Effective communication: principles, rules, skills, techniques. Conditions for effective communication

A modern person strives to be successful everywhere - both at work and in his personal life. Career, family, friends - all these are components of life, and effective communication allows you to improve all areas and come to maximum agreement. Everyone should strive to improve their social skills. Even if difficulties arise initially, over time this knowledge will bring well-deserved results - reliable interpersonal connections.

Definition of communication

Different ways of transmitting information from one person to another are called communication. It includes all the variety of channels for transmitting and decoding signals and can be:

verbal;
non-verbal;
written;
pictographic;
spatial-symbolic, etc.

Communication is considered effective when the sender of information communicates on the same wavelength as the recipient. However, even communication in a single sign system does not guarantee that the message will be correctly deciphered.

Effective communication minimizes the loss of meaning of the message. To successfully promote a business, to maintain friendships, and for a vibrant personal life, it will be useful for any person to improve their communication skills.

Examples

Effective communication in conflict. Returning from the army to his parents' house, the son spent the day surrounded by relatives, after which in the evening he got ready to visit close friends. Looking around at the mirror, he heard his father’s demanding voice: “You must be home at 10 pm.” Without stopping what he was doing, the son calmly said: “Forget it, dad. This is already in the past." Conciseness, confidence and calmness in this case were the best way out of a brewing conflict situation, since these are the qualities that are inherent in a mature, independent man.
Effective communication with children. A very indicative scene from the movie “Gentlemen of Fortune”, when the teacher addresses children who do not want to have breakfast: “Children, breakfast is canceled for today, because we are flying on a rocket to Mars, so take the space spoons in your hands and have a good meal, because We’ll only be back on Earth around lunchtime.”

Adjusting to the children's wishes and subsequent rejection of persuasion, which children are prejudiced against, allowed them to switch their attention and look at the situation from a different perspective.

Basics of Effective Communication

Communication as a banal exchange of information is already present in the simplest animals. Man, in the process of evolution, has brought communication to perfection. Spoken and signed speech developed and gradually expanded to written, symbolic and figurative. However, this process has made understanding more difficult, and effective communication is becoming a separate object of study.

The communication process includes five elements:

A communicator is someone who conveys information.
Contents of the message.
The method of transmitting information (how it is carried out).
The audience, or recipient, is who the message is intended for.
The final stage of communication, which allows us to understand whether effective communication has taken place. It is only possible if the previous four are sufficiently satisfactory.

Principles of Effective Communication

Without positive communication, it is impossible to achieve mutual understanding on any issue. In order to make sure that other people correctly perceive outgoing information, it is necessary to comply with a number of requirements.

First of all, you need to pay attention to the principles of effective communication:

Communication should be two-way. When all participants are interested in the positive outcome of the conversation, and it is equal for them, the desired effect occurs.
The recipient must make every effort to correctly perceive the message.
The message must be clear, structured and concise.
The recipient must trust the speaker, respect his opinion and not question his competence.
Effective communication is always emotional, to the extent that is acceptable in a given situation.
Patience and forbearance towards other people's shortcomings. Accepting people as they are, without trying to adjust or fix anything.

Below we will discuss the main conditions for effective communication.

Factors

What are the factors that contribute to effective communication? the successful outcome of communication :

A favorable environment in which the conversation takes place . For example, if a situation that implies intimacy, confidentiality of communication, makes it possible for those communicating not to be heard by others, this will contribute to a confidential conversation.
Compatible psychological characteristics of the participants in the conversation .
This includes the gender, age, character and temperament of the participants. As a rule, communication is more successful among people of close age; also, certain types of people by character and temperament interact better with each other.
Same social status. Interaction will be more successful with people belonging to the same social class.
A trusting atmosphere in the team, its cohesion. For example, with established benevolent norms of behavior in a team, professional interaction will be an order of magnitude more effective than in a team in which everyone is accustomed to protecting only their own interests.
Common goals and motives among interacting people. If the situation involves achieving a common goal, as a rule, mutual understanding is established between partners much faster, leading to successful communication.

