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1. Effective Communication 101
Life and Learning Workshop
September 24, 2007
Presented by: Melanie Bentley-Cruz
Center for Student Leadership and
Community Engagement

2. Presentation Overview
• Two opening activities
• Ways we communicate
• Barriers to communication
• Overcoming those barriers
• Listening
• Questions, comments, concerns

3. What is Effective Communication?
• Cingular Commercial
YouTube: http://youtube.com/watch?
v=4nIUcRJX9-o
• What does this tell us about
communication?

4. Ways We Communicate
• Writing- resumes, cover letters,
professional letters, emails, facebook,
MySpace
• Talking- public speaking, face-to-face, cell
phone messages, interviews, voice mail
• Listening
• Non-verbals

5. Barriers to Communication
• Physical barriers- yelling across the hall,
communicating from different locations
• Perceptual barriers- we all see the world
differently
• Emotional barriers- withholding thoughts
and feelings
• Cultural barriers- group behaviors
• Language barriers- not everyone is familiar
with all languages or jargon

6. Ways to overcome these barriers
• Physical barriers- try to use face-to-face
communication frequently
• Perceptual barriers- recognize we have
different values and try to recognize where
the person is speaking from
• Emotional barriers- try to build trust

7. • Cultural barriers- recognize differences in
meaning, pacing, volume and gesture, space, and
touch
• Language barriers- learn more about different
cultures, relax, try to find a place where there are
not many additional stimuli to take away from the
exchange of messages
- ask what people need in order to communicate
most effectively
- Solicit feedback

8. Tips and Tricks
• Assess who you are speaking to
- peer, professor, co-worker, boss, family
• If possible- PLAN
• Check on non-verbal and simple errors
• In conflict, focus on the problem, not the
person
• Listen and be honest with yourself

9. Assertiveness
• Assertiveness- expressing thoughts,
feelings, and beliefs in a direct and honest
way.
• Use “I” statements
• “I” statements include 3 parts:
- Feelings, behavior, effect
- Let’s create an “I” statement!

10. Listening
“We were given two ears but only one
mouth, because listening is twice as hard
as talking."
• How to listen:
- Attending
- Paraphrasing
- Clarifying
- Perception checking
• Make active listening a habit (it takes 21
days to turn something into a habit!)

11. Thank You
• Questions?
• Comments?

12. Resources for this presentation
• Oklahoma Family Voices
http://okvoices.org/communication.html
• ManageTrainLead
http://hodu.com/barriers.shtml
• People Skills by Robert Bolton, Ph.D.
• How to Communicate by McKay, Davis,
and Fanning

13. The Center for Student Leadership and
Community Engagement
• Located at 235 Student Union
• Open Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.
• Provides information on leadership
development and community engagement.
• Check out our website for more
information:
http://www.leadership.buffalo.edu

14. Additional Resources in the SLCE
Our resource center has several resources on
effective communication. These include:
• People Skills by Robert Bolton, Ph.D.
• Face-to-Face Communications by Harvard
Business School Press
• Listening: The Forgotten Skill by Burley-Allen
• Listen Up- Hear What Really is Being Said (VHS)
• Be Prepared to Speak (VHS)
• Lincoln on Communication (DVD)
…. And many more!