Effective Communication Skills And Finding Key Communication Issues

Individual Diagnostics and Appendices

Communication mainly refers to the process in which the information is conveyed from one entity or group to some other group or entity. In communication there are several barriers and this includes the “lack of attention”, “cultural differences” and many more. Thus it can be stated that effective communication is something that can be stated that effective communication is something that can be used for the purpose of removing the barriers in communication so as to make sure that the entire data is conveyed to the listener and also makes sure that there is no type of misconception (Shockley-Zalabak, 2014). The communication mainly includes verbal as well as non-verbal type of communication. Nonverbal communication mainly includes the expression of emotional as well as mental stress of the listener as well as the speaker my making use of facial or body language (Bovée, Thill, & Raina, 2016). The main constituents of this report are the diagnosis along with the reflection of the different communication styles which mainly includes the verbal, non-verbal, active listening and assertiveness. For the purpose of improvement of the communication a literature survey has been done along with a suggestion regarding the action plan has also been done in this report. The main purpose of this report includes the analysis of the effective communication skills along with the identification of areas in the communication that would initially be requiring the improvement through the effective use of recommended action plan.

Five diagnostic tools are used for the purpose of measuring the effective communication. The diagnostic tools mainly include the following:

• Non-Verbal Immediacy Scale-Self Report: This particular tool can be used for analysing the level of competence of communication when I am having conversation with friends, stranger and acquaintance’s (Ambresin et al., 2013). Very often I make use of hands and gesture while having conversation with friends or acquaintances. In some cases, I touch the shoulder or arm of other person while having a conversation with them. I never make use of dull or monotonous voice while having conversation with people. In some rare cases I look over or away from other while having conversation with them. Judging the nature of person, I move away from others when they touch me while they are having conversation (Blicblau & Dini,2012). In some of the often cases I have a relaxed body position during various kinds of conversation. I always have an eye contact while having conversation with people. Very often I sit close or stand close to some number of people while having conversation with them.  In some of the rare cases it is seen that my voice is monotonous or dull when I make conversation with large number of people. Occasionally, I look directly at the people while having conversation with them. In some of the cases I have a bland facial expression while having conversation with large number of people. Many times it is seen that I have a vocal variety while having conversation with large number of people. I always tried hard to have an eye contact with the person I am talking (Csikosova, Senova & Culkova, 2012). Occasionally I do not try to sit or stand closely to a people while having conversation with them. In some rare situation it is seen that I lean away from people while having conversation while them. In some of the often cases it is seen that I smile while having conversation with large number of people. Occasionally, I avoid touching people while having conversation with them.   
• Peoples skill:Sometimes I make sure of the fact that I have displayed the same kind of behaviour which I expect from other people (De Grez, Valcke & Roozen, 2012). I wait often for a long period of time for analysing the incident before making or passing out feedback in form of general statement. Many times I go along with decision of others rather than putting my idea or logic in it. Many times I thank people for providing a platform for working with them. In many cases I think of ways by which I can easily preserve by relationship at time of conflicts (Keogh, 2015). I always thinks of new ways or methods by which I can easily look for myself and performing all the necessary things which can be used for keeping myself ahead. I make use of various problems solving tools and techniques to overcome various kinds of problems. In some of the rare cases it is seen that I cause more problem or harm than good while deciding ways which can be used for overcoming issues. In almost every cases it is seen that I provide a great amount of attention to body language of large number of people. I analyse the needs of the audience and decide certain ways which can be used for figuring out the best ways for it (Waznis, 2015). It merely focusses on the fact that everyone has an idea or logic can be easily used for bringing out positive outcomes for an organization.
