10 Essential Principles of Communication

1. Trustworthiness "To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way
we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others."
- Tony Robbins.
To establish trust, you first need to do something that runs through all aspects of good
communication. Decide who you are talking to, what they want to hear, and then what you want
to say.
2. Active Listening "The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said." -
Peter Drucker.
Active Listening is not simply staying silent while others speak. It is giving full attention to what is
being said. It also involves reading body language, assessing behaviors and using open-ended
questions and prompts to gather comprehensive insights. Good listening also requires being
available and approachable when others have something to say!
3. Effective Speaking Skills You can hold immense knowledge and understanding, and struggle to
convey that in the spoken word. Oral communication should therefore be a process of lifelong
learning, especially as you need to alter what you say according to differing intents, audiences
and issues. No matter what your role, there will be times when you need to speak with
confidence, clarity and intent. Use the first principles outlined above, as a platform.
4. Good Writing Skills Writing skills also involve considering your audience, intent and the best way
to achieve the outcome you want. Plan everything you write, before you start. Good writing
skills – like good verbal communication – comes from being succinct and using language that
your audience can connect to. Both require that you assess your audience's level of
understanding – and the necessity of technical terms – if the subject matter is complex or
requires context.
5. 5. Good Reading Skills Having the ability to assimilate information from data and physical text is
invaluable. Quick, efficient and 'open minded' reading is on a parr with active listening.
6. No Assumptions Considering the nature and needs of your audience is not the same as making
assumptions about them in a way that distorts or skews your communications inappropriately.
7. Non-Judgmental Good communication requires the ability to evaluate and 'judge' audiences, so
being non-judgmental can be problematic. It's vital when communicating in sensitive situations,
and links with the 'no blame, no shame' culture that's now heavily recommended. Constructive
suggestions for improvement, motivational messages and empathetic support will always
achieve a better result than seeming to judge someone's actions or motives. Value Difference

"The greatest communication skill is paying value to others." - Denis Waitley Good
communication must enable different people to take in information at their own pace. It could
require written materials to back up verbal presentations.
Valuing difference also compels you to be aware of special sensitivities, such as racial, religious,
gender or socio-economic factors.
8. Authenticity "Think like a wise man but communicate in the language of the people." – William
Butler Yeats. Your communications must be framed by realism and transparency, to achieve your
desired outcome. According to one global study one in three employees don't trust information
from their organization. The more accountable, open and genuine your communications are, the
more you break down barriers to engagement and learning.
9. Developing Interest and Curiosity "The essence of communication is intention." - Werner Erhard.
To achieve the right level of interest and curiosity, build in opportunities for yournaudience to
ask questions or request additional information. This builds fertile two-way communications,
that can foster improvements, innovations and upwards learning in organizations.

1. Completeness - The communication must be complete. It should convey all facts required by the
audience. The sender of the message must take into consideration the receiver’s mind set and
convey the message accordingly.
2. Conciseness - Conciseness means wordiness, i.e, communicating what you want to convey in
least possible words without forgoing the other C’s of communication. Conciseness is a necessity
for effective communication
3. Consideration - Consideration implies “stepping into the shoes of others”. Effective
communication must take the audience into consideration, i.e, the audience’s viewpoints,
background, mind-set, education level, etc. Attempt to envisage your audience, their
requirements, emotions as well as problems. Ensure that the self-respect of the audience is
maintained, and their emotions are not at harm. Modify your words in message to suit the
audience’s needs while making your message complete.
4. Clarity - Clarity implies emphasizing on a specific message or goal at a time, rather than trying to
achieve too much at once.
5. Concreteness - Concrete communication implies being particular and clear rather than fuzzy and
general. Concreteness strengthens the confidence.
6. Courtesy - Courtesy in message implies the message should show the sender’s expression as well
as should respect the receiver. The sender of the message should be sincerely polite, judicious,
reflective and enthusiastic.
7. 7.Correctness - Correctness in communication implies that there are no grammatical errors in
communication.