Communication in the Workplace

1. Communication in the Workplace

2. Good communication is a key part of success in the workplace.

3. Without communication skills we are unable to let others know what we think, feel, or want to accomplish. We are unable to build partnerships, motivate others, or resolve conflict. 

4. What is a workplace? Dictionary definition - A place, such as an office or factory, where people are employed. MLVR-OCTOBER 24, 2008

5. Administration office Accounting office Human Resources Office Bookstore Maintenance office Engineering office General Services Clinic Registrar Security Guard office Student Services Discipline office Campus Ministry office Others What is our workplace?

6. Communication • 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. • Acceptable communication differs from company to company, but many aspects are universal.

7. Tips to help us communicate effectively in the workplace Listen - When you listen to others attentively it makes them feel good. It also makes for a deeper and more positive connection with others. In turn, you form an understanding and they will listen to you when it’s your turn to speak. Poor listening happens often and resultsin misunderstandings andmiscommunications.

8. ACTIVITY • HOW GOOD A LISTENER ARE YOU?

9.      A well-liked college teacher had just completed making up the final examinations and had turned off the lights in the office.  Just then a tall, dark, broad figure appeared and demanded the examination.  The professor opened the drawer.   Everything in the drawer was picked up and the individual ran down the corridor.  The Dean was notified immediately.

10. Answer the Questions • 1.  The thief was tall, dark, and broad.                • 2.  The professor turned off the lights.           • 3.  A tall figure demanded the examination.          • 4.  The examination was picked up by someone           • 5.  The examination was picked up by the professor.     

11. Answer True or False • 6.   A tall, dark figure appeared after the professor • turned off the lights in the office.                           • 7.  The man who opened the drawer was the professor.     • 8.  The professor ran down the corridor.              • 9.  The drawer was never actually opened.          • 10. In this report three persons are referred to.

12. T T T T F 6. F 7. T 8. F 9. F 10. T ANSWERS

13. INTERPRETATION OF SCORES • 8PTS – 10 PTS - ACTIVE LISTENER • 5 PTS- 7 PTS – AVERAGE • BELOW 5 PTS – NEEDS TO BE MORE ATTENTIVE. • 1 POINT PER CORRECT ANSWER

14. WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE? • Have Intention - Ask yourself what your intention is before starting a project, going to a meeting, or speaking to someone. • You can also ask others what their intentionsare in similar situations. Knowing your intention will help you be more conscious of what you’re doing or saying. • which means you’ll be able to be moreeffective and skillful.

15. Speak Clearly - Take a deepbreath and remain positive whentalking to people. Try to cut outthe “ums,” “uh-hmms” and “ahhs;”these make it difficult for peopleto understand what you’re tryingto communicate. Try to keep yourvoice steady and don’t talk tooquickly or too quietly. Be confident in what you’re sayingand others will feel yourconfidence too. SPEAK CLEARLY

16. BE GENUINE • Be Genuine - Being genuine can includespeaking honestly, expressing excitementor sadness when you feel like it, and beingfriendly. • There is nothing wrong withsaying, “no, I don’t really agree with that,”or “you know, I think you’ve changed mymind!” However, don’t be rude. “I wasjust being honest” is not a good excusefor being harsh. • Being genuine builds yourconfidence.

17. Be Receptive • Be open to whatothers are saying or offering. • Often, people restrict the flow ofideas or communication becausethey’re making too manyassumptions or are being too quickto judge and criticize.

18. CommunicationFlow

19. Downward communication, Upward communication, Lateral communication, and the Grapevine.

20. Downward Workplace Communication: Enabling • Let's focus first on downward communication in the workplace, and a couple of its important characteristics. Consider these common, downward forms of workplace communication: • A manager explains a task to an employee • A customer gives an order to a supplier • Shareholders instruct management.

21. Enabling • These forms have more than direction in common. Each one also provides enabling information in the workplace. When a manager instructs an employee, she enables the employee to do his job, and makes it possible for him to earn a living by doing something that has value for the employer. • Another example: senior management finds out from shareholders, or the board of directors, how owners want to apply the money they've invested.

22. And, as information moves downward in the workplace, it grows increasingly detailed. Make a Budget report Make a Budget report for the month to include the following Make sure the report includes the exact amount and the qty.

23. All organizations of more than one person must use workplace communication in one way or another. • One person must give another instructions before any activity can occur.

24. At each stage in the downward flow of communication, people in the organization receive information to help them do their jobs. And, at each stage the information become less abstract, more specific, and more detailed.

25. Upward Communication: Compliance • A second major flow of communication is upward, from employee to supervisor, supervisor to department head, department head to vice president, and so on.

26. Less detail • Now, turning to upward communication, we know that the staff at the registrar or accounting department will report back to the section head on their number of enrolees. • The college account, in turn, will report, in less detail, to the VPAA about enrollment figures. • Finally, VPAA will report to the President on how well the College is doing for SY 2008-2009.

27. Lateral communication: Coordination • Now, think of the information that flows back and forth between you and your peers, whether you're a front-line worker, a manager, or a member of the board of directors. This is lateral communication.

28. Characteristics • First, no superior/subordinate relationship exists here; it's strictly a case of two people with roughly equal amounts of power and prestige. That makes this form of communication voluntary and discretionary. • Yes, the boss may tell us to communicate with each other, but unless we both want to do it, we're not going to exchange much information of value.

29. That takes us to the second aspect, the idea of reciprocating. • The quality and quantity of information we provide to our peers generally reflects what we get back from them. I may provide good information to you when we start working together, but I won't continue to provide it unless you reciprocate in kind.

30. Team Communication • Team communication is a special form of lateral communication, and an essential one. • For teamwork in the workplace, members must not only communicate with each other, but will often need to communicate with peers outside their immediate group. • Leaders will need to keep these communication flows in mind, as well as the upward and downward flows that connect them directly to their co-employees. • Communication for team building and just plain teamwork and is many-faceted and requires consistent attention.

31. The Grapevine: Filling the Gaps • It’s Tuesday morning, and John down the hall just emptied out his desk and left the building. Apparently for good. • Everyone wants an answer to the same question: "Why?" If there's no official answer, and sometimes even if there is one, the people around him begin speculating about possible reasons. • This is a communication channel that no one owns and no one controls. And while we might complain about gossips and busybodies, we all use it sooner or later.

32. It has a function • Despite its many faults, though, the grapevine does have a place, a function, in all organizations. It fills in gaps left behind by conventional and official communication. • As I've said, downward communication delivers enabling information from superior to subordinate, while upward communication involves compliance information reported back to the superior by the subordinate. And, lateral communication takes place between peers, helping us coordinate with each other.

33. New tools • Traditionally, the grapevine revolved around mouth-to-mouth communication, with only occasional bits of information written down or put on paper. • But, new technologies mean change. The Internet opened up all kinds of new opportunities for unofficial communication. Email, it's true, may be monitored, but that's easily circumvented. For example, free, anonymous email accounts offered all over the Net.

34. Then, there are photocopiers and fax machines, both of which can be used to surreptitiously maintain the grapevine. And how about cell phones, which provide an alternate means of mouth-to-mouth communication, even when you're at the office. • While technologies enabling the grapevine may change, the same human traits continue to fuel this communication channel. They include our natural curiosity and our desire to influence the way others think and behave. Don't forget, either, about the need to get even or to belittle, which fuel many rumors that course through grapevines.

35. Speed • Where downward, upward, and lateral communication are structured and flow formally through specific channels, the grapevine goes through multiple channels and even multiple versions.

36. Communication Flow • downward, or enabling, communication that moves instructions and other directive information down or through a hierarchy • upward, or compliance, communication that provides feedback to the people who originate downward communication • lateral, or coordinating, communication that moves between peers to maintain or improve operational efficiency • the grapevine, which fills in gaps in official communication and provides answers to unaddressed questions.

37. Why is effective communication essential in the workplace? • Communication: we are constantly bombarded by it. It may be in the form of spoken or written words, pictures, gestures, symbols and (for an interesting few) telepathic messages from a variety of intriguing sources. But in the workplace, effective communication is essential to our progress and well being.

38. What is your communicating style? • Good communication skills require a high level of self-awareness. Understanding your personal style of communicating will go a long way toward helping you to create good and lasting impressions on others

39. By becoming more aware of how others perceive you, you can adapt more readily to their styles of communicating.

40. Three basic communication styles: • Aggressive • Passive • Assertive

41. Beliefs "Everyone should be like me." "I am never wrong." "I've got rights, but you don't." Communication Style Close minded Poor listener Has difficulty seeing the other person's point of view Interrupts Monopolizing Elements of the Aggressive Style

42. Characteristics Achieves goals, often at others' expense Domineering, bullying Patronizing Condescending, sarcastic Behavior Puts others down Doesn't ever think they are wrong Bossy Moves into people's space, overpowers Jumps on others, pushes people around Know-it-all attitude Doesn't show appreciation

43. Nonverbal Cues Points, shakes finger Frowns Squints eyes critically Glares Stares Rigid posture Critical, loud, yelling tone of voice Fast, clipped speech Verbal Cues "You must (should, ought better)." "Don't ask why. Just do it." Verbal abuse Confrontation and Problem Solving Must win arguments, threatens, attacks Operates from win/lose position

44. Feelings Felt Anger Hostility Frustration Impatience Effects Provokes counteraggression, alienation from others, ill health Wastes time and energy oversupervising others Pays high price in human relationships Fosters resistance, defiance, sabotaging, striking back, forming alliances, lying, covering up Forces compliance with resentment

45. Elements of the Passive Style • Beliefs • "Don't express your true feelings." • "Don't make waves." • "Don't disagree." • "Others have more rights than I do." • Communication Style • Indirect • Always agrees • Doesn't speak up - Hesitant

46. Characteristics • Apologetic, self-conscious • Trusts others, but not self • Doesn't express own wants and feelings • Allows others to make decisions for self • Doesn't get what he or she wants • Behaviors • Sighs a lot • Tries to sit on both sides of the fence to avoid conflict • Clams up when feeling treated unfairly • Asks permission unnecessarily • Complains instead of taking action • Lets others make choices • Has difficulty implementing plans • Self-effacing

47. Nonverbal Cues • Fidgets • Nods head often; comes across as pleading • Lack of facial animation • Smiles and nods in agreement • Downcast eyes • Slumped posture • Low volume, meek • Up talk • Fast, when anxious; slow, hesitant, when doubtful

48. Verbal Cues • "You should do it." • "You have more experience than I do." • "I can't......" • "This is probably wrong, but..." • "I'll try..." • Monotone, low energy

49. Confrontation and Problem Solving • Avoids, ignores, leaves, postpones • Withdraws, is sullen and silent • Agrees externally, while disagreeing internally • Expends energy to avoid conflicts that are anxiety provoking • Spends too much time asking for advice, supervision • Agrees too often

50. Feelings Felt • Powerlessness • Wonders why doesn't receive credit for good work • Chalks lack of recognition to others' inabilities • Effects • Gives up being him or herself • Builds dependency relationships • Doesn't know where he or she stands • Slowly loses self esteemPromotes others' causes • Is not well-liked