This document discusses the importance of communication skills, including both oral and written communication. It covers listening skills, barriers to effective listening, techniques for effective listening, non-verbal communication skills, making effective telephone calls, and taking telephone messages. The key points are that communication skills are important for getting and doing well in a job, various forms of oral communication are used in the workplace, and both speaking and listening skills need to be developed.

2. WHY ARE COMMUNICATION SKILLS
IMPORTANT?
Effective communication will help
you to:
To secure an interview.
To get the job
To do your job well
To advance your career

3. Oral communication in the workplace
Oral communication can take a variety of forms. It can be over the
telephone or face to face. It can be:
A private discussion
A conversation over lunch
A gossip in the lift
A telephone conversation
A chance meeting in the corridor
An informal gathering of staff
Instructing subordinates
Dealing with clients
Formal meetings
Interviews
Training sessions
Giving a presentation
Conference/seminars

4. SPEAKING SKILLS
Most people find talking easier
than writing because phrase can
sometimes be used in speech that
would not be appropriate in
written communication. However,
if understanding is to be complete
and effective, your spoken
language needs to be chosen
carefully.

5. LISTENING SKILLS
There is hardly any point in
someone talking if no-one listens
to what is being said. Listening is
half of oral communication, and it
is skill that needs to be practiced
and taken equally as seriously as
speaking and writing.

6. The listening process
Here are the six stages of the listening process:
1 receiving
2 interpreting
3 Remembering
4 Evaluating
5 Responding
6 Acting

7. Barriers to effective listening
If you are to become a good
listener, it is important to be
familiar with and conquer a
number of physical and mental
obstacles. These include:

8. Pre-judgment. Most people function in life through some basic
principles and assumptions, so some listeners jump to conclusion
or close their mind to new information on anything that does not
agree with their beliefs.
Selfishness. some people prefer not listen but to take control of
conversations, it doesn’t matter what the subject is, the selfish
listener believes he/she knows more than the speaker, and they
set about to prove it by relating their own experiences and their
own problems, and belittling the speaker’s comments.
Selective listening. Selective listeners let their minds drift around
all over the place-perhaps wondering where they will go for lunch,
or what they will do after work. They tune out until they hear
something that attracts their attention, and then they tune back in
again temporarily.

9. What is the difference between a good
listener and a bad listener?
A bad listener a good listener
Daydreams make an effort to concentrate
Fakes attentions uses body language to show attention
Tunes out dry subjects ask ‘what’s in this for?
Tunes out if delivery is poor considers the facts and data.
Tends to argue judges content over delivery
Interrupts only to clarify
Reacts to emotion gives speaker a chance before judging
Is not obsessed with emotional words
Considers evidence.

10. Techniques for effective listening
Here are suggestions for how you can improve your listening skills:
1.Prepare to listen. Clear your mind so that your attention is
assured.
2. Avoid pre-judgement. Do not pre-judge the speaker because of
appearance or occupation, and do not jump to any conclutions
before hearing what is said.
3. Be open-minded. Appreciate the speaker’s point of view and
accept that it may not necessarily agree with your own.
4.Establish eye contact. This shows that you are listening, as does
your posture and your facial expressions.
5. Don’t interrupt. Try to keep emotions out of it and hold any
counter-arguments until the speaker has finished.

11. 6. Watch for signals. Pick up aspects that the speakers considers important by
watching posture and gestures, as well as listening to intonation in the speaker’s
voice. This like listening to the ‘music’ as well as to the words.
7. judge content, not delivery. Appraise the content instead of the speaker.
Consider the main points and ask if they make sense.
8.Extract the key points. Pick out and repeat to yourself some key words or
phrases this will help to fix in your mind what is being said.
9.Give feedback. Learn to give positive feedback nonverbally, perhaps by
nodding or smiling, to let the speaker know you are following what is being said.
Be alert and make comment or ask question if it will help your understanding.
10. Block out distractions. Fight distractions and competing thoughts, by
working hard at listening. You may need to close doors, turn off a television or
radio, or move closer to the speaker.

12. NON-VERBAL
COMMUNICATION
Non-verbal communication is
often referred to as body
language.

13. Posture
The way people stand or sit can say an awful
lot about how they feel. Someone who is
nervous or anxious will fidget with their
hands, tap their feet, drum the table with their
fingers. Someone who is sitting well back in
heir chair, legs crossed at the ankle, may be
seen as being relaxed and confident. Someone
with a gloomy expression, head down and

14. Facial expressions
Human faces are capable of communicating
a wide range of expression and
emotion. A smile conveys good humour,
raised eyebrows denote questioning and
disbelief, a frown denotes upset or worry.

