Effective communication - Fundamentals

The communication process

In the communication process there is a sender and receiver. A message is sent (or encoded) by one person and received (or decoded) by another.

The primary aim of this process is to transfer information and ensure that all parties reach a shared understanding of what's been communicated. But communication is more than just transferring information.

Communication is also about relationships and influence; you don't want to communicate a clear message but get everyone offside in the process. So a secondary aim of the communication process is to communicate in ways that have a positive influence on our relationships and the actions of others.

To help us meet these aims, we need to be aware of what we communicate and how we do it. We'll explore these concepts in more detail in the following two topics, but for now let's start with the fundamentals.

Communicating information

When we are communicating interpersonally, there are two tools we use to communicate messages.

1. Language

   Language refers to the words and phrases that we use. Within the English language there are many ways to communicate the same message with varying degrees of complexity and formality.
   
   The language you use affects people's ability to interpret your message and can also shape their perception of you.
   
   For example:
   
   - If you use technical language to describe something to a beginner, they may have trouble understanding your message.
   
   - If you use very informal/casual language in a professional setting you may come across unprofessional.
   
   Excellent communicators adapt their language to suit the audience and the situation. We will look at how do this in the 'Adapting your communication style' section of this module.

2. Non-verbal communication

   Non-verbal communication refers to body language, tone of voice, eye contact or eye movement and facial expressions. Non-verbal communication adds a lot of the emotional content to our messages and helps people understand the meaning behind our words.
   
   Think about it, you can say the same word using a different tone of voice and that word takes on a completely different meaning. Sometimes, the words we use don't even match the meaning. For example, when we are being sarcastic, the words are the complete opposite of what we really mean - the real meaning is in our tone of voice.
   
   Non-verbal communication can also be used to communicate messages without any words at all. A smile, a roll of the eyes, a raised eyebrow, a stern gesture - all of these actions send a message without the need for words.

Helpful tip

When communicating it is important to be mindful of both your language and your non-verbal communication. Just because you're saying the right words, doesn't mean that you're sending the right message.