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The way we interpret a persons message when communicating is based on these three factors:
- 55% of facial expressions and body language
- 37% of tone of voice
- 8% of the words being said
In this, you will learn the types...
So we've looked at body language and all the things they could possibly mean, but I feel as though we should also touch on the verbal aspect of communication to understand and speak better to others!
Let's start:
- Our communication needs to change to suit the audience.
Social Awareness: the skills of empathy, attuning to a person, understanding another's thoughts, feelings and emotions and knowing how their social and cultural world works.
Social Facility: the ability to interact at the person's level using non-verbal communication such as body language, self-presentation, influence and concern.
Pitch: A conveyer of emotion, or when distinguishing a question from a statement (Canvas no date).
EXAMPLES:
'High declining pitch signals more excitement than does low declining pitch, as in "Good ↗morn↘ing" versus "Good morn↘ing" ' (Canvas direct quote).
'"Why ↘don't you move to California?" (a question) versus "Why don't you ↗move to California?" (a suggestion)' (Canvas direct quote).
The engage your responder, avoid monotonous speech and alter your pitch to emphasise important points and keep your listener interested (Canvas no date).
Pace: Speaking fast usually conveys excitement or agitation, or the person may just be a naturally fast speaker. Slowly, on the other hand, can indicate tiredness or boredom (Communication Skills Activities no date).
Be aware of your pace. If you want people to listen and understand you when you speak, keep a steady pace, slowing down or speeding up when appropriate to emphasise a point.
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Volume: Loud voices can be from anger, and someone is shouting or speaking aggressively, or even screaming. Presenters and public speakers usually speak loudly so everyone can hear them (Communication Skills Activities no date).
Quiet voices can come from a shy or depressed person, or when someone is being secretive and trying to whisper a lil secret and keep on the down-low (Communication Skills Activities no date).
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Interrupting: A bad habit of mine is to finish of peoples sentences for them, and I can't imagine how annoying that can get. No matter what the reason is, always let the person finish what they are saying. This will make them feel like they are being listened to and that you are interested, instead of cutting them off and rushing to finish their sentence.
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Active Listening: When someone is speaking, don't just hear the words. Listen to their story, understand what they are saying, repeat it back to them, clarify and ask questions. This way the responder will know they you are listening to them and are engaged and not disinterested. It's not a good feeling when you are telling a story and someone is looking down at their phone, 'mmhm'-ing every now and then staying quiet when your finished- like, do I even exist right now?
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Still alive.
Thanks for reading and I hope you learnt something new! (Feedback appreciated).
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Websites used:
Communication Skills Activities, no date, 'The Elements of Verbal Communication Skills', viewed 16th November 2018, <http://www.communicationskillsactivities.com/elements-of-verbal-communication-skills/>
Canvas, no date, 'Pitch', viewed 16th November 2018, <https://lumen.instructure.com/courses/218897/pages/linkedtext54274>
