Effective Communication Practices
Verbal Communication Practices
Why Invest in Improving our Communication Skills?
Since communication is a natural and common occurrence one may think that there is little to no reason for improving the way we interact with others. however, investing the time and effort into improving our communication skills will make a marked difference in at least four areas;
- Reduce potential conflicts.
- Reduce misunderstandings.
- Improve engagement.
- Improve productivity.
Further, the Industry Training Authority as well as the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum has identified communication skills as an essential skill for not only apprentices looking to pass their endorsement exams, it is also an essential skill for life.
“Plumbers require good oral communication skills to interact with colleagues, apprentices, supervisors, suppliers, inspectors, clients, and other tradespersons when co-ordinating work, resolving problems and ensuring safety.” – Red Seal Essential Skills Outline, Plumber (2016).
Types of Verbal Communication
There are essentially two types of categories of verbal skills. Interpersonal and Leadership types. These two main categories can be divided into four sub-categories;
Intrapersonal – intrapersonal communication is a communicator’s internal use of language or thought. It can be useful to envision intrapersonal communication occurring in the mind of the individual in a model which contains a sender, receiver, and feedback loop.
Interpersonal – interpersonal communication is the process by which people exchange information, feelings, and meaning through verbal and non-verbal messages: it is face-to-face communication. It is here where we see the proper application of using questions to seek clarity as well as the acting of switching. Switching can be broken down into two components. The first is referred to as conversational switching, where a speaker’s attitude toward the topic is conveyed to the recipient. The second is referred to as situational switching where the speaker’s attitude towards the audience is communicated.
Public – public communication happens when individuals and groups engage in dialogue in the public sphere in order to deliver a message to a specific audience. Public speaking events, newspaper editorials, and billboard advertisements are a few forms of public communication.
Leadership – is defined as inspiring and encouraging an individual or a group by systematic and meaningful sharing of information. It is here where we find elements of persuasion and negotiation being used by the speaker. Another form can be described as group talk. Group talk sees the speaker exchanging words like ‘we’ or ‘us’ for the singular forms ‘I’, ‘you’. Employing this kind of communication is designed to make the group effective by being more inclusive and focused on the group’s actions rather than upon particular individuals.
These four categories constitute the building blocks of effective verbal communicati