George Sandford

English language guide to effective communication

1. An introduction to communication

Effective communication is an essential life and work skill and something that we use every day. Key areas of work based communication involve giving, receiving, seeking and exchanging information, expressing feelings and opinions, understanding others, dealing with conflict and behaving assertively. However, just because we can talk and listen, doesn’t automatically make us good communicators and there are many things that can go wrong.

2. Some factors that cause communication problems

Poor listening
Listening is a skill and many people simply do not pay attention. They are thinking about what they want to say or just not concentrating. Afterwards, they fill in the gaps with their own imagination or what they believe was said.

Jumbled thinking
If somebody is not clear in their own mind what they want to say then their message is likely to be unclear. If it is ambiguous, it can be misinterpreted and somebody could easily get the wrong end of the stick.

Poor articulation
Some people find it difficult to express themselves clearly and struggle to get their point across.

Too many cooks
They say that too many cooks spoil the broth and in an organisation and in an organisation with different bosses giving mixed messages, it’s easy to become confused.

Long communication chains
The more times a message is passed on, the more likely it is to become corrupted. You may have played Chinese Whispers where a message is privately communicated ten times; the final message is nothing like the first!

seeking

trying to get

exchanging

swapping

automatically

as a natural consequence

to pay attention

to focus and give full attention

fill in the gaps

provide missing information

ambiguous

having two possible meanings

to misinterpret

to come to the wrong conclusion

to get the wrong end of the stick

to get the wrong understanding of something

struggle

fight against, find difficult

to get a point across

communicate a message

too many cooks

too many people involved

corrupted

damaged, changed

Glossary

seeking – poszukiwanie

exchanging – wymiana

assertively – asertywnie, stanowczo

automatically – odruchowo, automatycznie

to pay attention – uważać, zwracać uwagę

fill in the gaps – wypełniać luki

jumbled – wymieszane, w bezładzie

ambiguous – dwuznaczny, niejednoznaczny

misinterpret – błędnie zinterpretować

get the wrong end of the stick – źle zrozumieć

articulation – sformułowanie, wymowa

to struggle – mieć trudnosci, usiłować

get a point across – przekazać swoje zdanie na jakiś temat

too many cooks – zbyt wiele osób zaangażowanych

corrupted – uszkodzony, zniekszatłcony

3. How good is your communication?

Tick which answers apply to you, then add up your score.

Question

Never

1

Sometimes

      2

Often

    3

Always

    4

1

I can follow directions well

2

I give clear instructions

3

I take accurate telephone messages

4

I remember names when introduced to people

5

I write clear emails

6

I write concise and effective reports

7

I reply promptly to emails and phone calls

8

I keep people informed and updated

9

I can express my needs assertively

10

I am able to disagree without getting angry

11

I concentrate well when listening

12

I confidently give effective presentations

13

I communicate effectively in meetings and conference calls

14

I respond well to questions in meetings and presentations

15

I can give persuasive arguments

Score

31-40

Well done! You’re the bee’s knees! You communicate effectively in a range of skills when transmitting and receiving information.

21-30

Not bad - You are certainly on the road to effective communication but there are still a few skills that you need to brush up on.

11-20

Oh dear! Your communication is rather hit and miss which is sure to cause some misunderstandings - better get reading this guide straight away!

0-10

Hello! Are you receiving me? Maybe you just like the sound of your own voice or maybe you are in a world of your own. Whatever it is, recognise that communication is an essential work skill and that with a bit of effort, it can be mastered.

to give or follow directions

instructions about how to find or get somewhere

concise

brief, short, to the point

promptly

quickly

persuasive

influential

the bee’s knees

the best

on the road to (somewhere)

moving towards achieving something

brush up on

to improve

hit and miss

in consistent

to like the sound of your own voice

to enjoy talking and listening to yourself

to be in a world of your own

in a dream, unaware of your immediate environment

Glossary

follow directions – postępować według wskazówek

concise – zwięzły ścisły

promptly – od razu, niezwłocznie

persuasive – przekonujący, istotny

the bee’s knees – najlepszy, ,,debeściak”

on the road to – na dobrej drodze

to brush up on – doskonalić, podszlifować

hit and miss – bezplanowy, (metoda) prób i błędów

to like the sound of your own voice – upajać się własnym głosem

to be in a word of your own – żyć we własnym świecie, śnić na jawie