Communicating Effectively

1
Communicating Effectively

• The transference and understanding of
• Meaning
• Supervisors participate in two types of
  communication
• Formal and Informal

2
Methods of Communication

• Formal Communication
• Communication that addresses task-related issues
  and tends to follow the organizations authority
  chain.

3
Methods of Communication

• Informal Communication
• Communication that moves in any direction, skips
  authority levels, and is as likely to satisfy
  social needs as it is to facilitate task
  accomplishments.

4
Methods of Communication

• Oral Communication
• Transmission of information through the spoken
  word and includes a nonverbal component which can
  enhance the message.

5
Methods of Communication

• Written Communication
• When the message is intended to be officialwhen
  it has long-term implicationsor if it is highly
  complexand when a permanent record is needed.

6
Methods of Communication

• Electronic Communications
• Today, one can rely on a number of sophisticated
  electronic media to carry communications.
  E-Mail, voice mail, paging, cellular telephones,
  video conferencing, Etc.

7
Methods of Communication

• Nonverbal Communications
• Communication that sends messages without words
  through the use of body language and verbal
  intonations.

8
Methods of Communication

• The Grapevine
• The means of communication by which most
  operative employees first hear about important
  changes introduced by management.

9
Barriers to Effective Communication

• Day-to-Day
• Supervisors are busy and instead of planning
  their days in great detail, they are often forced
  to react to events and people.

10
Barriers to Effective Communication

• Interruptions are frequent, allowing little time
  to be devoted to any single activity,
  additionally

11
Barriers to Effective Communication

• Supervisors spend most of their time
  communicating verbally on the telephone, in
  meetings, or in one-on-one contacts.

12
The Barriers

• Language
• Listening Habits
• Lack of Feedback
• Perception
• Role Requirements
• Information Medium
• Lack of Honesty

13
Language

• Words mean different thing to different people.
• Age, education, cultural background are three of
  the more obvious variables that influence the
  language people use and the definitions they give
  to words.

14
Lack of Feedback

• How do you know is someone has received your
  message and comprehended it in the way that you
  meant?
• Use Feedback

15
Perception

• Your attitudes, interests, past experiences, and
  expectations determine how you organize and
  interpret your surroundings.
• Senders and receivers each bring their own set of
  perceptual biases.

16
Role Requirements

• People in organizations play roles. They engage
  in behavior patterns that go with the positions
  they occupy in the organization.
• People playing different roles see and hear the
  world consistent with their role requirements.

17
Information Medium

• Media differ in the Richness of Information they
  transmit.
• A measure of the richness of information is the
  amount of information that is transmitted based
  on multiple information cues (words, posture,
  facial expressions, gestures, intonations),
  immediate feedback, and the personal touch.

18
Lack of Honesty

• A good deal of what passes as poor
  communication is nothing other than individuals
  purposely avoiding honesty and openness

19
Improving Communication Effectiveness

• Think First
• Constrain Emotions
• Learn to Listen
• Tailor Language to the Receiver
• Match Words with Action
• Utilize Feedback
• Participate in Assertiveness Training

20
Active Listening

• A technique that requires an individual to get
  inside a speakers mind to understand the
  communication from the speakers point of view.

21
Active Listening Steps

• Be Motivated
• Make Eye Contact
• Show Interest
• Avoid Distracting Actions
• Show Empathy
• Take In the Whole Picture

22
Active Listening Steps

• Ask Questions
• Paraphrase
• Dont Interrupt
• Integrate Whats Being Said
• Dont Overtalk
• Confront Your Biases

23
Active Listening Steps

• Make Smooth Transitions Between Speaker and
  Listener
• Be Natural

24
The Importance of Giving Feedback

• Focus on Specific Behaviors
• Keep Feedback Impersonal
• Keep Feedback Goal Oriented
• Make Feedback Well Timed
• Direct Negative Feedback