The document discusses fundamental communication skills pertinent to a mechanical department, emphasizing the importance of both interpersonal communication and reflective listening for effective exchanges. It outlines various barriers to communication, defensive versus nondefensive communication styles, and the impact of new technologies on interpersonal skills and social context. The text also provides strategies for overcoming communication challenges and enhancing the quality of interactions in organizational settings.

1. BASIC COMMUNICATION
SKILLS
Mechanical Department
Sem 1
Abhishek Singh

2. COMMUNICATION
Communication - the evoking of a
shared or common meaning in
another person
Interpersonal
Communication- communication
between two or more people in an
organization
Communicator - the person
originating the message
Receiver - the person receiving a
message
Perceptual Screen - a window through
which we interact with people that

3. COMMUNICATION
Message - the thoughts and feelings
that the communicator is
attempting to elicit in the receiver
Feedback Loop - the pathway that
completes two-way communication
Language - the words, their
pronunciation, and the methods of
combining them used & understood
by a group of people

4. COMMUNICATION
Data - uninterpreted and unanalyzed
facts
Information - data that have been
interpreted, analyzed, & and have
meaning to some user
Richness - the ability of a medium or
channel to elicit or evoke meaning in
the receiver

5. Hearing
Seeing
Smell
Touch
Tast
e
COMMUNICATION IS A SERIES OF EXPERIENCES
OF

6. TOTAL COMMUNICATION
PROCESS

7. BASIC INTERPERSONAL
COMMUNICATION MODEL
Event
X
Message
• Context
• Affect
Perceptual screens
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Perceptual screens
Communicator Receiver
Influence message quality, accuracy, clarity
Include age, gender, values, beliefs, culture,
experiences, needs

8. REFLECTIVE LISTENING
Reflective Listening - the skill of listening
carefully to another person and repeating back
to the speaker the heard message to correct any
inaccuracies or misunderstandings
This complex
process needs
to be divided
to be
understood
What I heard
you say was we
will understand
the process
better if we break
it into steps

9. REFLECTIVE LISTENING
• Emphasizes receiver’s role
• Helps the receiver & communicator clearly
& fully understand the message sent
• Useful in problem solving

10. REFLECTIVE LISTENING
Reflective listening emphasizes
• the personal elements of the communication
process
• the feelings communicated in the message
• responding to the communicator, not
leading the communicator
• the role or receiver or audience
• understanding people by reducing
perceptual distortions and interpersonal
barriers

11. REFLECTIVE LISTENING:
4 LEVELS OF VERBAL RESPONSE
Affirm
contact
Paraphrase the expressed
Clarify the
implicit
Reflect “core”
feelings

12. ONE-WAY VS. TWO-WAY
COMMUNICATIONS
One-Way
Communication - a
person sends a message
to another person and no
questions, feedback, or
interaction follow
■ Good for giving
simple directions
■ Fast but often less
accurate than 2-way
communication
Two-Way
Communication - the
communicator & receiver
interact
■ Good for problem
solving

13. FIVE KEYS TO EFFECTIVE SUPERVISORY
COMMUNICATION
• Expressive speaking
• Empathetic listening
• Persuasive leadership
• Sensitivity to feelings
• Informative management

14. BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION
• Physical separation
• Status differences
• Gender differences
• Cultural diversity
• Language
Communicatio
n Barriers -
factors that
block or
significantly
distort
successful
communicatio
n

15. BARRIERS IN COMMUNICATION
(THAT HAVE TO DO WITH THE
COMMUNICATOR)
• Disagreement between verbal and non-
verbal messages
• Negative Self Image
• Lack of Feedback
• Lack of Motivation and Training
• Language and Vocabulary Level
• Lack of Self Awareness

16. BARRIERS IN COMMUNICATION
(THAT HAVE TO DO WITH THE
RECEIVER)
• Selective Perception
• Unwillingness to Change
• Lack of Interest in the Topic/Subject
• Prejudice & Belief System
• Rebuttal Instincts
• Personal Value System
• Here-and-Now internal & external factors

17. DEFENSIVE COMMUNICATION
Defensive Communication - communication
that can be aggressive, attacking & angry, or
passive & withdrawing
Leads to:-
● injured feelings
● communication breakdowns
● alienation
● retaliatory behaviors
● nonproductive efforts
● problem solving failures

