Before we jump to anything, it is essential to understand what effective communication means. Therefore, this blog will not discuss traditional communication tips like being assertive and having command over the language. Rather we would focus on the sheer basics and anatomy of communication at large.
Effective communication is communication that is received in the way it is in.
Katz
Communication is only effective if it is received in the right manner. Regardless of how much effort you put in or how beautifully you communicate, if the other person did not understand then, it is ineffective.
It is like tossing a ball towards the recipient to catch it. For the entire process to be effective, it requires a good toss and a completed catch. It helps if both the players are ready and motivated to complete the catch. If the ball is not tossed well, it will not reach the recipient, or if the recipient is not ready, the catch will be dropped.
What does it entail?
Good communication is not always about being assertive. Although being assertive helps you transfer your message, but other times it may not work. Understanding the basic nature is the most important concept of effective communication. For example, delaying communication is the best thing you do (if the person is in a bad mood, it may not be the best time to engage). Sometimes being aggressive can help you communicate well (preventing your kid from running on a busy street). On the other hand, sometimes assertiveness can be considered too pushy, and the message will be received but not in the way intended.
It is imperative to package what and how you say. For instance, if someone is impulsively sharing their hurt and angst without paying heed to the outcome. You want to express that you understand their feelings and want to communicate so that they come closer. If the communication is not thought after and well packaged, it may end up increasing your distance.
7 Stages of Communication
Every time you communicate with someone, you are essentially following a process called The Communication Process. We believe that knowing the process will help you look at the way you communicate more critically. This way, you can evaluate your communication style better and identify areas of improvement. You are more cognizant of what is happening at all stages of communication. Also, you land in a position where it is easy for you to know if your message is received in the way intended.
To be an effective communicator, you need to make sure that your messages carry the same meaning that is in your head, it is crisp, with no errors, and is planned. If you make sure it is like that, you will inevitably avoid possible misunderstanding and get through the entire process without a hitch.
1. Source
‘Source’ is the sender of the message. In this case, it is YOU! The ‘Message’ is the piece of information and the ideas you want to get across. It is imperative to be clear in the head, primarily with the information you want to deliver. You need to know the ‘WHAT’ and the ‘WHY.’ What message you want to communicate and why it is important or the purpose of said communication. Also, take into account if the receiver cares for the information/ message. You, as a source, should also ensure that the message you are delivering is useful and accurate.
2. Encoding
This is the stage where you know what and why of your message, but the format. You need to figure out the format you want your message in and that the receiver will interpret or decode. Your success as a communicator will depend on how clearly you can communicate and eliminate all possible scopes of confusion.
People often make grave mistakes of not taking cultural differences into account while communicating. It leads you to not just confusion but can also cause unintentional offense to the receiver. Another common pitfall is that people often make uneducated assumptions about the receiver’s pre-requisite knowledge on the matter at hand/ subject. You may know all that is there to know about the matter you are communicating, but the other person may not. If you’re not familiar with the background or the person you are communicating with, you should try and steer away from the subjects that require a “mental leap.”
Audience
A key aspect of being a successful encoder is knowing who your audience is. The failure to understand and respect the “know your audience” would land your message to failure and misconstruing or totally ignored at times. While you communicate, you need to keep your audience right in the center of everything. You need to understand what they want and their emotions; based on this, appeal to your audience’s emotions.
Consider what your audience expects from you, why they will hear from you, and what exclusive you have to add to their knowledge? Be extremely clear with what you are communicating to the audience, and plan out your communication style and everything well. Make sure while you are planning, you keep the audience in your mind throughout.
We often attempt to take the communication a notch up by adding unnecessary abbreviations and jargon. Unfortunately, a lot of the time audience is not well versed with things you think they know. So, most of the abbreviation that you think they’d know goes right above their head. Therefore, it is safe to elaborate on the abbreviation and give their full form at least once, even when it’s elementary.
3. Channel
It is crucial to wisely choose the channel of communication-based on what you are communicating. There already exist just so many channels for sending/ getting across your messages. Although, it is something that you should definitely mull over before you pick one.
