HOW TO DEVELOP YOUR COMMUNICATION SKILLS.

How do you develop your communication skills?


Oral communicationis the ability to explain and present your ideas in clear English, to diverse audiences. This includes the ability to tailor your delivery to a given audience, using appropriate styles and approaches, and an understanding of the importance of non-verbal cues in oral communication. Oral communication requires the background skills of presenting, audience awareness, critical listeningand body language.
Back to top
Written communicationis the ability to write effectively in a range of contexts and for a variety of different audiences and purposes, with a command of the English language. This includes the ability to tailor your writing to a given audience, using appropriate styles and approaches. It also encompasses electronic communication such as SMS, email, discussion boards, chat rooms and instant messaging.Written communication requires background skills such as academic writing, revision and editing, critical readingand presentation of data.
Back to top
Non-verbal communicationis the ability to enhance the expression of ideas and concepts without the use of coherent labels, through the use of body language, gestures, facial expression and tone of voice, and also the use of pictures, icons and symbols.Non-verbal communication requires background skills such as
audience awareness, personal presentationand body language.
Back to top
Background Skills
Revision and editingis:
*.Applying techniques to improve writing or presentation. Proofreading for spelling, grammar and style.
Back to top
Presentation skillsis:
*.Using appropriate technologies and techniques to present information to an audience (for example, in a tutorial, seminar, lecture or meeting).
Back to top
Academic writing skillsis:
*.Writing in order to analyse a topic closely, develop a point of view in relation to that topic through research and thought, and persuade your reader that the point of view you have developed is well supported by the ideas and information you present (for example, an essay, poster, paper or thesis).
*.Writing a clearly structured document that presents an account of what has happened in a practical session or as part of an experiment (for example, an experimental report or journal).
Back to top
Audience awarenessis:
*.Understanding the needs, experience and level of understanding of an audience (for example, the public, students, employers, stakeholders).
*.Displaying sensitivity to your audience in organising and presenting ideas, and responding to feedback (for example, favouring plain language over jargon when communicating with the general public).
*.Understanding the particular perspective of professionals in your field and communicating appropriately with colleagues (for example, presenting data at a seminar in a standard style for that field).
Back to top
Critical listening/readingis:
*.An awareness of both the content of the message and the style and method of communication, and an understanding of how the content and method combine to create the meaning of the message (for example, results published in a scientific paper may be given more credibility than results presented at a departmental seminar).
*.Actively listening, reading or viewing information to gain a complete and accurate understanding of the communicated message (for example, noting the steps in a presented argument, or extracting specific detail from an academic paper).
Back to top
Personal presentation and body languageis:
*.An understanding of and ability to use gestures, expressions and non-verbal cues to help communicate a message (for example, using changing the tone and volume of your voice to convey emotion and feeling, or controlling posture and nervous gestures to present confidence).
Back to top
Presentation of technical or scientific datais:
*.An understanding of the use of images, graphs and other methods to present data simply and concisely (for example, using appropriate graphing techniques in a scientific report, or well-chosen graphics to convey a concept).