Transcript Collaborative Business Networks and Technology Companies

Effective Communication
Chapter 11
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Communication is the transfer of a message that
is both received and understood.
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Effective communication is a higher order of
communication. It means the message is
received, understood, and being acted on in
the desired manner.
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Communication is the oil that keeps the total quality
engine running. Without it, total quality breaks
down.
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Communication plays the role of facilitation in a
total quality setting.
Effective Communication
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Communication is a process that involves a
message, sender, receiver, and medium.
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The message is what is being transmitted
(information, emotion, intent, or something else).
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The sender is the originator of the message
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The receiver is the person to whom it goes.
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The medium is the vehicle used to transfer the
message.
four levels of communication.
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One-On-One-Level Communication - One-one level
communication involves one person communicating within a peer
group.
Team-Level Communication -The primary difference between oneon-one and team-level communication is that, with the latter, all team
members are involved in the process at once. A team meeting called
to solve a problem or to set goals would be an opportunity for teamlevel communication.
Company-Level Communication - Company-level communication is
communication among groups. A meeting involving various different
departments within a company is an opportunity for company level
communication.
Community-Led Communication - Community-led communication
occurs when groups inside of a company and groups outside the
company. The most common examples of community- level
communication are a company's sales force communicating with
clients and the purchasing department communicating with vendors.
Inhibiting Effective Communication
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Various factors can inhibit communication.
Prominent among these are:
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Differences in meaning
A lack of trust
Information overload
Interference
Premature judgments
“Kill the Messenger” syndrome
Condescending tone
Inaccurate assumptions
Listening problems.
Various factors can inhibit
communication
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Differences in Meaning - People have different backgrounds,
levels of education, and cultures.
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Lack of Trust - If receivers do not trust senders, they may be
overly sensitive and guarded.
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words, gestures, and facial expressions can have altogether
different means to different people.
This is why managers should invest time getting to know
employees.
They might concentrate so hard on reading between the lines
and looking for hidden agendas that they miss the message.
Information Overload - Information overload is more of an
inhibitor than it has ever been.
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Computers, modems, satellite communication, facsimile
machines, electronic mail, and the many other technological
devices developed to promote and enhance communications
can actually cause breakdowns in communication.
Various factors can inhibit
communication
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Interference - Interference is any external distraction that
inhibits effective communication.
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Condescending Tone - A condescending tone when
conveying information can inhibit effective communication.
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People do not like being talked down to and typically respond
to tone of voice as much as or more than the content of a
message.
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Poor Listening Skills - Poor listening skills can seriously
inhibit effective communication.
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Premature Judgement - Premature judgments by either the
sender or the receiver can inhibit effective communication.
Various factors can inhibit
communication
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Inaccurate Assumptions - Our perceptions are
influenced by our assumptions.
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Consequently, inaccurate assumptions tend to shut down
communication before it has a change to get started.
Kill-the-Messenger Syndrome - In the days when
gladiators dueled in Rome's Coliseum, it was common
practice to kill the bearer of bad news.
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Managers who kill the manager when an employee tells
the hard truth will eventually hear only what employees
think they want to hear.
This dangerous situation quickly leads to uninformed illadvised managers.
Good listening
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Good listening means receiving the message, correctly
decoding it, and accurately perceiving what it means.
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Inhibitors
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Lack of Concentration
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Preconceived Ideas
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Thinking Ahead
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Interruptions
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Tuning Out
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Interference
Good Listening Inhibitors
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Lack of Concentration - Concentration requires the listener to
eliminate as many extraneous distractions as possible and shut
out the rest mentally.
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Preconceived Ideas - Managers who jump to preconceived
notions don't give themselves a chance to listen effectively.
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Preconceived ideas can cause them to make premature
judgment that turn out to be wrong.
Thinking Ahead - Managers who jump ahead to where they think
the conversation is going often get there only to find they are
alone.
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Managers will find that it takes less time to hear an employee
out than it does to start over after jumping ahead to the wrong
conclusion.
Good Listening Inhibitors
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Interruptions - Interruptions not only inhibit effective listening,
they can frustrate and confuse the speaker.
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If clarification is needed during a conversation, it is best to
make a mental note and wait for the speaker to reach an interim
stopping point
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Tuning Out - Some people become skilled at using body language
to make it appear they are listening while, in reality, their mind is
focused on other areas of concern.
