Professional Communication Skills 2018

Course aims
Course objectives
Course content
Course reading materials

 The purpose of this course is to help you become a
more effective communicators in a variety of
challenging organisational settings e.g.
 multinational corporations
 international aid agencies
 local governments
 The course will also help the student to develop a
more ﬂexible repertoire of skills and stronger
critical faculties to deal with new communication
challenges.
2/1/2018 2Paul Svongoro

 write clear, concise and effective business
documents in an efficient and professional manner;
 appreciate the nature and importance of effective
communication within and beyond organisations;
 explore connections between theory, research
evidence and ‘real world’ communication
practices;
 demonstrate an understanding of the
communication process and apply it to written,
visual and oral messages in business.

 Our communication skills are something we tend to take for
granted. We’re all skilled at communicating; it’s something
we’ve been doing since the day we were born. We
communicate spontaneously, often unconsciously
 People react to your behaviour, i.e. what you do and say.
 According to Dale Carnegie, “There are four ways and only
four ways in which we have contact with the world. We are
evaluated and classiﬁed by these contacts:
 what we do
 how we look
 what we say and
 how we say it”.

SO....
 Having a greater insight into what’s happening
when you communicate increases your ability
to adapt the way you interact with people and
inﬂuence their response to you.
 Increasing your awareness of the process and
context of communication will increase your
effectiveness of working with others.

 Human beings are social/gregarious animals: even basic survival
depends on countless successful interactions with other people
 Without communication, our economic prosperity, social welfare and
cultural life would be undermined.
 Organisations are complex phenomena so effective communication is
needed for their success
 The kind of challenges we need to consider include:
 formal organisation structures, reporting arrangements and procedures;
 cultural diversity, across countries, organisations, departments,
employees and other organisational stakeholders;
 intense political, ﬁnancial and time pressures, competing managerial
priorities and demands.
• Issues of this kind mean that communicating in organisations is often an
uphill struggle.
 Hence, this COURSE is concerned with communication in human
organisations of all kinds

 Communication is to an
organisation/individual like the
bloodstream/oxygen in the human being
 Humans may undergo surgery to correct blood
supplies and the body’s physical efficiency
 Organisations may have to revamp their
communication systems to survive

 The term 'communication' originates from the Latin
word communicare, which means:
 to share information
 to impart information
 for understanding.

 The transfer and exchange of information and
understanding between people through
meaningful symbols (Hellriegel et al, 2004)
 This information can be:
 Ideas
 Values
 Opinions
 Facts

 Can be formal or informal
 Can be verbal or non-verbal
 Takes a variety of forms e.g.:
 Face to face interactions, phone calls
 Faxes, emails, letters, memos, reports
 Videos and oral presentations

 Communication is a PROCESS
 Communication comprises a number of
ELEMENTS
 The elements of communication combine to
make the process complete.

 Sender ↔ Speaker/ Writer
 Receiver ↔ Listener/ Reader
 Messages ↔ The message content
 Feedback ↔ Responses/Reactions
 Encoding ↔ Message formulation
 Decoding ↔ Interpreting message
 Interference ↔ Which impede message transmission
 Medium – means through which a message is
transmitted to its intended audience, such as print
media or broadcast (electronic) media.
 Channel- the way communication flows- up, down,
sideways

 Gender
 Culture
 Religion
 Age
 Status
 Language- semantic & syntactic
 Technical- equipment breakdown
 Environmental
 Physiological

• Physiological e.g Message in an internal report not
received due to blindness
 Psychological e.g Message from external stakeholder
ignored due to ‘groupthink’ (Janis 1982)
 Cultural e.g Message from organisation misinterpreted
by members of a particular cultural group
 Political e.g Message from internal stakeholder not sent
because individual is marginalised
 Economic e.g Message not available to a public sector
organisation due to lack of resources
 Technological e.g Message not delivered due to
technical challenges

Dynamic
 It is a process that is constantly changing
 We react to what others say and do then they react
to our reactions and so on
Use of Words as well as Symbols
 Communication maybe written
 Communication maybe oral/spoken
 Communication maybe symbolic- e.g. the ringing
of bell for closing a school or a college, saying
something by the movement of the neck, showing
anger or disapproval through eyes etc.

