Communication Skills
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Understanding Communication
• Communication is the ‘sharing’ of information
between two or more individuals or within the group
to reach a common understanding
• The word ‘communication’ comes from the Latin
word commūnicāre, meaning ‘to share’.

Importance of Communication
• Ability to communicate clearly and share thoughts,
feelings and ideas will help us in all our relations with
existing customers, prospective customers & other
people
• Communication skills are needed to
1. Inform – for example, communicating the time of a
meeting.
2. Influence – for example, negotiating with a
customer to avail an insurance product
3. Express feelings – for example, to say or show our
empathy for the needs and desires of customers

Elements of Communication
• Communication is a two-way process of sharing information
• i.e., giving and receiving information
• Speaking and writing to someone are examples of giving
information.
• Reading and listening to someone are examples of receiving
information

Perspectives in Communication
• Perspectives are ideas, views, or fixed ways of
thinking. These sometimes affect our
communication.
• When we communicate having perception about
anyone, communication cannot be effective as
prejudice minds is one of the barrier to
communication
• Using it to our advantage, if we could develop a
good perception of ourselves by building positive
Brand Image which would act as a catalyst for
communication.

Factors Affecting Perspectives
Language - In case of use of incorrect words,
unfamiliar language and lack of detail,
language can act as a barrier to communicate
what one wishes to convey. As a Banker,
1. We should be using words diligently.
2. Make ourselves familiar with the local
language, signs & gestures, phrases and
avoidable slangs.
Language will not be a big barrier if your act
and body language does the communication.
We can cite many examples of persons
performing extremely effectively and achieving
success for themselves and their organisation
serving outside their linguistic areas.

Factors Affecting Perspectives
Visual Perception – People judge us by our
visual perception. Hence we should dress
professionally to give perception of our
professionalism.
Feelings - Our feelings and emotions, such as
lack of interest or not trusting the other person
affect communication. Our Body language at
time of communication should not display any
negative emotions.

Effective Communication
• Effective communication can happen if we
follow the basic principles of professional
communication skills.
• These can be abbreviated as 7 Cs, i.e., clear,
concise, concrete, correct, coherent,
complete and courteous.

Verbal Communication
• Verbal communication is the sharing of information using words. It is the most
common method of communication.
• Verbal communication is important because if you do not use the right words,
you will cause confusion and you will not be able to communicate what you
want.
• It is easy and quick. You can say what you want and get a quick response. It is an
easier form of communication when you have to exchange ideas. You keep
changing your communication as per the other person’s reply.
• Examples of Verbal Communication are :-
1. Face to face communication – includes talking to our customers, appearing
for an interview , group discussion, meeting etc. It involves two way sharing
of information by speaking as well as listening.
2. Telephonic conversation – Similar to Face to face communication involving
only Auditory. Public Speaking – Giving a speech, video presentation etc. This
involves delivery of information.
3. Public Speaking – Giving a speech, video presentation etc. This involves
delivery of information.

Public Speaking
• Speaking in front of a large group makes most
people nervous. You can use the 3Ps (Prepare,
Practice, Perform) method to get over your
fears, and become a confident and effective
speaker.

Pronunciation Basics
• Pronunciation is the way you say a word or a language
is spoken. If we do not say (or pronounce) words
correctly, others cannot understand what we are
saying.
• To communicate well when you speak, you need to
know how to pronounce words correctly. Correct
pronunciation will help you express yourself in a clear
and confident manner. It will also help others to
understand your words easily.
• The best way to learn correct pronunciation of words
is to listen carefully. We use sounds to speak. Every
word is made up of one or more sounds. We put these
sounds together to pronounce words.

Non-verbal Communication
• Non-verbal
communication is the
message we send to
others without using
any words.
• We send signals and
messages to others
through expressions,
gestures and body
postures.

Importance of Non-verbal
Communication
• In our day-to-day
communication, it is
observed that most of
the communication is
done using body
movements (face or
arms movements,
etc.) and voice control
(voice, tone, pauses,
etc.) and less than
10% is done using
words.

