Communication Session

8/9/2019 Communication Session

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PRESENTATION GOALS

Being able to communicate effectively is a necessary an vital !art of everyemergency manager" !lanner" an res!on er#s $ob% T&is course is esigne toim!rove your communication s'ills%

T&e main aim of t&is !resentation is(

To un erstan t&e com!le)ity of communication conce!t an in!articular organi*ational communication

To escribe t&e basic communication !rocess% To ac&ieve general 'no+le ge about communication To a!!reciate t&e value of em!at&ic listening an effective fee bac'

To be able to a a!t to ne+ ifferent situations an to tailor yourmessage to your au ience

To un erstan t&e necessity of &aving s!ecific communicationabilities an to be able to use t&em

To assess t&e multicultural communication nee s of your au iencean a $ust your verbal an nonverbal message accor ingly

To use nonverbals to en&ance your message an accurately rea t&enonverbal cues of your listener

CO,,-NICATION


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.% /efinitions

When as$ed to define communication% ho& &ould you respond' Most people &ill

relate to the form of communication # tal$ing or &riting( "ut communication goes )eyond that( Communication is a t&o*&ay process of reaching mutualunderstanding% in &hich participants not only e+change ,encode*decode-information )ut also create and share meaning(

Communication is the e+change and flo& of information and ideas from one person to another. it in ol es a sender transmitting an idea% information% or feelingto a recei er ,/(S( 0rmy% 1234-(

5Communication is the art and process of creating and sharing ideas( Effecti ecommunication depends on the richness of those ideas(6

Warren Wea&e defined human communication as all the processes )y &hich amind can influence another mind(

The messages used in human communication include gi ing and ta$ing% so this is atransactional process of gi ing # recei ing(

In general% communication is a means of connecting people or places( In )usiness%it is a $ey function of management * an organization cannot operate &ithoutcommunication )et&een le els% departments and employees(

Effecti e communication occurs only if the recei er understands the e+actinformation or idea that the sender intended to transmit( Many of the pro)lems thatoccur in an organization are ,Mistry% 7aggers% !odge% 0lton% Mericle% Frush%Meliones% 8993-:

• the direct result of people failing to communicate• processes that leads to confusion and can cause good plans to fail

0% Communication !rocess


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The communication process in ol es multiple parts and stages( It is )ased on therelation 5sender # message * recei er6(

There are:

• Source;Sender # the source is the sender &ho initiates the communication(The source has to )e clear a)out the message% has to $no& &hy thecommunication is necessary and &hat result is needed( The sender can )e theone &ho ela)orates the message% or


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• Encoding;Decoding # Encoding means that the intended idea% thought%desire% purpose% etc( gets em)edded in a specific code: linguistic codes for

oice% isual codes% technical codes% etc(Decoding is the process of gi ing meaning to the encoded message( Is can

also )e referred to as e+tracting the em)edded meaning or interpreting &hat&as encoded )y the sender( The communication s$ills re=uired to decode themessage successfully include the a)ility to read and comprehend% listenacti ely% or as$ clarifying =uestions &hen needed(In order to encode a message properly% the sender has to $no& &hat therecei er &ill need in order to understand or to decode the message( Thesender has to ta$e care of some )arriers such as cultural% en ironmental orlanguage differences &hich can cause miscommunication(The sender needs to $no& his audience in order to encode the message

properly(• Message # is the format of the ideas% thoughts or of the information &hich

&ill )e sent( It can )e a &ord% a sign or )oth( The message can )e er)al%non* er)al% para er)al or mi+ed(

• Channel # is the means through &hich the encoded message tra els or getstransmitted from the sender to the recei er( The channel is the medium suchas e*mail% face to face or phone con ersation% letter% presentation( Thesending and feed)ac$ channels may not )e necessarily the same( The type of the communication% formal or informal% is an important aspect in choosingthe most appropriate channel for communicating effecti ely( Each channelhas its ad antages and disad antages(