Irreversible
 Basically once a message has been sent, it
cannot be reversed
 Once you have said something, you cannot
take it back, no matter how many apologies or
denials you may give.

Continuous
 During intrapersonal communication individuals
communicate within themselves for purposes of
decision making and formulation of self-concept
 Whether awake or asleep, communication
continues to take place.

Contextual
What is appropriate in one context may be
inappropriate in a different context e.g.:
 Court trial
 Prayer meeting at Church
 Political rally
 Law lecture
 Date
 Board meeting in a law firm

 Dyadic
It is 2 way. Usually between 2 people but at times
more than 2
Examples could be a telephone conversation between
2 people or a face-to-face interaction between a
boss and a subordinate
Always involves the Exchange of Ideas
Communication cannot be thought of in the absence
of exchange of ideas. In order to complete the
process of communication there must be an
exchange of ideas, orders, feelings, etc., among two
or more than two persons.

INTRAPERSONAL

INTERPERSONAL

GROUP/ORGANISATIONAL

PUBLIC COMMUNICATION

MASS COMMUNICATION

 The communication process is often described
using a simple linear model, which features
senders and receivers. Messages are encoded
by senders, transmitted and then decoded by
receivers; they are also subject to distortion, or
‘noise’.
 A sender can only be sure a message has been
received if they receive feedback.
 However, communication can also be
interactional and transactional

 ‘Effectiveness’ in organisational communication is about the
skilful application of communication knowledge.
 However, the only way to improve your personal
performance is to practise and the only way to excel is to
keep questioning your approach, and to set yourself greater
challenges.
 Organisations have a profound impact on many aspects of
our lives. This is often revealed in controversies over the
ways that organisations communicate with key
stakeholders, such as employees, customers, suppliers and
local communities. In these situations, there is often a
pressing need for effective communication.
 Effective communication results in common understanding.

 People react to your behaviour i.e. what you do and say.
 Having a greater insight into how you communicate increases your
ability to interact with people and inﬂuence their response to you.
 Communication can be represented as a process.
 The process of communication involves a message being sent from a
sender to a receiver via a channel.
 A sender can only be sure a message has been received if they receive
feedback.
 The words you use form only a small part of the message you convey
when talking
 Over 50 per cent of a message is conveyed through your body language.
The words you choose can inﬂuence the response of the receiver.
 When you communicate you have some responsibility to make sure that
your message is being received and understood.
 Listening effectively is the key to effective communication.
 If you want to build good relationships with people you have to
overcome these barriers.

Definition:
 Sharing/exchange of information within and
outside an organisation
 The flow of information within a network of
interdependent relationships
 Flow of information between internal and external
stakeholders of an organisation
 Takes place in profit making businesses but also in
academic institutions, churches, NGOs etc
 All organisation (profit or non-profit making) have
goals to achieve
 The success of these organisations depends on the
success of organisational communication

What is an organisation?
 A group of people working towards a pre-
determined goal
 Think of the following as organisations and
suggest what could be their goals;
 A university
 A church
 A charity club
 A bank
 A hospital

ORGANISATION
POSSIBLE
GOALS/OBJECTIVES
 A university
e.g. UNIVERSITY of ZIMB
WHAT ARE THE
GOALS/OBJECTIVES
OF AU?
 State goal 1
 State goal 2
 State goal 3
 State goal 4

 Needs based & hence segmented
 Specific according to the needs of groups of
people
 Frequent
 Multi-channel
 Most often face-to-face & hence two way

 All communication in organisations shows:
 Hierarchical arrangement of lines of authority
 Rights and duties of individuals within an
organisation
 Roles, power and reporting functions
 Levels of management with the top most layer
having decision making power
 Organisational power depends on the
organisation’s objectives and strategy

 Are made up of people who have different
roles
 there is somewhere within the organization
where power is held
 several people within the organization can fill
in one post
 different departments depend on each other
 different departments work together regularly

Vertical communication
 This can either be:
 DOWNWARDS or
 UPWARD communication.