Verbal communication can be done through the following channels that include face-to-face meetings, telephone calls, video conferencing. On the other hand, written communication includes letters, reports, emails, social media communication, and instant messaging like Whatsapp and Hike. It is not just limited to the above list of channels. You can always include info-graphs, pictures, video illustrations, and charts and graphs to emphasize your primary message.
Each channel has its own Pros as well as Cons. For instance, if you want to give someone detailed instructions about something and related critical information. You probably would not rely on verbal communication alone and rather would prefer to write the instructions down and then deliver if you have sensitive feedback for someone. It is always better to communicate with them face to face instead of trying to convey it by email.
4. Decoding
Successfully decoding a message is equally important as encoding the message. It is often suggested to decode a message accurately, and you must read through it with all your focus or listen actively. There is a very high possibility that there would be confusion at this stage of the communication process. Although it doesn’t mean it will always be the fault of the person decoding the message. There is a very high possibility that the person on the decoding end has a contextual understanding of the situation. This is something very common, and one must look into it in the encoding stage only to ensure that the decoder is on the same page as you are (the person encoding).
Here, your audience will look for the logic and reasoning you give in the message you are trying to communicate. The audience will try and analyze the message by looking at the context. Your audience will look at the message holistically, along with the context. They look at the background to your communication, the circumstances, and the events preceding the same. Your audience will analyze extensively the kind of argument you used, if it is relevant and if it was conveyed in a clear, coherent, and appropriate manner.
5. Receiver
There is always an expectation you have from the audience to react/ or act in a certain way. You’d expect them to take a specific action in response to your communication. Although, it is important to understand and realize that each individual is different in their own special way. They are bound to interpret things differently in their own subjective manner. It means that it is your job to account for the ideas, feelings, and other relevant components while you draft your message. To do this effectively, you will have to brush up on the following:
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional Intelligence is the ability to read, feel, and respond to emotions within oneself and others. It is a phenomenal quality that makes your interpersonal relationship stronger and holds the potential to make you more productive. Emotional Intelligence, in recent years, has become a significant area of research in the business world. People who have highly developed emotional intelligence are quick and better at realizing their goals and purpose. A better understanding of the feelings of others enables them to respond appropriately. Also, they tend to be better communicators and can build relationships with people on different levels.
Empathy
Always express and recognize how the other person feels about the given situation. After taking the other person’s point of view into perspective, express what you need. Put yourself in the place of the audience and imagine how you would react. Keep the reaction in mind and deliver the message in the most sensitive way possible. Try and use the emotional element, acknowledge it, be humble, and use “I” language. Also, try and focus on the positive without actively pressing the negatives.
6. Feedback
Feedback is an important ingredient of good communication, and it plays a significant role in boosting your skills further. However, it is not always active, and you will have to pay close attention to your audience. Sometimes feedback can be non-verbal, but mostly it is verbal. Closely watching the audience will help you know if your audience really understood the communication or not. On the other hand, if you are deprived of feedback, you will feel that your contributions are not valued. This can make you question the significance of your communication.
It is important to gauge the reaction in real-time. If you think there is some rift in the understanding, instantly adapt and rectify the potential misunderstanding. Always think about how you can simplify what you are communicating. Think of ways you can break complex stuff into steps and remove technical jargon if there exist any.
7. Context
Here, your audience will look for the logic and reasoning you give in the message you are trying to communicate. The audience will try and analyze the message by looking at the context. Your audience will look at the message holistically, along with the context. They look at the background to your communication, the circumstances, and the events preceding the same. Your audience will analyze extensively the kind of argument you used, if it is relevant and if it was conveyed in a clear, coherent, and appropriate manner.
Always know what you are talking about
One thing that can potentially throw you off is something that you wouldn’t expect. It is … not having an in-depth understanding of the subject that you are talking about. Imagine a situation where you are asked to deliver a presentation, and you have no option but to make it work. You go through the basics around the topic that you need to present and develop a deck of slides. How do you think your presentation would go?
Trust me, and you will need a miracle to save yourself from being on the stage. This is an important fact, and the sooner you realize it, the better it is for you. If you do not have an in-depth knowledge of what you are presenting, your audience will most certainly know.
