This document discusses effective communication and barriers to effective communication. It provides definitions of communication, discusses the encoding and decoding process, and lists 7 qualities of effective communication: completeness, conciseness, consideration, clarity, concreteness, courtesy, and correctness. It then discusses common barriers to effective encoding including lack of sensitivity to the receiver, lack of communication skills, insufficient knowledge, and emotional interference.

1. Chetana Hazarimal Somani College of
Commerce and Economics.
FYBFM.
Group No: 2.
Topic:
1. Effective Communication.
2. Barriers of Effective Communication.
3. Listening Skills.
Group Members:
Vishal Narvekar
Durgesh Shivalkar
Ruksar Sutar
Anusuya Sengupta
Swati Narkar
Siddhesh Shinde
Presented To: Prof. Shivprasad Murugan
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2. Communication
The process of communication is what allows us to interact with other people;
without it, we would be unable to share knowledge or experiences with
anything outside of ourselves. Common forms of communication include
speaking, writing, gestures, touch and broadcasting.
• Wikipedia definition
Process of communication
Communication is the process of sending and receiving information
among people…
Sender: - he is the person who encodes the information and sends it to
the receiver through medium.
Receiver: - He is the person who decodes the received information and
replies in the sense of feedback
Medium: - it is the intermediary or channel between the sender and the
receiver through which the communication is done. Example- telephone,
telegram, internet etc.
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3. Effective communication
Meaning –
Effective communication is a two-way process - sending the right message that
is also being correctly received and understood by the other person/s. For
communication to be effective, it is important to understand how the people
you are interacting with may interpret your message. We obtain information
through our senses, and it is therefore recommended that your
communication includes aspects of the visual, auditory and kinaesthetic
language to appeal to all listeners.
Definition–
“The effective communication is the communication which produces intended
or desired result.”- Unknown.
Significance –
There are 7 C’s of effective communication which are applicable to both
written as well as oral communication. These are as follows:
Completeness –
The communication must be complete. It should convey all facts required by
the audience. The sender of the message must take into consideration the
receiver’s mind set and convey the message accordingly. A complete
communication has following features:
i. Complete communication develops and enhances reputation of an
organization.
ii. Moreover, they are cost saving as no crucial information is missing and
no additional cost is incurred in conveying extra message if the
communication is complete.
iii. A complete communication always gives additional information
wherever required. It leaves no questions in the mind of receiver.
iv. Complete communication helps in better decision-making by the
audience/ readers/ receivers of message as they get all desired and
crucial information.
v. It persuades the audience.
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4. Conciseness –
Conciseness means wordiness, i.e., communicating what you want to convey in
least possible words without forgoing the other C’s of communication.
Conciseness is a necessity for effective communication. Concise
communication has following features:
i. It is both time-saving as well as cost-saving.
ii. It underlines and highlights the main message as it avoids using
excessive and needless words.
iii. Concise communication provides short and essential message in limited
words to the audience.
iv. Concise message is more appealing and comprehensible to the
audience.
v. Concise message is non-repetitive in nature.
Consideration –
Consideration implies “stepping into the shoes of others”. Effective
communication must take the audience into consideration, i.e., the audience’s
view points, background, mind-set, education level, etc. Make an attempt to
envisage your audience, their requirements, emotions as well as problems.
Ensure that the self-respect of the audience is maintained and their emotions
are not at harm. Modify your words in message to suit the audience’s needs
while making your message complete. Features of considerate communication
are as follows:
i. Emphasize on “you” approach.
ii. Empathize with the audience and exhibit interest in the audience. This
will stimulate a positive reaction from the audience.
iii. Show optimism towards your audience. Emphasize on “what is possible”
rather than “what is impossible”. Lay stress on positive words such as
jovial, committed, thanks, warm, healthy, help, etc.
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5. Clarity -
Clarity implies emphasizing on a specific message or goal at a time, rather than
trying to achieve too much at once. Clarity in communication has following
features:
i. It makes understanding easier.
ii. Complete clarity of thoughts and ideas enhances the meaning of
message.
iii. Clear message makes use of exact, appropriate and concrete words.
Concreteness –
Concrete communication implies being particular and clear rather than fuzzy
and general. Concreteness strengthens the confidence. Concrete message has
following features:
i. It is supported with specific facts and figures.
ii. It makes use of words that are clear and that build the reputation.
iii. Concrete messages are not misinterpreted.
