Know Your Basics in Communication

As Toastmasters, we all strive to improve and maintain our communication and leadership skills at the highest possible level. In this article, I would like to refresh your knowledge about the communication process. Understanding the communication process and its objectives will help us to be effective communicators. This is exactly what we all are trying to achieve as Toastmasters.

What are the objectives of communication as a process? In fact, there is only one objective in communication and that is to pass a signal or message to an individual or group of individuals that is understood and responded to the way desired by the communicator. The communication process has six stages and they are: i) Purpose, ii) Formation, iii) Transmission, iv) Reception, v) Perception, and vi) Action.

Purpose of communication can be varied. It is important for the communicator to determine the purpose of his or her communication in advance so that the communication can be tailored to suit the purpose. Some of the common purposes of communication are to: i) Inform, ii) Inspire, iii) Explain, iv) Instruct, v) Advise, vi) Persuade, vii) Sell, vii) Discuss, and viii) Question. Also, the communicator must ask and find answers to the following questions prior to proceeding with the formation of his or her message.

Whom am I communicating with?
How do I want this person or these people to respond?
What do I want them to do on receiving my communication?
What do I want them to know on receiving my communication?

Knowledge of the answers to these questions will help the communicator in the formation of the communication or message.

Formation of the message involves the study of the following. First of all, the reason or the purpose of communication has to be identified. The communicator then needs to assess the capacity of the receiver(s) to receive his or her communication. This is also referred to as the communicator’s interpretation of the receiver’s “wave length”. It is also important to know at this stage the ways or modes of communications that the receiver can receive and interpret. These could be words, pictures, gestures, numbers, symbols, etc.

Transmission of the message is the next stage in the communication process. The most appropriate way to transmit the message should be selected depending on the circumstances under which the communication process takes place. Sometimes, the ideal choice may not be available due to technological, financial or other reasons. The selection of the method of transmission depends on many reasons. Some of them are: i) time, ii) distance, iii) impact the message needs to make, iv) purpose, v) circumstances, vi) means available, vii) technological, financial and social standing of the transmitter and the receiver.

Reception follows the transmission. Reception includes the actual receiving of the message, recognizing the message and its interpretation by the receiver. The message should reach the mind and senses of the receiver. Then the message should be recognized by the receiver and also the receiver should be capable of interpreting the message.

Action is the final stage of the communication process and is the ultimate objective of the whole effort. The receiver is expected to respond the way desired by the communicator. The response could be a simple and direct one or a complex one consisting of a series of actions. Success or failure of the communication process is reflected by the way the receiver responds.

Let me conclude this article with the following quotes from two well-known American personalities:

“Speak clearly, if you speak at all; carve every word before you let it fall” - Oliver Wendell Holmes (highly regarded American poet of the 19th century),

”You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can't get them across, your ideas won't get you anywhere” - Lee Iacocca (famous American industrialist who revived the Chrysler brand in 1980’s).

Dr. Gamini Padmaperuma
(VP-Public Relations, Energy Toastmasters Club)

What Do You Think?

In this world of growing stress everyone is looking to bring some inner peace. Unfortunately it is not a piece of grocery that we can buy. Instead we create it by molding our thoughts. The way we think can create wonders. Our thinking is the power of our mind. It is important to clear the clutter in our thoughts to keep our minds healthy.

How to think?

We can't change our external circumstances and the environment but we can surely control our responses. Believe that you can change a negative situation into a positive one. Think of solutions and not excuses. Do not think of cursing the darkness, think of lighting a candle.

How to make our thinking positive?

Learn from the past and apply that experience to the present. Do not blame and dwell in the past during challenging situations. It is not enough to think positively for a few moments and then allow fear and suspicion enter your mind. Some continuous effort and mental preparation are necessary.

Are you willing to bring a real inner change in yourself?

Here are some more tips to help in developing the power of positive thinking:
· Allow into your awareness only feelings of happiness, strength and success.
· Disregard suspicion and ignore negative thoughts.
· Before starting any plan or action, visualize clearly in your mind its successful outcome.
· Associate yourself with people who think positively.
· Walk, swim or do some other physical activity. This helps to develop more positive attitude.

One great scholar says "The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible and achieves the impossible"

Positive thinking is a key to success. It brings inner peace, success, improved relationships, better health, happiness and satisfaction. Positive thoughts help develop an optimistic attitude towards everything. The positive mind opens new dimensions, hopes for the best and prepares for the worst.

Mohammad Tahir Jamil,
Secretary of Energy Club (SCECO)

“SMILE”

What is a smile? Is it as simple as using one's facial muscles to lift up the ends of one's mouth? Yes, it is as simple as that for a fake smile.

If you want to see a pure or genuine smile, look at the smile of an innocent baby. There is no expectation and no selfishness. A genuine smile begins in the heart with a warm feeling, proceeds to the eyes and then forces the ends of the mouth upwards to make up a smile.