• Conte+t # the communication is usually done in a conte+t% &hich canamplify or decrease the content of the message( The conte+t is the situationin &hich the sender is communicating( It in ol es things such as therelationship &ith the audience% the culture of the organization and thegeneral en ironment( The conte+t means also the atmosphere% the moment of

the communication% the type of the communication ,spontaneous or planed-• Communication language # er)al% non* er)al% para er)al• "arriers # at each stage% there are potential )arrier to )e formed or pro)lems

to arise( During the communication% the sender has to find the &ay to limitthe )arriers so the communication to )e effecti e% and this has to )e donemore than one time during the communication process(


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• >ecei er;0udience # represents the target of the message &hich has )eensent( It is said that the recei er has a passi e role in the communication

process( The recei er can )e a&are or not that the message &as sent for him(The recei er of the message &ill listen to it through his o&n indi iduale+pectations% opinions and perspecti es( ?is indi idual e+periences &illinfluence ho& the message &ill )e recei ed(

• Feed)ac$ # it includes the er)al and non* er)al messages of the recei er%and allo&s the sender to e aluate ho& the message has )een understood andthe response to it( 0cti ely listening to the feed)ac$ is a $ey in effecti ecommunication(The recei er can also get feed)ac$ from his o&n responses through a

process $no&n as 5self*monitoring6( Self*monitoring in ol es staying a&are

of &hat &e are saying and doing in social encounters and ho& this isimpacting on others( This type of feed)ac$ can then )e used to alter or adaptour )eha ior in the light of the responses from others(

1% 2orms of Communication

3erbal Communication 4 56@er)al communication includes sounds% &ords% language and spea$ing(@er)al communication is an act of con eying messages% ideas% or feelings in

a spo$en or &ritten manner( This has to )e done through a language &hich is$no&n )y the sender and the recei er(Aood er)al communication is an insepara)le part of )usinesscommunication( In a )usiness% you come across people from arious ages%cultures and races( Fluent er)al communication is essential% to deal &ith

people in )usiness meetings( 0lso% in )usiness communication self*confidence plays a ital role &hich &hen clu))ed &ith fluentcommunication s$ills can lead to success(

7o+ coul you give someone irections on ra+ing t&e strings of s&a!esin t&e figure belo+8


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Paraverbal communication 4 196Para er)al communication al&ays goes &ith er)al communication andrefers to sending and recei ing messages )y means of ocal inflection andtone of oice% pauses% rhythm% speed(

The term paralinguistics refers to features such asspeech rate% pitch% articulation% pauses emphasis and

olume as &ell as non* er)al ocalisations such as Bahhh

or sighing( 0 great deal of information can )ecommunicated this &ay( It is easy to tell for e+ample that 8 people are arguing &hen you can hear the sound of their

oices )ut not their &ords(In a ery general sense% arying the tone% pitch% rate and other

ocal features can communicate enthusiasm and can createa sense of interest in the listener( This can )e of importance&hen gi ing a presentation(

In a ery general sense% arying the tone% pitch% rate and other ocal features can communicate enthusiasm and can create

a sense of interest in the listener( This can )e of importance&hen gi ing a presentation(Our oice con eys meaning% actually more meaning than &e usually area&are of( It can re eal many things: our mood% physical condition% socialstatus% professional ha)its% cultural )ac$ground% gender% age etc( The


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concrete elements &hich play a role in con eying meaning through the useof our oice are: @olume ,loud% soft- Speed ,=uic$% slo&- Pauses ,short%medium% long- ; Silence , ery long- >hythm ,com)ination of speed and

pauses- Stress ,emphasising sounds- !engthening of sounds Intonation

,raising% falling% suspended- refers usually to a single sylla)le Pitch ,high%lo&- refers to a longer stretch of spea$ing( 0ll these elements together &eoften refer to as tone( 0 certain intonation% olume% speed our oice performs&hile spea$ing% produces a certain tone( Our tone can mislead theinterpretation especially &hen )ased on di ersity( Therefore it is important to

)e a&are of this possi)ility and gain the a)ility to listen to our oice% )ut alsoto ta$e into account ho& others may percei e our oice(

