Page 16 - PR Communication Age - JUNE 2016

ferent channels like telephones, teleconferences, video
conferences, etc.

Earlier, face-to-face meetings and speeches were the only
forms of communication. Understanding and incorporating
different workplace communication skills has become highly
important to succeed in today's professional life in the cur-
rent era. Effective listening in the workplace is as impor-
tant as conveying one's thoughts while speaking. So, we
need to find out what are the skills one needs to develop
for his/her communication to be effective.

General communication skills require to This is because it gives them an idea or indication of the
flurish in life: direction in which the communication process is heading.
The listener either gets positively or negatively influenced
The list of communication skills presented below should be by the body language of the speaker.
helpful in developing proper communication in business, for
presentations and also in general. Pronouncing the words Skills required for oral / verbal presen-
clearly is an important thing to be remembered. The need tation:
to repeat a particular word/sentence affects the flow of
presentation. For a good oral presentation, the quality of text and the
way it is presented are equally important. An organized
To emphasize the importance of a particular thought, words text presentation allows the orator to proceed smoothly
have to be pronounced by changing their tones. The from point-to-point. Presenting relevant information
speaker's avoiding fillers while speaking in any occasion, is through a presentation is an important point to be kept in
an absolute necessity. While in a face-to-face communica- mind.
tion process, interrupting the speaker is considered a sign
of poor communication. Elaborating on this very core of the presentation is accept-
able; however, you shouldn't wander away from the topic
Careful listening is as important as speaking clearly while in of importance. Your speech should be interactive in nature.
the process of oral communication. It helps to respond in a The audience shouldn't feel that the presentation being
proper manner. One should always make an eye contact made is just an activity of reading out a piece of dry, tex-
with the listeners; this way, the attention of listeners is not tual information. Understanding the nature of corporate
lost and their interest is kept intact. communication should help the working professionals in
communicating with their colleagues in a better manner.
Asking questions in order to obtain information is one of the
important aspects. One should keep the questions precise Different Settings for Oral Communication:
in order to get a clear answer. Answering the question with
correct details and also in quick time is of great importance. Interpersonal communication is one of the best ways to start
It is not advisable to carry on the communication process with the process of developing your communication skills.
without understanding a particular point. You can speak freely and without getting tensed when you
just have to speak to a single person at a time. Through
In a communication process, body language of a person is
considered as important as the spoken words. Body lan-
guage of the speaker has a great impact on the listener(s).

"If your stories are all about your products and services, that’s not storytelling. It’s a brochure. Give yourself
permission to make the story bigger."

16 PR COMMUNICATION AGE June 2016