Communication is the activity of conveying information through the exchange of thought, message or information by speech, behaviour, writing, signal, or visual.
Communication must be between two people minimum or group of people.
When people are communicating the participates are advised to always act as a sender and a receiver for every piece of information. So to increase communication skill it is required to apply the below basic communication principle.
First, a sender ensures effective communication either by writing, visually, signalling or speaking the information to the receiver to understand. It is advisable that in speech or signal communication, the sender should reiterate the exact information needed to transmit at least three-time minimum. In writing, it is advisable to use simple and easily understanding writing skills and convey the information immediately
Secondly, a receiver is advised to listen, read, understand, and decode effectively the information from a source sender is conveying. Don't hesitate to request a clearance for any ambiguous information don't assume or conclude based on experience rather understand what is required from the sender.
Then the most critical communication process especial in signal or speech communication is the receiver's affirmation process of the information received by reiterating back to the sender the same information to affirm the information received and the alignment of both participate. Saving Changes...
Peter RapinSubject Matter Expect; Project Delivery| Independent ConsultantOntario, Canada
Sounds very theoretical - straight out of the lesson notes. Is there a question here, or opinion you feel needs discussing? Are you just wondering if this applies in practice or is this simply an attempt to educate us? Where would you like the discussion to go?
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1 reply by Ifeanyichukwu Ugwu
Oct 13, 2022 10:44 AM
Ifeanyichukwu Ugwu
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Well Peter I have practically applied this simple approach severally in communication with my team which satisfies successful and efficient communication.
Unfortunately, I have experienced some team members that do not utilise this simple principle while communicating especially during speech communication. So I decided to share. If you have experienced such a scenario kindly share as well.
Sounds very theoretical - straight out of the lesson notes. Is there a question here, or opinion you feel needs discussing? Are you just wondering if this applies in practice or is this simply an attempt to educate us? Where would you like the discussion to go?
Well Peter I have practically applied this simple approach severally in communication with my team which satisfies successful and efficient communication.
Unfortunately, I have experienced some team members that do not utilise this simple principle while communicating especially during speech communication. So I decided to share. If you have experienced such a scenario kindly share as well. Saving Changes...
Peter RapinSubject Matter Expect; Project Delivery| Independent ConsultantOntario, Canada
As you have mentioned communication is a two-way street yet not everyone recognizes that. I think it comes with maturity.
If one were to look at it from a risk perspective it may be easier for the non-believers to understand the consequences of one-way communications or unclear/misunderstood communications.
Risk management as well as communication management are elements of project management. I suggest trying a brief (one or two hour) risk discussion specific to communications. The initial question to be asked: "What can happen with poor communications and how can we, as a team, mitigate?" Use specific example if you can. Hard to imagine someone disagreeing with the premise nor the need to mitigate.
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1 reply by Ifeanyichukwu Ugwu
Oct 14, 2022 10:21 AM
Ifeanyichukwu Ugwu
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Yes, a communication risk discussion sounds very interesting looking forward to sharing ideas.
Poor communication risk can never be overemphasized with its tremendous impact on to a project. For instance, It can present bad reputation and a failure project perspective to stakeholder for a project with a good schedule and budget performance because of POOR PROJECT SUCCESS COMMUNICATION by the project manager.
Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
My recommendation is reading and understanding Claude Shannon's "The Mathematical Theory of Communication". Everything you need to know is there. Saving Changes...
A breakdown in any step of the communication model is noise and yet we do tend to encounter issues with specific steps more frequently than others.
The three which I've experienced most often are:
1. The message was poorly encoded
2. The wrong medium was used
3. One or more of the acknowledgement steps was missed
Kiron Saving Changes...
Stéphane ParentSelf Employed / Semi-retired| Leader MakerPrince Edward Island, Canada
Easier said than done...
Studies show that up to 80% of our "knowledge" is fabricated. This reveals itself in conversations, where our mind fills in the gaps where we either missed or misunderstood something.
I find keeping a state of curiosity during communication exchanges helps.
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1 reply by Peter Rapin
Oct 14, 2022 8:52 AM
Peter Rapin
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Generally, we don't hear what is being said, we interpret. It's a bit like joining the dots - we pick up on certain words or ideas and join them together based on our experience and biases. Much of the time we get the right picture but at others we miss completely. The more you pay attention, the more dots you have, the greater the chances of an understanding. Some people only pick up on the first couple of dots and draw the picture without the benefit of the remaining information.
The feedback loop is essentially - "show me your picture"
Saving Changes...
Mark WarnerProject Manager| AURATucson, Az, United States
In my experience, the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw summed up communications issues the best when he wrote, “The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” The written acknowledgement feedback loop is vitally critical. I can say "A" to you, but until you come back in writing to confirm you heard "A" and not "B," neither of us truly know with certainty that the message was properly transferred. Saving Changes...
Peter RapinSubject Matter Expect; Project Delivery| Independent ConsultantOntario, Canada
Oct 14, 2022 7:46 AM
Replying to Stéphane Parent
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Easier said than done...
Studies show that up to 80% of our "knowledge" is fabricated. This reveals itself in conversations, where our mind fills in the gaps where we either missed or misunderstood something.
I find keeping a state of curiosity during communication exchanges helps.
Generally, we don't hear what is being said, we interpret. It's a bit like joining the dots - we pick up on certain words or ideas and join them together based on our experience and biases. Much of the time we get the right picture but at others we miss completely. The more you pay attention, the more dots you have, the greater the chances of an understanding. Some people only pick up on the first couple of dots and draw the picture without the benefit of the remaining information.
The feedback loop is essentially - "show me your picture" Saving Changes...
As you have mentioned communication is a two-way street yet not everyone recognizes that. I think it comes with maturity.
If one were to look at it from a risk perspective it may be easier for the non-believers to understand the consequences of one-way communications or unclear/misunderstood communications.
Risk management as well as communication management are elements of project management. I suggest trying a brief (one or two hour) risk discussion specific to communications. The initial question to be asked: "What can happen with poor communications and how can we, as a team, mitigate?" Use specific example if you can. Hard to imagine someone disagreeing with the premise nor the need to mitigate.
Yes, a communication risk discussion sounds very interesting looking forward to sharing ideas.
Poor communication risk can never be overemphasized with its tremendous impact on to a project. For instance, It can present bad reputation and a failure project perspective to stakeholder for a project with a good schedule and budget performance because of POOR PROJECT SUCCESS COMMUNICATION by the project manager. Saving Changes...
