12 Tips for How to Improve Presentation Skills as Part of Spoken English Communication Skills
Communication Skills Part 5
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Transcript of Communication Skills Part 5
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Communication Skills Part 5
Effective Speaking and Conversation
As part of oral communication we discussed about presentation and listening skills in the earlier two
parts. Any kind of oral communication starts with our speech. This may be talking to one person or many
at a time. Generally when we are engaged in one to one speech or we talk to a very small group sittingacross the table then it is called a conversation. When this happens in a very formal setting with a pre-
decided agenda then it becomes a meeting. When one person speaks to a relatively large group in a
formal setting then it is called presentation or public speaking. Thus the essence of oral communication
is speaking. When we are engaged into any kind of oral communication the most basic is the
conversation. Before we talk about the conversation we shall discuss some fundamental aspects of
speaking which may be one-to-one or one-to-many talk or discussion.
Types of Speech
On the basis of the purpose or objective the speaking can be classified into two basic categories
A. Informative Speaking
B. Persuasive Speaking
Informative Speaking
When we speak with the sole purpose of making our idea, message or information clear to the receiver
or listener then it is informative speaking. The listener may or may not have to take any action or do any
follow up on this. There are some broad categories of informative speaking.
1. Reports
Generally, it is understood that business reports are always given in writing. But that is not necessary.
Many a times the reports may be given orally. It is possible that these oral reports are based on some
written statements. Reports are the statements on the past happenings. Sales performance for the
previous week, financial performance for the last quarter, reports on the problems with the vendors orsuppliers, report on the problems in the shop floor are some of the common examples of reports. When
the content is very small or when some point is complicated which requires some explanation then on
the basis of some written statements reports are given orally. As explained earlier the receiver of the
information may or may not take any action on the report. The purpose is to only inform properly what
happened in the reporting period.
2. Goodwill
The purpose here is image building for the organization. In todays competitive world the brand or the
image of a company is very important for its success. When the executives or other employees of a
company speak at some forum to tell the listeners about their company then the objective is to create a
goodwill for the company. Here they talk some such points about their company which would attract
the listeners and leave some positive impact on them.
3. Briefings
When some decision is to be made or a problem is to be solved or a situation is to be handled then the
people involved require some information on that. When such information is provided along with pros
and cons of all the options or situations then this falls in the category of briefing. For example, if a
decision is to be made on the price increase or decrease of a product then there will be some pros and
cons to the decision whichever way it is made. Before the decision is made it will require some
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information. The term has come from military settings where short problem solving sessions are called
briefings.
4. Instruction
This is not giving order or direction. Instruction involves passing on information like a teacher. When an
executive talks to people to tell them about some company policy or philosophy or processes then the
objective is that they should understand and practice or follow in future while working in the
organization.
Persuasive Speaking
Persuasive speaking is to persuade somebody or convince something to someone. This can be classified
into four categories
1. Policy
Policy is a course of action to be taken or not to be taken. In any business organization a lot of policy
decisions are made. Such decisions cannot be made unless all concerned accept those decisions. After
making the decisions they are to be implemented. The implementation is done usually by a different set
of people. Whether it is finalizing the policy or asking people to implement; on both the stages a lot ofpersuasion or convincing is required. Unless people are convinced they will not allow that policy decision
to be taken or implemented.
2. Procedure
Procedures are required to implement the policies. Procedures are step by step actions to be taken to
complete a task. Once a policy is decided then it is to be implemented for which a procedure is to be
devised. It is possible many a times that a policy can be implemented following two or three different
methods or procedures. Which is the best way of doing it may be a debatable point. Different people
may advocate for different procedures. However, ultimately someone has to take the decision. But this
decision cannot be taken and implemented unless all the concerned people agree to follow that
procedure. This again requires a lot of persuasion.
