COMMUNICATION SKILLS
COURSE OUTLINE
LECTURER: Alfred Wandera Sanday
EMAIL:
SEMESTER-----------------------------
COURSE OBJECTIVE: To equip learners with effective communication and study skills and help
them get the concept and methods of effective study and research.
METHODOLOGY AND EVALUATION
The course will be conducted through formal lectures, group discussions and consultation with the
lecturer. Assessment will is in form of C.A.T, assignment and final examinations. The C.A.T and
assignment will constitute 40% of the grade, while the final examination will constitute 60% of the
grade. The student is required to attend all classes and participate actively.
COURSE OUTLINE
REFERENCES
Afolayan A. (1983) The Use Of English; Communicative Skills For University Students: England,
Longman UK. Ltd.
Condon Jc, Jr (1996) Semantics and Communication. New York, Macmillan Publishing Co.
FreeManR. Mastering Study Skills; London, Macmillan Press.
McDonald A.S. (1963) The Art Of Good Reading;New York Bobbs Meril.
Northhedge A. (1990) The Good Study Guide;London, Milton Keynes.
OkothOkombo (1990) A Students Guide to Writing and Study Skills; Kenya, Nairobi University
Press.
Rowntree Derek (2001) Learn How To Study; A Realistic Approach; Great Britain, Macdonald And
Co.
Yule G. (1985) The study of Language, New York, C.U.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
GUIDING NOTES
WHAT IS COMMUNICATION?
Communication has been defined as follows: -
A transition process that involves an exchange of ideas, information, feelings, attitudes or beliefs
and impressions.
A multi-level process in an organization because it involves the organizational hierarchy, from the
top to the bottom and across the horizontal levels.
A cultural interaction with people in groups for conversing and sharing ideas in social gatherings
A disseminating process that involves passing on information to masses through media.
An interaction process with the corporate,
A transformational process that motivates and fosters growth and mutual understanding.
A dynamic process that challenges what you say and how you say at that particular moment.
A mental psychological process of talking to oneself in the mind.
In simple terms, communication is the expression of an idea, which may be verbal, non-verbal or
vocal, that is perceived, heard or read by another person.
,THE PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION
The word process indicates that communication is an activity that is connected with a series of
steps that are deliberately undertaken to reach a goal. The process demands that both the sender
and the receiver pay attention to the finer aspects or elements for successful communication.
A communication process comprises the following stages: -
The sender.
The sender of a message can be any individual, from the watchman, organizational managers,
presidents, company CEOs and managing directors.
The sender has an idea.
An idea is a stimulus that sets the sender thinking about it. There may be many stimuli crowding the
senders mind all at the same time. The following factors influence the formation of the idea.
-Existing mood
-Cultural habits
-Strong bias for the idea, attitude, values, norms and practices.
These factors influence the senders’ perception and filtering experience for interpreting the situation
and forming the idea for transmission. The success of effective communication depends on the
senders’ ability to accurately predict how the idea will be perceived and what kind of skills would be
necessary to create a positive impact
The sender encodes the idea into a message.
Encoding is the process by which the sender converts the idea into a message by using verbal or
non-verbal media of communication. These may be words, signs, signals, gestures, symbols or
body movements. The conversion of the idea into a message connects the sender to the receiver.
In order to ensure that the message is well understood the sender uses words and non-verbal cues
the receiver is familiar with. If not, the message gets rejected.
The message travels through the channel.
The channel is the route travelled by the message as it moves from the sender to the receiver. The
various channels are: - computer, fax, letter, telephone, pictures, film, television, etc. The choice of
the channel depends on the purpose of communication, senders’ needs and the profile of the
receiver.
Noise in the channel. Transmission process: -
Anything that disrupts or interferes with the transmission process is called the noise or barrier to
communication. Channel noise can cause disturbances in telephone, computer, television, radio,
fax machine, or errors in typography in email messages, unclear pronunciation in oral
communication, poor facial expressions or poor gestures.
Poor selection of the channel for transmission of the message can also be noise to the receiver.
The receiver of message.
The receiver is any individual to whom the message has been transmitted.
Like the sender, the receiver also has a set of personal filters: -attitudes, values, ideas, opinions,
beliefs, feelings and culture. The success and failure of communication depends on how the
receiver receives the message
The receiver decodes the message
Decoding the process of translating words, signals, and symbols into meanings. The receiver has to
move through the entire filtering process before successfully decoding and accepting the message.