Effectiveness of Non-verbal
communication

Types of Non-verbal Communication
• Facial Expression - Our expressions show our feelings:
Happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, fear, etc
• How to use effectively : -
 Smile when you meet someone
 Keep your face relaxed
 Match your expressions with what you are saying
• Posture - Postures are positions of the body. They show our
confidence and feelings
• How to use effectively : -
 Keep upper body relaxed and, shoulders straight
 Sit straight, rest hands and feet in relaxed position
 Keep hands by your sides while standing

Types of Non-verbal Communication
• Gestures - Gestures describe movements of parts of the body,
especially hands or head, to express an idea or meaning. This
includes waving, pointing and using our hands when speaking.
• How to use effectively : -
 Avoid pointing at people with your finger
 Bend your head a little while talking or listening to show that you
are paying attention
 Touch - We communicate a great deal through our touch, such as
shaking hands and patting on the back. For example, a firm
handshake shows confidence.
• How to use effectively : -
 Shake hands firmly
 Avoid other touch gestures during formal communication
 Maintain proper space depending on the relationship

Types of Non-verbal Communication
• Eye Contact - Eye contact is when two people are looking directly
into one another’s eyes. It shows that we are paying attention to
the person. Looking away can make the other person feel ignored.
• How to use effectively : -
 Look at the person who is speaking
 Keep a relaxed, pleasant look.
 Break the look every few second
 Paralanguage- Paralanguage means how we speak. The tone of
our voice, speed and volume can make a difference in the
meaning we want to show. Speaking too fast may show happiness,
excitement or nervousness. Speaking too slow may show
seriousness or sadness.
• How to use effectively : -
 Use a proper tone and volume while speaking
 Maintain a moderate rate(speed) of talking

Visual Communication
• Another important
method of
communication is visual
communication, which
involves sending and
understanding messages
only through images or
pictures.
• The main advantage of
this type of
communication is that
you do not need to know
any particular language
for understanding it.

Communication Styles

Assertive Communication
• Being assertive is a healthier communication
style. It involves
 expressing your views without disrespecting
others or yourself,
 respecting others,
 communicating your opinion and wishes
clearly,
 being open to other’s points of view, and
 finding a balance between your needs and
other’s needs

7 Actions for Assertive Communication
1. Be confident
• When someone walks into a room smartly and with confidence, he or she gets
the attention of others easily. Tips :-
 Show confidence in the way you sit, stand or walk
 Keep your shoulders straight and your chin up
 Practice maintaining eye contact
 Control signs of physical nervousness, such as biting nails
2. Speak slowly and clearly
• Talking too fast will not give people the time to listen and understand you. If
someone is accusing you wrongly or shouting and behaving aggressively, stay
calm and reply slowly and firmly. Tips :-
 Use a clear, calm voice
 Be loud enough to be heard but don’t shout
 If people aren’t noticing you, say ‘Excuse me’
 Don’t be apologetic when you haven’t done anything wrong
 Make short and correct speeches

7 Actions for Assertive Communication
3. Dress correctly
People make judgments based on how we look. Dress neatly, smartly and correctly according to
the place and occasion. Tips :-
 Looking confident and attractive can change others’ minds
 People may not listen to you seriously if you are not dressed properly
 People respect you when you are dressed properly
4. Be honest
Being honest builds trust and results in open communication. Tips :-
 Express your thoughts clearly and honestly
 Ask yourself what you actually want or what will work best for you before agreeing to
something that is not convenient
5. Speak up
Express your thoughts, ideas and opinions without worrying about other people’s reactions. Tips :-
 Don’t be silent if you have something to say
 Share your feelings
 Practice expressing your opinion

7 Actions for Assertive Communication
6. Don’t be aggressive
Getting angry, shouting, using bad language and pushing is not
assertive communication. Tips :-
 Don’t confuse assertiveness with aggression
 When faced with an unfair situation, stay calm and try to
understand the real problem
 Insist on your rights by using logic and politeness
7. Learn to say ‘NO’
If you do not feel right doing something, then do not do it. It is okay to
refuse. Tips :-
 Respect yourself
 Don’t let others take advantage of you
 Agreeing with things you know are not correct may harm everybody