Downward communication
 These are messages that are sent from superiors to subordinates.
 They serve the following purposes:
 They describe the organization’s goals and mission
 They describe the organization ethical standpoint
 They describe policies and procedures
 They describe workers’ relationships with the organization.
 They instruct workers on how to do a job.
 They give information on how a particular job is related to others
being done in the organisation.
 They give feedback on the success or failure of previous tasks.
 They give departments and individual employees feedback on
their general performance.

Superiors or managers can send different types
of messages that include:
 oral and written communication
 policy manuals
 Memorandums
 Reports
 notices/circulars
 in-house magazines or newspapers or websites
 specifications.

Upward communication
 For an organization to function properly, flow
of information has to be two-directional. In
this way superiors or managers can judge how
the messages have been received.

Upward communication is important for the
following reasons:
 managers have to receive feedback on whatever
they will have communicated/assigned. These
could be on progress of targets set.
 Managers also need to find out about employees’
attitudes, motivation and their general
perceptions.
 Suggestions from staff are crucial and can only be
achieved through a two-way process of
communication.
 Managers also need to evaluate employee
performance.

The messages that can be transmitted upward
include:
 oral and written reports
 Memorandum
 Proposals
 spoken and written messages, e.g. grievances,
suggestions

Sideways communication
 This is also known as lateral communication
where equals between departments necessarily
have to communicate through face-to-face
interaction, reports or memoranda.

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
 State advantage 1
 State disadvantage 1

 It is almost always the case that certain information or
messages cannot be transmitted through the above
established systems of communication. Inevitably
members of staff will establish their own informal
communication system which is generally referred to
as the grapevine.
 Can not be underestimated and important/useful for
organisations
 Grapevine serves to fill in the information vacuum.
 According to Fielding (1997) the grapevine is fast & 75-
90% accurate
 Carries a lot of messages that help “develop
relationships and create a sense of belonging”.

ALPORT & POSTMAN: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF
RUMOUR
“Rumours flourish in wars, depressions, peace &
prosperity”
 Why do they exist?
 What motives do they satisfy?
 Can they be understood scientifically?
 Can they be ‘eradicated’ or controlled?

Outward Communication
 This is another system of communication found in business
contexts.
 Business organization naturally serve clients and they have to
communicate with them.
 Communication with the public and suppliers can be:
 face-to-face interactions
 press releases
 telephone/cell phone calls
 Meetings
 workshops/seminars
 formal written reports/proposals
 advertisements
(Fielding 1997)

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

 Intercultural communication rests on the notion
that people, the world, and society are dynamic
and always in a state of change.
 The term intercultural communication refer s to all
forms of communication among individuals from
different cultural groups
 Cross-cultural communication is imperative for
companies that have a diverse workforce and
participate in the global economy. It is important
for employees to understand the factors that are
part of an effective, diverse workforce.

 People from different cultures have different
systems of beliefs, assumptions and values that
they share.
 Individuals from different cultures will
communicate differently because their ways of
communicating are largely culturally
determined.

 Today intercultural communication is more important
than at any other point in history. The movement of
people throughout the globe is at its peak.
 Because we are frequently in touch with other people’s
cultures, our interpersonal relationships are becoming
increasingly intercultural.
 For example, the rapid increase in communication
technology has brought foreign and sometimes strange
cultures right into our individual personalities.
 It is therefore important that we understand some of
the difficulties that we might encounter as we work or
interact with others in an intercultural environment.

 Cross-cultural communication
 Communication across cultures
 Multicultural communication

Devito (1991) proposes the following model:
1) Communication between cultures e.g. Zimbabweans and South
Africans or French and Swedish.
2) Communication between races (Interracial communication) e.g.
between blacks and whites.
3) Communication between ethnic groups (inter-ethnic
communication) e.g. Ndebele and Shona.
4) Communication between religions e.g. Moslems and
Christians/Jews.
5) Communication between subcultures e.g. between doctors and
lawyers, the blind and the hearing impaired.
6) Communication between a subculture and the dominant culture
e.g. homosexuals and heterosexuals
7) Communication between sexes i.e. men and women.

