The document discusses the importance of communication skills, especially nonverbal communication. It notes that President Gerald Ford emphasized the importance of writing and public speaking abilities. It then discusses challenges of modern work environments like flattened hierarchies, participatory management, and new communication technologies. The bulk of the document focuses on improving nonverbal communication, identifying factors like eye contact, facial expressions, posture, gestures, use of space and time, and personal appearance that convey important messages. It encourages building skills in these nonverbal areas and being aware of their power and open to feedback.

1. Facing Today’s
Communication
Challenges

2. “If I went back to college again, I’d concentrate on
two areas: learning to write and to speak before an
audience. Nothing is more important than the
ability to communicate effectively.”
Gerald R. Ford, 38th President of the United States

3. Succeeding in the changing world of
work
• Flattened management hierarchies
Layers of management have been trimmed
• More participatory management
Understanding and contributing to the big picture
• Increased emphasis on self directed work
and project teams
Cross functional team of peers
• Innovative communication technologies
E-mail, fax, the web, mobile technologies, audio and
video conferencing

4. NONVERBAL
COMMUNICATION

5. Improving your nonverbal
communication skills
Nonverbal cues can speak louder than words
• Eye contact
• Facial expression
• Body movement
• Space
• Time
• Appearance

6. Eye Contact
• Windows to the soul
• Best predicator of the true feelings of the speaker
• Sustained eye contact
• Brief eye contact
• Good eye contact
Attention
Respect
Favourable response
Sincerity
Confidence
Truthfulness

7. Facial Expression
• Human face can display over 250,000
expressions
• Raising or lowering eyebrows
• Squinting the eyes
• Clenching the jaw
• Smiling broadly

8. Posture and Gestures
• A person’s posture can convey anything
from high status and self confidence to
shyness and submissiveness.
Leaning towards a speaker
Pulling away or shrinking back
• Similarly, gesture can also communicate
thoughts via simple movements.
Meaning might differ in various cultures

9. Time
• How we structure and use our time tells visitors
about our personality and attitude
Space
• How we order the space around us tells
something about our objectives
• People reveal themselves in the design and
grouping of their furniture

10. Appearance
Eye appeal of official documents
• The way a memo, letter, report or an email looks
like can have a positive or negative impact on the
receiver.
• Envelops through their postage, printing and
stationary can suggest routine, important or
junk mail.

11. …………….Continued
Personal Appearance
• The way you look- your clothing, grooming and
posture- telegraphs an instant nonverbal
message about you.
• Judgments about your personality, status,
credibility and potential

12. Building Strong Nonverbal Skills
• Establish and maintain eye contact
• Use posture to show interest
• Improve your decoding skills
• Probe for more information
• Avoid assigning nonverbal messages out of
context
• Appreciate the power of appearance
• Observe yourself on video
• Enlist friends and family

13. Thank You