Successful decoding leads to correct understanding of the intent of the message as transmitted by
the sender. Both the sender and the receiver need to manage the noise well if they want the
,communication to be successful.
Feedback sent by the receiver.
Feedback is the receivers’ response to the senders’ message. The response can be both verbal
and non-verbal feedback which is an important factor in the communication process, because it
helps the sender to know whether the message has been understood or not.
A competent receiver of the communication process should have: -
Good listening skills
Ability to read between the lines and interpret a message or hidden message
For any communication to be successful, both the sender and the receiver have equal share of
responsibility in the cycle of communication
Frame of reference of the sender and the receiver.
Frame of reference is a combination of ideas, beliefs, opinions, attitudes, values, knowledge,
culture, past experiences and other elements.
Successful communication takes place when the sender frame of reference matches the receiver
and vice versa
The context of communication
Every communication takes place within a context. The factors that influence a context are physical
surrounding, emotions and reactions of the people to whom the communication is transmitted, their
attitudes and opinions. Context influences both the encoding and decoding stage.
COMPONENTS/ ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION
Sender/ receiver
Message
The channel
Noise
The feedback
Setting
Senders/ Receivers: - These are the participants in the communication process. They participate in
communication because they have ideas they want to share. The sharing is not one way turn-
taking in which one sends ideas and the other receives and the process is reversed. In most
communication situations the participants are sender and receivers at the same time hence the
concept, senders/receivers. For example in a conversation, the sender sends a message by talking
and the person listening is also sending a non- verbal messages.
Message: - This is the information being communicated. The message can be communicated
through verbal and /or non-verbal symbols. For effective communication the participants must use a
language that is common to them in order to understand each other.
Channel: - This is the route travelled by the message as it moves from the sender to the receiver. In
face to face communication the channels are sound and sight.
Noise: - This is any interference that prevents the message from being understood or accurately
interpreted by the receivers. There are three types of noise:
External noise
Internal noise
Semantic noise.
Feedback: - This is the response of the sender and receiver to each other. For example, you tell a
person a joke and they smile or laugh at it.
, Setting: - This is where communication occurs in terms of place and time. The setting can be of
significant influence on communication. The setting can be formal or informal e.g., an auditorium is
a formal setting which is held for giving speeches and presentation, on the grass under a tree is an
informal setting and is meant for interpersonal communication. All these influence what is being
communicated in terms of the language and organization of speech.
PURPOSE/ IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION
Creating and maintaining relationship through social chit-chat - This is the meaningless small talk of
everyday life like for example hello, hi, goodbye, see you, goodnight, you are smart etc, it’s
important in creating relationship and keeping in touch.
Communication can be used to persuade or dissuade.
Aesthetic purpose- is a situation of reciting poems and singing songs.
To release nervous tension.
PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
Specific purpose
Specific audience
Clarity and precision
Clarity of expression
Completeness and logic-
Consciousness and accuracy
Courtesy and consideration
Tact and appropriateness
a) Specific purpose: - Good communication should be aimed at very specific purpose, i.e., that
which the communicator wants to attain. The purpose should be the base of communication. Every
aspect of communication should evolve around the purpose of communication.
b) Specific audience: - Effective communication is one which is meant at a specific receiver or a
destination. The receiver characteristics should be determined before-hand to enable the
communicator adapt the right language, use correct medium and organize the whole
communication process to meet receivers needs.
c) Clarity and precision: - A good communicator should have clarity of thought and clarity of
expression. Clarity of thought means that the communicator should be clear about three things:
objective, message and medium (channel).
d) Clarity of expression: - This means that the message is carefully encoded and a lot of care
should be taken when choosing and organizing the words. The following can enhance clarity of
expression:
Use of simple words
Use of short sentences with concrete expression that are pleasing to register in the receivers mind
Avoid jargon & ambiguity.
e) Completeness and logic: - Effective communication should be complete to the point and logical.
Messages should be organized in such a way that the receiver isn’t in doubt of anything that is
contained in them. There should be no room for misunderstanding, the communication should be
straight to the point and avoid irrelevant details. Every word used should contribute to the total
effect of the message.
f) Consiceness and accuracy: - Good communication should be brief; however appropriateness,
effectiveness, clarity and correctness should not be compromised to achieve consciceness. The
following four rules are important:
COURSE OUTLINE
LECTURER: Alfred Wandera Sanday
EMAIL:
SEMESTER-----------------------------
COURSE OBJECTIVE: To equip learners with effective communication and study skills and help
them get the concept and methods of effective study and research.