 According to Fielding (1997) there are several
barriers to effective intercultural communication:
1. Ethnocentricism
 is that tendency to evaluate other cultures
negatively and our own culture positively, or even
vice versa.
 Ethnocentricism can be a serious barrier to effective
intercultural communication.

2. Cultural stereotyping
 This is when people describe people of a
particular culture or ethnic group in a particular
way.
 Every member of that specific culture is viewed in
the same way.
 In other words they do not see any individual
differences within that culture.
Can you think of examples here? One example is
the way natural Zimbabweans would describe
Zimbabweans of Malawian descent.

3. Defensiveness
 This is when people are resistant to change
from past attributes, behaviours and styles
because they think it is the only way of doing
things
How does this affect the communication process
in an organization for example?

4. Different cultures have different ways of using
and interpreting non-verbal behaviours.
 For example different cultures interpret eye
contact differently.
 In Zimbabwe’s Shona Culture a prolonged eye
contact may be considered rude, threatening,
and disrespectful in some situations.

The act of pointing
 US: they can point to objects and people with
the index/TRIGGER finger (like in Zimbabwe)
 Germans: point with the little finger.
 Germans: point with the entire hand
 In Japanese it is rude to point using the index
finger

Fielding suggests a number of approaches that
help improve intercultural communication:
1. Inculcate an atmosphere of trust among
employees by assisting cultural groups within
the organisation to understand each other’s
perceptions, hopes and fears. Trust also
removes suspicion which is a hindrance to

2. Encourage staff/students to respect other
cultures’ ways of seeing things.
Assist people to learn about other cultures
through personal experience of individual
relationships.

3. TEACH STAFF/STUDENTS TO APPRECIATE
DIFFERENCES
Make staff aware that the (different people)
wealthy and the poor see things differently

5. Staff-develop employees on the fact that
different occupations and age-groups influence

6. Stress equality in communication and change
attitudes of superiority and inferiority at
workplaces.

7. Establish a fair language policy within
workplaces.
 Some organisations place equal importance on
the major languages spoken in their
organisations
 Other organisations employ interpreters
 Some companies are using controlled
vocabulary of about 2000 words.

 Refers to those body actions and vocal qualities that typically accompany verbal
communication
 It is communication through sending and receiving wordless cues
 It is all those human responses which are not described as either spoken or written.
 Nonverbal communication is the “unspoken” portion of communication and includes:
 kinesics (body movements, gestures, facial expressions)
 vocalics (vocal expression)
 haptics (touch)
 proxemics (space)
 chronemics (use of time- polychronic (Africa) vs monochronic (US and Europe)
cultures)
 Distance/space (Edward Hall)
 physical appearance
 artifacts (the use of objects) (Burgoon et al., 1996).

 All forms of non-verbal behaviours contribute to the understanding of
meaning in a communication setting (Burgoon et al.)
 It is the basic language communicated from birth.
 It can be voluntary or non-voluntary, intentional or non-intentional.
 Non-verbal communication mostly conveys emotions.
 The major challenge in non-verbal communication involves its
interpretation
 In fact, nonverbal communication has been estimated to comprise
approximately 60-90% of the meaning communicated in social settings
(Burgoon et al.)
 It is always important to remember that all nonverbal communication
occurs in a particular social/professional context, and the meaning may
change according to the setting (Schlenker, 1980)e.g during the
employment interview (Gifford, Ng, & Wilkinson, 1985; Parsons & Liden,
1984; Goldberg & Cohen, 2004)
 Research suggests that during interactions, people are always evaluated
for their NVC, e.g. during interviewers, police interrogations, trials e.t.c.
(Gifford et al.).