Courtesy –
Courtesy in message implies the message should show the sender’s expression
as well as should respect the receiver. The sender of the message should be
sincerely polite, judicious, reflective and enthusiastic. Courteous message has
following features:
i. Courtesy implies taking into consideration both viewpoints as well as
feelings of the receiver of the message.
ii. Courteous message is positive and focused at the audience.
iii. It makes use of terms showing respect for the receiver of message.
iv. It is not at all biased.
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6. Correctness –
Correctness in communication implies that there are no grammatical errors in
communication. Correct communication has following features:
The message is exact, correct and well-timed.
If the communication is correct, it boosts up the confidence level.
Correct message has greater impact on the audience/ readers.
It checks for the precision and accurateness of facts and figures used in
the message.
It makes use of appropriate and correct language in the message.
Uses –
Effective communication helps us better understand a person or
situation, enables us to resolve differences, build trust and respect, and
create environments where creative ideas, problem solving, affection,
and caring can flourish. As simple as communication seems, many of us
experience difficulties connecting successfully with others. Much of
what we try to communicate—and others try to communicate to us—
gets overlooked or misunderstood, which can cause conflict and
frustration in both personal and professional relationships.
Fortunately, effective communication skills can be learned. Whether
you’re trying to improve communication with your spouse, kids, boss, or
co-workers, it’s important to listen well, recognize nonverbal
communication signals, manage stress, and stay connected to your
emotions.
Facts on effective communication:
The average worker spends 50 percent of his or her time
communicating.
Business success is 85 percent dependent on effective communication
and interpersonal skills.
Forty-five percent of time spent communicating is listening.
Writing represents nine percent of communication time.
One-fourth of all workplace mistakes are the result of poor
communication.
A remarkable 75 percent of communication is nonverbal.
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7. Barriers to effective communication
A. Encoding Barriers.
The process of selecting and organizing symbols to represent a message
requires skill and knowledge. Obstacles listed below can interfere while
encoding an effective message.
1. Lack of Sensitivity to Receiver
A breakdown in communication may result when a message is not adapted to
its receiver. Recognizing the receiver’s needs, status, his knowledge of the
subject and his language skills assists the sender in preparing a successful
message.
For example-if a customer is angry, an effective response may be just to listen
to the person vent for awhile.
2. Lack of Basic Communication Skills
The receiver is less likely to understand the message if the sender has
trouble choosing the precise words needed and arranging those words in
a grammatically correct sentence. If the sender has command over the
communication skills it will be easier to him to encode the massage and
also to the receiver to decode the massage.
3. Insufficient Knowledge of the Subject
If the sender lacks specific information about something, the receiver will
likely receive an unclear or mixed message.
For example-if have you shopped for an item such as a computer, you
must have experienced how some salespeople can explain complicated
terms and ideas in a simple way. But a person who doesn’t have
complete knowledge about computer cannot.
4. Emotional Interference
An emotional individual may not be able to communicate well. His
emotion my create problem while encoding massage. For effective
communication, try to keep the emotions out of the way until you
understand what is being communicated.
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8. For example- If someone is angry, hostile, resentful, joyful, or fearful,
that person may be too preoccupied with emotions and this emotion my
affect the encoding of message. If you don’t like someone, for example,
you may have trouble “hearing” them.
5. Lacking Confidence
Lacking confidence can be a major barrier to effective communication.
Shyness, difficulty being assertive, or lack of self-worth can hinder your
ability to make your needs and opinions known. Also, a lack of awareness
of your own rights and opportunities in a given situation can prevent you
from expressing your needs openly.
B. Transmitting Barriers:
Things that get in the way of message transmission are sometimes called
“noise.” Communication may be difficult because of noise and some of
these problems:
1. Physical Distractions.
This is one of the main hurdle or barrier in effective communication
especially at workplace. Other things due to which physical barrier rises
may be the environment or noise. A bad cellular phone line or a noisy
restaurant can destroy communication.
For example- If a receiver of a communication works in an area with
bright lights, glare on computer screens, loud noises, excessively hot or
cold work spaces, or physical ailments, that receiver will probably
experience communication breakdowns on a regular basis.
2. Channel Barriers
If the sender chooses an inappropriate channel of communication,
communication may be breakdown. If the channel couldn’t transmit the
massage effectively then decoder couldn’t understand the massage.
For example- detail instructions presented over the telephone may be
frustrating for both communicators. If you are on a computer technical
support help line discussing a problem; it would be helpful for you to be
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9. sitting in front of a computer, as opposed to taking notes from the
support staff and then returning to your computer station. If the length
of the communication is long, or the medium selected is inappropriate,
the communication might break up
3. Long Communication Chain
The longer the communication chain the greater the chance for error.
