COMMUNICATION SKILLS
INTRODUCTION
a) What are communication skills?
• Skills needed to communicate effectively
• Broadly based on the four language skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing
• But in our context also include study, examination and research skills
• They can be categorized/distinguished as follows
o Speech vs. text based
▪ Speech based: deal with the spoken word- production (speaking) and reception
(listening)
▪ Text based: deal with written language- readability (reading) and composition
(writing)
o Receptive vs. productive
▪ Receptive: deals with how language is received through listening and reading
(decoding of language)
▪ Productive: concerned with the encoding of language, that is, how language is
produced either in the spoken or written form
b) Importance of communication skills
Helps you:
• Communicate effectively which is important in your life both in and outside the university
• Undertake your studies effectively with great success
• Undertake good research
• Prepare for and undertake exams effectively
• Study effectively
• Develop good and effective listening skills
• Prepare and deliver speeches effectively
• Undertake writing tasks successfully and effectively
• Read effectively
• Use the library effectively
c) What is communication?
It is the process by which information, meanings and feelings are shared by persons through the
exchange of messages both verbal and non-verbal.
d) The communication process
Communication as a process exhibits the following characteristics:
• Dynamic
It is characterized by changing relationships between its aspects. People change attitudes,
desires, goals, understandings of others, knowledge etc and these affect communication
encounters.
• Systematic
Its elements (sender, receiver, message, channel, feedback) are interrelated and work together
as a unit to achieve some outcome, that is, produce exchanges of meanings.
• Adaptive
It adjusts to cope with change in order to achieve its purpose (participants need to pay attention
to each other, topic, physical surroundings, motives, needs and other important elements to it.
• Continuous
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INTRODUCTION
a) What are communication skills?
• Skills needed to communicate effectively
• Broadly based on the four language skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing
• But in our context also include study, examination and research skills
• They can be categorized/distinguished as follows
o Speech vs. text based
▪ Speech based: deal with the spoken word- production (speaking) and reception
(listening)
▪ Text based: deal with written language- readability (reading) and composition
(writing)
o Receptive vs. productive
▪ Receptive: deals with how language is received through listening and reading
(decoding of language)
▪ Productive: concerned with the encoding of language, that is, how language is
produced either in the spoken or written form
b) Importance of communication skills
Helps you:
• Communicate effectively which is important in your life both in and outside the university
• Undertake your studies effectively with great success
• Undertake good research
• Prepare for and undertake exams effectively
• Study effectively
• Develop good and effective listening skills
• Prepare and deliver speeches effectively
• Undertake writing tasks successfully and effectively
• Read effectively
• Use the library effectively
c) What is communication?
It is the process by which information, meanings and feelings are shared by persons through the
exchange of messages both verbal and non-verbal.
d) The communication process
Communication as a process exhibits the following characteristics:
• Dynamic
It is characterized by changing relationships between its aspects. People change attitudes,
desires, goals, understandings of others, knowledge etc and these affect communication
encounters.
• Systematic
Its elements (sender, receiver, message, channel, feedback) are interrelated and work together
as a unit to achieve some outcome, that is, produce exchanges of meanings.
• Adaptive
It adjusts to cope with change in order to achieve its purpose (participants need to pay attention
to each other, topic, physical surroundings, motives, needs and other important elements to it.
• Continuous
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