18. NONDEFENSIVE COMMUNICATION
Nondefensive Communication -
communication that is assertive, direct,
& powerful
Provides
● basis for defense when attacked
● restores order, balance, and effectiveness

19. TWO DEFENSIVENESS PATTERNS
Dominant Defensiveness -
characterized by active, aggressive,
attacking behavior
Subordinate Defensiveness -
characterized by passive, submissive,
withdrawing behavior

20. DEFENSIVE TACTICS
Defensive Tactic Speaker Example
Power Play Boss “Finish this report by month’s
end or lose your promotion.”
Put-Down Boss “A capable manager would
already be done with this report.”
Labeling Boss “You must be a slow learner.
Your report is still not done?”
Raising Doubts Boss “How can I trust you, Chris, if
you can’t finish an easy report?”

21. DEFENSIVE TACTICS
Defensive Tactic Speaker Example
Misleading
Information
Employee “Morgan has not gone over with
me the information I need for
the report.” [Morgan left Chris
with a copy of the report.]
Scapegoating Employee “Morgan did not give me input
until just today.”
Hostile Jokes Employee “You can’t be serious! The
report isn’t that important.”
Deception Employee “I gave it to the secretary. Did
she lose it?”

22. NONDEFENSIVE COMMUNICATION:
A POWERFUL TOOL
• Speaker seen as centered, assertive, controlled,
informative, realistic, and honest
• Speaker exhibits self-control & self possession
• Listener feels accepted rather than rejected
• Catherine Crier’s rules to nondefensive
communication
1. Define the situation
2. Clarify the person’s position
3. Acknowledge the person’s feelings
4. Bring the focus back to the facts

23. NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION
Nonverbal Communication - all elements of
communication that do not involve words
Four basic types
● Proxemics - an individual’s perception & use
of space
● Kinesics - study of body movements, including
posture
● Facial & Eye Behavior - movements that add
cues for the receiver
● Paralanguage - variations in speech, such as
pitch, loudness, tempo, tone, duration,
laughing, & crying

24. c
c = social 4-12’
b
b = personal 1.5-
4’
PROXEMICS: TERRITORIAL SPACE
Territorial Space - bands of space
extending outward from the body;
territorial space differs from culture to
culture
a
a = intimate
<1.5’
d
d = public
>12’

25. PROXEMICS: SEATING DYNAMICS
Seating Dynamics - seating people in
certain positions according to the person’s
purpose in communication
Cooperati
on
X
O
Non-
Communicat
ion
O X
O
Competiti
on
X
O
X
Communicat
ion
O

26. EXAMPLES OF
DECODING NONVERBAL CUES
Boss fails to acknowledge
employee’s greeting
No eye contact
while
communicating
Manager sighs deeply
Boss
breathes
heavily &
waves arms
He’s
unapproachab
le!
My
opinion
doesn’t
count
I wonder
what
he’s hiding?
He’s angry!
I’ll
stay out of
his way!
SOURCE: Adapted from “Steps to Better Listening” by C. Hamilton and B. H. Kleiner. Copyright © February 1987. Reprinted with permission, Personnel Journal, all rights reserved.

27. NEW TECHNOLOGIES
FOR COMMUNICATION
• Informational databases
• Electronic mail systems
• Voice mail systems
• Fax machine systems
• Cellular phone systems

28. HOW DO NEW TECHNOLOGIES
AFFECT BEHAVIOR?
• Fast, immediate access to information
• Immediate access to people in power
• Instant information exchange across distance
• Makes schedules & office hours irrelevant
• May equalize group power
• May equalize group participation

29. HOW DO NEW TECHNOLOGIES
AFFECT BEHAVIOR?
• Communication can become more
impersonal—interaction with a machine
• Interpersonal skills may diminish—less
tact, less graciousness
• Non-verbal cues lacking
• Alters social context
• Easy to become overwhelmed with
information
• Encourages polyphasic activity

30. Strive for
message
completeness
TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE USE OF NEW
COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES
Build in
feedback
opportunities
Provide
social
interaction
opportunities
Don’t
assume
immediate
response
Is the
message
really
necessary?
Regularly
disconnect
from the
technology
Provide
social
interaction
opportunities