What are the factors that reduce the effectiveness of communication? These factors significantly reduce the positive outcome of communication :

The situation is inappropriate to the topic being discussed. For example, when trying to discuss a confidential conversation in a public place, the recipient, the person to whom the message is addressed, will avoid the discussion.
Different social status. Communication barriers often arise between people belonging to different social classes.
It is determined by internal prerequisites about one’s belonging to another class, a feeling of one’s superiority or, conversely, inferiority.
Disunity in the team. The effectiveness of business communication will significantly decrease if, according to established norms in a team, everyone must protect their own interests, even with the awareness that this will negatively affect the solution of professional problems.
Various goals. With the initial desire to achieve different goals, especially if it is impossible to achieve a compromise that satisfies all parties, the effectiveness of communication decreases.

How to achieve a positive effect from communication?

For communication to be considered effective, certain conditions must be met:

Speech must correspond to the original purpose of the conversation and be adequate. Don't talk too much or bring up issues that have nothing to do with the topic being discussed. This improves effective communication skills.
The words used must be logical and lexically accurate; this is very important to achieve the goal of communication. Achieved through constant self-education, reading various literature and careful attention to the native language.
The narrative itself should be logical and competent. A clear structure of presentation creates favorable conditions for listeners and increases the chances of a positive outcome.

What rules of communication do you try to use in your life?

Psychologists recommend the following set of communication rules for every day:

Show genuine interest in other people.
Smile.
Remember that for a person, the sound of his name is the sweetest and most important sound of human speech.
Be a good listener. Encourage others to tell you about themselves.
Talk about what interests your interlocutor.
Make people feel important to you and do it sincerely. This rule is the most important!

What rules of communication between people do you know, and which do you try to use in your life?
Please share in the comments. Yabrova Ksenia May 16, 2021

Effective Communication Techniques

Any person lives in society and is dependent on it. Even the most desperate homebodies, perhaps not directly, but enter into interpersonal relationships. Effective communication will be useful both for work and for everyday social connections. Communication techniques and skills can be developed and improved - this will make anyone's life much easier.

Do you want to receive positivity in the process of communication? It will be useful for you to learn some techniques for increasing the effectiveness of communication:

Learn to listen carefully to what they say. You should not just look at the interlocutor during a conversation, but also bend slightly, nod your head, and ask appropriate leading questions. This technique will allow you to understand the interlocutor’s point of view as accurately as possible.
Be clear, concise and to the point. The more clearly a thought is formulated, the more likely it is that it will be understood and perceived correctly.
Include in your arsenal not only verbal, but also non-verbal communication. Take the same position as the interlocutor, try to use only open gestures, and do not touch your face during the conversation.
Watch for the emotional coloring of speech. It should be moderate, but so much so that the interlocutor understands your interest in the issue.
Master the techniques of oratory. The ability to master your voice allows you to accelerate the development of effective communication. Clear articulation, correct timbre and adjusted volume will make any message positive.
Master technical means of communication. Any adult must be able to use the telephone, fax, Skype, and email. Written communication skills should be developed regularly.

These are just basic techniques designed to facilitate and improve interpersonal communication.

Stay balanced in a stressful situation

Use stalling tactics to take an extra minute to think.
Before answering, repeat or ask for clarification of the statement that causes you misunderstanding. Pause to collect your thoughts. Remaining silent is not a bad thing; pausing faster than rushing to respond can force you to pull yourself together. Make one judgment and give an example or provide information that supports your statement. If your response is too long or you ramble on about everything at once, you risk losing the listener's interest. Focus on one statement with an example, look at the listener's reaction and evaluate whether there is something else worth talking about further.

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Speak clearly and clearly. In many cases, how you speak can be just as important as what you say. Speak clearly, maintain the same timbre of voice, and make eye contact. Let your body language communicate relaxation and openness.

At the end of your statement, make a short summary and stop. Briefly state the main point of your speech and stop talking, even if there is silence in the room. Don't keep talking to fill the silence.

When a discussion gets heated in the middle of a conversation, you need to do something quickly and immediately to reduce the emotional intensity. Once you learn how to quickly reduce tension in the moment, even if you can handle any strong emotions you experience, control your feelings and behave rationally. If you know how to keep your mind balanced and engaged, even when something upsetting is happening, you can stay emotionally alert and alert.

