Communicating For Desired Results

The real communication is the message received and not the message intended

Missed communication

As the Manager Requested it.

As Purchasing ordered it.

As Marketing wrote it up.

As the Art Dept. designed it.

As the Supervisor implemented it.

What the Employee really wanted!

What do you think communication is? How would you define it?

What is Communication?

Communication is defined as the interchange of thoughts or opinions through shared symbols; e.g. language, words, phrases The odds of this happening in typical interpersonal situations are about 25%!

Why we are talking about communication

People in organizations typically spend over 75% of their time in an interpersonal situation.

Studies reveal that

70%

of mistakes at

workplace are a direct result of poor communication

Why Talk of Communication?

Your Quality of Life Depends Primarily on Your Communication Skills You Cannot Be Too Good at Communication People Overestimate Their Own Communication Skills

When communication fails ?

Loss of time Loss of respect Loss of business Loss of money Loss of confidence Loss of credibility Loss of relationship Loss of staff Loss of trust Loss of a client

When communication succeeds ?

People feel good People do their jobs well People work together People feel motivated People understand People save time People feel empowered People assume responsibility People share information People respect, trust and like you People listen

Shared Symbols

Sometimes when we communicate we assume we are using shared symbols when we Actually might not be Think about the term ASAP, as soon as possible. What does it really mean? Think about how the meaning might change in the situations on the next slide

Shared Symbols
How might your meaning of ASAP change in these situations

Someone from another department calls. He needs some detailed information ASAP; but you are already rather busy A coworker comes to you for help with an assignment. She needs you ASAP; but you have another job to finish before lunch.

Your immediate supervisor, whom you like to please, asks you to type a memo for him/ her ASAP; but you already have a stack of other jobs to finish.

Shared Symbols

Someone from another department calls. He needs some detailed information ASAP; but you are already rather busy.

In this situation, you might interpret ASAP as when I have finished all of my own work and have a chance to get to it. It might be tomorrow or the next day.

Shared Symbols

A coworker comes to you for help with an assignment. S/he needs you ASAP; but you have another job to finish before lunch.

In this situation, you might interpret ASAP as after I have finished my own work, I will help out after lunch.

Shared Symbols

Your immediate supervisor, whom you like to please, asks you to type a memo for her ASAP; but you already have a stack of other jobs to finish. In this situation, you might interpret ASAP as Ill do this now and finish my other work afterwards.

Shared Symbols

In the previous examples, weve seen the meaning of ASAP change from in a few days to immediately. Many other words and phrases are also vague and have different meanings for different people.

Shared symbols are not always completely shared. The message intended is not always the message received.

Organizations that communicate effectively work hard to insure that the sender and the receiver share similar contexts for messages so that both understand them in the same way.

KEY FINDINGS

Companies that communicate effectively have a 19.4 percent higher market premium than companies that do not. Shareholder returns for organizations with the most effective communication were over 57 percent higher over the last five years (2000-2004) than were returns for firms with less effective communication. The 2005/2006 study found evidence that communication effectiveness is a leading indicator of financial performance. Firms that communicate effectively are 4.5 times more likely to report high levels of employee engagement versus firms that communicate less effectively. Companies that are highly effective communicators are 20 percent more likely to report lower

We each communicate to fill up to six needs

To feel respected (in all situations), and To give or get information, and/or To vent (be empathically understood and respected); and/or To cause change or action; and/or To create excitement and reduce boredom, and/or To avoid something unpleasant, like silence or confrontation

How do we communicate?
Think of the many ways in which you communicate

How we communicate
We communicate and build interpersonal relationships through:

Speech Writing Listening Non-verbal language Music, art, and crafts

Barriers to Communication
What are barriers to communication that exist in any work setting? Take a few moments to think of some.

Barriers to communication

Unclear process: The receiver and sender may not share the same language, slang, jargon, vocabulary, symbols Chain of command: There may be too many layers that a message passes through between sender and receiver

Large size of an organization, geographic distance: Large numbers of receivers require good message sending methods
Personal limitations: Differences in intelligence and education, culture etc. may interfere with mutual understanding

Barriers to communication
Additional common barriers to interpersonal communication include:

Human nature: Peoples egos, prejudices, and traditions can get in the way Conflicting feelings, goals, opinions: If people feel on opposite sides of an issue they may not share Power: The idea that knowledge is power can lead to information hoarding

Consider this example

Rita: "I won't make it to work again tomorrow; this pregnancy keeps me nauseous and my doctor says I should probably be reduced to part time. Boss: Rita, this is the third day you've missed and your appointments keep backing up; we have to cover for you and this is messing all of us up.

Communication is so difficult because at each step in the process there major potential for error.

Rita is communicating far more than that she would miss work; she is conveying a number of complex emotions, complicated by her own complex feelings about pregnancy, work, and her future.

Boss heard far more than a simple message that Rita won't be at work today. The boss "heard" hostility from Rita, indifference, lack of consideration, among other emotions. Rita may not have meant this, but this is what the boss heard.

