Principles of Effective CommunicationBy Natalie Man

What are interpersonal skills?

Helps to communicate and interact with an individual or a group of people.

Tends to be:- Optimistic - Calm- Confident

Verbal communication Defined as the way we say and how we

say things. It helps convey the right messages, and

therefore there’s a fewer chance of misunderstandings.

Lip-Reading & Sign Language

Lip-Reading: A technique to understand speeches by visually interpreting the movements of the lips, face and tongue when normal sound is not available.

Sign Language: Used for someone who is profoundly deaf.

Sign Language continued…

Sign language involves using:- Hand shapes- Orientation - Movement of hands, arms and body- Facial expressions

Body LanguageReferred to someone who is using non-

verbal communication to emphasise their point of view or subject matter.

These include:- Body posture- Gesture- Facial expressions

Intonation Intonation is described as how

sentences are sound. It helps convey the right emotions and

thoughts across to prevent misunderstandings.

NoddingCan be described as a cue in verbal

exchange.Shows you’re listening to the speaker,

and therefore concentrating.

Summarising and paraphrasing

A concise statement of the content of the speaker's message.

Paraphrase should be short and focuses on the main points conveyed by the speaker.

Summarising: Pulling together the main ideas and feelings.

Questioning Techniques A skill where people are always asking

questions in order to get more information from the speaker or topic.

Questioning techniques show you’re engaging with the speaker.

Closed & Open QuestionsClosed: Refers to a question which

usually receives with a one word answer such as, “Yes” or “No”.

Open: Elongating an answer, such that the answer becomes more complex.

Probing Question A question that follows a primary

question and tries to discover more information. 

Gains clarification. Makes sure that you understand the subject.

Leading QuestionA question that helps to lead the

respondent to your way of thinking.Allows the conversation to conclude in

an appropriate manner, making the atmosphere less tense.

EmailUsed everywhere in the world to

connect and inform people. Important information can be passed on

efficiently and easily.

EmoticonA representation of a facial

expression used to convey your thoughts and feelings.

It is used in social media such as text messages and on emails.

LetterCan be seen as a written

communication skill. It allows the sender to inform or discuss information to the receiver.

When composing a letter think about your audience.

FaxAn image of a document made by

electronic scanning.Allows people to give important

information to firms and clients in a short amount of time.

ReportA report is written for a purpose to

summarise specific evidence or information found.

Structured and presented clearly with the use of title and subheadings.

Note-takingRecording key information and details

onto a piece of paper using methods such as using:

- Bullet points, - Mind maps- Colours to annotate key information.

Prove ReadingReading your work to check for any

punctuation, spelling and grammar errors.

It is recommended that people read the sentences out loud.