Communication Skills

Negotiating Meaning

Communication has been described as the process of negotiating meaning.

A good communicator pays close attention to their "audience" (the person or people they are speaking to) and is also an active, responsive listener.

Good Listener Confirms they are understanding Asks for clarification when they don't understand	Good Speaker Checks that the listener is understanding Clarifies when the listener doesn't understand
Confirming understanding Yes Right Uhuh Keep eye-contact and use "attentive" body language Nod your head In English we often say "mmm" to show that we are listening to the speaker Use facial expression to show you don't understand	Checking for understanding Do you know what I mean? Do you see what I mean? Do you follow me? Make eye contact and check the listener's facial expression for understanding
Asking for clarification I'm not really/quite sure what you mean I don't really/quite see what you mean I don't really/quite follow you What were you saying about " ………"? ("………" is the part you didn't understand) I am not really/quite sure what you're trying to say I didn't get the part about "……………" I didn't get your point about "……….."	Clarifying What I mean is ………….. What I'm trying to say is ………. What I want to say is …………... My point is ……………………..