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Interference - Interference is anything that distracts the listener,
thereby impeding either hearing or perception or both.
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Background noises, a telephone ringing, and people walking in
and out of the office are all examples of interference.
Improving Written Communication
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Plan before you write - Planning before writing is a matter of
deciding who you are writing to, why, and what you want to say before
beginning to write.
Be brief - Reading takes time and effort. Keep this in mind in writing.
Be brief. In as few words as possible, explain your purpose, state
your points, and tell recipients what you want them to do.
Be direct - Directness is an extension of brevity. It means getting to
the point without beating around the bush.
Be accurate - Accuracy is important in written communication. Be
exact. Avoid vague phrases and terms such as some time ago,
approximately and as soon as possible.
Practice self-editing - In your first draft, concentrate on what you are
saying. In the second draft, concentrate on how you say it. These
are two different processes that should not be mixed. Even
professional writers find it difficult to edit for content and edit for
grammar, sentence structure, and spelling simultaneously.
Improving Written Reports
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Define the problem - Before beginning to write a report, managers should finish the
following sentence: "The purpose of this report is to...." The problem statement for a
report should be brief, to the point, descriptive, and accurate.
Develop a workplan - A workplan is a list of the tasks to be completed and a projected
date of completion for each task.
Gather relevant data - This step involves collecting all data pertaining to the problem
in question. This is the research step. It might involve searching through files, reading
other reports, interviewing employees and/or customers, running tests, or any other
action step that will yield useful data.
Process findings - Information is simply data that have been converted into a useful
form. Processing findings means converting the raw data collected in the previous step
into information upon which recommendations can be based. This involves both
analysis and synthesis.
Develop conclusions. - The conclusions explain what caused the problem.
Conclusions should be based on hard facts, stated objectively, and free of personal
opinions or editorializing.
Make recommendations - Recommendations should grow out of the conclusions.
Arrange recommendations sequentially in order of priority. Give options whenever
possible. Recommendations should be specific and detailed, indicating time frames,
the people responsible for carrying them out, costs, and any other pertinent information
Five personality traits and how they
can affect communication.
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Introversion versus extroversion. An introvert is not likely to
volunteer much information because they are more likely to be
silent and reclusive.
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Neuroticism versus emotional stability. When trying to
communicate with neurotic people, it is necessary to be patient,
understated, and calm because they tend to see the bad side of any
situation.
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When trying to communicate with an extrovert, it might be
difficult to get a word in because they are talkative, sociable, and
enthusiastic.
When trying to communicate with emotionally stable people,
they tend to have a more realistic perspective.
Agreeable versus stubborn. With stubborn people, it is wise to
first invest some time earning their trust so as to overcome their
inherent suspiciousness.
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Agreeable people are friendly and easy to communicate with.
Five personality traits and how they
can affect communication.
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Conscientious versus undependable. When trying to
communicate with undependable people, it is wise to
summarize and repeat what has been agreed to and be
confident enough in what you are saying to offset the other
person’s tendency toward faint-heartedness.
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Open to experience versus prefer the familiar. When
trying to communicate with open people, rein them in and
keep them focused and on task. When trying to
communicate with familiar oriented people, take time to get
them to think outside the box.
Guidelines to Improved
Communication
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Keep up-to-date - Managers should make an effort to stay
up-to-date with new information relating to the workplace.
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Prioritize and determine the time constraints Communicating does not mean simply passing on everything
you learn to your employees. Analyze your information and
decide what your employees need to have. Then prioritize it
from urgent to when time permits and share the information
accordingly.
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Decide who to inform - After you have prioritized your
information, decide who needs to have it. Employees have
enough to keep up with without receiving information they
don't need.
Guidelines to Improved
Communication
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Determine how to communicate - A combination of
communicating orally, in writing, one-on-one, in groups, and
others will probably be more effective than any one method
taken by itself.
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Communicate and follow up - Don’t just tell employees
what you want them to know, follow up. Encourage
employees to ask you questions for clarification.
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Check understanding and obtain feedback - Check to see
that your communication was understood. Is the employee
undertaking the correct next steps? Get feedback from
employees to ensure that their understanding has not
changed and that progress is being made.