Effective Communication at Workplace

This is a complete research on Effective Communication with more emphasis on workplace.

Yousef AlMulla

© 2008 YAM

Table of ContentsTable of ContentsTable of ContentsTable of Contents

• What is Communication?

• Importance of Effective Communication

• Communication Process

• Non Verbal Communication

• Positive Feedback

• Active Listening

• Barriers to Effective Communication

• Recommendations on How to Improve Communication

• References

Communication is an exchange of feelings, ideas, and information, whether by speaking, writing, signals,

or behaviors.

Table of Contents

Definition of Communication from Definition of Communication from Merriam-Webster DictionaryMerriam-Webster Dictionary

Definition of Communication from Definition of Communication from Merriam-Webster DictionaryMerriam-Webster Dictionary

• to convey knowledge of or information

• to reveal by clear signs

• to transmit information, thought, or feeling so that it is satisfactorily received or understood

• to open into each other

Table of Contents

Definition of Communication from Definition of Communication from The American Heritage® DictionaryThe American Heritage® DictionaryDefinition of Communication from Definition of Communication from The American Heritage® DictionaryThe American Heritage® Dictionary

• The exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, signals, writing, or behavior.

• The art and technique of using words effectively to impart information or ideas.

Table of Contents

When does it happen?When does it happen?When does it happen?When does it happen?

Table of Contents

• When a person sends or receives information, ideas and feelings with others not only using spoken or written communication but also nonverbal communication.

Communication is more than merely keeping the employees updated as to what may be going on in your organization or in the company at large. To do that, all you need is an e-mail message and a computer.

Table of Contents

Communication is more than information!Communication is more than information!Communication is more than information!Communication is more than information!

Real communication is far more than a few words strung together and delivered to your employees.

The concept that communication is the effective exchange of meaning or understanding applies to both formal

and informal communication. It applies to communication up, down

and across the organization.

Table of Contents

What level of communication?What level of communication?What level of communication?What level of communication?

Everyone in the organization is accountable for the effectiveness of

their own communication. This especially applies to those who

manage others.

Table of Contents

Who’s accountable?Who’s accountable?Who’s accountable?Who’s accountable?

it is important to remember that communication with an employee is not a matter of one sender and one receiver, but rather an exchange in which you and your employee are

both sender and receiver.

Employee

Employee

BossBossTable of Contents

Communication is not one wayCommunication is not one way

This means that for real communication to take place, there must be interaction, with each player

participating.

Is it possible to Is it possible to NOTNOT communicate???communicate???

NOThat's because communication does not

involve just words, but it also is related to behavior, and unless one is dead, one always

"behaves". Even staying still is a behavior. Silence communicates. Our bodies

communicate non-verbally. So, so long as there is life there is communication, even if

the person is intentionally trying to cease all communication.

Why do we communicate?Why do we communicate?Why do we communicate?Why do we communicate?• We communicate with ourselves and other

people to fill current inner tensions, or needs. • The six current needs we each try to fill are...

– to feel respected by Self and others; and...

– to give or get credible information; and/or ...

– to cause or prevent inner and/or interpersonal change - including changing or maintaining the emotional distance between us and others; and/or...

– to vent - i.e. to feel deeply understood and accepted (vs. to get "fixed"); and/or...

– to create excitement (reduce numbness or boredom); and/or...

– to avoid something uncomfortable, like silence or a confrontation

Table of Contents

• People in organizations typically spend over 75% of their time communicating.

• Effective communication is an essential component of organizational success at all levels.

• Numerous employee surveys have found that many problems in any organization can be traced back to one primary cause: poor communication.

Table of Contents

Poor communication results Poor communication results in poor performancein poor performance

Poor communication results Poor communication results in poor performancein poor performance

When there is poor communication in an organization, there can be any number of

negative outcomes, including errors, productivity declines, distrust, lower morale,

confusion, absenteeism, and general dissatisfaction.

Table of Contents

Important skill for bossesImportant skill for bossesImportant skill for bossesImportant skill for bosses

As a boss, you are constantly advising, informing, explaining,

discussing, reviewing, counseling, guiding, suggesting,

persuading, convincing, coaching, humoring, and

responding.

Table of Contents

Employees seek and deserve a Employees seek and deserve a boss who is open, accessible, boss who is open, accessible,

and responsiveand responsive

Employees seek and deserve a Employees seek and deserve a boss who is open, accessible, boss who is open, accessible,

and responsiveand responsive

By having frequent direct contact with your employees, listening to what they say, and

having honest two-way communication with them, you are far more likely to be the boss

they deserve, respect, and trust. And you are far more likely to identify issues before they

become problems, and solve problems before they become crises.

Table of Contents

CommunicationChannelsReport/Phone/

Meeting/Computer

CommunicationChannelsReport/Phone/

Meeting/Computer

Receiver

Receive message

Decode and Convert to

Meaning

Respond

Receiver

Receive message

Decode and Convert to Meaning

Respond

Sender

Start with a meaning/

message to send

Encode (verbal and nonverbal)

Send message

Interact with feedback

Sender

Start with a meaning/

message to send

Encode (verbal and nonverbal)

Send message

Interact with feedback

Feedback

Feedback

Noise

Table of Contents

message

Continuous process of Continuous process of encoding and decodingencoding and decoding

Table of Contents

Elements of Communication ProcessElements of Communication ProcessElements of Communication ProcessElements of Communication Process

Input. The sender has an intention to communicate with another person. This intention makes up the content of the message.