3. Value
Values many a times depend on the judgment of individuals. They have an element of relativity. What is
good for one person may not be so for another person. What is ethical for one person may be unethical
for another person. If one has to convince about the values then it will require some clarification or
definition of the term being used. If one says that the speakers for the upcoming seminar are not good
and we require better speakers that one has to clarify what he means by better speakers. If one says it
is unfair for the big industries to compete with the small ones then he needs to explain why does he feel
so and what does he mean by unfair. Thus, all the value statements will require a lot of explanation or
persuasion before they are accepted by others.
4. Facts
Facts may be past, present or future. One may think that no persuasion or convincing is required for
facts to be communicated because facts are not based on opinions. But that is a wrong notion. Many a
times people may want to know about the sources of your facts or the research you have done to get
those facts. Unless these points are explained, people may not be willing to accept your facts. Thus,
even facts may require some persuasion or convincing.
Audience Analysis for Speaking
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Whether it is informative or persuasive speaking if you have to succeed in your objective then you must
do the audience analysis before speaking. To do the audience analysis you need to know the following
1. Interest and attitude of the audience
2. Occasion
3. Location
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Conversation
Business conversations are one to one interactions or interactions with very small group of people. In
old days informal talks in the office were not encouraged as these were seen as time wasters. It is no
more so because in the knowledge economy exchange of knowledge or information is critical for
business success. If a person is a very effective conversationalist, it will help him become a good
manager or leader. Such a person will be able to clinch many important business deals merely because
of his conversation skills.
Essentials of Business Conversation
1. Conversations must be About the Issues that Matter Most
Business conversations must be focused on the issues which are most important for the organization.
The issues which determine the growth and improvement, the issues which decide the long term
success of the organization are very important. Sometimes people get carried away by the operational
issues and spend more time on them than required. Of course, the operational issues are also important
but the strategic issues are always considered to be more important.
2. Conversation must be Collective and Public
If the strategies are to be implemented successfully, then everyone in the organization should be
involved in the process. All the senior managers should keep people three to four levels down informed
about the decisions. In short, the managers should not restrict their conversations to only some select
persons in the organization. If they do so then many people in the organization who are responsible for
the implementation would not be aware of what is going on, therefore, the implementation would not
be very effective.
3. Conversations must be Structured
In an effective conversation people in the group should follow the protocol of speaking and listening.
Somebody in the group should lead the discussion. The discussion goes through a well defined step by
step process. All the members are expected to follow certain discipline. If the discussion goes off the
track then the leader should bring it back on the line. The best way to keep the discussion structured is
to define the scope of the discussion in the beginning and then ensuring that everybody sticks to that.
4. Change-in-Strategy Conversation
Whenever the top management suggests any significant change in the strategy it should ask for the
opinion of all the people who are going to be responsible for the implementation or who are going to be
affected by the change. After getting feedback from these people the change should be effected. This
approach is possible only when the management converse with the people. Also, the other extreme of
depending too much on the subordinates is not correct. The lead, the direction and the goals or targets
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should always come from the top management and the junior level people should be asked to react and
give feedback.
5. Conversations must Allow Employees to be Honest without Risking Their Jobs
The top management should create an atmosphere in the organization wherein everybody should be
fearless to give opinion as long as they are giving their honest opinion. If people find that something in
the company is wrong or if they feel that the seniors are not performing well then they should be
allowed to talk about all this. If top management does not encourage this then the inefficiencies would
never be pointed out. If people think that they may be punished for talking truth then they would never
open their mouth out of fear. Such companies can never progress and give excellent performance.
Conversation Management
If the management wants that the people in the organization should participate in the conversation and
should not walk away from it then the conversation should be managed properly.
1. Involve Everyone
A good conversationalist is one who gives chance to everybody to speak and not one who wants to see
his group members spell-bound by his speech. At the end of a conversation session everyone should goback with a sense of satisfaction of contributing something. Many a times it is not remembered who said
what during a conversation but what people remember is that they spoke something. Some people like
to hear their own voice all the time. They are not really good conversationalist.