Rules for Effective Communication

Any interpersonal communication must comply with certain standards. Their violation leads to a lack of understanding between interlocutors, conflicts and even a breakdown in relationships.

Rules for effective communication:

Speak the other person's language. This rule should be understood as the need to take into account the level of education, social status, age and other parameters. To be heard and understood, you need to formulate your thoughts based on the characteristics of the audience.
Prepare to communicate. If the conversation is not spontaneous, you should find out in advance who you are going to meet with and for what reason. Take visual materials and technical aids. Develop a conversation plan.
Learn active listening techniques to help put your interlocutor at ease and better understand their point of view.
Speak clearly, moderately loudly and confidently, do not draw out your words, but do not repeat them either.
When writing a letter, stick to the chosen style.
Before calling by phone or Skype, make a plan for the conversation and the issues that need to be discussed in advance.

A culture of speech

Speech culture has a significant impact If a person has a sufficient vocabulary, it will be easier for him to express his thoughts to his interlocutor.

However, speech is not only a way of expressing thoughts, but also a means of understanding the world. An educated person will better understand his interlocutor, which will make communication more successful.

Cultural speech that meets the requirements of etiquette also helps to establish friendly contact with others; addresses consistent with the rules of etiquette facilitate further deepening of contact with the interlocutor.

Ways to communicate effectively

To achieve mutual understanding in the communication process, it is necessary to create conditions and take into account possible methods of effective communication. There are six of them in total:

Strive to express your thoughts as convincingly as possible. Always keep it brief and to the point, avoid unnecessary verbiage, omissions and possible double interpretations.
Use terminology and professionalism only when they are appropriate.
Even in everyday communication, jargon and slang expressions should be avoided, especially when it comes to intergenerational communication.
Avoid excessive emotional stress, both positive and negative.
Try to address yourself personally, by name, scientific or military rank, or by uniting a group of interlocutors with a generally meaningful word.
Always follow the rules of politeness and etiquette.

10.Responsibility.

This is the ability to communicate with other people with full responsibility for what is happening. The main postulate here is: we perceive people’s attitude towards us - positive or negative - but we ourselves are the directors of our lives and self-esteem. It is not those around her who shape her.

This quality is usually developed in situations where you are mercilessly criticized by people who are significant to you. And then you have a choice - believe them and crush yourself, or develop the position of a sensible observer - I see, I hear, I react calmly and take into account the wishes. But this is not the main thing in my self-esteem, but only the opinion of this particular person at a given moment in time.

One’s own self-esteem should be formed on the basis of an analysis of internal impulses and states. And the fruits of our activities. If our thoughts and feelings are pure before God and people, then the opinions of others should not bother us.

So, in this article we talked about the basic principles of effective communication.

Nonverbal cues to improve communication

The interlocutors perceive each other not only by ear. Verbal impact can be increased or decreased by a variety of nonverbal cues. Our body sends them out in large quantities, and other people read and interpret them on a subconscious level.

To improve your communication skills, it will be useful to master positive nonverbal reinforcement techniques:

Always be clean and tidy: even if your clothing does not exactly match the dress code, the overall impression of the conversation will be positive.
Try to control your facial expressions and emotions. Facial expression should be neutral-positive and react with changes depending on the flow of the conversation.
Avoid touching your face during a communicative act - this is subconsciously perceived as an attempt to cover your mouth, and accordingly, your statement is false.
Learn to “mirror” the body position of your interlocutor. It is important to do this delicately, without excessive zeal, so as not to look like a caricature.
Avoid “closed” poses – crossed arms and legs. This body position indicates an unpreparedness for effective communication. While open palms and a friendly smile can win over any interlocutor.

Recognize the emotional content of words by training the muscles of the middle ear

By increasing the muscle tone of the tiny muscles in the middle ear (they are the smallest in the human body), you will be able to recognize higher frequencies of human speech that convey emotion and better understand the true meaning of what people are saying. Developing these tiny muscles isn't just about focusing entirely on what someone is saying; They can be trained by singing, playing wind instruments, and listening to certain types of music (high-frequency Mozart violin concertos and symphonies, for example, instead of low-frequency rock or rap).