Professional Skills (GE105) Introduction to communication Dr. Sean Doherty

1. Professional Skills (GE105) Introduction to communication Dr. Sean Doherty Department of Electronic Engineering sean.doherty@eeng.may.ie phone 708 6198 27-Sept-2001 GE105-20-1

2. The communication process • Elements of the communication process • intention to communicate • message encoding • medium • decoding • a model • perception and perception errors • principles of effective communication for the sender and receiver GE105-20-1

3. The communication process • Good communication is important at every level of a business organisation. • Effective communication is difficult. e.g. personal and business. • The consequences of poor communication in business can be disastrous. • Communication is the process by which information (facts, opinions, attitudes, feelings) are conveyed from one person to another. • All communication requires a sender and a receiver. Most communication is two-way i.e. each person is both a sender and a receiver. • Interpersonal communication. GE105-20-1

4. Intention to communicate • The sender decides to send a message. • Casual conversation • Unintentional communication GE105-20-1

5. Message encoding • Message is encoded into a set of symbols. • written • spoken • non-verbal communication (NVC) • dress, body language, use of space/territory, tonality, eye contact • communication is dynamic • a message has ‘content’ and ‘feeling’ GE105-20-1

6. Medium • The means used to transmit the message • written (letter, memo, report, company magazine …) • oral (face to face, phone, interview, meeting, presentation …) • visual (NVC, diagrams, charts, photographs ...) • electronic (video, telephone, fax, email, internet…) • mass (TV, radio, press, internet …) • each medium has pros and cons as determined by :- • purpose of communication • complexity of the message • need for a record • feedback timescale • distance between sender and receiver • personal touch? • cost GE105-20-1

7. Decoding the message • The process of understanding the message is called “decoding” and the communication is successful only if it is correctly decoded ie. The receiver understands the sender’s intended message. • Messages can be misunderstood, often with severe consequences, for several reasons :- • careless or inattentive receiver • sender uses specialist language which the receiver does not understand • the message is ambiguous • the receiver’s emotion or feelings towards the sender GE105-20-1

8. Received Signal Information Source Message Signal Message + Transmitter + Destination Receiver Noise Source Shannon and Weaver Model • Limitations • no feedback • no context • linear sequential model GE105-20-1

9. Other parts of the communication process • Feedback. Allows the sender to access the impact on the receiver. • Context. Time and place. • Noise (Shannon and Weaver) GE105-20-1

10. Perception • We perceive the world through our senses. • Internal stimuli - physiological and mental • “The process by which people become aware of internal and external messages and interpret these messages into meanings” • Perception is selective • we must filter some stimuli to avoid overload • Perception is unique to each individual • our perception is influenced by our experience, age, gender, culture, job etc. • Shared perceptual framework. Beliefs and attitudes GE105-20-1

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12. Perception errors • Sensory limitations (e.g. previous page) • Strong emotions • Prejudice • Expectations • Cultural differences GE105-20-1

13. Person Perception • A key communication skill is to understand our perception of ourselves and others. It is important to develop this. • Perceptions of ourselves • self image is built up from your life experience • we tend to welcome information that reinforces our self image and retreat from conflicting information • Perception of others • appearance - size, shape, looks, accent, clothes. Stereotypes. • role - we expect people to behave according to there role • attributions. Treat with caution! GE105-20-1

14. Effective communication : Sender • What are your objectives? • Put yourself in the receiver’s shoes. • Choose the best medium. • Organise your ideas and express them carefully. Choose your language carefully. • Consider the context. • Be positive. • Obtain feedback GE105-20-1

15. Effective communication : Receiver • Give the sender your full attention. • Try to interpret the message correctly. Ask for clarification if necessary. • Don’t be prejudiced. • Take notes. • Respond appropriately. GE105-20-1