Channel. The message is sent via a channel, which can be made of a variety of materials. In acoustic communication it consists of air, in written communication of paper or other writing materials.

Sender. The sender encodes the message, e.g. the idea of "piece of furniture to sit on." Thus he gives expression to the content.

Noise. The channel is subjected to various sources of noise. One example is telephone communication, where numerous secondary sounds are audible.

Receiver. The receiver decodes the incoming message, or expression. He "translates" it and thus receives the output

Output. This is the content decoded by the receiver.

Fields of Response. In the process, the relevance of a code becomes obvious: The codes of the sender and receiver must have at least a certain set in common in order to make communication work. That frame of reference is the sum of experiences in the form of each person's knowledge, beliefs and values. Our frame of reference is also greatly influenced by the culture to which we belong. On the basis of that body of personal knowledge, each member of the audience decodes the message. As members of the audience differ, so will their interpretations of what they hear.

Table of Contents

• Sender: Initiate meaning, encode, send, interacts with feedback.

• Message: the meaning that sender transmits (words, ideas, body language, …)

– Encoding: put the meaning in codes including words, voice and body language.

• Noise or Interference: Things which change the meaning intended.

– Physical: external noise such as the car horns or the high sound of radio. It also includes unpleasant smell, the annoying weather, strong perfume smell or distracting behavior of the speaker.

– Mental: In the human mind, mental models impact or block the meaning of the message.

– Linguistic: the different interpretations of words. – Technical: noise in communication channels such as telephone

or GSM.

Table of Contents

Elements of Elements of Communication ProcessCommunication Process


• Channel: The medium by which the message is transmitted. Normal channels include sound and light waves. Other channels include books, newspapers, magazines, movies, radio and TV broadcast, cassettes, photos, phones and computers.

• Receiver: Analyzes and translates it to meaning. He basically receives message, decodes and responds.– Decoding: Since the message contains codes (verbal

and nonverbal), every receiver will interprets and translates it based on his background and previous experiences.

• Feedback: The response that receiver sends to the sender. It shows if the message has been received and understood as intended to be.

Table of Contents



Communication Channels Communication Channels (Media)(Media)

Communication Channels Communication Channels (Media)(Media)

• Written/paper-based (books, newspapers, letters….)

• Verbal/spoken (radio, satellite, …)

• Electronic (e-mail,…)

• Image/visual (TV, Cinema,…)

Communication TypesCommunication TypesCommunication TypesCommunication Types• Intrapersonal Communication: It is the thinking that precedes the

communication or the communication with self. It includes the internal voice, retrieval and storage of information, and problem solving.

• Interpersonal Communication: It happens when two people or more communicate in an informal way to exchange information or build relationships.

• Public Communication: In group communication, the message is sent from one person (speaker) to a group of people (listeners). This type is called lectures.

• Mass Media Communication: It happens through electronic means such as radio, TV, Internet and books. (little or no feedback or interaction)

• Intercultural Communication: Culture is the collection of values, habits and verbal & nonverbal coding that a group of people have in common. This communication happens when one person or more communicates with another from different culture.

Table of Contents

Communication Communication CharacteristicsCharacteristicsCommunication Communication CharacteristicsCharacteristics

• Continuous process.

• Complete system.

• Interactive, timely and ever-changing.

• Mostly irreversible.

• Intentional or unintentional.

• Multi-directional.

Table of Contents

Communication Communication MisconceptionsMisconceptionsCommunication Communication MisconceptionsMisconceptions

• Communication will solve all problems: It may result in creating new problems.

• More communication is better: more negative communication will result in more negative results. Quality is more important than quantity.

• Communication is always positive: It may be positive or negative.

• Words carry meanings: nonverbal communication will carry most of the meanings.

• Communication is natural ability: You can develop and sharpen communication skills.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

How Meaning is Conveyed?How Meaning is Conveyed?How Meaning is Conveyed?How Meaning is Conveyed?7%7%

spoken or written words

Table of Contents

A "majority" of the meaning we attribute to A "majority" of the meaning we attribute to words comes not from the words words comes not from the words

themselves, but from nonverbal factors such themselves, but from nonverbal factors such as gestures, facial expressions, tone, body as gestures, facial expressions, tone, body

language, etc. language, etc.

A "majority" of the meaning we attribute to A "majority" of the meaning we attribute to words comes not from the words words comes not from the words

themselves, but from nonverbal factors such themselves, but from nonverbal factors such as gestures, facial expressions, tone, body as gestures, facial expressions, tone, body

language, etc. language, etc.

55%55% Face and body:

non-verbal communication or

face and body language.

38%38%voice dynamics: tone + inflection + volume + accent

+ non-word sounds; and...

Non-verbal communication or face Non-verbal communication or face and body language constitutes and body language constitutes

93%93% of message of message

Non-verbal communication or face Non-verbal communication or face and body language constitutes and body language constitutes

93%93% of message of message

Table of Contents

Non-verbal communication is Non-verbal communication is two-way communicationtwo-way communication

Non-verbal communication is Non-verbal communication is two-way communicationtwo-way communication

Table of Contents

Reading Nonverbal Reading Nonverbal Communication Cues Communication Cues


A large percentage of the meaning we derive from the non-verbal cues that the other person gives. Often a person says one

thing but communicates something totally different

through vocal intonation and body language.

Table of Contents



• These mixed signals force the receiver to choose between the verbal and nonverbal parts of the message. Most often, the receiver chooses the nonverbal aspects.

• Mixed messages create tension and distrust because the receiver senses that the communicator is hiding something or is being less than candid.

Table of Contents

Nonverbal communication Nonverbal communication is made up of the is made up of the following parts: following parts:

Nonverbal communication Nonverbal communication is made up of the is made up of the following parts: following parts:

• Visual Visual

• Tactile Tactile (Physical) (Physical)

Table of Contents

• Vocal Vocal

• Use of space Use of space and imageand image

VisualVisual VisualVisual

• This often called body language and includes facial expression, eye movement, posture, and gestures. The face is the biggest part of this. All of us "read" people's faces for ways to interpret what they say and feel.

Table of Contents

VisualVisualVisualVisual

• Of course we can easily misread these cues especially when communicating across cultures where gestures can mean something very different in another culture. For example, in American culture agreement might be indicated by the head going up and down whereas in India, a side-to-side head movement might mean the same thing.

Table of Contents

VisualVisualVisualVisual

• We also look to posture to provide cues about the communicator; posture can indicate self-confidence, aggressiveness, fear, guilt, or anxiety. Similarly, we look at gestures such as how we hold our hands, or a handshake. Many gestures are culture bound and susceptible to misinterpretation

Table of Contents

Tactile (Physical)Tactile (Physical)Tactile (Physical)Tactile (Physical)

• This involves the use of touch to impart meaning as in a handshake, a pat on the back or an arm around the shoulder.

Table of Contents

VocalVocalVocalVocal

• The meaning of words can be altered significantly by changing the intonation of one's voice.

• Think of how many ways you can say "no“

• you could express mild doubt, terror, amazement, anger among other emotions. Vocal meanings vary across cultures.

Table of Contents

ExampleExampleExampleExample

say it in a way that indicates that the employee is doing a rather average job.say it in a way that clearly indicates that

the employee is doing a great job.

“You are doing a good job”

Table of Contents

Have you noticed the difference?

Physical SpacePhysical Space Physical SpacePhysical Space

• For most of us, someone standing very close to us makes us uncomfortable. We feel our "space" has been invaded. People seek to extend their territory in many ways to attain power and intimacy. We tend to mark our territory either with permanent walls, or in a classroom with our coat, pen, paper, etc. We like to protect and control our territory.

Table of Contents

Public Zone

Social Zone

Personal Zone

Intimate Zone

Physical SpacePhysical Space Physical SpacePhysical Space

• The "intimate zone" is about two feet. This zone is reserved for our closest friends.

• The "personal zone" from about 2-4 feet usually is reserved for family and friends.

• The “social zone” (4-12 feet) is where most business transactions take place.

• The "public zone" (over 12 feet) is used for lectures.

Table of Contents

Physical SpacePhysical SpacePhysical SpacePhysical Space

• At the risk of stereotyping, we will generalize and state that Americans and Northern Europeans typify the non-contact group with small amounts of touching and relatively large spaces between them during transactions. Arabs and Latin normally stand closer together and do a lot of touching during communication.

Table of Contents

ImageImageImageImage

• We use "things" to communicate. This can involve expensive things, neat or messy things, photographs, plants, etc. We use clothing and other dimensions of physical appearance to communicate our values and expectations.

Table of Contents

The use of gestures, movements, material things and space can clarify or confuse the

meaning of verbal communication.

The use of gestures, movements, material things and space can clarify or confuse the

meaning of verbal communication.

Table of Contents

Nonverbal cues can play five roles:Nonverbal cues can play five roles:Nonverbal cues can play five roles:Nonverbal cues can play five roles:

• Repetition: they can repeat the message the person is making verbally

• Contradiction: they can contradict a message the individual is trying to convey

• Substitution: they can substitute for a verbal message. For example, a person's eyes can often convey a far more vivid message than words and often do

• Complementing: they may add to or complement a verbal message. A boss who pats a person on the back in addition to giving praise can increase the impact of the message

• Accenting: non-verbal communication may accept or underline a verbal message. Pounding the table, for example, can underline a message.

Table of Contents

Skillful communicators understand Skillful communicators understand the importance of nonverbal the importance of nonverbal

communication and use it to increase communication and use it to increase their effectiveness, as well as use it to their effectiveness, as well as use it to

understand more clearly what understand more clearly what someone else is really saying.someone else is really saying.

Skillful communicators understand Skillful communicators understand the importance of nonverbal the importance of nonverbal

communication and use it to increase communication and use it to increase their effectiveness, as well as use it to their effectiveness, as well as use it to

understand more clearly what understand more clearly what someone else is really saying.someone else is really saying.

A word of warning: Nonverbal cues can differ dramatically from culture to culture.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

This supervisor is struggling with one of the most important yet trickiest and most difficult management tasks: providing constructive and useful feedback to others.

"I don't know how to turn his performance around; he never used to have these attendance problems and his work used to be so good; I don't know why this is happening and what to do."

Effective feedback is absolutely essential to organizational effectiveness; people must know where they are and where to go next in terms of expectations and goals-yours, their own, and the organization. Table of Contents

Lack of constructive feedback is like Lack of constructive feedback is like sending people out on a dangerous sending people out on a dangerous

hike without a compass. hike without a compass.

