The Communicator: Objectives and Credibility

The Communicator: Objectives and Credibility

1. The Communicator: Objectives and Credibility Presented By: Raja Muhammad Noman

2. The  Communicator The  communicator is a person who communicates, especially one skilled at conveying information. T he  person with ideas or information to communicate.  The  communicator is one of the variables in the communication model. 

3. An effective communicator is concerned about two important parameters: Objectives : What is to be accomplished? Credibility : How does the audience perceive the communicator?

4. What is to be accomplished? State your communication objectives Choose the appropriate style Select the required tone

5. State your communication objectives A communicator needs to specify the desired response from audience Specific means by which he plans to achieve that response Vague notion of objective is not enough Specific definition will save time and make message more effective. Start with general goals and define your communication objectives.

6. Example Instead of saying “ I want to tell my potential customers all great features of this product” They need to specify the desired response “ I want ten customers to purchase this product this month” And the means to achieve that response “ I will describe the three features my potential customers will find most attractive”

7. Choose the appropriate style Tell Sell Confer Join

8. Tell & Sell Style 1-Tell Style Here you try to explain or instruct Often used in upward communication Used in external communication while explaining policies 2-Sell Style Here you try to get your audience to do something differently You know the answer, and want persuade the audience Use Tell & Sell style when you Have all the information Can understand info without any help Are concerned with a logical orderly quick decision

9. Confer & Join Styles 3-Confer Appropriate when you are trying to consult or interact with your audience You do not know the answer and want to learn 4-Join Here you need and want high audience involvement Both you and audience act together Both collaborate and brainstorm to discover the answer Use Confer & Join Style when you Need more information Need critical evaluation, opinions and ideas Are concerned about people feeling involved and carrying out decision effectively

10. Tone Tone is difficult to define. It can be felt by the audience when they listen to you or when they read your written communication. The various tones commonly found in communication are placid, agitated, playful, somber, modest, proud, thankful, bitter, whimsical, factual, pleading, ordering, fanciful, realistic, humorous, rapturous, indifferent, threatening, angry, raging etc.

11. Your tone varies with your subject and objective . You might be serious about one topic , humorous about another. Extremely worried about one objective, less concerned about another. All these variations make it impossible to develop an absolutely right or wrong tone . In business world you develop an appropriate or  inappropriate tone.

12. Example You were trying to communicate the necessity for keeping a certain work area clean. You can adopt a light tone: “ Lets all pitch in & get rid of the garbage we’ve all been wading through in the work area” You can adopt a formal tone: “ This is to inform you that anyone found leaving in the work area will be stopped one hour’s pay.

13. Select the required tone None of the previous mentioned tones is the right or wrong one in any absolute sense; their  appropriateness is based on your analysis of the situation. The way your speaking or writing sounds, the feeling it conveys, the mood you set is based on your tone. Tone varies as per the personality Tone varies as per the audience and relations with them Three guidelines for appropriate tone Base your tone on your communication strategy Base your tone on sound Base your tone on a positive attitude Sometime a humorous tone is also advised

14. Credibility Credibility is the audience’s perception of the communicator. It means the perception your audience will have about you when you communicate with them. I t involves their faith, belief, confidence, reliability and trust in you.

15. Factors affecting Credibility Position or rank/status Goodwill or personal relationship Expertise or competence Image or attractiveness and dynamism Morality and fairness or values, objectivity and sincerity

16. Initial Credibility Initial credibility is the audience’s perception of the communication before the communication itself takes places. The initial credibility is based on the audience’s perception of who you are, what you represent or what previous relationship you have with them.

17. Techniques for enhancing Initial Credibility Rank : Emphasize your title or job position / status. Goodwill : Stress on the personal relationship you have with the audience. Expertise : Use a resume short biography or list of experiences/achievements. Image : Emphasize attributes of your organization mention your association with organizations or persons that are identifiable your audience. Fairness : Mention specific values you and your audience share.

18.  Acquired Credibility Acquired credibility is the audience’s perception of the communicator after the communication takes place.

19. Techniques for increasing Acquired C redibility: Rank : Associate yourself with a high-ranked person and get introduced by him/her. Goodwill : Emphasize benefits or ideas that match your audience’s goals and needs. Expertise : Associate yourself with an expert known to the audience or quote from a well-known expert or publication. Image : Identify yourself with the benefits or ideas that match your audience’s goal or needs. Fairness: Mention values you share with your audience.

20. Conclusion

21. Thank You