Smile has enormous benefits for both the giver and receiver of the smile. Here are just some of those benefits:

• A smile makes others feel good. When you smile at someone, it has an immediate uplifting effect on that person. People like to be with those people who make them feel good.




• A smile leaves favorable impressions. First impressions are said to be made within three seconds. These first impressions are mostly based on feelings and emotions. A smile is one of most influential characteristic on other's emotions. Smile, and leave others with a favorable impression of you.




• A smile makes you look happy, confident and self-assured. It is the confident sales person who makes the sales. It is the confident student who gets the good grades. It is the confident Toastmaster who communicates effectively. Confidence is a large part of success and smiling is way of showing your confidence to others without saying a word.

The most influential people throughout the history understood the power of a simple smile. A smile is something that costs nothing, yet is highly valuable. It cannot be bought or sold, only can be given away. The more smiles you give away, the more you get in return.

A smile is beneficial to both you and those you come "in contact" with you. It is the trademark of many famous personalities and is said to be the "secret of success" for many individuals. Use smiles to bring yourself and those around you more joy, happiness and success.

Keep on smiling.

Shaikh A. Munaf
VP, Education
Energy Toastmasters Club

Humor

Car Problem

One day, a mechanical engineer, electrical engineer, chemical engineer, and computer engineer were driving down the street in the same car when it broke down.

The mechanical engineer said, "I think a rod broke."

The chemical engineer said, "The way it sputtered at the end, I think it's not getting enough gas."

The electrical engineer said, "I think there was a spark and something's wrong with the electrical system."

All three turned to the computer engineer and said, "What do you think?"

The computer engineer said, "I think we should all get out and then get back in."


Job Interview

Reaching the end of a job interview, the human resources person asked a young engineer fresh out of MIT, "And what starting salary were you looking for?"

The engineer said, "In the region of $125,000 a year, depending on the benefits package."

The interviewer said, "Well, what would you say to a five-week vacation, 14 paid holidays, full medical and dental, company matching your retirement fund to 50% of your salary, and a company car leased every two years, say, a red Corvette?"

The young engineer sat up straight and said, "Wow! Are you kidding?"

The interviewer replied, "Yeah, but you started it."


Helicopter Problem

A helicopter was flying around above Seattle when an electrical malfunction disabled all of the aircraft's electronic navigation and communications equipment.

Due to the clouds and haze, the pilot could not determine the helicopter's position and course to steer to the airport.

The pilot saw a tall building, flew toward it, circled, drew a handwritten sign, and held it in the helicopter's window. The pilot's sign said "WHERE AM I?" in large letters.

People in the tall building quickly responded to the aircraft, drew a large sign, and held it in a building window. Their sign said "YOU ARE IN A HELICOPTER."

The pilot smiled, waved, looked at his map, determined the course to steer to SEA-TAC airport, and landed safely.

After they were on the ground, the co-pilot asked the pilot how the "YOU ARE IN A HELICOPTER" sign helped determine their position in Seattle.

The pilot responded "I knew that had to be the MICROSOFT building because, similar to their help-lines, they gave me a technically correct but completely useless answer."

Courtesy: www.jokesgallery.com

President's Message

I took charge of Energy TMC as President in January 2009, and set several goals to achieve during my tenure, with the cooperation of our energetic ExCom and members, for further progress. At the same time I want to avoid Goals Overload. Recently, several new members have joined us and they have great potential to grow and improve their communication and leadership skills. I see that our members are enthusiastically taking assignments in the Area and Division Contests and supporting other clubs as well in their contests and meetings. Volunteering to do activities that are challenging and making us anxious gives us experience that will eventually alleviate our fear of failure. At TM we Learn skills relating to communication, leadership, decision making, time management and negotiation, and how to control anger, foster improvements, stay positive and much more. I like to share my vision with you, we will learn from last year’s successes and mistakes, turn mistakes into opportunities, make steady improvements, diagnose and implement treatment, turning new TMs into Good Public Speakers and experienced TMs to great speakers, using teamwork methodology.

I like to emphasize on an area where sometimes we do not pay much attention, that is, listening skills, which are especially critical in doing a job accurately and fostering good relationships not to mention understanding others’ needs. One can easily achieve it by actively practicing it during the meetings, which enables us also offering well-deserved praise which is an effective and inexpensive way to build a loyal and productive team. Once we start enjoying the meetings the growth will multiply in a short span of time. We are committed to the club’s friendly atmosphere where one can become better speaker through fellow members’ constructive feedback

Our club proactively and dedicatedly supports all the coming contests with a professional approach.

With a dedicated ExCom team, enthusiastic club members, and frequently visiting guests, I am positive that the Toastmasters Year 2009 will not only add many ribbons to our club, but also will be a very rewarding and fun experience for each one of us.
“Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement.”Brian Tracy
To all of us, Cheers!

TM Tariq Rashid
President Energy TMC