This is especially true in today's fast This is especially true in today's fast changing and demanding workplace changing and demanding workplace

Table of Contents

How to do it?How to do it?How to do it?How to do it?

• Maintain a high degree of feedback throughout the communication process. Feedback is a constant barometer to let you know if the message you are sending is the same one that your employees are receiving.

• To get feedback, It is far more effective to ask open-ended questions, such as, “How would you approach this?” or “What questions do you have?”

Table of Contents

How to do it?How to do it?How to do it?How to do it?positive question-and-answer approach

helps create an atmosphere in which asking questions is entirely acceptable. In addition,

your behavior demonstrates some productive feedback techniques, and this can help your

employees learn and apply them.Table of Contents

Develop your skills in Develop your skills in constructive feedback constructive feedback Develop your skills in Develop your skills in

constructive feedback constructive feedback

• Feedback taps basic human needs-to improve, to compete, to be accurate; people want to be competent.

• Feedback can be reinforcing; if given properly, feedback is almost always appreciated and motivates people to improve.

Table of Contents

Develop your skills in Develop your skills in constructive feedbackconstructive feedbackDevelop your skills in Develop your skills in constructive feedbackconstructive feedback

• Be aware of the many reasons why people are hesitant to give feedback.

• It is crucial that we realize how critical feedback can be and overcome our difficulties; it is very important and can be very rewarding but it requires skill, understanding, courage, and respect for yourself and others.

Table of Contents

Why supervisors are often Why supervisors are often reluctant to provide feedbackreluctant to provide feedback

Why supervisors are often Why supervisors are often reluctant to provide feedbackreluctant to provide feedback

• fear of the other person's reaction; people can get very defensive and emotional when confronted with feedback and many supervisors are very fearful of the reaction

• the feedback may be based on subjective feeling and the supervisor may be unable to give concrete information if the other person questions the basis for the feedback

• the information on which the feedback is based (eg. performance appraisal) may be a very flawed process and the supervisor may not totally trust the information

Table of Contents

Other factors may get in the way Other factors may get in the way of effective feedback sessions: of effective feedback sessions: Other factors may get in the way Other factors may get in the way of effective feedback sessions: of effective feedback sessions:

• defensiveness, distorted perceptions, guilt, project, transference, distortions from the past

• misreading of body language, tone

• noisy transmission (unreliable messages, inconsistency)

• receiver distortion: selective hearing, ignoring non-verbal cues

• power struggles

• language-different levels of meaning

• supervisors hesitation to be candid

• assumptions-eg. assuming others see situation same as you, has same feelings as you

• distrusted source, erroneous translation, value judgment, state of mind of two people

Table of Contents

• Part of the feedback process involves understanding and predicting how the other person will react. Or in the case of our receiving feedback, we need to understand ways that we respond to feedback, especially threatening feedback.

• People often react negatively to threatening feedback. This reaction can take a number of forms including:

– selective reception and selective perception

– doubting motive of the giver

– denying validity of the data

– rationalizing

– attack the giver of the data

Table of Contents

Other factors may get in the way Other factors may get in the way of effective feedback sessions: of effective feedback sessions: Other factors may get in the way Other factors may get in the way of effective feedback sessions: of effective feedback sessions:

– Specific: "You wrote a thorough analysis on the Anderson project," rather than "You've been doing a good job lately."

– Timely: Give feedback as soon as possible. Excellent feedback presented at an inappropriate time may do more harm than good.

– Descriptive: Give facts. Talk about your observations, rather than what you'd concluded from your observations. Focus on the behavior not the person.

– Sensitive: When emotions run high, allow a cooling-off period before talking.

– Helpful: When feedback is negative, explore alternatives for improvement so the employee has goals to aim for. Use the "sandwich technique" by saying one positive statement followed by the negative feedback and then another compliment.

Characteristics of effective feedbackCharacteristics of effective feedbackCharacteristics of effective feedbackCharacteristics of effective feedback

Table of Contents

• Effective communication will only come if communicators at all organizational levels seek out feedback and take appropriate action to ensure that the intended meaning is passed on to the relevant audience.

Feedback is crucial for Feedback is crucial for effective communicationeffective communicationFeedback is crucial for Feedback is crucial for

effective communicationeffective communication

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

What is Active Listening?What is Active Listening?What is Active Listening?What is Active Listening?

By definition, listening to your employees means that you are truly paying attention to

what they are saying.

It is not a passive process in which you nod and raise an occasional eyebrow. Rather,

listening is an active and involved process in which you use several specific strategies

to be absolutely certain that the message you are receiving is the one your

employees are sending.

Table of Contents

• Good communication is a two-way street, a process of give and take between individuals.

What is Active Listening?What is Active Listening?What is Active Listening?What is Active Listening?

Table of Contents

Statistics support Active Statistics support Active ListeningListening

Statistics support Active Statistics support Active ListeningListening

Developing Active Listening SkillsDeveloping Active Listening SkillsDeveloping Active Listening SkillsDeveloping Active Listening Skills

– interviewing candidates

– solving work problems

– seeking to help an employee on work performance

– finding out reasons for performance discrepancies.

Table of Contents

• There are a number of situations when you need to solicit good information from others; these situations include:

• When you initiate conversations with employees, greet them personally and listen sincerely.

