
• Purposefully use nonverbal communication - display positive body language when feeling positive and use gestures, facial expressions, and body movements to support verbal communication, like opening your arms for excitement.

Active listening is the cornerstone of effective communication, involving truly hearing, understanding, and responding to gather more information. It's essential for problem-solving and conflict resolution.Watching the video should give you some great tips on how to be a better listener - not just in the workplace, but in your everyday life.

Questioning

Understanding people's needs involves two types of questions: closed and open.Closed questions seek simple 'yes' or 'no' answers, like "Would you like milk with your coffee?"Open questions encourage deeper responses, such as "How are you?" They invite conversation, allowing individuals to express themselves fully.Learning to use open and closed questions effectively enhances communication:

• Closed questions: Assertive, for quick answers or when in a hurry.
• Open questions: Foster discussion, show interest, and gather more information.

Verbal communication involves both spoken language and sign language. It's widely used in presentations, meetings, and conversations, being the primary and efficient means of transferring information.Here are a few steps you can take to develop your verbal communication skills:

• Speak with a strong, confident voice - especially in group settings to ensure clarity and confidence in conveying ideas.
• Practice active listening - crucial for effective communication in meetings, presentations, and one-on-one conversations, enhancing your communication skills.
• Minimize filler words - such as "um," "like," and "so," as they can be distracting and irritating, replacing them with pauses for clearer speech.

The Art of CommunicationCommunication skills are vital to a healthy, efficient workplace. Often categorised as a “soft skill” or interpersonal skill, communication is the act of sharing information from one person to another person or group of people. There are many different ways to communicate, each of which plays an important role in sharing information, especially in the workplace.In this section, we will take a closer look at the different types of communication, and how to strengthen your skills in each:

Visual communication utilizes images like photographs, art, charts, and graphs to convey information, often accompanying presentations for added context. Understanding diverse learning styles is crucial; visual communication can be more effective for some in grasping ideas and information.Here are a few steps you can take to develop your visual communication skills:

• Seek feedback on visuals - before incorporating visual aids, ask for input to ensure clarity and relevance, avoiding confusion in your communication.
• Tailor visuals to the audience - ensure that visuals are easily understandable, especially for complex data, and never use sensitive or offensive images.
• Optimize visibility - make visuals large enough and consider accessibility needs, such as using clear colors and avoiding small text, to ensure inclusivity and appreciation.

Strong and open-minded management - Effective team communication is essential for morale and success, achieved through strategies like regular open floor meetings.Strong and open-minded management – Strong managerial communication streamlines task delegation, conflict resolution, motivation, and relationship building.Innovation & ideas – Open communication fosters innovation and idea sharing, vital for organizational growth.Growth – Consistent internal communication ensures coherence in external messaging, crucial for growth projects.Ensure that everyone has a voice – Valuing everyone's voice boosts employee satisfaction, achieved through well-established communication channels.

• Thinking about developing an appropriate, formal telephone manner
• Getting the tone right in your emails
• Working on your online presentation skills
• Learning to use appropriate apps and websites
• Keeping comprehensive records of your work
• Staying in touch!

Listening often goes overlooked as a communication skill since it's primarily non-verbal. However, it's crucial for effective communication. Those who don't listen often face more conflict and may be perceived as selfish or arrogant. Ensure you're an attentive listener to avoid such pitfalls. Listening involves receiving and interpreting messages throughout the communication process.Our top tips on being a better listener:

• Practice active listening:

• Stay silent, maintain eye contact, and use positive acknowledgments.

• Ask open-ended questions to encourage elaboration.
• Identify key phrases indicating emotions.
• Reflect back on what you've understood to confirm accuracy.

Watch your posture - you may think that words are all you need to communicate, but your body posture speaks volumes as well!Maintain eye contact - holding a person’s eye contact shows willing, confidence, interest, and empathyChoose your words well - make sure your choice of language is appropriate for the situation and the person(s) you are talking toBe Audible - try to ensure that you project your voice because mumbling is a sure sign that you are nervous and intimidatedBe assertive - having the confidence to express yourself and share your thoughts and ideas will be appreciated and recognisedPositive reinforcement - show that you are in agreement by positively reinforcing the conversation both verbally and physically with smiles, nods, hand gestures, and encouragementListen - possibly the most important quality needed in communication; if you don’t listen, your input will likely be irrelevant and one-sided