How to Improve the Communication Process

Tap to Read ➤ Rujuta Borkar

The importance of communication in any sphere, professional or personal cannot be denied. That is why improving the same is always beneficial. Here we will give you a detailed account of how to improve the communication process so that you become better at it.

How important is communication? Let's put it this way, without effective communication nothing would ever work smoothly. And we don't just mean professionally, but personally as well. Unless two people or more are able to establish what they want from the other, how is it going to get any results?

So we communicate such that we are able to understand the other better, are able to explain to him our side of the story and thereof are able to get the desired results. The basic tools of communication like language and gestures have already been put into place.

We do not dwell on those, we dwell instead on the communication process and how to make that more effective. We also follow it up with certain tips that can be used when it comes to improving communication in the professional world so that one is able to make things work like a true team.

Understanding the Communication Process

Let's give you a brief explanation of what a normal communication process involves when one communicates, what are the varied features that go into it. The communication process needs to have a sender and a receiver in place, first and foremost. These are the people between whom the communication process will take place.

Then of course there is the message , that needs to be conveyed and the channel through which it will be conveyed. At the end of the communication process is the quintessential feedback which will ensure that the communication process has been a success.

The sender will encode the message (convert the message into meaningful content) and decide the most suitable channel to send the message by (speech, email, phone) After it passes through the channel, it will be decoded (deciphered) by the receiver and an appropriate feedback will be provided to the sender which marks the end of the communication process.

Yet it is not as simple as it is made to be because there is the inclusion of barriers which cause a thwarting in the process. These barriers can include anything like noise or disturbance or lack of intelligence, depending on the message and the context of the communication.

For example, in a professional scenario, a person might send an email asking people to be present for a meeting on a particular day and there might be a problem with the email system and the mail might not go through. Thus there is a failure in the communication process.

In another scenario, your friend might have asked you to pick him up from some place and the address of the venue might have got miscommunicated because there was a disturbance on the phone line.

A read through these examples is enough to help you understand the importance of communication and why we stress on the same so much.

Ways of Improving the Communication Process

Now that we have a clear understanding of what the communication process involves, it will become easier to bring in ways of improving the same. Here are some tips on how to do that: ✦ Formulate the message in the most simple, clear and precise way. This will ensure that there is no confusion or scope for not understanding the message.

✦ Ensure that the channels through which you communicate are working and are effective enough to send the result through. There should not be a meltdown of the same because then it only means that the communication process has been put up for failure.

✦ Make sure to get a feedback at the end of the communication process so that you know that the communication was successful and the receiver has received your message well enough and will be prompted into action as a result.

✦ Listen very carefully or read carefully what the person is trying to convey. Repeat the message so that the doubts can be cleared there and then. ✦ Usage of pictures and such art forms allows for better understanding and makes for the message being seen through more clearly.

Activities to Improve Communication

While these pointers allow for one to understand the basic communication process and how to improve upon the same with concentration on the process, there are several other ways in which this process can be improved as well. These involve the usage of several activities and strategies. Take a look on a few pointers.

✦ In a professional company, make sure that you arrange for ways in which the employees interact well enough. This means arranging for certain communication skills games which can be played and the interaction improved thus.

✦ Hold regular meetings that will highlight the important aspects of the company policies and the like and allow the employees to speak their minds out if there is any doubt. These will allow the communication channels to improve and lead to better relations.

Now that you know what the communication process involves, the ways of improving it and the activities that can be made use of for the same, it should help you become more efficient and carry through the communication process effectively enough.