What is Communication?

What does it mean to you?

The process of communication is what allows us

to interact with other people; without it, we would
be unable to share knowledge or experiences
with anything outside of ourselves. Common
forms of communication include speaking,
writing, gestures, touch and broadcasting.
Wikipedia definition
 The Communication Equation
What you hear
Tone of voice
Vocal clarity
Verbal expressiveness 40% of the message

What you see or feel

Facial expression
Dress and grooming
Posture
Eye contact
Touch
Gesture 50% of the message

WORDS … 10% of the message!

 Communication is a 2-way process
Communication skills involve: sender
Listening to others (Receiving) message
Asserting/ Expressing (Sending)
receiver
Barriers to communication can lead to misunderstanding and confusion

values and attitudes

“generation gap”
sender
language

Cultural differences

noise

hearing
receiver
 Effective Communication Skills

Eye contact & visible mouth

Some questions Body language

Encouragement Effective
Communication skills Silence
to continue

Smiling face

Summarising Checking
what has been said for understanding
 Barriers to Effective Communication

Language
Time Noise

Other people Distractions

Barriers to
effective
communication
Too many questions Put downs

Distance Lack of interest

Discomfort Disability

with
the topic
 The Art of Listening

“If we were supposed to talk more than

listen, we would have been given two
mouths and one ear.”
Mark Twain
 Email Etiquette

 Include a clear, direct subject line

"Meeting date changed," "Quick question about your presentation," or
"Suggestions for the proposal."

 Use a professional email address

If you work for a company, you should use your company email address.
You should always have an email address that conveys your name so that
the recipient knows exactly who is sending the email. Never use email
addresses
 Email Etiquette

 Include a signature block.

• Provide your reader with some information about you
"Generally, this would state your full name, title, the company name, and your
contact information, including a phone number. You also can add a little publicity for
yourself, but don’t go overboard with any sayings or artwork."
• Use the same font, type size, and color as the rest of the email, she says. 

 Think twice before hitting 'reply all.‘

No one wants to read emails from 20 people that have nothing to do with
them. Ignoring the emails can be difficult, with many people getting
notifications of new messages on their smartphones or distracting pop-up
messages on their computer screens. Refrain from hitting "reply all" unless
you really think everyone on the list needs to receive the email
 Email Etiquette

 Use professional salutations.

-Don't use laid-back, colloquial expressions like, "Hey you guys," "Yo," or
"Hi folks.
-"The relaxed nature of our writings should not affect the salutation in an
email," like - "Hey is a very informal salutation and generally it should not
be used in the workplace. And Yo is not okay either. Use Hi or Hello
instead.“
-You should avoid shortening anyone's name. Say "Hi Michael," unless
you're certain he prefers to be called "Mike.
 Email Etiquette

 Use exclamation points sparingly.

• If you choose to use an exclamation point, use only one to convey
excitement.
• "People sometimes get carried away and put a number of exclamation
points at the end of their sentences. The result can appear too
emotional or immature
 Email Etiquette

 Be cautious with humor.

• Humor can easily get lost in translation without the right tone or facial
expressions. In a professional exchange, it's better to leave humor out
of emails unless you know the recipient well. Also, something that you
think is funny might not be funny to someone else.
• "Something perceived as funny when spoken may come across very
differently when written. When in doubt, leave it out."
 Email Etiquette

 Know that people from different cultures speak and

write differently.
• Miscommunication can easily occur because of cultural differences,
especially in the writing form when we can't see one another's body
language. Tailor your message to the receiver's cultural background or
how well you know them.
• A good rule to keep in mind, is that high-context cultures (Japanese,
Arab, or Chinese) want to get to know you before doing business with
you. Therefore, it may be common for business associates from these
countries to be more personal in their writings. On the other hand,
people from low-context cultures (German, American, or Scandinavian)
prefer to get to the point very quickly.
 Email Etiquette

 Reply to your emails--even if the email wasn't

intended for you.
• It's difficult to reply to every email message ever sent to you, but you
should try to. This includes when the email was accidentally sent to
you, especially if the sender is expecting a reply. A reply isn't necessary
but serves as good email etiquette, especially if this person works in the
same company or industry as you.
• Here's an example reply: "I know you're very busy, but I don't think you
meant to send this email to me. And I wanted to let you know so you can
send it to the correct person."
 Email Etiquette

 Proofread every message.

• Your mistakes won't go unnoticed by the recipients of your email. "And,
depending upon the recipient, you may be judged for making them"
• Don't rely on spell-checkers. Read and re-read your email a few times,
preferably aloud, before sending it off. "One supervisor intended to write
'Sorry for the inconvenience“. "But he relied on his spell-check and
ended up writing 'Sorry for the incontinence." 

 Add the email address last.

"You don't want to send an email accidentally before you have finished
writing and proofing the message". "Even when you are replying to a
message, it's a good precaution to delete the recipient's address and insert
it only when you are sure the message is ready to be sent."
 Email Etiquette

 Double-check that you've selected the correct

recipient.
• Pay careful attention when typing a name from your address book on
the email's "To" line. "It's easy to select the wrong name, which can be
embarrassing to you and to the person who receives the email by
mistake."

