Communication is about people or groups of people relating to one another. It is the way individuals or organization bridge the gap between each other in order to share a common meaning or obtain an equal perception or view on ideas, goals, visions e.t.c it is also a network between individuals or groups in an organization in which particular parties intend to share their perceptions/views of information with other parties.
In his book “Managerial Communication” Professor Waswa Balunywa defines communication as ‘the process by which people attempt to share a meaning via the transmission of symbolic message’ he gives another definition of communication as ‘transfer of information from the sender to the receiver with the information being understood by both the sender and receiver’ these definitions state clearly that the purpose of communication is to be understood by our employers, peers or audience. In order to be understood we have to communicate effectively.
Effective communication is the way individuals or network transfers their information to and fro in a way that the meaning is understood by the parties and the desired outcome is achieved. For example a speech or article against corruption will be effectively communicated if leads to a hard stance on communication.
In order to put one’s message across to the audience there are principles that are used in effective communication. Principles are rules, guidelines that are used in either verbal or non verbal communication. These guidelines are universal and include the following;
COMPLETENESS
Completeness is when the message sent answers all questions raised or provides all the necessary information required in getting the necessary response. It involves the message having all the parts required without any lacking. This is because a complete message will bring about the desired results. For example message giving directions to a place for example restaurant or bookshop will result in punctuality, proper dress code, and preparedness among others.
Secondly completeness creates trust between the sender and the receiver or the speaker and the audience. This is because completeness sows seeds of goodwill and honesty between the parties. A good example is when one is applying for a loan from a money lender or finance institution, full information is required like reason for borrowing, name and address credit information(past and present), interest rates among others.
A message is complete when it address the 5 w’s (what, where, who, when, why, and how) by going through these questions it will ensure necessary and relevant information is provided.
CONCISENESS
Conciseness in communication is giving much information in few words. Being concise is very important because wordy messages are time consuming for both the sender and the receiver. Everything that is intended to be communicated should be straight to the point in order to eliminate doubt and obscurity in the message. For example when writing an essay the main point should be in the first lines of the paragraph.
Being concise and precise is advantageous in many ways. Firstly it keeps the interest of the audience or receiver. Lengthy messages will eventually lead to boredom, disinterest, undoubtly the sender will go off topic. Secondly in ensures that the communicator is headed in the right direction which should be in line with the audience’s expectations. Thirdly it gives the receiver a bird eye view of what is to be covered and eases understanding.
However conciseness should not be at the expense of completeness, clarity and courtesy. Short phrases or sentences may not necessarily be brief and complete. For example ‘we meet’ ‘okay please’ ‘come again’. In order to be brief it’s important:
- Include any relevant facts
- Avoid wordy sentences. It is important to note that by using big words may not be efficient in attaining conciseness. For example archaic instead of old, purloined instead of steal. This may also be the case for metaphors and idioms depending on the audience like ‘whole nine yards’ ‘chip off the old block’ such phrases or words add more questions than answers for some people.
- Avoiding unnecessary repetitions
- Avoid standardized expressions. These may be legal phrases, literature phrases or medical terms. These phrases should be restricted to a professional group or receivers in relevant fields.
CONSIDERATION
Consideration is empathy having the receiver in mind as one communicates. It involves keeping the receivers emotions or ideas in mind as the message is being communicated. Consideration is important because;
· Enables the receiver to understand the message.
· It ensure the required or expected response is achieved
· It builds trust or good will between the parties involved. It also enables one to relate to others. Looking at the other party’s point of view a message should not offend a receiver neither should it hurt the receiver’s feelings.
· Consideration eliminates arrogance, ignorance and stereotyped ideas that may crop up in the message.
· In an organization consideration will bolster teamwork since everyone’s’ ideas are taken seriously and not ignored. Furthermore it will improve working conditions and eliminate sense of dictatorship that may be felt by employees. These will make the decision making process run more smoothly.
Consideration may include looking at issues like gender language, religion, culture. In order to achieve this, the following are essential;
· Put emphasis on positive facts for example writing recommendations, termination of contract among others.
· Messages should show the receivers’ interest
· Focus on the receiver and not on yourself.
COURTESY
Courtesy involves being polite and observing good moral behavior. Courtesy is similar to consideration but they are not the same. Consideration is keeping the receivers’ emotions in mind while courtesy is elimination of arrogance courtesy shows respect to the receiver even though the receiver may be a subordinate. It leads to trust and goodwill which will result in the intended results. To be courteous in communication the following guidelines should be used;
- Avoid words that will deliberately hurt or belittle or irritate a person.
- Apologize when you feel in the wrong.
- Always appreciate and be thankful to the person your communicating with.
- Be tactful when for instance delivering bad news.