The lac$ of tone can create pro)lems &hile transmitting the information(

One of the most important parts of any con ersation is the silence( Silence can ser e many functions in a con ersation and ho& it is managed )y thesender determines his le el of sophistication in communication( ?ere aresome points to $eep in mind a)out silence in communication(

• 0llo&ing silence in a con ersation puts pressure on the other person *in con ersation )et&een t&o peers and e=uals% it s e+pected )oth

parties &ill contri)ute to the con ersation% and there &ill no glaring

silences( If there are any% it causes discomfort(• Silence can indicate hostility or disagreement * While it s almost ne er

an indication of indifference% silence can indicate that the other personis ha ing negati e emotions( When &e e+perience anger% fear% orem)arrassment% our thin$ing )rain shuts do&n(

• It can hide or highlight information• Silence can help to create focus and concentration% to organize your

thoughts

Non:verbal communication 4 ;;6

The types of interpersonal communication that are not e+pressed er)allyare called non er)al communications( These include:

• 0ppearance• "ody Mo ements , inesics-


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• Posture• Eye Contact• Aestures &ith arms or hands• Closeness or Personal Space ,Pro+emics-• Facial E+pressions• Physiological Changes

O er half ,GGH- of the message that the sender is transmitting to others isnon er)al( This means that &e recei e more than half a person iscommunicating through the su)conscious messages they are sending &ith

)ody language(

0s &e ha e seen% much of the meaning &e deri e from communication%

comes from non* er)al cues( While &e tend to focus on &hat &e say% it isthe non* er)al communication that pro es to )e significant in con eying our message and forming ead the follo&ing e+ample and you &ill ha e a good idea of &hat the

person s )ody language is telling(

A!!earance


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Our choice of color% clothing% hairstyles and other factors affecting appearance arealso considered a means of non er)al communication( >esearch on color

psychology has demonstrated that different colors can e o$e different moods(0ppearance can also alter physiological reactions%


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Em)lems ,autonomous gestures- are ery rare in contrast to illustrators% the secondcategory of manual gestures( This depends on the properties of this $ind gesture asopposed to speech: gesture is more rapid to e+press a single unit of meaning and itcan )e employed o er greater distances(

E+ample:

Thum)s*up In the /nited States this gesture means Jall rightJ% )ut it can ha e atotally different meaning in other countries( In a communication process you ha eto )e a&are of these cultural differences( In many countries throughout EuropeJThum)s*upJ is an insulting gesture% standing for Jup yours(((J(

There are also gestures &hich are used &orld&ide:

shoulder shrugging ,don t $no&-% headsha$e ,negation-% headnod ,affirmation-(llustrators

Illustrators are gestures that are used to illustrate spo$en &ords( Their maegulators support the interaction and communication )et&een sender andrecipient(

E+amples:

• Mo ements of the head% nec$% eyes• ?and gestures


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• Posture

Affect /is!lays

0ffect displays are facial e+pressions com)ined &ith posture &hich reflect the

intensity of an emotion(

A a!tors

0daptors are gestures that are not used intentionally during a communication orinteraction( They are difficult to recognize(

0daptors can ta$e t&o forms:

,a- )ody*focused% e(g( scratching

,)- o)


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&ith &hom they are interacting( In an open posture you might e+pect to seesomeone directly facing you &ith hands apart on the arms of the chair( 0n open

posture can )e used to communicate openness or interest in someone and areadiness to listen% &hereas the closed posture might imply discomfort ordisinterest(

Eye Contact

Eye contact is an important aspect of non* er)al )eha iour( In interpersonalinteraction% it ser es three main purposes:

• To give an receive fee bac' : !oo$ing at someone lets them $no& that therecei er is concentrating on the content of their speech( Kot maintaining eyecontact can indicate disinterest( Communication may not )e a smooth

process if a listener a erts their eyes too fre=uently(• To let a !artner 'no+ +&en it is t&eir >turn> to s!ea' : This is related to

the a)o e point( Eye contact is more li$ely to )e continuous &hen someoneis listening% rather than spea$ing( When a person has finished &hat they ha eto say% they &ill loo$ directly at the other person and this gi es a signal thatthe arena is open( If someone does not &ant to )e interrupted% eye contactmay )e a oided(