 Keep your fonts classic.

• Purple Comic Sans has a time and a place (maybe?), but for business
correspondence, keep your fonts, colors, and sizes classic.
• The cardinal rule: Your emails should be easy for other people to read.
• "Generally, it is best to use 10- or 12- point type and an easy-to-read
font such as Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman". As for color, black is
the safest choice. 
 Email Etiquette

 Keep tabs on your tone.

• Accordingly, it's easy to come off as more abrupt that you might have
intended --you meant "straightforward," they read "angry and curt."
• To avoid misunderstandings, it is highly recommended that you read
your message out loud before hitting send. "If it sounds harsh to you, it
will sound harsh to the reader".
• For best results, avoid using unequivocally negative words ("failure,"
"wrong," or "neglected"), and always say "please" and "thank you."

 Nothing is confidential--so write accordingly

"A basic guideline is to assume that others will see what you write, so don't
write anything you wouldn't want everyone to see." A more liberal
interpretation: Don't write anything that would be ruinous to you or hurtful to
others. After all, email is dangerously easy to forward, and it's better to be
safe than sorry.
 Email Etiquette

 Review Your Message Before You Send

• Review the message. Is anything unclear? Are there any grammatical
errors or typos? Did you say everything you wanted to say?
• Check your sources. Would a link to an outside source clarify your
meaning? Would a link help your recipient find a website quickly?
• Look at the recipient names. Did you forget an important person who
needs to see the message? Did you add someone that shouldn't see the
message?
• Look at your address. If you have more than one, be sure to send the
message from the most appropriate one for the purpose of the
message.
• Determine the message priority. Does the message need to be
tagged as important?
• Add supporting documents. Did you forget the attachments?
 Email Etiquette

 Don't Always Reply All

• For example, Stacy emails you and another colleague, Steve, to come
up with ideas about how to celebrate your boss' 10-year anniversary
with the company. Your response is relevant for both Stacy and Steve,
so use Reply All to reply to both of them.
• On the other hand, Robin, who you haven't talked to for a while, sends a
party invitation through email to you and 20 other friends. Your response
to let her know you will attend the party, ask what you can bring, and
suggest a get-together to catch up isn't relevant to the other mail
recipients, so use Reply to send a response only to Robin.
 Email Etiquette

 Write Effective Subject Lines

The subject line of your email should briefly capture the essence of your
message. Here are a few examples:
• Sales Meeting Changed to 3:00
• Long Weekend Party Invitation
• Website Text Revisions
• This Week's Top 20 Video Picks
• Details of Your New Membership
• Confirming Your Appointment
• Request for Fundraising Event Volunteers
 Email Etiquette

 Explain Why You Forward

When you forward an email message from someone else, explain to the
new recipient why you're doing it and how you expect them to benefit from
it. For example, a client, Jay, sends you a question and you don't know the
answer. Forward the message to your colleague, Sara, with a note saying,
"Sara, Jay wants to know the process for logging in to our portal from his
mobile device. See below for details. Can you help?“

 Explain Why You CC

Similarly, if you cc (copy) anyone on a message, explain to the primary
recipient that you're doing so, and why. For example, Jenna wants to join
your book club, and you're sending her information about it, along with a list
of books the club has already read. You would cc the book club leader,
Ann, and write to Jenna, "I'm cc'ing our leader, Ann, so she can see what
I'm sending you and fill in anything I might have left out." When you use this
process, Ann also knows why she's receiving a copy of the message.
 Email Etiquette

 Let the Sender Know Their Message Has Been

Received
Email messages can get lost in the mail or in the spam filter. As a courtesy,
especially with important messages (such as those with attachments or
having to do with deadlines), write a short note to let the sender know their
message has been received. For example, if your boss sends you a new
project to work on, reply with, "Got it, I'll get started tomorrow.“

 Be Careful With Sarcasm and Humor

Because you don't get the context of facial expressions and tone of voice in
email, it's not a good medium for expressing sarcasm or humor, especially
with recipients you don't know well. Express your message simply and
straightforwardly, at least until you get to know a recipient.
 Email Etiquette
 Use Acronyms Sparingly
Not everybody knows every acronym, so use as few as possible, and only
when you're sure the recipient knows what they
• ASAP: As Soon as Possible
• BTW: By the Way
• EOD: End of Day
• EOM: End of Message (typically used in the subject line to indicate
there is no email body to follow)
• EOW: End of Week
• FYI: For Your Information
• IMO: In My Opinion
• OOO: Out of Office
• Y/N: Yes or No
 Email Etiquette

 Choose an Appropriate Ending

Sometimes it's hard to know how to end an email message. Here are a few
suggestions, based on the situation:
• Thanks or Many Thanks: If you're asking a favor.
• Cheers: If you want to wish the recipient good cheer.
• Love or Hugs: If you love the recipient.
• Best or Warmly: If you like the recipient.
• Sincerely: If your message is formal.
• Best Regards or Kind Regards: If you want to maintain a formal
business tone.