The components of communication

The components of communication

Description of the Learning Unit

Description:

This lesson is part of the Effective communication course.

Learning Outcomes:

  • To comprehend that communication among human beings has different channels and different shapes.​
  • Acquire awareness about the different ways of communication with others 
  • Learn the most characterizing elements of  effective communication among human beings​
  • Learn how to give more voice to your voice ​

Keywords:

  • components of communication
  • non-verbal communication
  • body language
  • visual contact

How to follow this learning unit?

  • Read the learning materials of this topic by clicking open the title banner. 
  • Discuss the self-evaluating questions
  • and/or do the exercise at the end of the lesson

THE COMPONENTS OF COMMUNICATION

  • WORDS, VERBAL CLARITY, 7%​
  • ​VOCAL VARIETY, 38%​ ( Tone, Vocal stamp, Pause​)
  • ​NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION, 55%​ ( Body Language, Visual Contact, Soul​)

VERBAL CLARITY

Pay attention to 

  • how the words are pronounced (especially if you have markedly regional accent) and
  • to the speed with which you speak.​

VOCAL VARIETY

Vocal stump and an expressive tone create the desire to listen, when you declaim your words, you are almost singing them in a variety of sounds. ​

It allows to shout, to whisper, to emphasize  the words which are more important, with the aim to create a clear and complete message.​

BODY LANGUAGEITALIAN GESTURES

  • Your body language exposes and expresses security and confidence in yourself.
  • Words are strong and the gestures of the body have to combine harmonically. When they remain spontaneous, they look genuine and sincere.​
  • Gestures give life to words.​
  • In a global world it’s recommended to learn the body languages of  other countries.

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

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Sometimes, body language can replace the language of words, and this can be useful depending on where you are in the world, since some gestures can have different meanings . For example, if you are in the United States, in Russia, in Canada or in the UK and someone shows you  the thumb up, evrything is fine, but if you are in Iraq or in Latin America and they do the same gesture, it means, not elegantly, that you have «to put it in your….»​

Or again, the typical gesture we use to say ok, in Australia, in the USA, in the UK and in Canada, it means satisfaction, while in Brazil, if the hand is upside down, it has a very vulgar meaning, similar to our gesture of the middle finger. ​

The sign of V, in the USA it  means peace, while in Australia, in the UK, in Ireland and in New Zaeland it’s something rude, usually used to indicate contempt  and challenge to the authority.​

VISUAL CONTACT

Visual contact denotes trust and security.​

It shows that you believe in what you are saying, creating a compelling message.​

…you surely have heard the expression: «He couldn’t even look me in the eye».​

If you search for a system to turn the message into performance, they are the eyes.​

In a room of 10 or 100 persons, you  have to catch everyone’s attention, even of the one sitting in the last place.​

10 STEPS OF COMMUNICATION

1 – Keep in mind the kind of people you are addressing in order to decide in advance:​

How much better we know to whom we address and what is the goal, the better the result will be​

  • Vocal tone of the intervention: formal, loose, serious, emphatic​
  • Lenght of the same intervention​
  • Start: adapt the first sentence to the listening audience​
  • Clothing

2 – Prepare a project of exposition of what you want to communicate:  improvisation can be dangerous.

  • ​Identify the strenghts so that the audience understand them completely and can feel involved​
  • Check facts and references which support the speech​
  • Think about the questions that could be done​

3 – It is advisable to do a small general test of the speech that one intends to pronounce.​

4 – Know well  the visual support which you will use to communicate: flip chart, projector etc…​

5 – Check and control your own emotionality​

Before starting a speech, breath deeply and pronounce the first sentence with a strong vocal tone: if the first sentence works, the speech has more probabilities to be  effective ​

6 – Check body gestures  without being frightened: a speech full of  body gestures risks to appear too cold, detached, to send a message of anxiety.​

  • Never keep your arms folded: it’s a sign of closure and scarse availability​
  • Assume an open and upright position: curved positions mean insecurity and instability​

7 – Vary with a certain frequency your tone of voice and put short pauses in the speech in order to highlight the most important concepts and take time in case of difficulties.​

8 – The audience has to participate, as it is talking. It’s important to use rethoricquestions  and to enrich the speech with stories and anecdtotes

9 – Never memorize a speech word by word.​

10 – Never imitate someone else. Be yourself!!

RELATION

WHAT CREATES A RELATION?

  • Sensory acuity​
  • Active listening​
  • flexibility (open and non-conditioned mind)​
  • Spontaneous smile​
  • Visual contact​
  • Sincere interest​
  • Empathy​
  • Similarities ​
  • Putting at ease​

WHAT DESTROYS THE RELATION

  • Being invadent​
  • Giving non-requested advices​
  • Not listening ​
  • Insisting​
  • Invading others’ spaces​
  • Talking about religion, sport and politics​

SELF EVALUATION QUESTIONS

  • Which strategies can be undertaken to communicate in an effective way?​
  • Which among your qualities you use to communicate?​
  • Which new competences did you acquire today?​

Exercise

The trainer, after have painted some geometric shape on a A4 sheet, he gives them to a person (communicator) which has to communicate to a small group of persons (sketchers) 

  • how  the geometric forms are drawn down relative to the sheet, 
  • using the voice, 
  • without been seen by the group of sketchers.​