• Presentation skills:Sometimes it is seen that the visual provided in the presentation matches much with the information which is being provided by it. I always look carefully for certain number of message which I want to send before the preparation of presentation (LeFebvre & Allen, 2014). Before the delivery of presentation, I never become familiar with the room and space in which we are having conversation. In some rare case I make proper planning and practice of presentation which I am going to deliver. In some cases, I encourage my audience to have some question at the ending of presentation. Sometimes I make use of examples for properly supporting my points. Sometimes I focus on the main part of the presentation rather than beginning or end because that is place where the major amount of information is given out or provided (Smith, 2013). In some of the rare cases it is seen that I think like audience for perusing them if they continue to work without making any kind of changes.
• Self-Perceived Communication Competence Scale: This tool can easily be used for identification of level of communication. In some kind of rare case I present a talk to the group of strangers (Rasekh, Zabihi, & Rezazadeh, 2012). I rarely have a conversation with the acquaintance. In some kind of rarer condition, I have a conversation with large number of friends and small group of strangers. I often have a conservation with a friend. I do not have large meetings with acquaintance. I do not like have conversation with a stranger. I do not like to spend my time having conversation with talk over a group of friends. I do not like to have a conversation with small group of acquaintance (Schlegel et al., 2012). I do not have a meeting for a large duration with strangers. I often have a conversation with small group of old friends. In some kind of rare cases I present a talk to a group of acquaintances. I generally prefer individual or small groups to have a conservation at workplace so that the conversation often times leads to providing of rich quality of information which is being shared.
• Verbal communication: Verbal communication generally refers to the sharing of things by making use of the words. The things that are being shared might vary accordingly and this generally involves the sharing of information, feeling, thoughts and many more. There are various importance of verbal communication and this helps in keeping each other informed along with asking for help and support, making new friends, expressing myself in a creative way. It also helps in sharing my emotions as well. I can conduct verbal communication in various ways like talking face to face, by speaking on phone or making use of video-chat services, writing a letter, by giving lectures or making announcements or by leaving a voice mail (Keyton et al., 2013). According to the analysis I noticed that I pay a lot of attention to the non-verbal cues of the others. I also have a high capability of paraphrasing the words spoken by other people. By answering several questions, I have understood that I am perfectly ease in creating an interpersonal relationship. So there is only a requirement of refining my skills that I already have now and improve the ways in which I respond to others. By means of verbal communication I will be able to disseminate the useful as well as important information. When I would be communicating verbally I would be able to communicate my problems with other individuals along with identifying the problems of the others and make the other individual aware of their mistakes. As I am well aware of my behaviour while speaking to others along with the capability of adopting myself with the individual with whom I am speaking can greatly help me in making new friends as well. Along with this I also encourage the other individuals in clarifying their thoughts. I also openly acknowledge my errors, along with making attempts to understand the various ideas which are different from mine helps in expressing my views in a creative way. The only thing in which I am lagging behind is during an apology at an appropriate time with little amount of justification (Conrad & Newberry, 2012). After gaining the result from the analysis tool I am able to find out the various aspects of communication in which I am lagging behind and I require a huge amount of effort for the purpose of developing my skills.

The issues which I have identified or analysed by making use of diagnostic tool are as follows:

• I avoid having communication as much as possible as it creates anxiety while having conversation with large group of people and speaking in public places.
• I do not make any kind of preparation for my presentation which is considered to be negative thing on my part and improvisation must be done on it.
• Before delivering out of presentation I do not get familiar with room and space in which I will be delivering out presentation.
• I generally work more on beginning and ending of a presentation because it can be easily used for delivering out presentation more easily and drawing the attention of audience.

In last twelve months, I have gained experience on some kind of professional interaction. Apart from these I have analysed two type of interaction:

• I had prepared a presentation for a seminar in front of thousands of people. In this case I have encountered some kind of issue based on anxiety during preparation of speech. I should prepare a speech and should make a practice of it before delivering it to large number of people (audience).
• I should try to have more number of conversation at public space as it will help me improvising the way in which I interact with people.
• Before delivering out of presentation I should get familiarize with room and space as it will enhance the quality of presentation which will be delivered.