15. Gestures
Many gestures are used as we speak, for
example, shaking a fist to denote anger,
sweeping arms in excitement, using hands for
emphasis. In listening, too, gestures
are used, like nodding in agreement, shaking your
head in disapproval, putting
your hand to your chin in consideration, folding
your arms in boredom. These are all valuable
signs in communicating and you should learn to
read such gestures carefully.

16. Eye contact
The importance of eye contact is paramount.
Looking someone directly in the eye
suggests openness, honesty, confidence and
comfort. Looking away gives an impression of
being conniving or sly, or perhaps just unsure and
uncomfortable. When speaking to one person try
to look them in the eye. When speaking to a
group avoid fixing your gaze on one or two
people – let your eyes roam regularly to all
corners of the room so that everyone feels
involved.

17. Touching
Touch is an important tool to convey warmth,
reassurance, support, encouragement and comfort. In
some cultures, because touching implies intimacy and
familiarity, there are very strict rules that govern who
may touch whom and how. These norms of behaviour
may change according to age, status, cultural
background, etc. In today’s workplace, touching has
become rather a contentious issue, as it could
sometimes be construed as
sexual harassment.

18. How to improve your non-verbal
communication skills
Here are some ways in which you can improve your non-
verbal communication
skills:
1 Be honest, especially when communicating emotions.
2 Use a firm, friendly handshake when meeting new
people.
3 Maintain eye contact with your entire audience.
4 Reinforce your words with tones and gestures.
5 Be aware of your posture.
6 Use appropriate gestures to support your points.

19. 7 Imitate the posture and
appearance of people you want to
impress.
8 Show respect for speakers and
listeners.
9 Touch people only when
appropriate and acceptable.
10 Smile genuinely, as a fake one
will be obvious

20. THE TELEPHONE
Using the telephone for business purposes is very
different. In any organization, the person on the
telephone represents the company and gives an
impression of the company to the outside world. If you
are to ensure good public relations, you must master
effective telephone techniques. When using the
telephone and voice mail, your communication loses a
lot of the impact that would be present with face-to-face
communication. On the telephone,
therefore, it’s important to use tone of voice, inflections
and attitude carefully, to show your professionalism,
your readiness to listen carefully, and your ability to
communicate clearly.

22. Making effective telephone calls
The key to making effective
telephone calls is, as in most
things, planning. Here are
some tips that will ensure you are
as effective as possible on the
telephone:

23. Before calling
• Choose the right time to call. Consider both cost, urgency and
convenience. When
calling overseas you must also consider the time difference.
• Check the number. A great deal of money is wasted each year on
dialing wrong
numbers.
• Plan your call. Make a list of points and questions to be raised
during your call.
• Be prepared. Gather together any files, papers or other
information which may be
needed during the call. It is unprofessional to have to say ‘Hold on
while I look for that.’
• Avoid interruptions. Call at a time when you are unlikely to be
distracted.

24. During the call
• Be courteous and establish a rapport. Make
time for suitable pleasantries like ‘How
are you today Jim?’, ‘Did you enjoy your holiday?’
• Put a smile in your voice. Remember your caller
cannot see you so use intonation
to good effect and try to sound confident,
decisive, helpful, interested.
• Check your notes. Look back at your notes to
ensure you have covered everything
and quote figures and other data correctly.

25. • Obtain feedback. Make sure the caller
understands the message correctly,
especially where deadlines and actions
are involved.
• Close in a positive. courteous manner.
Double check any essential details, then
finish by thanking the caller for his or
her time and trouble.

26. After the call
• Make notes. Let it become a habit to make
notes of the call and place them in the
appropriate file.
• Take action. If you need to send a letter of
confirmation or inform someone in
your organization about any details of the
call, do so immediately so that you do
not forget important points.

27. Taking messages
Taking telephone messages requires both oral
and written communication skills.
A pencil and telephone message pad should
always be kept by the telephone. A message pad
like the one shown overleaf provides headings
which act as a reminder to obtain the necessary
information from the caller.
When taking messages, remember that the caller
cannot see you. You will need to give verbal
signals to know that the message is being
understood. Repeat the

29. VOICE PROCESSING
Answering machines are now a thing of the past, and
voice mail is now part of what is known as ‘voice
processing’. This includes an automatic attendant,
automatic call distribution, call forwarding, call
screening, and many other features.
Voice mail is more than just an answering machine – it
allows you to send, store and retrieve verbal messages.
It is often used in business to replace brief inter-office
notes or e-mails and messages that need no response