METHODOLOGY AND EVALUATION
The course will be conducted through formal lectures, group discussions and consultation with the
lecturer. Assessment will is in form of C.A.T, assignment and final examinations. The C.A.T and
assignment will constitute 40% of the grade, while the final examination will constitute 60% of the
grade. The student is required to attend all classes and participate actively.
COURSE OUTLINE
REFERENCES
Afolayan A. (1983) The Use Of English; Communicative Skills For University Students: England,
Longman UK. Ltd.
Condon Jc, Jr (1996) Semantics and Communication. New York, Macmillan Publishing Co.
FreeManR. Mastering Study Skills; London, Macmillan Press.
McDonald A.S. (1963) The Art Of Good Reading;New York Bobbs Meril.
Northhedge A. (1990) The Good Study Guide;London, Milton Keynes.
OkothOkombo (1990) A Students Guide to Writing and Study Skills; Kenya, Nairobi University
Press.
Rowntree Derek (2001) Learn How To Study; A Realistic Approach; Great Britain, Macdonald And
Co.
Yule G. (1985) The study of Language, New York, C.U.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
GUIDING NOTES
WHAT IS COMMUNICATION?
Communication has been defined as follows: -
A transition process that involves an exchange of ideas, information, feelings, attitudes or beliefs
and impressions.
A multi-level process in an organization because it involves the organizational hierarchy, from the
top to the bottom and across the horizontal levels.
A cultural interaction with people in groups for conversing and sharing ideas in social gatherings
A disseminating process that involves passing on information to masses through media.
An interaction process with the corporate,
A transformational process that motivates and fosters growth and mutual understanding.
A dynamic process that challenges what you say and how you say at that particular moment.
A mental psychological process of talking to oneself in the mind.
In simple terms, communication is the expression of an idea, which may be verbal, non-verbal or
vocal, that is perceived, heard or read by another person.
,THE PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION
The word process indicates that communication is an activity that is connected with a series of
steps that are deliberately undertaken to reach a goal. The process demands that both the sender
and the receiver pay attention to the finer aspects or elements for successful communication.
A communication process comprises the following stages: -
The sender.
The sender of a message can be any individual, from the watchman, organizational managers,
presidents, company CEOs and managing directors.
The sender has an idea.
An idea is a stimulus that sets the sender thinking about it. There may be many stimuli crowding the
senders mind all at the same time. The following factors influence the formation of the idea.
-Existing mood
-Cultural habits
-Strong bias for the idea, attitude, values, norms and practices.
These factors influence the senders’ perception and filtering experience for interpreting the situation
and forming the idea for transmission. The success of effective communication depends on the
senders’ ability to accurately predict how the idea will be perceived and what kind of skills would be
necessary to create a positive impact
The sender encodes the idea into a message.
Encoding is the process by which the sender converts the idea into a message by using verbal or
non-verbal media of communication. These may be words, signs, signals, gestures, symbols or
body movements. The conversion of the idea into a message connects the sender to the receiver.
In order to ensure that the message is well understood the sender uses words and non-verbal cues
the receiver is familiar with. If not, the message gets rejected.
The message travels through the channel.
The channel is the route travelled by the message as it moves from the sender to the receiver. The
various channels are: - computer, fax, letter, telephone, pictures, film, television, etc. The choice of
the channel depends on the purpose of communication, senders’ needs and the profile of the
receiver.
Noise in the channel. Transmission process: -
Anything that disrupts or interferes with the transmission process is called the noise or barrier to
communication. Channel noise can cause disturbances in telephone, computer, television, radio,
fax machine, or errors in typography in email messages, unclear pronunciation in oral
communication, poor facial expressions or poor gestures.
Poor selection of the channel for transmission of the message can also be noise to the receiver.
The receiver of message.
The receiver is any individual to whom the message has been transmitted.
Like the sender, the receiver also has a set of personal filters: -attitudes, values, ideas, opinions,
beliefs, feelings and culture. The success and failure of communication depends on how the
receiver receives the message
The receiver decodes the message
Decoding the process of translating words, signals, and symbols into meanings. The receiver has to
move through the entire filtering process before successfully decoding and accepting the message.