• To communicate somet&ing about a relations&i! bet+een !eo!le : Whenyou disli$e someone% you tend to a oid eye contact and pupil size is oftenreduced( On the other hand% the maintenance of positi e eye contact signalsinterest or attraction in a partner(

!oo$ing% staring and )lin$ing can also )e important non er)al )eha iors( When people encounter people or things that they li$e% the rate of )lin$ing increases and pupils dilate( !oo$ing at another person can indicate a range of emotions%

including hostility% interest and attraction(

Gestures +it& arms or &an s

Firmness of handsha$e is not the relia)le indicator of firmness of characterthat many )elie e it to )e( Firm handsha$es tend to )e those of confident

people% especially those &ho ha e spent some time in )usiness% and &ho


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their o erall )ody language( ?andsha$ing can occur &ithin the )ounds of personal distance(

• Social /istance( This is the normal distance for impersonal )usiness% fore+ample &or$ing together in the same room or during social gatherings(Seating is also important. communication is far more li$ely to )e consideredas a formal relationship if the interaction is carried out across a des$( Inaddition% if the seating arrangements are such that one person appears to loo$ do&n on another% an effect of domination may )e created( 0t a socialdistance% speech needs to )e louder and eye contact remains essential tocommunication% other&ise feed)ac$ &ill )e reduced and the interaction mayend(

• Public /istance( Teachers and pu)lic spea$ers address groups at a pu)licdistance( 0t such distances e+aggerated non* er)al communication isnecessary for communication to )e effecti e( Since su)tle facial e+pressionsare lost at this distance so clear hand gestures are often used as a su)stitute(!arger head mo ements are also typical of an e+perienced pu)lic spea$er&ho is a&are of changes in the &ay )ody language is percei ed at longerdistances(

/nderstanding these distances allo&s us to approach others in non*threatening and

appropriate &ays( People can )egin to understand ho& others feel a)out them% ho&they ie& the relationship and% if appropriate% ad


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% Communication ty!es

Intra!ersonal communication

Intrapersonal communication is &hen an indi idual has their o&n personal

dialogue( Their o&n thoughts% feelings% and ideas are communicated to themsel es(

Inter!ersonal communication

Interpersonal communication is the process of people e+changing ideas% feelingsand thoughts through er)al and non* er)al massages( It is usually in ol es face toface interaction% )ecause )oth the spo$en and )ody language are used tocommunicate( Interpersonal communication is usually a t&o &ay process(

Organi*ational Communication

We can tal$ a)out the organizational communication as the communication thathappens &ithin organizations: sending emails% &riting memos% tal$ing to the

phone% ha ing meetings% ideo conferences% speeches% presentations% and so on(

It is ery important that the right information gets to the right people in the rightmanner( If the communication is not done properly things fall apart: directionsaren t follo&ed% customers aren t satisfied% regulations aren t o)eyed% and generalchaos ensures( So organizations certainly need effecti e communication(

Effecti e communication in an organization increases producti ity% decreasesemployee turno er and impro es office atmosphere(

Failure of communication in an organization:

• LH don t )elie e &hat management says• 1H 0ren t &ell*informed of company plans• GLH Don t get decisions e+plained &ell

2ormal communication

Formal communication occurs &hen person in the organization communicate usingformal channels of the organization structure along the lines of authorityesta)lished )y the management( Matters under this communication are official and


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to the point( Things are done using pacific procedures and rules &hich must )efollo&ed(

The structure or the &ay in &hich communication flo&s is also important to the

effecti eness communication in the organization( In formal communication thereare four main types( These include up&ard% do&n&ard and horizontal(

Do&n&ards flo& of communication means that the message is )eing sent fromhigher le els li$e managers or super isors to person in the lo&er le els li$esu)ordinates(

