Discuss the General Guidelines for Effective Communication

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Discuss the General Guidelines for Effective Communication

Posted by Ripon Abu Hasnat on Wednesday, June 10, 2015 | 0 comments

Clarity of Purpose:

this requires careful planning. Lack of planning becomes the first major barrier in communication. Communication does not take place. We have to make all possible efforts to understand the why’s and how’s, the when and where, and above all the “what” of our message. As George Berneard Shaw says, “The major mistake in communication is to believe that it happens.”

Shared Activity:

Lets not forget that effective communication is the responsibility of all persons in the organization. At any level –managerial or no managerial. They are all working towards a common goal. It means that all of them have a share, directly or indirectly, in many different ways, in the process of communication. Whether communication is effective can be judged on the basis of the intended results.

Common Set of Symbols:

The encoding and decoding of the message should be done with symbols that are familiar to the sender and the receiver. It is an immutable condition of communication that the code or set of symbols be mutually understood/ intelligible.

Focus on the Need of the Receiver:

Whenever we communicate we must keep in mind the needs of the receivers of the message/information. It should be our endeavor to see that whatever we communicate should be of value to the receiver, both in the short run and in the distant future. Our awareness of the needs of the receiver will make him more receptive.

Active Listening:

Active or “participative” listening is as important as any other element in the process of communication. It shows, again, that communication is a joint responsibility of both the sender and the receiver.

Controlling Emotions:

Emotions play an important role in interpersonal relationships between superiors, subordinates and colleagues in an organization. It should be, therefore, an important aim of communication to create an environment in which people are motivated to work toward the desired goals of the enterprise by which they achieve their personal goal.

Politeness:

This leads us to the tonal aspect of communication. There is a saying, “The tone makes the music”. In the same way, the tone of voice, the choice of language and the congruency or logical connection between what is said and how it is said influence the reactions of the receiver.

Eliminate Noise:

Every possible effort must be made to eliminate the element of noise that distorts communication at the transmission stage. It becomes especially important in the wake of modern technological advancement. Anything going wrong with the equipment or any disturbance in the transmission line is bound to defeat the very purpose of communication.

Clarity Assumptions:

No effective communication can be based on assumptions. The sender of the message must clarify his assumptions and then go ahead with proper encoding of the message.

Avoiding connotations and ambiguities:

Semantic problems can be solved by using simple language and avoiding connotations. Care must be taken to see that the receiver of the message does not have to go beyond the text of the message. It is also necessary to avoid all ambiguity, which means to avoid using words with double meaning.

Socio- Psychological Aspect:

As communication is a two-way process involving both the sender and the receiver, both should make conscious efforts to understand each other’s cultural and social- psychological background. As a golden rule for effective communication one must remember, “First understand, then be understood. An effective communicator is an informed communicator.

Completeness:

One must also endeavor to send a complete message, furnishing all necessary facts and figures. Incomplete communication annoys the receiver as a result of which proper feedback will not come. The message should be so organized that the receiver is not left in doubt about any aspect of the message.

Conciseness:

Completeness does not mean inclusion of unnecessary details or diversions. An effective communication is concise and crisp. The sender should be clear headed and properly focused in his vision.