Communication Methods

Experts say that communication is composed of different methods: words, voice, tone and non-verbal clues. Of these, some are more effective in delivering a message than others. According to research, in a conversation or verbal exchange: Words are 7% effective Tone of voice is 38% effective Non-verbal clues are 55% effective. (see footnotes !on-verbal clues include:

Body language (e.g., arms crossed, standing, sitting, relaxed, tense), Emotion of the sender and receiver (e.g., yelling, speaking provocatively, enthusiastic) Other connections between the people (e.g., friends, enemies, professional similarities or differences, personal similarities or differences, age similarities or differences, philosophical similarities or differences, attitudes, expectations).

"n other words, WHAT you say is not nearly as important as HOW you say it# A dull message delivered by a charismatic person, filled with energy and enthusiasm will be accepted as brilliant. An excellent message delivered by someone who is not interested in the topic, will not engage the enthusiasm of its intended audience. One of the classic examples of great verbal communications is $r. %artin &uther 'ing(s I Have a Dream speech. )hy was it such a great speech* "t was filled with powerful visual images that provo+e strong emotions, delivered with passion by someone who captured the dreams of an entire race. Over time, the speech has transcended its original message to be a message of hope for all people, regardless of race.

Communication Elements
Elements of speaking:

Body language oice !uality "ntention #anner$ directness, sincerity %ress and clothing (style, color, appropriateness for situation) isual aids, animation Eye contact

Emotional content, energy, strength &elf'concept (oncept of others )istening, hearing the underlying message &peaking from the heart Energy &etting, time, place, timing *ow the messenger holds the message &ensitivity +hythm and pacing ,ttitude and confidence +apport ,genda -urpose of communication ' knowing what you want to communicate (larity &ilence, centering, looking

Elements of Listening:

,ttentiveness to speaker Eye contact "ntention be fully awake and aware Openness$ to other person and your own -aying attention )istening to yourself .eedback Body language (hange in pattern Expectations about person speaking, about their message, about their agenda

SIX WAYS TO IM !O"E YO#! $O$"E!%AL COMM#$ICATIO$S

By icki +itts, &t. )ouis (ommunity (ollege at .lorissant alley and /ames +. &tein, &outhern "llinois 0niversity, Edwardsville. +eprinted by permission.

"t is not only what you say in the classroom that is important, but it1s how you say it that can make the difference to students. 2onverbal messages are an essential component of communication in the teaching process.

,eachers should be aware of nonverbal behavior in the classroom for three ma-or reasons:

,n awareness of nonverbal behavior will allow you to become better receivers of students1 messages. 3ou will become a better sender of signals that reinforce learning. 4his mode of communication increases the degree of the perceived psychological closeness between teacher and student.

&ome ma5or areas of nonverbal behaviors to explore are$ Eye contact .acial expressions 6estures -osture and body orientation -roximity -aralinguistics *umor

Eye contact Eye contact, an important channel of interpersonal communication, helps regulate the flow of communication. And it signals interest in others. .urthermore, eye contact with audiences increases the spea+er(s credibility. ,eachers who ma+e eye contact open the flow of communication and convey interest, concern, warmth and credibility. !acial e"#ressions /miling is a powerful cue that transmits:

*appiness .riendliness 7armth )iking ,ffiliation

,hus, if you smile fre0uently you will be perceived as more li+able,

friendly, warm and approachable. /miling is often contagious and students will react favorably and learn more. $estures "f you fail to gesture while spea+ing, you may be perceived as boring, stiff and unanimated. A lively and animated teaching style captures students( attention, ma+es the material more interesting, facilitates learning and provides a bit of entertainment. 1ead nods, a form of gestures, communicate positive reinforcement to students and indicate that you are listening. %osture and body orientation 2ou communicate numerous messages by the way you wal+, tal+, stand and sit. /tanding erect, but not rigid, and leaning slightly forward communicates to students that you are approachable, receptive and friendly. .urthermore, interpersonal closeness results when you and your students face each other. /pea+ing with your bac+ turned or loo+ing at the floor or ceiling should be avoided3 it communicates disinterest to your class. %ro"i&ity 4ultural norms dictate a comfortable distance for interaction with students. 2ou should loo+ for signals of discomfort caused by invading students( space. /ome of these are:

+ocking )eg swinging 4apping 6a8e aversion

,ypically, in large college classes space invasion is not a problem. "n fact, there is usually too much distance. ,o counteract this, move around the classroom to increase interaction with your students. "ncreasing proximity enables you to ma+e better eye contact and increases the opportunities for students to spea+. %aralin'uistics ,his facet of nonverbal communication includes such vocal elements as:

4one -itch +hythm 4imbre )oudness "nflection

.or maximum teaching effectiveness, learn to vary these six elements of your voice. One of the ma-or criticisms is of instructors who spea+ in a monotone. &isteners perceive these instructors as boring and dull. /tudents report that they learn less and lose interest more 0uic+ly when listening to teachers who have not

learned to modulate their voices. Hu&or 1umor is often overloo+ed as a teaching tool, and it is too often not encouraged in college classrooms. &aughter releases stress and tension for both instructor and student. 2ou should develop the ability to laugh at yourself and encourage students to do the same. "t fosters a friendly classroom environment that facilitates learning. (&ou 1olt5 wrote that when his players felt successful he always observed the presence of good humor in the loc+er room. Obviously, ade0uate +nowledge of the sub-ect matter is crucial to your success3 however, it(s not the only crucial element. 4reating a climate that facilitates learning and retention demands good nonverbal and verbal s+ills. ,o improve your nonverbal s+ills, record your spea+ing on video tape. ,hen as+ a colleague in communications to suggest refinements.

7elcome to our page of tips.

isit often as we periodically renew this page.

& TI S 'O! C(EC)I$* I' YO# A!E COMM#$ICATI$* CLEA!LY

+, Below are several -met.ics- or ways of measuring whether or not your conversations and presentations are clearer. "f you are speaking clearly and concisely, your listeners$ o o o o o o o respond warmly and attentively throughout the conversation or presentation$ their eyebrows are raised, their eyes are rounded, and they lean forward while you are talking 9 give you more eye contact 9 follow your directions more accurately 9 ask you fewer !uestions for clarification 9 appear more relaxed$ smiling, shoulders down, hands relaxed

:. !ead non/e.0al signals that others are confused. (onfused listeners often$
o o o o o o o

avoid eye contact tilt their heads s!uint their eyes close their mouths lower their eyebrows cross their arms and legs turn away from you

1, A/oid /ague 2o.ds ,nother way to speak clearly is to avoid unclear words including it, that, this, those, they, he, she, them, and we. 0nfortunately, you may use these words while feeling assured that your listeners know what you are talking about. 3ou talk as if you and your listeners are looking at the same picture. 4he solution is easy. .or at least a few weeks, you should avoid the words above in your speech. .or example$
2O4$ "t would be great for them. 0sing the process will make a difference. "2&4E,%$ 4he new distribution process will reduce your costs by at least ;:<. "f you eliminate excess forms, you will reduce wasteful paper handling dramatically.

Expressions can also be vague$ other areas of interest, some things, none of the above.

3, Stop .epeating 4ou.self 7hen you note when others do not understand you, you may repeat yourself time after time, hoping to =get through= to your listeners. 4his techni!ue seems logical, but the large volume of speaking caused by repeating compromises success. 4his =recycling= of information and comments has got to go. One way to reduce speech recycling is to change your thinking about speaking. #ore is not better. "nstead, program yourself to reali8e that you need to say only a few sentences in a conversation before giving your conversational partner a turn.

5, Sa4 one thought in each sentence 4he desire to =say it all= also may plague you. "f you recogni8e yourself as a =say'it'all= type, then you probably speak in very long, overloaded sentences. +esearch shows that the average adult listener can hold only sixteen words in short term memory, so you should not be surprised when your listeners do not remember your >? word sentences. 4ry this$ say only one idea per sentence, then end the sentence and start a new one. "n fact, rather than 5ust starting a new sentence immediately, insert a pause between sentences so that you can think, edit, and observe the reactions of your conversational partners.

6, Sta.t in the .ight place and sta4 on t.ack, 3ou may start too far ahead of either what your listeners@ remember about the sub5ect or how much your listeners know. 3ou may waste time providing excessive background information and off'topic comments. 3ou need to remember to provide brief introductions to your topics to warm up and orient your listeners. =Brief= means two to five minutes for a presentation and a short phrase for an e'mail or

voice'mail message. 3ou should always start each conversation with a few sentences to review previous conversations and to remind your listeners of information that they will need to understand the rest of the conversation or presentation.

&, Tips and Techni7ues .inally8 here are a few !uick ideas to eliminate rambling.
o o o o o o

.inish each idea before proceeding 4olerate silence. &horten your sentences. -icture your idea in your mind, as if on =video,= before speaking. -icture your words on a screen in your mind before you say them. -ut the most important information in your sentences at the beginning or end.

&low down by as much as A?< to allow more time to think.