Successful decoding leads to correct understanding of the intent of the message as transmitted by
the sender. Both the sender and the receiver need to manage the noise well if they want the
,communication to be successful.
Feedback sent by the receiver.
Feedback is the receivers’ response to the senders’ message. The response can be both verbal
and non-verbal feedback which is an important factor in the communication process, because it
helps the sender to know whether the message has been understood or not.
A competent receiver of the communication process should have: -
Good listening skills
Ability to read between the lines and interpret a message or hidden message
For any communication to be successful, both the sender and the receiver have equal share of
responsibility in the cycle of communication
Frame of reference of the sender and the receiver.
Frame of reference is a combination of ideas, beliefs, opinions, attitudes, values, knowledge,
culture, past experiences and other elements.
Successful communication takes place when the sender frame of reference matches the receiver
and vice versa
The context of communication
Every communication takes place within a context. The factors that influence a context are physical
surrounding, emotions and reactions of the people to whom the communication is transmitted, their
attitudes and opinions. Context influences both the encoding and decoding stage.
COMPONENTS/ ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION
Sender/ receiver
Message
The channel
Noise
The feedback
Setting
Senders/ Receivers: - These are the participants in the communication process. They participate in
communication because they have ideas they want to share. The sharing is not one way turn-
taking in which one sends ideas and the other receives and the process is reversed. In most
communication situations the participants are sender and receivers at the same time hence the
concept, senders/receivers. For example in a conversation, the sender sends a message by talking
and the person listening is also sending a non- verbal messages.
Message: - This is the information being communicated. The message can be communicated
through verbal and /or non-verbal symbols. For effective communication the participants must use a
language that is common to them in order to understand each other.
Channel: - This is the route travelled by the message as it moves from the sender to the receiver. In
face to face communication the channels are sound and sight.
Noise: - This is any interference that prevents the message from being understood or accurately
interpreted by the receivers. There are three types of noise:
External noise
Internal noise
Semantic noise.
Feedback: - This is the response of the sender and receiver to each other. For example, you tell a
person a joke and they smile or laugh at it.
, Setting: - This is where communication occurs in terms of place and time. The setting can be of
significant influence on communication. The setting can be formal or informal e.g., an auditorium is
a formal setting which is held for giving speeches and presentation, on the grass under a tree is an
informal setting and is meant for interpersonal communication. All these influence what is being
communicated in terms of the language and organization of speech.
PURPOSE/ IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION
Creating and maintaining relationship through social chit-chat - This is the meaningless small talk of
everyday life like for example hello, hi, goodbye, see you, goodnight, you are smart etc, it’s
important in creating relationship and keeping in touch.
Communication can be used to persuade or dissuade.
Aesthetic purpose- is a situation of reciting poems and singing songs.
To release nervous tension.
PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
Specific purpose
Specific audience
Clarity and precision
Clarity of expression
Completeness and logic-
Consciousness and accuracy
Courtesy and consideration
Tact and appropriateness
a) Specific purpose: - Good communication should be aimed at very specific purpose, i.e., that
which the communicator wants to attain. The purpose should be the base of communication. Every
aspect of communication should evolve around the purpose of communication.
b) Specific audience: - Effective communication is one which is meant at a specific receiver or a
destination. The receiver characteristics should be determined before-hand to enable the
communicator adapt the right language, use correct medium and organize the whole
communication process to meet receivers needs.
c) Clarity and precision: - A good communicator should have clarity of thought and clarity of
expression. Clarity of thought means that the communicator should be clear about three things:
objective, message and medium (channel).
d) Clarity of expression: - This means that the message is carefully encoded and a lot of care
should be taken when choosing and organizing the words. The following can enhance clarity of
expression:
Use of simple words
Use of short sentences with concrete expression that are pleasing to register in the receivers mind
Avoid jargon & ambiguity.
e) Completeness and logic: - Effective communication should be complete to the point and logical.
Messages should be organized in such a way that the receiver isn’t in doubt of anything that is
contained in them. There should be no room for misunderstanding, the communication should be
straight to the point and avoid irrelevant details. Every word used should contribute to the total
effect of the message.
f) Consiceness and accuracy: - Good communication should be brief; however appropriateness,
effectiveness, clarity and correctness should not be compromised to achieve consciceness. The
following four rules are important:
