1. Effective Communication
Chapter 11
Effective Communication

2. Objectives
After reading the chapter and reviewing the materials presented the students will be able to:
Define communication.
Understand the role of communication in total quality.
Recognize inhibitors of communication.
Communicate by listening.
Communicate verbally and in writing.
Improve communications.

3. Defining Communication
Communication is the transfer of a message (information, idea, emotion, intent, feeling) that is both received and understood.
Effective communication means that the message is received, understood, and acted on in the desired manner. This means that effective communication may require persuasion, motivation, monitoring, and leadership on the part of managers.

4. Communication Levels
One on one level communication involves one person communicating with one other person. This might involve a face to face conversation, a telephone call, etc.
Team or unit level communication is communication within a peer group. This could be a team meeting called to solve a problem or to set goals.
Company level communication is communication among groups. For example, a meeting involving various different departments within a company.
Community level communication occurs among groups inside the company and groups outside the company. For example, sales force communicating with clients or purchasing department communicating with vendors.

5. Role of Communication in Total Quality
If total quality is the engine, communication is the oil that keeps it running.
Much of what total quality is all about depends on effective communication.
Some of the key elements of the total quality concept are customer focus (internal and external), total employee involvement and empowerment, leadership, teamwork, decision making, problem prevention, problem solving, and conflict resolution.
Each of these elements depends on effective communication.

6. Process of Communication
The components of communication are the message, the sender, the receiver, and the medium.
The message is the information, idea, feeling, or intent that is to be conveyed, understood, accepted, and acted on.
There are four basic categories of media: verbal, non verbal (gestures, body language), written, and electronic.

7. Inhibitors of Communication
Differences in meaning: Words, gestures, and facial expressions can have different meanings to different people.
Lack of trust: If receivers do not trust senders, they may look for hidden agendas and miss the message.
Information overload: Managers can guard against information overload by screening, organizing, summarizing, and simplifying the information they convey to employees.
Interference: Managers must be attentive to the environment in which they plan to communicate.
Condescending tone: It is a mistake to talk down to employees.
Poor listening skills: Problems can occur when the sender does not listen to the receiver and vice versa.
Premature judgments: It is important for managers to listen non judgmentally when listening to employees.
Inaccurate assumptions: Inaccurate assumptions tend to shut down communication before it has a chance to get started.
Kill the messenger syndrome: Managers who “kill the messenger” when the employee tells the hard truth will eventually hear only what employees think management wants to hear.

8. Communicating by Listening
Effective listening means receiving the message, correctly decoding it, and accurately perceiving what it means.
Inhibitors to effective listening: Lack of concentration, interruptions, preconceived ideas, Thinking ahead, interference, and tuning out.
Listening empathetically: Empathic listening means listening with the intent to understand. It does not mean agreeing to what is being said.
Listening responsively: Responsive listening involves seeking to receive and affirm the messenger as well as the message. Employees must learn to simultaneously use their ears, eyes, brains, and hearts.

9. Becoming Responsive Listeners
Slow down: Hurrying an employee will inhibit effective communication.
Allocate your listening time: If an employee wants to talk at a bad time, set up a time that is more conducive to responsive listening.
Concentrate fully: Remove all distractions, physical and mental.
Grant a fair hearing: This means setting aside preconceived notions, biases, and prejudices.
Make it easy for the person to talk: A friendly smile, a warm handshake, a relaxed attitude, a comfortable chair, and reassuring non verbal clues will encourage the speaker.
Understand completely: Practice paraphrasing and restating what has been said and ask questions for clarification to ensure complete understanding.
Clarify expectations: Ask, “What would you like me to do?” rather than making an assumption.

10. Improving Listening Skills
Upgrade your desire to listen: Good management requires that managers listen more and talk less.
Ask the right questions: Ask questions that will clarify the message – “Before leaving, can you summarize your major concerns for me?”
Judge what is really being said: It involves going beyond what is said to why it is being said.
Eliminate listening errors: Listening errors include failing to concentrate, tuning out, giving in to distractions, and interrupting.

11. Understanding Nonverbal Communication Factors
Posture, gestures (body language), voice tone, and proximity are components of non verbal communication.
Body factors: Posture, body poses, facial expression, gestures, and dress can convey a message. Managers should be attentive to these body factors and how they add to or distract from the verbal message.
Voice factors: Volume, tone, pitch of voice, and rate of speech can indicate anger, fear, impatience, unsureness, interest, acceptance, confidence, and a variety of other messages.
Proximity factors: Where you position yourself when talking to an employees, how your office is arranged, the color of your walls, and fixtures and decorations, are all proximity factors. An office that is a comfortable place to visit sends a message that invites communication.

12. Communicating Verbally
Show interest: Look them in the eye, and when in a group, spread your eye contact evenly among all receivers.
Be friendly: Be patient, be friendly, and smile.
Be flexible: Be flexible to put your message aside when employees are busy dealing with another problem.
Be tactful: Think before talking – “hammer in the nail without breaking the board.”
Be courteous: When communicating verbally, give the receiver ample opportunities to ask questions, seek clarification, and state his or her point of view.

