MODULE 1:

BASIC COMMUNICATION PRINCIPLES

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 IMPORTANCE OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
Why is effective communication important in a
workplace?
1. To give accurate information
2. To get accurate information
3. To give a more effective service to clients
4. To negotiate deals
5. To solve problems logically
6. To prevent and handle conflict situations
7. To make sure of effective team work
8. To conduct successful meetings
9. To reduce complaints, queries and possible legal
actions
10. To promote a good public image
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HOMEWORK 1 4 Aug 2021

Activity 1.1 - P4 (textbook)

5 marks

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ADVANTAGES OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IN A
WORKPLACE
When there’s effective communication in a workplace:
1. Sound interpersonal relations with colleagues and
clients are established.
2. There will be positive attitudes towards work and the
workplace.
3. The staff feel motivated to do their best.
4. Productivity increases.
5. Clients are satisfied and return for more business.
6. The business achieves its financial and social goals.

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HOMEWORK 2 4 Aug 2021

Activity 1.2 - P4 (textbook)

5 marks

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 7 ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION
1. Sender
2. Receiver
3. Message
4. Feedback
5. Code
6. Channel
7. Barriers

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 ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION
• Sender is the person WHO wishes to communicate
a message.
• Receiver is the person to WHOM the message is
sent.
• Channel/Medium is HOW the message is sent.
• Message is WHAT the sender wishes to say or ask.
• Feedback is the response/answer to the message
of the receiver (WHAT the receiver says).
• Code is the language or symbols into which the
message is put or designed.
• Barriers are any factors that interfere with or block
the message.
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 COMMUNICATION
Definition:

NB: Use the elements of communication

Communication is a two-way process whereby

a sender sends a message which is in a
particular code through a particular channel to a
receiver who responds with a feedback.

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 DIAGRAM OF COMMUNICATION
PROCESS
NB: Use the elements of communication

noise

Sender Message Receiver

Feedback

noise

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HOMEWORK 3 5 Aug 2021

Activity 1.3 - pp6-7 (textbook)

NB: Draw a communication diagram in each case (1-5)

5 x 6 = 30 marks

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HOMEWORK 4 5 Aug 2021

Activity 1.4 - pp7-8 (textbook)

12 marks

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 4 CATEGORIES COMMUNICATION

1. Interpersonal communication
2. Intrapersonal communication
3. Extrapersonal communication
4. Mass communication

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1. Interpersonal communication
Is communication between two people, or between
one person and a small group, or between two
groups of individuals.
e.g. between two people:
A manager asks his personal assistant to bring
him a cup of tea.
e.g. between one person and a small group:
A supervisor responds to oral questions in a
meeting he hold with his team.
e.g. between two groups of individuals:
Management and union reps hold a meeting on
salary increase negotiations.

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HOMEWORK 5 6 Aug 2021

Activity 1.5 - P11 (textbook)

5 marks

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2. Intrapersonal communication
Is communication within yourself.
This is talking to yourself.
This happens when someone is:

• Meditating
• Daydreaming
• Reflecting on the past
• Making judgements.

Study examples: P8

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3. Extrapersonal communication
Is communication between a person and non-living
objects, plants and animals.
Study examples: P13

4. Mass communication
Is when a sender uses an appropriate medium or
channel to send a message to a large group of
receivers who receive the message individually and
whose feedback is usually indirect and delayed.
Study: P11

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 Difference between Interpersonal and Mass
communication

ELEMENTS INTERPERSONAL MASS

COMMUNICATION: COMMUNICATION:
sender and - know each other - don’t know each
receiver - individuals other
- large groups
message - direct - indirect
- personal - impersonal

feedback - immediate / - delayed / no

delayed feedback
channel - face-to-face talk - mass media used

Study: P11 17
 2 FACTORS THAT CAN INFLUENCE MASS
COMMUNICATION
1. Technological problems (barriers)
2. Relations between a sender and receivers
P12

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HOMEWORK 6 6 Aug 2021

Activity 1.7 - P13 (textbook)