2. Arouse and Sustain Interest
A conversation is successful only when all the people take part in it and show interest. People come
from different background. They have different likes and dislikes. Their attitudes are different. Their
group behaviours are different. It is a great task to keep everybody engaged in the conversation and
keep their interest levels intact till the end. But that is what is needed to make a conversation
successful.
3. Engage in Active ListeningListening is also very important for a successful conversation. Effective listening ensures that the giver
and receiver have derived the same meaning out of the message. It must be ensured that the receiver
has understood the message correctly. This can be done by asking for and giving feedback. One should
respond to the speakers talk by asking questions or reacting to his point of view. This would sh ow that
he is listening. This would certainly encourage the speaker and he would like to talk more.
4. Make Effective Requests
For ensuring that the communication is not ambiguous we should learn to make effective requests.
These requests are for getting what exactly we want, from whom we want that and when do we want
that. If the request is not clear then there is a strong possibility that we may not get what we want.
Therefore, to make the conversation session fruitful we should make correct and effective requests.5. Use Verbal Cues Effectively
Verbal cues are very useful to make the conversation effective. Some of the examples of verbal cues are
Encouraging the speaker by appreciating his views or thoughts (encourage)
-- Acknowledging the ideas of the speakers by saying that it is a brilliant idea (acknowledge)
-- Questioning the speaker to show that you want to know more about the point made by him
(question)
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-- Informing involves sharing some more information with the speaker which you know but the speaker
missed out or presented in a different manner (inform)
-- Giving directions is also an example of verbal cue. Under this you give direction to someone to do
something. Essentially it is an act of delegating. (direct)
-- Criticizing is very effective in conversation. One should not interpret the word negatively. Criticism can
be positive as well as negative. A positive criticism gives very important feedback to the
speaker.(criticize)
6. Use Non-verbal Cues Effectively
It has been established that the non-verbal cues are more powerful than the verbal cues. One should
know how to use these cues. If used appropriately these cues would send very significant signals to the
speakers. These signals will be very helpful in encouraging the speaker to speak.
7. Avoid Stressful Conversation
If a superior gets into a stressful conversation with his subordinate then he will not be able to get what
he wants because the subordinate will not be able to express himself in those conditions. Therefore, one
should avoid stressful conversation. However, sometimes it is necessary to convey a message which maycreate some stress for the receiver. In such cases the speaker should know how to put it so that the
receiver is not hurt and not disappointed. Secondly, the speaker should also make his point very clear(to
avoid any misunderstanding) and try to be as neutral as possible in his tone so that it does not cause any
stress for the receiver.
8. Respond. Do not React
Instead of reacting when we respond we show that we are polite, well-mannered, graceful and calm
during our communication sessions. Reacting to somebodys speech will always leave a bad taste
behind.
9. Inquire and validate
Many a times an implied meaning of a word may be different from its explicit meaning. However, if wego by what we hear then there may be a huge misunderstanding. Therefore, it is always better to
inquire, clarify and validate before we respond to someones comment. Inquiry and clarification is for
understanding the message whereas validation is for ensuring that the speaker means the same thing
what you have understood.
10. State Your Intentions
Many a times your message may not be understood by the receiver. In such cases you should make your
intentions clear so that both, the receiver and the giver, have the same meaning of the message. This
will stop an unwanted situation from arising.
11. State Your Appreciation for the Interaction
At the end of the conversation if you appreciate the other person, he will be very happy and may like to
interact with you in future too. Therefore, whenever we think that conversing with a person is really
beneficial for us then we should always appreciate his conversation skills, his view point etc.
12. Dealing with and Argumentative Communicator
Sometimes we come across people who like to argue. They do it because it is their habit or they just
enjoy that. When we deal with such people our discussion may not take us anywhere. Therefore, we
should avoid arguments. If the other person does not want to stop then we need to make him realize
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very politely that his way of arguing is not acceptable to you. Sometimes we may have to stop by saying
that it is better to end the discussion because we are not heading anywhere. Even while dealing with
such people we should ensure that we do not hurt them otherwise they may do a lot of bad mouthing
about us.
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