• Ask friendly questions, such as "How's the family?" and "What's going on with you?" Listen for hidden messages in words and actions.

• The speaker may not want to say certain things out of fear of a negative reaction. Be aware of the other person's body language and tone of voice. Attend to non-verbal cues, body language, not just words; listen between the lines


Table of Contents

• Look at the person; listen openly and with empathy.

• State your position openly; be specific, not global

• Respond in an interested way that shows you understand the problem and the employee's concern

• Use multiple techniques to fully comprehend (ask, repeat, rephrase, etc.).

• Ask the other person for as much detail as he/she can provide; paraphrase what the other is saying to make sure you understand it and check for understanding. Ask the other for his views or suggestions


Table of Contents

• Communicate your feelings but don't act them out (eg. tell a person that his behavior really upsets you; don't get angry)

• Judge the content, not the messenger or delivery; comprehend before you judge

• Be validating, not invalidating ("You wouldn't understand"); acknowledge other's uniqueness, importance

• Realize that when people feel threatened they will try to protect themselves; this is natural. This defensiveness can take the form of aggression, anger, competitiveness, avoidance among other responses. Be aware of the potential for defensiveness and make needed adjustment.


Table of Contents

• Be descriptive, not evaluative. Describe objectively, your reactions, consequences

• Be conjunctive, not disjunctive (not "I want to discuss this regardless of what you want to discuss");

• Don't totally control conversation; acknowledge what was said

• Own up: use "I", not "They"... not “They have heard you are non-cooperative"

• Don't react to emotional words, but interpret their purpose

• Practice supportive listening, not one way listening

• Decide on specific follow-up actions and specific follow up dates


Table of Contents

Approaches that Facilitates Approaches that Facilitates Active ListeningActive Listening

Approaches that Facilitates Approaches that Facilitates Active ListeningActive Listening

• Use various feedback techniques:

– rephrase what your employee has said. For example, after your employee presents his thoughts, you can say, “What you are saying is....”

– summarize what your employee has said. For example, when he has concluded a thought, you can say, “Let me recap what I’ve heard and you tell me if I’ve got it right.”

– interject questions in supportive and constructive tone whenever your employees’ points are unclear to you such as, “I’m not certain what you mean. Can you clarify that for me?”

Table of Contents

Miscommunication happens!Miscommunication happens!Miscommunication happens!Miscommunication happens!

In any communication at least some of the "meaning" lost in simple

transmission of a message from the sender to the receiver.

In many situations a lot of the true message is lost and the message that is heard is often far different than the one

intended.

Table of Contents

Miscommunication happens!Miscommunication happens!Miscommunication happens!Miscommunication happens!

The key point is that everything you do during the communication process is

sending a message to your employees.

As a result, there are countless opportunities for miscommunication and

confusion, particularly as the messages go through your employees’ filter

mechanisms.Table of Contents

Types of BarriersTypes of BarriersTypes of BarriersTypes of Barriers

Table of Contents

• Interpersonal Barriers

• Organizational Barriers

• Perception and perceptual selection processes

• Semantics (language)

• Channel selection

• Inconsistent verbal and nonverbal communication.

Table of Contents

Interpersonal barriers Interpersonal barriers Interpersonal barriers Interpersonal barriers

Interpersonal BarriersInterpersonal BarriersPerceptionPerception


• Communication depends on our perception, or how we perceive people, their motives, and intentions. We consciously and unconsciously choose from streams of sensory data, we concentrate on some bits, and we ignore others. We call this process "perceptual selection". Perceptual selection affects what we hear and how we hear it, and whether and how we are willing to respond (Buchanan and Huczynski, 1997).

• Perceptual Biases: People attend to stimuli in the environment in very different ways. We each have shortcuts that we use to organize data. Invariably, these shortcuts introduce some biases into communication. Some of these shortcuts include stereotyping, projection, and self-fulfilling prophecies. Stereotyping is one of the most common. This is when we assume that the other person has certain characteristics based on the group to which they belong without validating that they in fact have these characteristics.

Table of Contents



• Interpersonal Relationships: How we perceive communication is affected by the past experience with the individual. Perception is also affected by the organizational relationship two people have. For example, communication from a superior may be perceived differently than that from a subordinate or peer

• Assumptions-eg. assuming others see situation same as you, has same feelings as you affects the communication.

• Receiver distortion: selective hearing, ignoring non-verbal cues.

Table of Contents

How to minimize this barrier?• improve our self-awareness of our own

values, beliefs, and attitudes and how they affect our perception; and also improve our understanding of, and sensitivity to, others. Examples include recommendations to avoid stereotyping and to improve listening skills. While this advice helps minimize the barrier, it is primarily sender-focused; i.e. it is the supplier of information who is to be more aware and empathic.

Interpersonal BarriersInterpersonal BarriersSemantics/ Language: Semantics/ Language:

Interpersonal BarriersInterpersonal BarriersSemantics/ Language: Semantics/ Language:

• Semantics is the study of the meaning of

words or other symbols. Typically, we view semantics as a barrier to effective communication in organizations because words can be used imprecisely, inaccurately, or may mean different things to different people.

• The choice of words or language in which a sender encodes a message will influence the quality of communication.

How to minimize this barrier?• pay careful attention to the choice of

words and language so that confusion or offence is avoided.