10 marks

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 5 FACTORS THAT CAN INFLUENCE
COMMUNICATION

1. Personality
2. Frame of reference
3. Reasoning
4. Emotions
5. Meaning or Semantics
Pp14-15

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1. Personality
- Consider the personality of the person you will be
communicating with.
- Is the person, e.g. shy or self-confident, an extrovert or
introvert, calm or nervous, etc.
- Personality can make communication a success or a failure.
Study Definition and Example: P14
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Frame of reference
- It is a person’s background of experiences and values.
(Values are things you consider as important to you.
Valuables come from values).
- We have different experiences, circumstances and values.
- People who share same cultural background and
experiences tend to communicate easily and listen to each
other.
Study Example: P14
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3. Reasoning
- this means thinking, understanding and forming judgments
using logic.
- Everything you say or write must make sense. If you want
others to understand your viewpoint and persuade them,
you must structure your thoughts and words logically and
express them in such a way that they will understand them.
P14
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Emotions
- These are complex feelings, and they can cause barriers to
communication.
- If you are angry with someone you will not want to listen to
him or her(therefore communication fails).
- Other emotions are when you are upset, afraid, sad, too
excited, etc.
Study Example: P15
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5. Meaning or Semantics
- Is the meaning of words, phrases and texts in a language.
- You may use a word or phrase that the other person may not
know, or may mean a different thing to him/her. This causes
confusion and ineffective communication.
Study Example: P15

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HOMEWORK 7 … July 2021

Activity 1.8 - P16 (textbook)

5 marks

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 INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

Verbal Non-verbal
= use of words = use of anything except words to
to communicate communicate (use of senses)

Oral Written Visual semiology

= speak = write. = use of eyes

Direct Indirect Direct Indirect

= write to = write to
1 person many people Acoustic semiology
-face-to-face - telephone -SMS - Advert for = use of ears
talk - microphone -Whatsapp notice board
-Email - Sales letter
-Fax sent via post
-Personal letter box, email
-Business letter - Pamphlet Tacesics
-Memorandum - Newspaper = sense of touch
-Notice (memo - Brochures
form)
-Report (memo
form)

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 Non-verbal
Is the use of anything except words to communicate (use of senses)

1. Visual semiology
Communication that depends on the receiver’s sense of sight.
1. Kinesics
Is body movement resulting in body language.

- Facial expressions – meaning of e.g. nod, smile, frown, eye contact/ lack
of eye contact, etc. – pp19-20
- Gestures – meaning of e.g. shaking of fist at someone, drawing a finger
slowly across your throat, loosening a tie, finger tapping, etc. – P20
- Posture – the way we carry our bodies, e.g. meaning of slouching on a
chair, sitting and standing upright, walking tall, sitting and
folding arms, crossed legs, etc. – P21

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2. Proxemics
- Is the study of how space and distance between people influence
communication between them.
- Is the use of distance called zones.

- Intimate zone = 0 - ½ m (private space; for loved ones only;

touching, kissing take place).
- Personal zone = ½ - 1m (boardroom space; classroom desks;
factory workplace)
- Social zone = 1 - 2m (e.g. workers’ furniture in an office; desks’
space during an exam)
- Public zone = 3m upwards (e.g. lecturer vs students; speaker vs
public listeners) - pp21-22

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3. Colour coding
- Is the marking of things with different colours as a means of
communication.
- e.g. meaning of each traffic light colour; road marking colours; electric plug
colours; weather map temperatures, etc. - P26

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4. Signs and symbols
- A sign is a visual drawing that is used to communicate a specific information
or instruction. - pp27-28

Signs Symbols

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5. Graphic representations
- Is the visual display of data through graphs and charts. – pp22-26

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 Non-verbal
Is the use of anything except words to communicate (use of senses)

2. Acoustic semiology
Is the use of your sense of hearing to get a message from certain sounds or
signals.
1. Music
- Each music type communicates an event or the mood, e.g. party, church service,
funeral, love scene, etc.
- Soft music for calming effect; fast music for work pace at work; loud music for
attention and get people moving; music to keep you happy while you wait for help
on the telephone; etc. - P30
2. Filler sounds
- Are sounds such as “wow”, “uh-uh”, “um”, that indicate interest, uncertainty, shock,
sympathy, excitement, pain/agony, etc.
- Some use them e.g. on the telephone to show that they are listening. - P30

