Effective Communication

By Definition: Effective communication refers to the method of relaying information that gets a point across. (WikiEducator)

In simple words, effective communication leads to understanding.

For effective communication, the Sender should speak in clear and simple terms whereas, Receiver should listen actively to understand the message.

There are many factors which affect how our Communication can become Effective, some of which are being listed and explained here.

Body Language:

The most important part of any verbal conversation (in which persons can see each other) is how the person talking uses his body language to match his words. This is also important in face to face meetings and video conferences. Make sure that you appear accessible, so have a open body language.

Open body language means you should not cross your arms and keep eye contact so other person knows that you are listening.

Consideration of Listener/Audience:

It is okay to use acronyms and informal language when we are talking with a friend but we can not use words like "Hey" or "Whats up?" with a Professor.
Different acronyms have different meaning to different people, which can lead to misunderstanding of the message.

If you are a teacher in a class room of IT students you should provide technology related examples while teaching them but if you are in a class room of biology students then you would consider environment and nature related examples.

Right Interpretation of the Message:

One should listen carefully to what the other person is saying. Instead of formulating your response, ask for clarification to avoid misunderstanding. At that moment, the person you are listening to should be the most important person in your life.

You can not multitask if you want effective communication, for example if you are listening to a phone call and at the same time talking with person in front of you, then at times you won't be able to understand completely what both the people talking to you are saying.

Be Brief but Specific:

For written and verbal communication, you should provide enough information for the other person to understand what you are saying but use simpler words.

Do not use very complicated words, only choose the words which are used more normally in our daily life, for example if we use words like Room in place of Accommodation, Buy in place of Purchase and Use in place of Utilize then my communication will become brief but specific to my context.