CONCRETNESS
Concreteness in communication refers to being specific, definite, positive and vivid. The essence of being concrete is to make the receiver more aware of the message and what is intended for him/her to do. Vague communication is very costly because it has to be clarified or may lead to expensive even fatal mistakes. Furthermore, there are many words which have relative and different meanings depending on situations. Such words should be avoided since they may cause confusion and misunderstandings. It is better far better if concrete information is used. Concreteness can be achieved through;
a. using concrete and exact facts or figures
a. using concrete and exact facts or figures
Examples:
- General and/or Indefinite: he’s clever ; Concrete and/or Precise: His percentage has increased from 50% to 75%
- General and/or Indefinite: Eastern Africa is making progress in obtaining investments; Concrete and/or Precise: In 1990, investments in Eastern Africa were about US $50 million; today that figure has increased by 45%.
b. Put Action in your verbs
Verbs bring your message vivacity and liveliness.
Examples:
Examples:
- “Dr. Lubega Has decided” is more exact than “A decision has been made”.
- “Besigye will note” is both exact and specific.
c. Inclusion of unambiguous and image-building phrases. This means one should pick words that can create a mental picture of the message.
CLARITY
Clarity is when a message sent from a sender to a receiver is properly understood so that the required intention is achieved. To clarify according to the oxford dictionary is ‘to make or become clear or easier to understand’
William. Harvey (6th edition) says the leader of an organization faces several unique communication problems in their day to day work activities. Because they have positional authority, their employees may not be capable of receiving what is being communicated with clarity. A typical employee, instead of carefully listening and understanding what is being communicated by their boss, may be thinking any of the following:
-- What did he REALLY mean?
-- Why is he talking to me personally, instead of someone else?
-- I wonder what his REAL motivation is.
-- I can't believe she said something that stupid, but I won’t dare tell her that!
-- I disagree, her facts are wrong, but I'm afraid to bring it up
-- Why can't he/she just be honest and tell me what's on their mind?
It is the responsibility of the leader to make sure that the communication channels within a group
Are clearly defined, and that ideas are being interchanged in a free and open manner. The Leader shows, by example, how to communicate their message. They take responsibility for ensuring that their communication travels across the intervening distance that their message is received by the other person, and most importantly, that their exact message has been received and duplicated. The quality of the message is important: it must be simple, direct, and purposeful. Rather than combining two or three major thoughts into a sentence, the leader focuses on one major thought at a time. He avoids meandering around in conversation or in writing. He knows that vagueness and obtuseness have no place in business. The effective leader uses simple yet effective words to clearly communicate to everyone in the organization.
Today's business world contains a huge and diverse variety of ages, education levels, nationalities, and occupations. Make sure your communication reaches them with a message they understand! Almost all of the conflicts and disagreements which occur in the world today are caused directly or indirectly from misunderstandings. These misunderstandings typically are caused by poor communication, incomplete communication, and confusion about words and their exact meaning. The English language is a fertile ground for confusion among terms. Guess how many definitions there exist for a simple word, such as "be"? The skilled leader works tirelessly to build quality of communication among all of his employees.
This includes all forms of communication: verbal, written, email, voicemail, text messaging, instant messaging, recordings, and any other messages carried over the telephone or in person. The leader is fully aware that whenever communication problems exist, the business will suffer.
C.S Deverell (revised edition 19) suggests several techniques which the skilled leader can employ to improve the clarity and precision of his communication. Here a few of the most common:
1. Develop greater empathy. Be able to take off your "executive hat" and wear the "sales manager hat" or the "administrative assistant" hat. See how things look from their viewpoint for a change!
2. Listen more effectively. Don't just hear what is being said, but listen and REMEMBER the important details like names, dates, ideas, deadlines.
3. When listening, check your understanding by asking yourself the six helpers: who, what, when, where, why, and how.
4. Repeat/rephrase. Ask them to repeat what they said so you can ensure you duplicated it precisely, or you can repeat it and make sure they agree it's correct. This will ensure that you are both 100% in agreement. (Works verbally and in writing)
5. Confirm your understanding. Especially if there are action items, make sure everyone is very clear about who does what, when, where, how and why. Document where necessary.
6. Observe the obvious. If you look carefully, you will be able to tell if someone else just doesn't get it. There are generally visible signs (facial expressions, body language) that will tell you there are problems with the reception. Be alert!
7. Talk less than you listen. Remember the value of silence. It's amazing what you learn about others when you let them talk and you observe
CORRECTNESS
The basic function of the correctness is to insure that the message devoid of any grammatical errors Correctness is based on the following points:
A. Using the right level of language i.e. formal or informal
Examples:
Formal and Informal Approach
Formal and Informal Approach
- Formal: Participate. Less Formal: Join
- Formal: Question. Less Formal: Ask
B. Checking accuracy of figures and facts. This is done by;
- Verifying your factual data
- Cross-checking your totals
- Resist guessing of words or principles that have an impact on sender or receiver
- Assert whether the fact is still a fact or has changed over a time
C. Another factor is the exclusion of words that confuse the subject matter at hand and maintaining recognized writing mechanics.