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3. Silence
- Silence can mean different things to different people and in different situations.
- It can be positive, negative or neutral.
- Silence can mean someone, e.g.
 Respects the speaker
 Feels very comfortable with the speaker
 Reflects (deeply thinks) on what the speaker has said before answering
 Agrees with what is being said
 Wants to avoid embarrassing the speaker
 Is unsure of how to respond
 Lacks understanding due to language barriers
 Is uncomfortable in the situation
 Deliberately punishes someone by refusing to talk - P30
4. Paralingustics
- This is a focus on how we speak or communicate.
o Tone – loud/soft volume; high/low pitch – mean something about the speaker.
o Tempo – fast/slow pace - tells something about the speaker.
o Rhythm – e.g. someone who learns a new language may sound funny
compared to that language’s natural speakers
o Accent – pronounciation of vowels and consonants in words. - P29

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 Non-verbal
Is the use of anything except words to communicate (use of senses)

3. Tacesics
- Is communication by means of touch.
- Also called haptics.
- e.g.
 A shoulder squeeze = sympathy
 Placing an arm on someone’s shoulder = comfort somebody / love affection
 A pat on the back = congratulations/ encouragement
 A punch, push or slap = aggression
 Touching/ tapping someone’s hand or arm = seeking attention
 Taking someone’s arm to guide them = kindness
 Squeezing or pinching = affection
 Shaking someone’s hand = ……………???
 Hugging someone = ……………???
 Rolling up the shirt sleeves = ………………??? P31
 More examples…???
NB: Don’t touch someone in a way that it can be understood as
sexual harassment. Avoid touching people without their
permission at work.
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 Culture and non-verbal communication
• There are different people from different cultures.
• They differ in many ways including how we relate to others.
• We must understand each person according to their cultural background
and upbringing.
• Don’t judge them negatively for doing things differently in their culture.
• Non-verbal communication is part of culture and differs from culture to
culture.
• Cultural differences can therefore affect our understanding of non-verbal
communication.
• Expect this even at a workplace. - pp31-32

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 PHATIC COMMUNICATION
• Is the use of words to show or convey feeling rather than meaning.
• e.g. Michael: “How are you?”
Jane: “Fine thanks, and you?”
Michael: “I am fine too.”
• It is a polite conversation about unimportant matters. Michael is not really
interested in how Jane is feeling. It is just a conversation we engage in
with people whether or not we know them.

Study examples: - pp34-35

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 LISTENING SKILLS
• Listening is an important part of communication.
• There will be no communication if both the sender and the receiver speak
at the same time.
• When the sender speaks the receiver must listen to the message carefully
so that he or she can understand it and be able to give a correct or
appropriate answer or feedback. - P35
3 TYPES OF LISTENING
 Attentive listening
 Critical listening
 Appreciative listening – P36

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 Attentive listening
- Also called discriminative/selective listening.
- We listen to identify, understand and remember the information.
- e.g. students attending a lesson
- e.g. listening to instructions.
 Critical listening
- Also called analytical listening.
- We analyse what is said to establish the aim of the speaker.
- We check whether that is a fact or opinion of the speaker.
- We check whether the speaker is objective or subjective.
 Appreciative listening
- Also called emphatic listening.
- We make sure that we understand before we react.
- We look for the ‘good’ in what we are told and appreciate it.
- We listen for feelings rather than information.
- We look for what is good in the speech. – pp36-37

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 THE IMPORTANCE OF LISTENING /
ADVANTAGES OF EFFECTIVE LISTENING

When we listen we:

1. Gain knowledge
2. Improve our interpersonal relations
3. Avoid mistakes and misunderstandings
4. Identify problems and grievances early and solve them
5. Create a working climate of openness and sensitivity
6. Improve efficiency
7. Improve public relations and client service
8. Save money, time and money
9. Improve our abilities to motivate and persuade others - P37

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END

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