Thomson et al. (2015) stated that there is a requirement of applying a proper technique in effective communication so as to suit the best need of the communicator as well as the reader. There are certain attributes in the process of communication that needs to be fulfilled so as to make sure that the ideas which are being exchanged between participants is successful. The main things that are included in the attributes are “language”, “assertion”, “nature of the idea for communication” and many more. So according to the authors unless and until all the attributes are clear there is no possibility of any type of effective communication. According to Sonntag et al. (2016), the most effective attribute for communication is the “Language”. There is a need of continuing the communication process in such a way that it is understandable to both the communicators who are involved in the process of communication. This can be also done by making use of an intermediate medium that is used for the purpose of translating the communication idea in a language that is understandable to the recipients.

Presenting Findings of Diagnostic Tools

The work done by Delerue and Sicotte (2017) states that a larger number of benefit is produced along with the exchanging of ideas can be produced by the effective communication. The general requirement for the communication is the sending of the idea from one person to another. But there are lots of benefit associated with the mode of communication as well as with the word that has been chosen for the purpose of communication. So it can be stated that by having a proper communication process will be acting as a therapy for those subjects which generally requires a special attention as well as care. In the learning process of the children’s the communication process acts as an effective aid which initially helps the children’s in understanding the various ideas along with helping them in grow in a natural way. Drake and Ring (2016) stated that in today’s world the process of communication is being widely used as a diagnosis tool in different types of counselling process which involves the participation of subjects so as to gain an advice regarding the solutions of their mental problems.

McCabe and Timmins in the year of 2013 stated that there is a possibility of contradiction in the techniques of communication at certain conditions like the time of listening to others. This might happen because of the reason that similar situations might be faced by an individual during listening to someone else who is having conversation on the same topic. There are also other possibilities like the listening of an individual so as to keep the information to himself and this happens regardless of the expression of the personal views resulting from various experiences. This might happen due to the fact that the individual might not fell proper or may be that individual does not want to hurt the felling of the individual facing him by means of crossing their talk. This might also happen because the individual does not want any types of conflict and for that reason the individual might the felling or because of the fact that they might feel upset at the same point of time. Due to this reasons the situation can be categorised as communication error making the individual feel guilty because of making such type of mistakes. Along with this the individual might also feel guilty without even noticing if they are guilty or not. As per Price et al. (2015) the effects of this kind of communication can rise to a toll which involves the miscommunication at such a level that it can lead to pain, frustration and resentment. There is a possibility of improving each and every facet of life in an effective as well as easy manner in cases if the individuals involved are not having any kind of relational issues. Relationships, landing of better jobs, along with understanding can be improved as well as this are some of the better and beneficial aspects for the individuals who are having a proper communication. This can be done by the process of proper learning.

Identifying Two Key Communication Issues

According to Tran (2016) compromise can be defined as the situation when an individual listen to someone else and acknowledges their statement along with respecting the felling of that individual without any expression of felling of the listener. There is an essential need of maintaining a healthy balance between the aggressive communication as well as passive communication. This can be termed as assertiveness due the fact that there is a need of understanding the need of the individual along with advocating the individuals for meeting the needs. There is a possibility of expressing a single statement or sentence in three forms and this generally includes the aggressive, passive and assertive which can be done by use of different tones. Some of the situation which needs the expression of life span of an individual are “Body thoughts”, “body language”, “language style” along with the consequences. So it can be stated that all this thoughts and statements can be expressed in all the mentioned styles in cases of expressing the situations in different styles. When there is a presence of better learning process along with learning about such types of techniques and objectives then it could act as an effective measure for the individuals so as to communicate as well as express the felling of the individuals in the real world.