13. Communicating in Writing
Plan before you write: Decide to whom you are writing, why, and what you want to say.
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: Come right to the point and state it completely and accurately.
Be accurate: Take time to identify specific dates, numbers, quantities, and so on. Then double check to make sure they are accurate.
Practice self editing: In your first draft concentrate on what you are saying. In your second draft concentrate on how you say it.

14. Writing Better Reports
Define the problem: The problem statement for a report should be brief, to the point, descriptive, and accurate.
Develop a work plan: A work plan is a list of the tasks to be completed and a projected date of completion of each task.
Gather relevant data: May involve searching through files, reading other reports, interviewing employees or customers, running tests, or taking any other action that will yield useful data.
Process finding: Converting raw data collected in the previous step into information. 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: Arrange sequentially in order of priority. Recommendations should be specific and detailed, indicating time frames, people responsible for carrying them out, costs, and any other pertinent information.

15. Communicating Corrective Feedback
Be positive: The employee has to act on it. This is more likely to happen if it is delivered in a positive “can do” manner.
Be prepared: Give specific examples of behavior you would like corrected.
Be realistic: Make sure the behaviors you want changed are controlled by the employee.
Do not be completely negative: Find something positive to say, and give the employee necessary corrective feedback.

16. Improving Communication
Keep up to date: You cannot communicate what you do not know. Accurate information is essential in a total quality setting.
Prioritize and determine time constraints: Analyze your information and decide what your employees need to have.
Decide whom to inform: Employees need information that will help them do a better job or that will help them help fellow employees do a better job.
Determine how to communicate: Orally, in writing, one on one, or in groups.
Communicate and follow up: Ask questions to determine whether really gotten the message. Encourage employees to ask you questions for clarification.
Check understanding and obtain feedback: Obtain feedback from employees to ensure progress is being made.

17. Using Electronic Communication
Advantages: Messages can be transmitted rapidly. Messages can be transmitted simultaneously to more than one person. Messages can be acknowledged electronically.
Disadvantages: Inability to transmit body language, voice tone, facial expression, or eye contact. Overuse of electronic communication, and sending frivolous messages.

18. Interpersonal Skills
Interpersonal skills are those needed for people to work together in a manner that is conducive to both personal and corporate success.
Recognition of the need: Historically, the focus of the staffing process has been technical skills and paper credentials.
Careful selection: Interpersonal skills like listening, patience, empathy, tact, open mindedness, friendliness are mad e a part of the selection process.
Training: Interpersonal skills can be learned.
Measurement and reward: Built in to the reward system and normal performance appraisal process.

19. Perceptiveness Among Employees
Value people: Improving people is the best way to improving competitiveness.
Give people what you want to get back: People who are loyal to others are likely to be the beneficiaries of loyalty.
Make cooperation a habit: Cooperation in the workplace means using we instead of I and they.

20. Personality and Communication
Introversion versus extroversion: An extrovert is more likely to be a talker, whereas an introvert is more likely to be a listener.
Neuroticism versus emotional stability: Emotionally stable people are less likely to be worriers, complainers, and defeatists.
Agreeable versus stubborn: Agreeable people are typically friendly. With stubborn people you have to first earn their trust.
Conscientious versus undependable: Responsible or irresponsible, persevering or fainthearted, and steadfast or fickle.
Open to experience versus preference for the familiar: Original, creative, imagining, questioning, artistic versus conforming and predictable.

21. Summary
Communication is the transfer of a message (information, idea, emotion, intent, feeling) that is both received and understood.
Effective communication means that the message is received, understood, and acted on in the desired manner.
Some of the key elements of the total quality concept are customer focus (internal and external), total employee involvement and empowerment, leadership, teamwork, decision making, problem prevention, problem solving, and conflict resolution. Each of these elements depends on effective communication.
The message is the information, idea, feeling, or intent that is to be conveyed, understood, accepted, and acted on.
Inhibitors of Communication: Differences in meaning, Lack of trust, Information overload, Interference, Condescending tone, Poor listening skills, Premature judgments, Inaccurate assumptions, Kill the messenger syndrome.
Effective listening means receiving the message, correctly decoding it, and accurately perceiving what it means.
Inhibitors to effective listening: Lack of concentration, interruptions, preconceived ideas, Thinking ahead, interference, and tuning out.
Listening empathetically: Empathic listening means listening with the intent to understand. It does not mean agreeing to what is being said.
Listening responsively: Responsive listening involves seeking to receive and affirm the messenger as well as the message. Employees must learn to simultaneously use their ears, eyes, brains, and hearts.
Posture, gestures (body language), voice tone, and proximity are components of non verbal communication.
Plan before you write: Decide to whom you are writing, why, and what you want to say.
Interpersonal skills are those needed for people to work together in a manner that is conducive to both personal and corporate success.

22. Home Work Answer Questions 1, 4, 13, 15 on page 182.
1. Define: Communication and effective communication.
4. Explain the process of communication.
13. Describe how a person can improve his or her verbal communication skills.
15. Explain the steps for improving written reports.