 Can be used after verbal communication for
instance when one says I’m sorry and starts crying
(reinforce/accentuation/intensify the verbal
message)
 Can be used in place of verbal communication for
example when one just cries instead of saying I’m
sorry (substitute)
 Can be used to complement verbal messages for
example when one says I’m sorry whilst crying.
 Can be used to contradict verbal messages for
instance, one may say I’m sorry whilst giggling.
 Regulation e.g hand movement during turn-taking
in conversations

 Nonverbal cues are often used in instances where
“information about a person is valuable” and/or
“there are reasons to believe that such information
can’t or won’t be explicitly expressed verbally or
otherwise” (Schlenker, 1980).
 Such social settings include first dates, a court trial,
or the employment interview (Schlenker).
 Due to the fact that interviewers utilize nonverbal
cues in assessing applicants, interviewees should
focus on utilizing nonverbal communication cues
to enhance their impression management skills.

 Individuals may use specific nonverbal behaviours to exemplify a
dominant impression. For example:
 an erect posture an “energy look” (moving in a quick, purposeful
manner)
 having “steady hands and feet,” lowered eyebrows
 good eye contact are all nonverbal contributors to the
personification of dominance (Schlenker, 1980).
• In addition, dominant people are often given and take more
personal space and are the first ones to initiate touch (Schlenker).
• The paralanguage (or paravocalics) of dominant personalities is
controlled in such a way as to downplay nervousness and portray
confidence, trustworthiness, and honesty (Schlenker).
• Conversely, submissive nonverbal behaviours would consist of
slouching, raised eyebrows (suggesting surprise or fear), and no
or little direct eye contact (Schlenker).

1. VOCAL CUES
• Some vocal cues are associated with the attribution of desirable
personal traits, and some with undesirable personal traits.
• Strive for a conversational speaking rate of 125-130 words per
minute. Interviewees who use a conversational speaking style are
viewed as more pleasant, likable, and friendly than those who do
not.
• Emphasize the most important points that are made with
appropriate changes in volume and pitch -- the monotone voice
has been found to be very damaging to credibility.
• Speaking with an appropriate variation in rate 14 and pitch will
make an interviewee appear more dynamic, animated, and
extroverted.
• Faulty or sloppy articulation and improper pronunciation are apt
to have a highly negative impact on an interviewee's perceived
competence.

2. Appearance
• Being well-groomed, neat, and dressed to look professional.
• Clothing choice represents the most effective way of controlling
appearance.
• Molloy (1977) has found that it is best for an interviewee to:
 Males should wear a navy blue or gray suit with a white shirt for the job
interview.
 A blue tie should be worn to complete the look.
 A woman should wear a navy blue skirted suit, a white blouse, and
matching pumps.
 Also, all business people should carry a quality pen.
 Researchers have found that carrying a case or, in case of a female, a
good quality handbag, also test well.
 The right glasses can make someone look authoritative and very little
jewellery should be worn.
Everything the interviewee wears or carries sends a message to the
interviewer.

3. Body Movement/Gestural Cues
 The most important of all nonverbal
communication systems is the body.
 Through gestures we communicate a variety of
messages.

 Examples of gestures include:
 Emblems- immediacy or non-immediacy can be
conveyed by emblems. Gestures such as stop, get lost,
waving, a peace sign, handshake, or slapping someone
on the back for a job well done would be interpreted as
immediate gestures, conveying liking or friendship
 Regulators- nonverbal behaviours which maintain and
control the speaking and listening of participants in a
social situation Adjusting our eye focus, nodding our
heads, or waving as for a greeting, are some examples
of regulators. Positive head nods, silence, eye contact, a
relaxed posture, touch. Head nods, leaning back,
slouching posture, little eye contact, or dull-sounding
vocalic behaviour are regulators that might decrease
immediacy

 Illustrators- are bodily movements that are related directly to
what is being said and emphasized what is verbalized. They
accompany and illustrate verbal messages. Illustrators are both
intentional and informative and are socially learned. Illustrators
can increase or decrease immediacy. For example, if an individual
is very happy about something, he or she will use more
illustrators that assist in telling others, thus increasing immediacy.
 affect displays- are linked with facial expressions that convey
emotional meaning. They show emotional meanings such as
surprise, happiness, interest, bewilderment, anger, eagerness, or
fear, sometimes without being intentional or us being aware of
(DeVito, 1986).
 adaptors- People who never seem relaxed, such as those who
scratch their heads or bite their nails, do not convey immediacy
(definition, the state, condition, or quality of being immediate) to
others, they only convey anxiety (McCroskey, Payne, &
Richmond, 1987).

