CHARACTERISTICS OF COMMUNICATION

1. Characteristics of successful communication

2. Effective communication
• Just delivering a
message is not enough;
it must meet the purpose
of the sender.
• Presentation of views
by the sender in a way
best understood by the
receiver.
• It is a process of
exchanging ideas,
thoughts, knowledge
and information such
that the purpose or
intention is fulfilled in
the best possible
manner.

3. Basic Characteristics of effective
communication
• 1. Clarity
• 2. Completeness
• 3. Conciseness or
Brevity
• 4. Courtesy or
politeness
• 5. Correctness

4. Clarity
• Most people have received emails or
had conversations at work that left
them wondering exactly what was
just said. Confusing jargon,
contradictory statements or a lack of
focus can remove the meaning from
business communication. According
to Bill Gates in his 1999 book
"Business at the Speed of Thought,"
"Like a human being, a company has
to have an internal communication
mechanism, a 'nervous system,' to
coordinate its actions." Keeping
emails, memos and discussions clear
and precise, and proofreading any
messages before hitting send can
help keep that system running
smoothly.

5. Completeness
• Effective communications
are complete, i.e. the
receiver gets all the
information he needs to
process the message and
take action. A complete
message reduces the
need for follow-up
questions and smoothens
the communication
process.

6. Conciseness or Brevity
• Conciseness is about
keeping your message to a
point. This is more about
the content of your
message rather than its
length. Even a short memo
can include irrelevant or
redundant information.
Conciseness helps the
receiver focus on what’s
important, speeds up the
processing of information
and caters for improved
understanding.

7. Courtesy
• Courtesy and
consideration
complement each other
in effective
communications.
Courtesy
means respecting the
receiver’s culture, values
and beliefs – i.e. crafting
a message that is
genuinely polite and
unbiased.

8. Correctness
• Correct grammar and syntax
vouch for increased
effectiveness and credibility
of your message. Formal
errors might affect the
clarity of your message,
trigger ambiguity and raise
doubts. They might also
have a negative impact on
the overall perception of
the message, which could
be seen as sloppy or
negligent

9. • Observance: A person must possess sharp observing
skills to gain more and more knowledge and
information.
• Clarity and Brevity: The message must be drafted in
simple words, and it should be clear and precise to
create the desired impact over the receiver.
• Listening and Understanding: The most crucial skill
in a person is he must be a good, alert and patient
listener. He must be able to understand and interpret the
message well.
• Emotional Intelligence: A person must be emotionally
aware and the ability to influence others from within.
• Self-Efficacy: Also, he/she must have faith in himself
and his capabilities to achieve the objectives of
communication.

10. • Self-Confidence: Being one of the essential communication
skills, confidence enhances the worthiness of the message
being delivered.
• Respectfulness: Delivering a message with courtesy and
respecting the values, believes, opinions and ideas of the
receiver is the essence of effective communication.
• Non-Verbal Communication: To connect with the receiver
in a better way, the sender must involve the non-verbal
means communication too. These include gestures, facial
expressions, eye contact, postures, etc.
• Selection of the Right Medium: Choice of the correct
medium for communication is also a skill. It is necessary to
select an appropriate medium according to the situation,
priority of the message, the receiver’s point of view, etc.
• Providing Feedback: Effective communication is always a
two-way process. A person must take as well as give
feedback to bring forward the other person’s perspective
too.