How to Say ‘No’?
• The AEIOU Model :-
• A - Ask questions - Ask questions to find how
important a task is before saying no
• E- Engage by using polite statements - If you are
sure that you need to say ‘no’ to the request, you
must refuse politely
• I- Include a reason for saying no - Two points to
remember when you are refusing someone’s
request:
1. Give an explanation of your feelings
2. Give an explanation of your reasons

How to Say ‘No’?
• The AEIOU Model :-
• O- Offer other options . You may —
 Suggest a different time
 Suggest a different place
 Direct them to someone else who can help
immediately
• U- Thank the person - Thank the people
for understanding your situation

Greetings
• Greetings help us start a conversation nicely.
• The greetings change depending upon who we are talking to and even
according to the time of the day.
• Formal greetings are used if you do not know the person. It is used to greet a
senior, elderly people or people with whom we have formal relations like
customers.
• Informal greetings are used when you talk to friends, family or know the
person very well.

Introducing Yourself and Others
• When you are meeting someone for
the first time, or if others want to
know about you, you need to
‘introduce’ yourself.
• You can do this by telling your name
and some general information like
your designation, your job etc.
• When introducing yourself,
remember to look at the other
person and smile.
• We can introduce someone to others
by telling their name, what they do,
how we know them, or even by
describing something interesting
about them.

Asking Question
• A question is a sentence, phrase, or word that either asks for information or
is used to test someone’s knowledge.
• There are two basic types of questions: close-ended questions and open-
ended questions.
• Questions that can be answered with a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ are called close-ended
questions.
• Sometimes, when we ask a question, we expect an answer with more
details. Such questions are called open-ended questions .

How to Frame Questions?

Active Listening
• Listening is one of the most
important skills you can have.
How well you listen has a major
impact on your job
effectiveness, and on the
quality of your relationships
with others.
• By becoming a better listener,
you can improve your
productivity, as well as your
ability to influence, persuade
and negotiate, avoid conflict
and misunderstandings. All of
these are necessary for
workplace success.

Written Communication Skills
• Our job requires some degree of written
communication skills, whether it’s sending emails,
writing memos or providing briefs and reports.
• The ability to communicate clearly, concisely and
concretely in writing ensures that everyone you
work with understands what you’re telling them.
• Where verbal communication uses body language
and tone of voice to express meaning and tone,
written communication relies on grammar,
punctuation and word choice. Developing written
communication skills requires practice and fine
attention to detail.

Elements of Written Communication
• In professional settings, great written communication skills are
made up of five key elements.
1. Clarity - Clarity helps your reader understand what you are
saying or, at least, understand enough to know what questions
they need to ask for further clarification. Clarity comes from
writing in simple language and sticking to concrete, specific
information.
2. Conciseness – It is important to get to your point quickly and
efficiently. Include only the details that are necessary to
communicate your point.
3. Tone - Tone refers to the “voice” of your writing. In business
writing, your tone should be one of professionalism blended
with varying degrees of formality and friendliness. Even while
communicating negative news, such as pointing out mistakes,
avoid accusations or language that might make the reader feel
singled out.

Elements of Written Communication
4. Active voice - Active voice is typically more accessible
and easier to follow for readers than passive voice.
Active voice helps a sentence flow better and allows the
reader to move through your writing at a quicker pace.
Complex, passive voice slows the reader down in
professional communication.
5. Grammar and punctuation - Grammar and
punctuation are important for ensuring that your point
is getting across. Without correct use of commas,
articles, prepositions, verb tense and other basic
grammar, any sentence would be difficult to understand
or could be comprehended differently to what was the
expected objective.

Improving written communication skills
1. Know your goal before you begin writing
Having a clear goal in mind keeps your writing focused and clear.
Whatever your goal may be, you want to get to it as quickly as
possible at the beginning of the message. Lead with the key point
and follow up with the details needed to understand it. Organizing
your message in this way gets the point across in a way that even
readers who might skim through it will understand.
2. Include only need-to-know details
After you have written your first draft, read through it and ask the
following three questions of every single sentence:
1) Is the goal of the message clear and concrete?
2) Is this detail necessary for the reader to understand the goal of
the message?
3) Is this written as simply and directly as possible?