The main purposes of do&n&ard communication are:

a( To esta)lish and disseminate goals of an organization(

)( To gi e information a)out organizational policies and procedures(

c( To de elop plans for achie ement of the organizational goals(

d( To select% de elop and moti ate mem)ers of organization(

e( To organize goals in an effecti e manner(

The communication channel &hich pushes the flo& of information up&ard is$no&n as up&ard communication( Managers of the )usiness organizations ha e torecei e information continually form the le els )elo& them to $no& a)out the

progress of &or$s( Its occurs &hen information flo& upper the hierarchy formsu)ordinates to superiors(

The main purposes of up&ard communication are:

a( To gi e reports on arious pro


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?orizontal communication is a communication among people at the parallel orsame le el% position% ran$ or statues people of the organization( ?orizontalcommunication is the communication that flo&s laterally &ithin the organization%in ol es persons at the same le el of the organization(

The main purposes of horizontal communication are:

a( To in=uire something(

)( To con ey some information(

c( To see$ help(

d( To help others(

e( To coordinate &ith each other(

Informal communication

Informal communication on the other hand is much less official and rule dri en( Itis related to the social needs of the employee% does not follo& the authoritarianline% employee communicate under more casual situations% usually although notal&ays oral(

Barriers in Organi*ational Communication

• Messages that are unclear% incomplete% difficult to understand * lea ing outrele ant details in the communication assuming that recei er is alreadya&are of it

• Messages &ith no pro ision for feed)ac$ • Messages that are recei ed )ut ignored• Messages that are misunderstood * semantic distortion% same &ord or

e+pression interpreted in different &ay(• Poor listening and premature e aluation * the recei er may not a)sor) or

mentally recei e the all information sent( One of the ma


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• Distrust% threat and fear * communication is a t&o &ay process% one gi esinformation as &ell as recei es information( If a person is distrusted orfeared% people &ill a oid gi ing him too much or right information( 0lsothey &ill ha e less credi)ility in information pro ided )y him(

• The conte+t in &hich the recei er gets the messages( Perception% &hichcauses indi iduals to mentally filter out and distort information recei ed(The perception itself is affected )y any factors such as attitudes andemotions(

• The tendency to hear only &hat &e are used to hear

7o+ to eliminate t&e barriers8

• Determine the goal of the communication• Clarify your ideas )efore communicating• Find the right moment for communicating and the proper medium• /se simple language• Determine and eliminate noise le els• 0 oid information o erload

e,ail 4 ?riting an Corres!on ing

Email is a &idely used tool for )usiness communications% )ut in some cases it cancause tension% confusion% or other negati e conse=uences for &or$ing

professionals(

So% ho& can you a oid your emails doing this' 0nd ho& can you &rite emails that

get the results you &ant'• Don t o ercommunicate )y email(

One of the )iggest sources of stress at &or$ is the sheer olume of emailsthat people recei e( So% )efore you )egin &riting an email% as$ yourself: JIsthis really necessary'J


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0s part of this% you should use the phone or IM to deal &ith =uestions thatare li$ely to need some )ac$*and*forth discussion(Whene er possi)le% deli er )ad ne&s in person( This helps you tocommunicate &ith empathy% compassion% and understanding% and to ma$e

amends if your message has )een ta$en the &rong &ay(• Ma$e good use of su)


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attention to the length of your email( People are more li$ely to read short%concise emails than long% ram)ling ones% so ma$e sure that your emails areas short as possi)le% &ithout e+cluding necessary information(

T&e meetingFormal meetings are held at definite times% at a definite place% and usually for adefinite duration to follo& an agreed upon agenda( In a corporate setting% they aredi ided into t&o main groups :

• Organizational meeting: normally a regular meeting in ol ing stoc$holders,shareholders- and management% such as a )oard meeting and annual generalmeeting ,0AM-(

• Operational meeting: regular or ad hoc meeting in ol ing management andemployees% such as a committee meeting% planning meeting% and salesmeeting(