A Role Play
Ashok: My project coordinator, Neha, is in a slump; she's just not producing her usual caliber of work. I need to find out what the problem is. On the surface, it would seem that getting good information is easy. But like other forms of communication, it takes planning and experience to develop skills in this area

Key Techniques
Focus the discussion on the information needed Neha, I've noticed in the past month that you've fallen behind on keeping the project schedule current. I'd like to figure out with you what we both can do to get it back on track. Use open-ended questions to expand the discussion You've always kept the schedule up to the minute-until about a month ago. Why the change?

Use closed ended questions to prompt for specifics "What projects are you working on that take time away from your work on this project "So it sounds like these phone calls have ended up taking a lot more time than you or Jay expected; you think the three of us should talk about priorities; is this your position?"

Summarize the key points; try to get some

agreement on the next steps and show appreciation for the effort made so far. "So let's call Jay right now and set up a time when we can meet and iron this out; keeping the schedule updated is a high priority and I'd like to get this settled by Wednesday.

Try out these summarizing phrases:

If I understand you correctly, your main concerns are These seem to be the key ideas you have expressed

Test your questioning skills

Rephrase the following closed questions to make them openended:

Are you feeling tired now? What tires you out? Isnt today a nice day? What kind of weather are we having today? Was the last activity useful? How was the last activity useful? Is there anything bothering you? Tell me what is on your mind.

Example
Smita: Hi Meghana Meghana: Hi Smita Smita: I saw your report. You need to prepare that again by the end of today Meghana: But Why? Smita: I am not getting any results out of that Meghana: I cannot do that again and anyways its impossible to do it today Smita: Try to understand. I need it today. Meghana: I am sorry I dont have time today Smita: You must Meghana: I already told you so that I cant do it today

Finally depart they depart without any conclusions

Example
Smita: Hi Meghana Meghana: Hi Smita Smita: I saw your report. I think we missed some analysis in it. We may have to do it again by the end of today

Meghana: But Why? Smita: We are not getting any channel analysis out of this and the meeting is to discuss the channel effectiveness Meghana: I cannot do that again and I have to finish the presentation I am putting together for the campus drive Smita: Meghana, we need to present that data..else whatever we do now will not be of any use. I know you put in your best efforts in that report. Meghana: I am sorry its not possible to do that today and I dont think I can do this quickly on my own. Smita: Ok..I will have Ankit join you on this and if possible I will join you guys to finish this task Meghana: I dont think you need to join in. If you can ask Ankit to work with me, I think we can finish this by the end of today. Smita: Thanks a lot Meghana Meghana: Thats my job.

Finally they depart with positive conclusion

Example

FYI From: Sent: 12-05-2008 11:39 AM To: Subject: RE: One time Bonus Approved From: Sent: Friday, May 09, 2008 6:14 PM To: Subject: One time Bonus Hi, As discussed earlier, please approve the following one time bonus payouts. One Time Bonus for: X Y Z

Feedback an example
State the constructive purpose of your feedback Id like to give you some feedback about your training style so that your evaluations will be more positive and you will enjoy it more. Tell specifically what you have observed I notice that you rely heavily on your notes. Address and describe your reactions I feel as though you are unsure of yourself when you read. Tender specific suggestions for improvement I can help you develop a PowerPoint presentation so that you can use the screens as a cue instead of being tied to your notes. Express your support for the person You know a lot about the subject. With practice you can become a good trainer.

Communicating as a manager/leader
Develop your communication skills Be Clear Be Concise Be Correct Be Complete Be Positive Learn to listen

Body Language

What message are you sending if someone is presenting a new idea and you are frowning What message are you sending if you are dressed casually at an important meeting? What message are you sending if you are looking at other things and people in a room when someone is speaking to you? What message are you sending if you keep moving closer to a person who is backing away from you? What message are you sending if during a disagreement you start speaking very loudly? What message are you sending if you are consistently late for meetings?

Look Like You're Listening

Ideas to help you not only listen better, but to look like you are listening, and to demonstrate caring to the person:

After having a dialog with friends or family members, ask them to give you a 1-10 assessment of how much you looked like you cared about their remarks. Find a partner and practice communication while recording it on video. Turn off the sound and just watch your non-verbal behavior. How much caring and respect are your communicating? Try to eliminate all distractions when others are speaking to you. When you are doing other work, answering emails, or interfacing with your computer while someone is speaking to you -- you may not look like you care. Ask questions that let the other person know you have heard what they have to say and would like to learn more.

Communication is the glue that holds organizations together

Whats next?

Communication Worksheet

Identify a communication problem you have experienced with an employee. Identify your contribution to the problem. Identify the steps you could take to effectively resolve the problem. Think of a situation in your work experience in which lack of communication caused you or someone else unneeded worry or anxiety. List ways you might have changed the outcome of the situation by using good communication skills

Thanks