Ensuring Effective Communication & Technology

How does one ensure effective communication? And what technologies are sued to enhance the effectiveness of communication?
Detecting miscommunications before they start is a way to become an effective communicator.

Ensuring effective communication is a very broad statement that can be approached from many angles, depending on the intent of communication and context. It is very important to have a clear message and to have details to allow the reader to follow your purpose and direction in audience. 

     What makes communication and the words used is to be directed toward a specific audience with supporting points to guide and persuade the reader to be in touch. The expectation of the communication is creating enough meaning for purpose that will relate to those reading your material or listening to your words. The research and documentation is what is a great persuasive technique in communication.

      Depending on what medium you choose to communicate with such as videoconferencing, telecommuting, or face-to-face. What visual presentation is used and what language used can demonstrate good effective communication. As stated in chapter one, “individuals communicate face-to-face, they experience the most effective form of communication.” (Roebuck, 2006, pg. 8) Being aware of the communication process understands the message you are wanting to portray, listening to what the encoder is hearing, and decoding what the receiver is giving back to you. The feedback of what you hear back will determine how effective your communication has been. But not always can communication be clear, that is why we learn different ways of listening, decoding, and being in touch with what we feel, to determine what works best for both parties. Communication is relationship and many times things can be misunderstood or misinterpreted. Feedback is a two way process and this allows us to learn about how people think and helps to verify nonverbal signals as well. The awareness, and behavior are also elements to pay attention to, to determine what makes communication effective. When communication becomes a problem is through inference. Inference is when we “draw a conclusion based on facts.” Roebuck, 2006, pg. 14) Being able to label your inference is being able to make your communication more believable. Also intercultural differences can cause a problem with inference. Different cultural backgrounds can easily be misunderstood due too, perceptions, value systems and language use. Each culture comes with there own tone, word usage, and sensitivity.

     Culture differences can also be an issue in communication, since words learned as a second language can infer something different or be interpreted with different meaning, which causing the receiver and decoder to get mixed messages. Following key words can help to resolve this issue of miscommunication as well as using the same words back to those that speak English as a second language.

The technologies used to enhance effectiveness communication are e-mail. Which is what is similar to our on-line classes. Cell phones as an instant access to connection to other people. Instant messengers, used for exchange between clients in a business dialogue between partners. Also facsimile is used which helps in fax line and or free-up voice line and dial-up connection. Even with all forms of communication is also states that, “Studies have found people spend 70 to 85 percent of their work time deliberately communicating through writing, reading, speaking, and listening.”  (roebuck, 2006, pg 8)

Reference:

Britt-Roebuck, D. (2006). Improving business communication skills ( 4^th ed.). New

     Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.