For example- if a message is passed through too many receivers, the
message often becomes distorted. If a person starts a message at one
end of a communication chain of ten people, the message that
eventually returns is usually liberally altered at the other end of the
chain.
C. Decoding Barriers.
The communication cycle may break down at the receiving end for some
of these reasons:
1. Lack of Interest
If a message reaches a reader who is not interested in the message, the
reader may read the message hurriedly or listen to the message
carelessly. Miscommunication may result in both cases.
2. Lack of Knowledge
If a receiver is unable to understand a message filled with technical
information, communication will break down.
For example- Unless a computer user knows something about the
Windows environment, he may have difficulty organizing files if given
technical instructions.
3. Lack of Communication Skills
Those who have weak reading and listening skills become ineffective
receivers. On the other hand, those who have a good professional
vocabulary and who concentrate on listening, have less trouble hearing
and interpreting good communication.
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10. 4. Emotional Distractions
An emotional individual may not be able to communicate well. His
emotion my create problem while decoding massage.
For example- If you receive a report from your supervisor regarding
proposed changes in work procedures and you do not particularly like
your supervisor, you may have trouble even reading the report
objectively. You may read, not objectively, but to find fault. You may
misinterpret words and read negative impressions between the lines.
Consequently, you are likely to misunderstand part or all of the report.
5. Information Overload
If you receive a message with too much information, you may tend to put
up a barrier because the amount of information is coming so fast that
you may have difficulty comfortably interpreting that information.
For example- If a salesman is sealing an electronic product with many
features and if he trying to explain them to his customers, some time it
become difficult for the buyer to understand all the feature, because of
vast information.
D. Responding Barriers
The communication cycle may be broken if feedback is unsuccessful.
1. No Provision for Feedback.
Since communication is a two-way process, the sender must search for a
means of getting a response from the receiver. If a team leader does not
permit any interruptions or questions while discussing projects, he may find
that team members may not completely understand what they are to do.
When two communicators are separated, care must be taken to ask for
meaningful feedback. If the receiver does not give feedback, the sender
does not know if the communication is effective or not; also, if the sender is
not paying attention to the feedback, the communication will not be
effective.
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11. 2. Inadequate Feedback.
Delayed or judgmental feedback can interfere with good communication.
For example-If your supervisor gives you instructions in long, compound-
complex sentences without giving you a chance to speak, you may pretend to
understand the instructions just so you can leave the stress of the
conversation. Because you may have not fully understood the intended
instructions, your performance may suffer.
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12. Listening
Meaning: Listening is the absorption of the meanings of words and sentences
by the brain. Listening leads to the understanding of facts and ideas.
Introduction of effective listening skills
Listening is a communication technique that requires the listener to
understand, interpret, and evaluate what they hear. The ability to listen
actively can improve personal relationships through reducing conflicts,
strengthening cooperation, and fostering understanding.
When interacting, people often are not listening attentively. They may be
distracted, thinking about other things, or thinking about what they are going
to say next (the latter case is particularly true in conflict situations or
disagreements). Active listening is a structured way of listening and responding
to others, focusing attention on the speaker. It is one of the must understand
what people are saying and whatind happing around them.
Importance of effective listening skill
Whatever your role in life you need to understand the importance of listening
skills. When you understand the importance of listening skills you will be able
to reduce confusion and misunderstandings and evaluate the information you
heard.
By learning to listen you will positively impact your life, the lives of those
around you, and reduce problems and misunderstandings.
The following tips show the importance of listening skills and how you can
further develop yours.
1. Hearing
Hearing is the primary stage of effective listening. It is the most important
factor of communication cycle. It is the process of listening and understanding
information send by the encoder carefully and effectively.
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13. 2. Understand, Evaluating
After you have heard what a person has to say you can apply listening skills
development and begin to understand it by using your personal knowledge to
evaluate what you heard. If your personal knowledge of factors involved in
what you heard does not match or make sense then you will be able to ask
questions to clarify the information.
3. Ask Questions, Responding
Asking questions is key to listening skills and will allow you to better
understand what you heard and allow you to evaluate what you heard as well.
The better you listen the better the questions you will be able to ask to clarify
information, judge discrepancies, and decide how you feel about the
information you heard.
4. Remembering
Remembering is the process of memorizing the received information and
inculcating the received information.
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