Effecti e )usiness communication is essential during meetings% since meetingsoffer the opportunity for employees from different facets of the company togather together to reinforce strategies% )rainstorm ideas% cele)rate successes anddissect missteps( Whether meetings are face*to*face% teleconferenced% or )y

ideo conference% rele ant parties ha e the chance to e+change information that

leads to company sta)ility and gro&th( When mismanaged% )usiness meetingscan &aste alua)le company time( /nderstanding the $ey elements of effecti e

)usiness communication ma+imizes the effecti eness of &or$place meetings(

Effecti e )usiness communication )rea$s do&n in meetings &hen they re toolong% scheduled &ithout enough time to properly prepare for them and end&ithout esta)lishing actiona)le steps( 5Conducting Effecti e Meetings at Wor$6recommends selecting a meeting format for the company and stic$ing &ith it sothat participants )ecome familiar &ith it(

"usiness meetings can ma+imize communication )y ta$ing four steps%according to Meeting Wizard( Prepare )y choosing participants &ith care%

pro iding ad ance notice and planning a clearly articulated agenda( Select one person or team of employees &hose main responsi)ility is effecti e facilitation%including note*ta$ing and time$eeping( Ma$e room for inspired )usiness


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• 0utomatic dismissal ,e(g(% 5We e ne er done it that &ay )efore(6-• >esistance to change(

Ti!s for Active Listening

The follo&ing are additional techni=ues to help ensure acti e listening:

• Ma$e eye contact( Eye contact increases the chances of 5getting6 themessage and demonstrates interest and attention( When listening to someoneon the phone% try not to loo$ at things that &ill ta$e attention a&ay from thespea$er(

• 0d


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Sensory channel( The fi e senses ,i(e(% seeing% hearing% touching% tasting%and smelling- are the )asic channels of communication( /sing morechannels increases the chance that communication &ill )e successful(Does the person attending a meeting ia a conference call ha e the same

communication ad antages as on*site attendees'• Differences in communication styles often create an e+tra challenge( Aeneral

)eha ior patterns of our personalities form our personal communicationstyles( These patterns can )e producti e% nonproducti e% or e encounterproducti e% and the interplay of these styles affects thecommunication s effecti eness(

• Differences in pre ious e+periences create a filter through &hich &e hear the&orld( Inference%


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Seize all opportunities to spea$ aloud so that you )ecome more comforta)le,e(g(% as$ =uestions in meetings%


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?ot issues

In estigate the logistics:

>oom size

0 aila)le e=uipment

Kum)er of other spea$ers

"e succinct( Plan to spea$ )riefly and clearly(

/evelo! t&e !resentation

Decide the type of speech that is appropriate:

Informational

Moti ational

0 com)ination of )oth types

Determine the audience s special needs: Cultural

!anguage

Physical characteristics

Outline the presentation:

Introduce the topic(

Clarify your opinion(

Identify $ey messages(

Esta)lish a logical se=uence(

Identify the information or research re=uired to support $ey points from:


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Colleagues

!i)raries

Files

?rite t&e !resentation

Introduction

The )eginning of the speech esta)lishes your relationship &ith the audience andlets them $no& &hat to e+pect( This is the time and place in &hich you &ould:

Introduce yourself and esta)lish credi)ility(

E+press a single% topic sentence that captures the essence of your message( Aet your audience s attention through:

>ele ant humor(

Pro ocati e statements(

Startling facts(

>hetorical =uestions(

Ma$e your personal stance clear(

Discussion

This section should illustrate or pro e your ie&point( ?ere you should:

Present your main points(

/se statistics(

Pro ide details(

Dra& analogies(

Stir emotion in the audience(

Personalize your message through anecdotes or e+amples(


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!et your enthusiasm and sincerity sho&(

/se i id language(

Conclusion

The end of a speech should )e as carefully orchestrated as the other sections( Donot end a speech a)ruptly( Follo& these steps:

Tell the audience that you are a)out to )ring your remar$s to a close(

Summarize your main points )riefly(

Ma$e a parting statement that is memora)le(

Documents

Communication Session