The fundamentals of effective communication

Goals

• Understand the mechanisms of communication and how it works.
• Avoid the pitfalls.
• Implement good communication practices.
• Identify your communication style.

Target audience

Anyone wishing to better understand the communication in the broadest sense and improve its own communication.

Prerequisite

None

Contents

Better understand communication

• Communication or information? Definition and functions of communication
• Communication scheme, complexity of the process
• A four-stage process; a specific goal

Avoid the pitfalls of communication

• Perception; interpretation; reference framework
• Transformation and loss of messages; communication funnel
• Other pitfalls of communication

Before communicating

• Define your communication objective(s); link with the needs / expectations of your interlocutors
• Collect information and design an effective message: content and shape
• Choose a suitable communication support; complementarity of the media
• Adapt to specific communication situations: public speaking, telephone communication, video conferencing, meeting…

Communicate in an effective manner

• Involve your interlocutors in your communication
• Check the good understanding of your communication; active listening and feedback
• Pay attention to all forms of communication: verbal, paralinguistic and non-verbal
• Communication and preferences: what we like to communicate and the elements we are looking for in communication