Table of Contents

Interpersonal BarriersInterpersonal BarriersChannel Selection Channel Selection

Interpersonal BarriersInterpersonal BarriersChannel Selection Channel Selection

• When improving communication in organizations, attention is rightfully given to how to send the message, or the selection of a channel (oral or written media). Selecting a channel that does not fit the message can lead to a breakdown in communication.

• For example, we know that emotional or complex messages are usually most effectively communicated face-to-face.

How to minimize this barrier?• To date, research has shown that matching

characteristics of the message (how clear vs ambiguous, how rational vs emotional, and how routine vs non-routine) to the channel can improve the effectiveness of communication. A complicated message should be sent through a "rich" channel, such as a face-to-face meeting (e.g. Lengel and Daft, 1988).

Table of Contents

Interpersonal BarriersInterpersonal BarriersInconsistent verbal and Inconsistent verbal and

non-verbal communicationnon-verbal communication

Interpersonal BarriersInterpersonal BarriersInconsistent verbal and Inconsistent verbal and

non-verbal communicationnon-verbal communication

• We often find in organizations that inconsistent verbal and non-verbal communication can lead to a communication breakdown. Inconsistency confuses a receiver who tries to figure out the "true" message of the sender and then relies heavily on the non-verbal actions to decode meaning.

How to minimize this barrier?• Minimize any inconsistencies between words

and manner of speaking, facial expressions, and posture.

Table of Contents

Organizational Barriers Organizational Barriers Organizational Barriers Organizational Barriers

• Physical distractions

• Information overload

• Time pressure

• Technical and in-group language

• Status differences

• Task and organization structure requirements

• Absence of formal communication channels

Table of Contents

Organizational Barriers Organizational Barriers Physical distractionsPhysical distractions

Organizational Barriers Organizational Barriers Physical distractionsPhysical distractions

• Physical distractions in organizations include interruptions, noise, and equipment breakdowns. The reality of organizational life is that at best we can try to minimize distractions instead of eliminating them altogether.

How to minimize this barrier?• advise supervisors to minimize these

distractions whenever possible.

Table of Contents

• Information overload can be a by-product of the sheer volume of information and data that managers deal with on a daily basis. A large part of a manager's job is information-processing (Mintzberg, 1973). One off-cited study has estimated that managers spend up to 80 per cent of every day communicating (Luthans and Larsen, 1986).

Organizational Barriers Organizational Barriers Information overloadInformation overload

Organizational Barriers Organizational Barriers Information overloadInformation overload

How to minimize this barrier?• Reduce the amount of information that

requires processing or to develop time-management skills to cope with higher amounts.

Table of Contents

Organizational Barriers Organizational Barriers Time pressureTime pressure

Organizational Barriers Organizational Barriers Time pressureTime pressure

• Time pressure is another barrier to communication that is ever-present in organizations. We have advised managers to recognize that the timing of a message can affect whether the message influences the receiver in the way intended.

How to minimize this barrier?• Recommend sensitivity to

organizational time periods. Select the best time when you communicate important messages.

Table of Contents

Organizational Barriers Organizational Barriers Technical and in-group languageTechnical and in-group languageOrganizational Barriers Organizational Barriers Technical and in-group languageTechnical and in-group language

• Technical and in-group language is another barrier to communication in organizations, particularly when organizational subunits are highly differentiated or when organizational members are highly professionalized. Technical and professional vocabularies make it hard for one individual or group to communicate with another.

How to minimize this barrier?• have prescribed recognizing and

minimizing specialist vocabularies whenever possible.

• Simplify terms and consider the technical level when communicating.

Table of Contents

Organizational Barriers Organizational Barriers Status differencesStatus differences

Organizational Barriers Organizational Barriers Status differencesStatus differences

• Status differences can be large or small in an organization. Large status differences are thought to contribute to problems with communication.

How to minimize this barrier?• Advocate minimizing status differences

with the responsibility on the higher status person to reduce the distance (Hunt, 1985).

Table of Contents

Organizational Barriers Organizational Barriers Task and organization Task and organization structure requirementsstructure requirements

Organizational Barriers Organizational Barriers Task and organization Task and organization structure requirementsstructure requirements

• Task and organization structure requirements can provide barriers to effective communication. The tasks people perform will affect who talks to whom, the urgency and speed of messages, and what information people need to share. As a direct consequence of hierarchy, we can find filtering (intentionally or unintentionally leaving out parts of a message), distortion (to serve individual goals), and refusal to communicate (either because of oversight or deliberately not sharing information) (Hunt, 1980).

How to minimize this barrier?• Use structural devices such as

multifunctional teams, task forces, or integrating supervisors, or decentralize decision making and access to information so that authority is aligned with responsibility.

Table of Contents

Organizational Barriers Organizational Barriers Absence of formal Absence of formal

communication channelscommunication channels

Organizational Barriers Organizational Barriers Absence of formal Absence of formal

communication channelscommunication channels

• When there is an absence of formal communication channels, it is difficult to get information from employee to manager, from manager to employee, from subunit to subunit, and from customer to supplier. In organizations we need channels to transmit information about performance, goals and goal achievement, procedures and practices, and to foster coordination and problem solving across the organizational boundaries.

How to minimize this barrier?• Develop many ways to improve upward

communication (e.g. suggestion systems, performance reports, attitude surveys), downward communication (e.g., videos, newsletters, briefings and meetings) and horizontal communication (e.g. electronic networks and intranets, and quality circles).

Table of Contents

Internal NoiseInternal NoiseInternal NoiseInternal Noise

• These are the internal noise going on in your own head that can distract you and distort what you are saying and hearing including your expectations, biases, wandering mind, or attention focused on other matters.

• How to overcome?– When you are communicating with your

employees, the best approach is to give them your undivided attention.

Table of Contents

Internal NoiseInternal NoiseInternal NoiseInternal Noise

• They are also the internal noise of the people with whom you are communicating (can be detected by their questions, their distracted appearance, or their off-target comments.)

• How to overcome?– When this occurs, run a reality check to find out what the

blockages may be. The best way to do this is to ask a few questions based on what you are observing, such as, “Have I missed something?”. By focusing the question on your own actions, you make it much easier for your employee to answer honestly.

– Depending upon what you learn from your positive questioning approach, you can then adjust your comments to increase the likelihood of having real two-way communication.

Table of Contents

The Johari WindowThe Johari WindowThe Johari WindowThe Johari Window

• The open (public) area contains things that are openly known and talked about - and which may be seen as strengths or weaknesses. This is the self that we choose to share with others

• The blind area contains things that others observe that we don't know about. Again, they could be positive or negative behaviors, and will affect the way that others act towards us.

• The unknown area contains things that nobody knows about us - including ourselves. This may be because we've never exposed those areas of our personality, or because they're buried deep in the subconscious.

• The hidden (private) area contains aspects of our self that we know about and keep hidden from others.

A FactA FactA FactA Fact

Communication skills and effectiveness can be

improved

Table of Contents

The following Slides show some recommendations on

Have a Clear MessageHave a Clear Message Have a Clear MessageHave a Clear Message

• your message should be clear in your own mind before you ever send it. If your thinking is a little vague, or if your objectives are rather sketchy, that is exactly how your message will be communicated and received.

Table of Contents

Understand Your EmployeesUnderstand Your EmployeesUnderstand Your EmployeesUnderstand Your Employees

• The fact is that your employees have a vast array of motivations, expectations, values, and styles that need to be recognized if you want to communicate effectively with them. By understanding as much as possible about your employees, you can then select the best style, channel, vocabulary, volume, sentence structure, content, format, and timing to communicate successfully with them.

Table of Contents

Getting out of the e-mail boxGetting out of the e-mail boxGetting out of the e-mail boxGetting out of the e-mail box

Some bosses tend to rely excessively on e-mail, with some believing that once they

have sent a particular message, the communication process is complete.

This is merely one-way communication of the most limited form, because matters of intonation, volume, pace, and

inflection are missing.

Table of Contents


E-mail can be very helpful and productive for transmitting specific facts or data

but all sorts of problems can arise when the issues are even slightly complex, and that describes most business issues today.

Why?

Because e-mail is one-dimensional and lacks so many of the elements present in face-to-face communication, there is a

tremendous potential for conflict and confusion. The main reason is that neither the sender nor the receiver picks up sufficient cues

to really know what the other is trying to say. As a result, even the most basic e-mail communication has the potential to quickly

escalate into a war of words.

Table of Contents


When your employees ask you to intervene electronically to resolve a misunderstanding, do not do it.

Rather, pick up the phone to discuss the situation, or, preferably, set up a face-to-face

meeting. It’s rather amazing that many of these meetings actually involve people who work just

down the hall from each other.

Table of Contents

Don’t Be DefensiveDon’t Be DefensiveDon’t Be DefensiveDon’t Be Defensive

• A major source of problem in communication is defensiveness. Effective communicators are aware that defensiveness is a typical response in a work situation especially when negative information or criticism is involved. Be aware that defensiveness is common, particularly with subordinates when you are dealing with a problem. Try to make adjustments to compensate for the likely defensiveness.

Table of Contents

What does What does effective communication require?effective communication require?

What does What does effective communication require?effective communication require?

• Effective communication requires awareness and a committed, cooperative effort among all people involved, so it is not always possible at the moment - unless all people voluntarily contribute these.

Table of Contents

• Some subjects should not be matters of public discussion in the workplace. These include an employee's work performance, your feelings about company policy and difficulties you have with your boss.

• It's also important to keep confidential any personal problems employees bring to you and anything anyone tells you in confidence. The only exception to this practice would be when keeping quiet involves breaking the law or company policy.

Learn When It's Better to Keep QuietLearn When It's Better to Keep QuietLearn When It's Better to Keep QuietLearn When It's Better to Keep Quiet

Table of Contents

• Ensure that one of your key values is open communication.

• Unless told otherwise, supervisors are authorized to communicate.

• Management credibility and trust should only come with a demonstrated track record of truthful, open communication.

• Communication about significant happenings needs to be thoroughly planned. Being too busy is not an acceptable excuse for inadequate or ineffective communication.

• Care should be taken to decide what requires formal communication and by whom, and what can be communicated informally.

• Significant information should show who has authorized its release and be released in all locations at the same time.

Open communicationOpen communicationOpen communicationOpen communication

Table of Contents

• In communicating, favour local issues, especially serious business issues (such as business results, customer feedback, and the future of the business).

• Communication issues which arise at local level (e.g. cross-functional issues, rumours) should be addressed by those involved without delay.

Local business issues Local business issues are favouredare favoured

Local business issues Local business issues are favouredare favoured

Table of Contents

• Important information must be made available to team leaders (Supervisors) in a timely manner to enable team leaders to communicate it to their teams. Information should be both cascaded down the organization and communicated direct to team leaders as appropriate.

• It is better to over-communicate than under-communicate. Team leaders should make clear what information is available and communicate as requested.

• Effective team leaders should regularly communicate with team members on a formal and informal basis, and actively seek feedback from their teams on the effectiveness of communication with them.

The team leader’s role is criticalThe team leader’s role is criticalThe team leader’s role is criticalThe team leader’s role is critical

Table of Contents

• Training in effective communication should always be available to team leaders, supervisors and managers.

• Communication materials and support should be provided to managers, supervisors and team leaders as appropriate.

Training should be providedTraining should be providedTraining should be providedTraining should be provided

Table of Contents

• All communication must be truthful, and the impact and consequences of communication determined in advance and taken into account.

• It also means effective communication of job requirements and standards, and keeping everyone informed of how they are performing. There should be "no surprises" when it comes to individual performance feedback.

• Information provided to any one person should be also provided at the same time to all others involved or likely to be interested.

• The special communication needs of shift employees or employees located in remote locations should always be considered.

• Mischievous communication (e.g. starting or spreading rumours known to be untrue) should not be tolerated.

Communication must respect Communication must respect individualsindividuals

Communication must respect Communication must respect individualsindividuals

Table of Contents

• Be committed to communicating both good and bad news speedily, in advance if possible, even if the full impact of the decision or message are not yet clear. Rumours in the workplace should be addressed with effective communication as soon as is practicable.

• Communicating on a "need to know" basis, avoiding controversial issues, or delaying communication "until all details are clear" are contrary to this goal.

Communicate both positive and Communicate both positive and negative newsnegative news

Communicate both positive and Communicate both positive and negative newsnegative news

Table of Contents

• Print, both hard copy and electronic, remains the primary means of communication in most medium to large organizations even though this is popular with only about 10 percent of frontline employees. Employees say they want face-to-face communication.

• E-mail is very popular as a source of timely news. But employees typically think that this is "information not communication".

• Only when communication is largely face-to-face with the immediate supervisor will it stand any real chance of being effective. Forget print. Communicate directly from senior executives to supervisors face-to-face (with printed support materials if appropriate) and get supervisors to communicate with their people.

Increase Face-to-Face Increase Face-to-Face CommunicationCommunication

Increase Face-to-Face Increase Face-to-Face CommunicationCommunication

Table of Contents

Ensure Supervisors' Ensure Supervisors' accountabilitiesaccountabilities

Ensure Supervisors' Ensure Supervisors' accountabilitiesaccountabilities

• Obviously, supervisors need to be responsible for effective communication in their teams. They need to communicate face-to-face but not necessarily in meetings. Some supervisors may be nervous of speaking in public, and some employees do get militant in meetings. If they prefer to communicate one-to-one that's fine.

• Supervisors should consult with and involve their people in decisions to do with their work as much as possible. They also need to represent employees to management, passing on employees' feedback, ideas, questions and concerns.

Table of Contents

Ensure supervisors Ensure supervisors communicatecommunicate

Ensure supervisors Ensure supervisors communicatecommunicate

• On one hand it's critical that supervisors have a good knowledge of what's going on in the organization. On the other hand it's important that supervisors' effectiveness is measured. As Tom Peters reminds us "what get measured gets done".

• This can be done with an upward or 360 degree review (or appraisal) system, or with a simple communication survey. This asks subordinates to rate their supervisor's communication effectiveness in terms of quality and frequency and to make comments to help their supervisor improve their communication skills. The results are fed back to the supervisors and their managers.

Table of Contents

Measure communication Measure communication effectivenesseffectiveness


• If you're serious about internal communication, it's important to measure your communication effectiveness from time to time. This can be done by way of a communication audit or employee survey.

• Your choices are to use a questionnaire or focus groups, or both. Questionnaires are good for measurement (especially longitudinally over time) and for gathering the opinions of employees in far flung locations (such as one of my recent surveys which covered 15 countries in almost as many languages). With questionnaire surveys it's usually cost effective these days to survey all employees.

Table of Contents



• Focus groups are good for getting very detailed feedback from employees when knowing exactly how to improve is more important than measurement. They are often used when it is easy to get to a representative sample of employees in a few key locations.

• Obviously it's best to use both a questionnaire to all employees followed up by some focus groups to investigate specific problems or areas where there are especially good or bad results.

Table of Contents

ReferencesReferencesReferencesReferences

• Several Internet Resources in Effective Communication

• Employee Communication & Surveys http://www.employee-communication.com.au/index.jsp

• Using vision to improve organizational communication (An Emerald Article by Dawn Kelly) http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/01437730010318183

• Be the Boss Your Employees Deserve (A book by Ken Lloyd) http://www.box.net/shared/uhu990qeji

• The Importance of Effective Communication (Research by HRD Specialist Edward G. Wertheim) http://web.cba.neu.edu/~ewertheim/interper/commun.htm#introd#introd

Visit my e-Library @ http://yousefmulla.4shared.comE-mail @ [email protected]

Documents

Effective Communication at Workplace