Communication Skills and Customer Care

COMMUNICATION SKILLS AND CUSTOMER CARE

CHAPTER ONE;

DESCRIBE CONCEPTS OF COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN MANAGING CLIENTS.

RELATED TASK

• At the end of this chapter you should be able to describe the following;
• Define effective comm and comm process
• Outline components of effective communication process.
• Explain types of effective communication process
• Explain methods of effective communication
• Describe flow of effective communication
• Explain ways of providing feedback

Explain barriers of effective communication.

Introduction

Communication

Process in which message is conceived, organised, transmitted, received and responded to. OR Process of exchanging information, thoughts, feeling , idea, instructions or knowledge

Effective Communication

Process in which message is effectively conceived, organised, transmitted, received and responded to.

Effective communication:

“Effective communication is defined as good working relationships between the client and the health professional.

Through effective communication a client feels respected and understood, understands recommendations from the clinical staff and client feels motivated to return to the clinic.

Effective communication skills:

Effective communication skills is defined as “ability to use and employ all components of communication skills in relating to a client satisfaction” Effective communication skill is essential to the promotion of quality health care

Components of effective communication process.

The component of communication are chain to impact the information from one person to others and the components are:

Core Components of the Process

• Sender/Source: The originator of the message, who encodes ideas into words or symbols.

Message: The information, idea, or feeling being conveyed.

Encoding: The sender's process of converting thoughts into a transmittable form (words, gestures).

• Medium/Channel: The pathway the message travels (face-to-face, email, phone).
• Receiver/Decoder: The person who gets the message and interprets it.

Decoding: The receiver's process of interpreting the encoded message.

Feedback: The receiver's response, indicating understanding or confusion, completing the loop.

Context: The surrounding situation, culture, or environment that influences the message

Characteristics of effective communication

Just delivering a message is not enough; it must meet the purpose of the sender. Keeping this in mind, let us discuss the elements which make communication effective:

Clear Message: The message which the sender wants to convey must be simple, easy to understand and systematically framed to retain its meaningfulness.

Correct Message: The information communicated must not be vague or false in any sense; it must be free from errors and grammatical mistakes.

Complete Message: Communication is the base for decision making. If the information is incomplete, it may lead to wrong decisions.

Precise Message: The message sent must be short and concise to facilitate straightforward interpretation and take the desired steps

Communication Skills and Customer Care

Reliability: The sender must be sure from his end that whatever he is conveying is right by his knowledge. Even the receiver must have trust on the sender and can rely on the message sent.

Consideration of the Recipient: The medium of communication and other physical settings must be planned, keeping in mind the attitude, language, knowledge, education level and position of the receiver.

Sender’s Courtesy: The message so drafted must reflect the sender’s courtesy, humbleness and respect towards the receiver.( showing respect and build positive relationship)

Types of effective communication

Verbal: Using spoken words, including tone and vocal inflection, to convey messages (e.g., conversations, presentations).

Non-verbal: Communicating through body language, facial expressions, eye contact, posture, and gestures, often supporting or even contradicting verbal messages.

Written: Transmitting information through text, such as emails, reports, texts, or social media posts.

Visual: Using visual aids like images, charts, graphs, infographics, and symbols to communicate clearly.

Listening (or Auditory): The active process of receiving, interpreting, and responding to spoken messages, often overlooked but vital.

Methods of effective communication

Core Methods & Skills

• Active Listening: Pay full attention, understand the message, ask clarifying questions,
• avoid interrupting, and give encouraging cues.
• Clarity & Conciseness: Be direct, simple, and to the point;
• avoid jargon to ensure your message is easily understood.
• Non-Verbal Cues: Be aware of your body language, facial expressions, eye contact,

and tone of voice, as they often speak louder than words.

Empathy: Try to see things from the other person's perspective and acknowledge their feelings to build connection.

Audience Awareness: Tailor your message, tone, and approach to suit who you are speaking with.

Flow of effective communication.

Effective communication flows as a dynamic cycle:

a sender encodes a clear, concise message, chooses a channel, and sends it; a receiver decodes and interprets it, ideally offering feedback, which loops back to the sender, ensuring mutual understanding through active listening, empathy, and awareness of non-verbal cues for successful information exchange and goal achievement.

Providing feedback

Feedback in Communication

Feedback means communicating with other person by providing information on how you interpret his/her message Importance of Feedback in Communication Support and confirms positive (desired) behavior.

• The other person is encouraged to keep behaving that way
• Can correct negative (undesirable) behavior.

The other person is invited to change behavior Clarifies interpersonal relations; it increases understanding between people and assist in improving their cooperation.

Appropriate Means of Providing Feedback

Verbal or non- verbal

o ‘’I like this from you’’ can have the same meaning as a raised thumb or a nod of Approval Conscious or unconscious

o A remark like ‘’this is boring’’ is consciously made, yawning is mostly done without being aware Spontaneous (voluntary) or on request o Some people give their opinion on their own initiative while others have to be asked what they think about it.

Formal or informal

o Applause (praise by clapping or cheers) in a theatre is a form of formal feedback because it is part of the show. A pat on the back is informal

Key Points

Feedback means communicating with other person by providing information on how you interpret his/her message There are four ways of providing feedback such as verbal or non-verbal, conscious or unconscious, spontaneous or on request and formal or informal.

Barriers of effective communication