WHAT WE AIM AT ACHIEVING?
 Define impression management/ self
presentation skills.
 Trace the origins of IM from Erving Goffman.
 Explain the various verbal and non-verbal IM
strategies we can use in various contexts.

 Have you ever asked yourself why the
following people behave the way they do?
 A student at AU
 A lecturer
 A newly married son/daughter in-law
 A newly recruited employee
 A newly recruited AU graduate

 Erving Goffman- a Canadian-American sociologist,
who is known most for his study and analysis of
everyday human interactions.
 Goffman was a sociologist who viewed society through
the symbolic interaction perspective; this perspective
looks at the everyday behaviour and interactions
between people to help explain society. Some examples
of everyday interaction would be meeting various
people in the grocery store, workers interacting on the
job, meetings of a small group
 Goffman's research is fundamental in understanding
society's ideas, values, and beliefs through the
behaviour of the individual. It is through his findings
that we can better understand situational behaviour.

 Erving Goffman introduced a popular thinking
within the symbolic-interaction perspective called
the dramaturgical approach (sometimes referred
to as dramaturgical analysis).
 Dramaturgical analysis is defined as the study of
social interaction in terms of theatrical
performance.
 Has origins in William Shakespeare’s
dramaturgy theory.
 Life is thought of in terms of a theatrical stage:
Life is a stage, and all the men and women merely
actors. They all have their entrances and exits.

 Goffman stated that people could be seen as
performers in a theatre. Actors in a play portray a
certain image to the audience, and so people in
society also put forth, in their behaviour, a certain
image or impression to other people.
 For example: in church we may be quiet,
respectful, and reverent; at a party, we may be
more outgoing and relaxed.
 All humans behave in different ways in their
back/ front stages

 IM is a symbolic interaction theory & Erving
Goffman coined the term impression
management in 1959
 from then on, sociologists and other theorists
have been adding insights and importance to
the concept.

 Erving Goffman (1959) "Impression
management is an active self-presentation of a
person aiming to enhance his image in the eyes of
others
 According to Newman (2009), impression
management is an “act of presenting a favourable
public image of oneself so that others will form
positive judgments” .
 Impression management is a fundamental and
universal process that involves a number of
social, cultural and spiritual factors.

 Erving Goffman (1959) "Impression
management is an active self-presentation of a
person aiming to enhance his image in the eyes of
others
 According to Newman (2009), impression
management is an “act presenting a favourable
public image of oneself so that others will form
positive judgments” .
 Impression management is a fundamental and
universal process that involves a number of
social, cultural and spiritual factors.

 Andersen and Taylor (2006)- IM can be seen as
a type of con game
 When a person engages in IM, they are
attempting to manipulate the impression they
project onto others.
 Analyzing IM reveals that we try to con the other
into perceiving us as we want to be perceived

 In IM, the person UNDER SCUITINY manages
the perception of the perceiver hoping to have
a positive impact
 Scholars concur that impression management
is the key to formulating a positive impression
 Scholars can also agree that in order to form
positive impressions, one must first learn to
manipulate the perceiver (Newman, 2009)

 People are sensitive to how they are seen by
others and use many forms of impression
management to compel others to react to them
in the ways they wish (Giddens, 2005)
 Impression management is a self-presentation
technique that focuses on improving a person’s
image in the eyes of others
So...Impression management is a tool most of us use
to present ourselves as likable people

Some writers use the terms:
 self-presentation skills
 identity management
 Self evaluation skills
 Perception management skills

 Although IM is a conscious act of manipulating reality,
IM can be a constructive feature of social interaction”
 People across the globe implement this concept in
order to obtain a favourable social outcome.
 Newman (2009) points out that “IM plays a prominent
role in the socialization process
 IM allows the production of manufactured personas,
which aid in the socialization process.
 The use of IM provides people with the necessary skills
to create a custom and often falsified perception.
 This deceptively altered perception allows a person to
construct a new, but not necessarily improved version
of him or herself.

 IM THEREFORE helps a person carefully craft
THEIR IMAGES hence relationships and by
extension they have the ability to alter their
position in the socialization process through
impression management.
 IM allows people to carefully craft and construct
their public perception
 In some cases, in order to obtain a favourable
public or social appearance, a person must alter
and falsify their persona.
THUS, IM can also have a number of negative
implications, such as, deception and falsification of self.

HOW PEOPLE ATTEMPT TO CONTROL HOW
OTHERS PERCEIVE THEM IS PORTRAYED
THROUGH THE CLOTHING THEY WEAR.
 A LAWYER for e.g. strives to be respected and in
order to control and maintain the impression;
HE/SHE wears a nice suit, carries a briefcase, and
acts in a professional manner.
 The professional clothing and the dignified
manner in which the person carries him or herself,
plays a large role in the impression management
process.
 BUT...This can also be adapted for a cultural scenario.

THROUGH THE PROCESS OF ALTERING ONE’S
PERSONALITY AND ACTIONS IN ORDER TO
BE ACCEPTED BY A SPIRITUAL/SOCIAL
GROUP
EXAMPLES
 how we act differently at church than we do
anywhere else
 how we would wear different clothing, listen to
other types of music, and even alter topics of
conversation
 “Around the “church people” act differently –
more upright, more spiritual, we would act nicer
than we really were

 Others also form impressions of us based on
what we say (our verbal messages) the
language we choose to use, the words we use
 How we speak- including our fluency,
sophistication etc
 How you act
 How we stand, sit, or move
 We also communicate our self-image and judge
others by the people with whom they associate;
if you associate with VIPs, then surely you
must be a VIP yourself

AFFINITY-SEEKING STRATEGIES.
 Are meant to increase your chances of being liked
EXAMPLES
• Follow the cultural rules for polite, cooperative, respectful
conversation.
• Appear active, enthusiastic, and dynamic.
• Stimulate and encourage the other person to talk about himself
or herself.
• Communicate interest in the other person.
• Appear honest, reliable, and interesting.
• Communicate warmth, supportiveness, and empathy.
• Demonstrate shared attitudes and values.
EVEN Plain old flattery also goes a long way toward making you
liked.

POLITENESS STRATEGIES.
 Politeness strategies are used to appear
likeable. Can be looked at in terms of:
 face-saving acts
 face-threatening acts.

IMMEDIACY STRATEGIES
 Immediacy is the creation of closeness, a sense of
togetherness, of oneness, between speaker and listener.
 people respond to communication that is immediate more
favourably than to communication that is not. People like
people who communicate immediacy.
 You can increase your interpersonal attractiveness, the
degree to which others like you and respond positively
toward you, by using immediacy behaviours
 For example, when a supervisors uses immediacy
behaviours, he or she is seen by subordinates as interested
and concerned; subordinates are therefore likely to
communicate more freely and honestly about issues that can
benefit the supervisor and the organization.

CREDIBILITY STRATEGIES.
 If a politician/ lawyer and wants people to trust/vote for him/her, at
least part of the strategy would involve attempts to establish your
credibility which consists of your:
 competence
 character
 charisma
 For example, to establish your competence, you might mention your great
educational background and cases you have won
 To establish that you are of good character, you might mention your
fairness and honesty, your commitment to enduring values, or your
concern for those less fortunate.
 And to establish your charisma—your take-charge, you might
demonstrate enthusiasm, be emphatic, or focus on the positive while
minimizing the negative.

INFLUENCING STRATEGIES
 In many instances you will want to get people to
see you as a leader.
 You demonstrate your knowledge (information
power), your expertise (expert power), your right
to lead by virtue of your position as, say, a doctor
or judge or accountant (legitimate power)
 You may show your leadership strategies, you
might stress your prior experience, your broad
knowledge, or your previous successes.

IMAGE CONFIRMING STRATEGIES.
 You may sometimes use image-confirming
strategies to reinforce your positive perceptions
about yourself.
 E.G If you see yourself as the life of the party,
you will tell jokes and try to amuse people.
 This behaviour confirms your own self-image
and also lets others know that this is who you
are and how you want to be seen.
 Criminals and prostitutes alike can also use this
strategy

 During INTERVIEWS one should KNOW
THAT:
 his/her appearance
 His/ her attitude
 his/ her personality are being scrutinised by
the client.

Definition:
 Any type of message that makes use of the written word on
paper/electronically).
 Written communication is the most important and the most
effective mode of business communication.
 Effective written communication is essential for
communicating organisational policies, assigning duties,
directing organisational operations & when preparing
promotional materials for business development.
 Writing is more formal than speech (spontaneous/not
carefully thought out)
 Effective writing requires careful choice of words, their
organization in correct order in sentences formation as well
as cohesive composition of sentences.

Written communications that are used internally
include:
 Memos
 Reports
 Notices
 Job descriptions
 Employee manuals
 Emails

External written communication include:
 Email
 Websites
 Reports
 Letters
 Notices
 Proposals
 Postcards
 Contracts
 Advertisements
 News releases

 Written communication helps in laying down apparent
principles, policies and rules for running of an
organization.
 It is a permanent means of communication as it
provides ready records and references.
 It assists in proper delegation of responsibilities.
 Effective written communication develops and
enhances an organization’s image.
 Can be used as legal documents.
 No need for personal contact - you can tell an
employee he or she has to work overtime through an
email instead of face-to-face.
 Sometimes cheaper - you can send an email instead of
calling long distance.

 Written communication in most cases is more
carefully organised hence a more effective way
of organisational communication (more precise
and explicit).

 Expensive- paper, manpower, internet
 Where receivers of the written message are separated
by distance and if they need to clear their doubts, the
response is not spontaneous.
 Written communication is time-consuming as the
feedback is not immediate.
 Effective written communication requires great skills
and competencies in language and vocabulary use.
 Poor writing skills and quality have a negative impact
on organization’s reputation.
 Delay in communication - it may take a while to get to
the intended recipient.
 Lack of secrecy - once written, anyone can read it.

1. CORRECTNESS OF GRAMMAR
2. PROPERLY STRUCTURED- clear beginning,
middle & ending. Also structured according to
form. Eg. Letter, memo, report etc
3. CONCISE- no need for long winding sentences.
Rather be simple & to the point
4. CAREFULLY CHOSEN WORDS
5. AUDIENCE CENTRED
6. CORRECTLY PUNCTUATED

 An official statement that is sent to the media
so that it can be publicized
 It is usually a response to bad publicity or to
information which can cause potential harm to
an organisation
 It is therefore a public relations tool meant to
correct the company's image/set the record
straight

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
 CONTACT:
 Contact Person
 Company Name
 Voice Phone Number
 FAX Number
 Email Address
 Website URL
 <HEADLINE>
 <City>, <State>, <Date> -
 The first paragraph. Begin your press release with a two sentence paragraph that provides a quick
 overview of the news why it is important. It should read easily and make your news sound exciting
to a general audience.
 Next, provide some background information on the product or service.
 Make sure to write your release in terms that readers consumers, your target audience, and the
general public will understand. Do not use industry terminology, and provide definitions that
readers might not know about or understand.
 Your text should explain the purpose, target market, and benefits of your product or service, and
intrigue the reader to find out more, visit your website, contact you for more information, recommend
your product to a friend, or sell your product to management.
 ABOUT <COMPANY>
 The final paragraph should be a brief description of your company and the

 Andersen, M. L., & Taylor, H. L. (2006). Sociology: The
essentials. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing.
 Brym, R. S., & Lie, J. (2006). Sociology: Your compass for a
new world. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing.
 Ferrante, J. (2008). Sociology: A global perspective.
Belmont, CA: Thomas Higher Education.
 Giddens, A. (2005). Sociology. Cambridge, UR, UK:
Polity Press.
 Newman, D. M. (2009). Sociology: Exploring the
architecture of everyday life. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine
Forge Press.

Professional Communication Skills 2018

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