Improving written communication skills
3. Make use of outlines
For longer texts such as a report, take the time to write out an outline
to organize your thoughts and determine the best way to organize the
information. Outlines can be invaluable resources as you write
because they ensure that you make every necessary point in a logical
order.
4. Keep it professional
Even if you are just sending a quick email to one of your closest
coworkers, avoid jokes or private complaints. The safest approach is to
assume all written communications could be shared with the entire
office. Before you hit send, ask yourself, “Is this email something you
would be okay with everyone reading?”
5. Edit thoroughly
Read through everything two or three times. Besides proofreading for
basic grammar and spelling, pay attention to how it sounds. Ask basic
questions about the clarity and efficiency of what you’ve written.

Communicating over Telephone
• Much of our conversation are done over phone calls. Developing
Communication skill over phone is very much needed.
• Use a positive tone - Your smile can be heard by the person on the other end of
the phone call. Smiling can help you build positive and friendly communication
with your customers.
• Make sure your intonation is clear. Don’t talk too fast so your customers having
a hard time understanding you. Avoid raising your voice so the caller won’t think
that you are angry at him/her. But also don’t lower your voice so it is hard to
hear.
• Maintain your pace at 130 to 150 words per minute. Try to talk naturally but still
enthusiastic enough to whatever your customers had to say.
• Make it crystal clear - When talking with customers on the phone, make sure
you express your intention clearly. Use words and phrases that easy to
understand by anyone. Avoid jargon or words that hard to understand.
• As a customer service, the last thing you want is a confused customer or make
them feel inferior.
• .Avoid slangs such as “dude”, or “yeah”. If you are still using filler words such as
“um” or “like”, start practicing pause instead while thinking about your answer.

Communicating over Telephone
• Be sincere in customer service - Start from picking up the phone
and saying “hello”, you have to do it sincerely. Avoid scripted
greetings. Your customer contacts you via phone calls means that
they want to speak with a person, not a robot.
• Get used to saying your company name, yours, and offering helps
after you pick up the phone. If you receive a transferred call from
another department, make sure you mention your department
name to make the customer feels connected to the right people.
• Don’t say such things as “I don’t know”, “I can’t help you with
that”, or “wait a second”. After hearing what the customers had to
say, provide them time estimation on how long you can solve
their problem.
• Say the customer name - After acknowledging their name, use it
to address them. Don’t address them with “you”, call them by
their name. Personalization is the best way to build a healthy
relationship with the customer.
• Don’t hesitate to ask them to pronounce their names. A personal
touch like this is valuable to your customers and will make them
feel honored.

Communicating over Telephone
• Let the channel be open – Never use offensive tone even
with defaulters. According to the Banking Codes and
Standards Board of India (BCSBI), “the collection policy is
built on courtesy, fair treatment and persuasion." By
adopting disruptive tone we will only face disruption by
the person not receiving our calls.
• Improve your customer service by leaving them satisfied
- Before ending the telephone call, make sure the
customer fully understand the solution you provide. Don’t
forget to ask “is there anything else that I can help you
with?” until the customer had nothing more to ask or say.
• Give them information that you think they will need. If
you think they need a follow-up, inform them when is the
best time to contact you.
• Finish the call in a friendly manner such as “thank you for
calling us” or a simple good morning/afternoon/evening.
This kind of gesture will make your customers know that
you are more than happy to help them and willing to do it
again in the future.

Effectively Getting Your Message Across
On WhatsApp
1. Always use Complete sentences
2. Set positive Tone in your text
3. Be Grammatically correct and don’t
use new age WhatsApp jargon
4. Call, with permission if unsure of
the text received
5. Use emojis for explaining emotions
6. Get to the point by following KISS
(Keep it short & simple) rule and
don’t send long messages
7. Be absolutely professional and
avoid any sort of pleasantries that
might come across as informal.