Effective techniques for the communication was provided by Saxena in the year of 2015 which is very much helpful for the individuals to communicate as well as for the purpose of expressing the feelings in a real world. This is because of the fact that this type of problem will lead to many type of stress associated with other types of problems. According to Taylor and Hamdy (2013) there are various problems which are raised due the errors in communication that generally occurs between the family members. These problems might get magnified and can lead to various type of problems. Some of the examples associated with this are interaction, related to addiction and use of substances, this could easily affect the communication. Some of the things that are included in a proper and better communication are “talking to the point”, “expression of the feelings with proper statement and “I” designated in such a manner so as to make sure that the sentence is understandable to those who are listening to the topic”. By the process of speaking for the individual himself rather than talking for others can act as a better measure for communication along with leading a better life. It was explained by Tong (2014) that focusing on the behaviour rather than on the traits can act as an important factor in enhancing the skills of communication so as to eliminate the conflicts as well as making the individual face the situation and understand all the facts about the individual is trying to explain to the others. These are some of the facts that can help in expression of the feelings of an individual along with understanding all the facts that the other individuals are trying to convince.

Reflecting on Recent Professional Interactions

According to Dolan (2014) through their work they stated that the application of communication therapy is much more easy when there is a cooperation of the subject with the therapist. Due to this reason there is presence of various communication techniques and this mainly includes the Johari window, assertive interviews, and many more which are generally aimed at heling the subjects in re discovering their own characters along with the gaining of confidence so as to overcome the various mental problems. There has been an application of some diagnostic tools in an effective way on the subjects on those who are affected by the drug abuse or emotional problem. On the other hand, some diagnostic tools like the strength card have been effectively used by various kindergarten and lower schools for the purpose of personal development of the children’s.

Bramhall (2014) stated that there are certain subjects which are not willing to respond to the process of therapy making the application of the diagnostic tool much more difficult. Months of conviction and assertion is required for the purpose of finally opening up the subject which will initially be leading to the sharing of the problems along with the challenges that are faced mentally as well as emotionally. For this problem the use of assertive type interview was suggested by Heinrich et al. in the year of 2016. This interviews makes use of the application of certain amount of pressure by making use of a choice of questions. This application of assertion will make the subject vulnerable and will initially lead to the cooperation of the subject with the therapist. For the purpose of convincing the subjects in opening up to the therapist Bahadori, Shiri and Mahdizde (2015) suggested the application of the interactive software. This process involves no verbal communication between the therapist and the subject. But in the year of 2017 Berland and Berland argued to this process and said that this process will be much easier as most of the people are vulnerable to the interaction in the virtual machine rather than the face to face communication.

Fig 1: Grant Chart

Fig 2: Work Breakdown Structure

Based upon the six-month learning period an action plan has been prepared which mainly consists of an extensive research based upon the topic of research. This phase also consists of a large scale literature review which would be helping a lot in providing a significant amount of information that is mainly regarding the topics that has been chosen, associated with this is the collection of the secondary data which will be helping in the process of gathering some statistical data regarding the topic chosen for the research.

Barriers in Communication

This action plan mainly puts an emphasis on the non-verbal mode of communication along with which it also presents the attributes that contains less mark which has been received during the tutorial period. The main target of this action plan includes the improvement of the non-verbal communication along with the presentation of skills so as to achieve a higher rate of communication during the phase of evaluation. So for the purpose of development of the non-verbal skills there is a requirement of improving the writing skills in order to convey the message to the receipt in an easy manner without any issues. And for the purpose of improving the presentation skills there is a need of sufficient practice of the presentation. This practice is needed to be done in front of mock audience so as to develop the skills.

Conclusion:

The report helps in concluding to the fact it is very much important to improve the various communication skills in an individual’s personal as well as professional life. The diagnostic tools used in this report for the purpose of analysing my communication has greatly helped me in identifying my level of communication in different ways.  The later portion of the report includes an action plan that will be helping me in developing my personal skills. The report also discusses about how I have understood the results of the diagnosis. This is followed by analysis of the two communication issues that I have identified and which also requires a development. The report also presents two recent professional interactions that I have undergone in the last twelve months.

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