Effective Communication Oh yeah baby!

What Makes Effective Communication ‘Effective’? 1. Communication MUST be understood fully, it must be 2-way person sends a message, 1 person receives a message…sender – receiver. 3. The sender must know what they are saying and say it properly. 4. The receiver must listen actively to interpret the message properly.

Types of Communication… VerbalNon-VerbalInnerOpen

Verbal Communication Involves…. –Speaking –Writing –Drawing pictures –Morris Code –Semaphore Code

Non-Verbal Messages sent without using language or writing Reading people’s intentions and feelings by observing their behaviours Highly skilled non-verbal communication receivers are like mind readers

Examples of Non-verbal Communication

Inner Communication Knowing and understanding your values and feelings Your feelings are your reactions to everything around you…they change day by day Your values are more static…they don’t change nearly as fast

Inner Comm. continued If you don’t check your feelings you seem unpredictable Something funny one day… Angers you the next day

Open Communication Communicating true thoughts and feelings Accepting the thoughts and feelings of others Mutual respect is key to open communication: you can trust they wont laugh or get angry at you You have the Responsibility of not being reckless or rude with your honesty

Listening…or not Hearing and listening are not the same thing…explain? Listening: requires an active attempt to understand the message being sent, a good listener can read between the lines (what do I mean?) Hearing: You hear the words that someone is sending, but you’re not really thinking about them

Reading between the Lines

Active Listening Active listening requires the receiver of information to send Feedback (example?) Good feedback gives the sender a chance to clarify the message. –“Do you mean that…” –“What I think you’re saying is…” –“umm…I don’t get it.”

Active Listening cont… Feedback can also be… –Eye contact –Head nodding –Saying “yeah…uh-huh” You Should be sending the message that you are listening and that you care about the conversation that is happening