Workplace communication

Workplace communication
 isthe process of exchanging information, both
verbal and non-verbal, within an organization. An
organization may consist of employees from
different parts of the society. These may have
different cultures and backgrounds, and can be
used to different norms.
 Directions

 Ventricle includes upward and downward

 Upward - message movement that begins with lower
organizational levels and is transmitted to higher levels of
authority
 Downward - message movement that begins with higher
organizational levels of authority and is transmitted to lower
levels of the organization
 Horizontal - horizontal communication moves laterally across
the organization among individuals of approximately the same
level and without distinct reporting relationships to one
another.

Copyright © 2015, 2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
 ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION (continued)

 Direction of Communication Flow

 Downward - flows from a manager to subordinates

used to inform, direct, coordinate, and

evaluate employees
 Upward - flows from subordinates to managers

keeps managers aware of employees’ feelings

source for ideas on improving operations
amount of upward communication affected
by the culture of the organization

11.18
 ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION (continued)

 Direction of Communication Flow (continued)

 Lateral - takes place among any employee on the
same organizational level
 Diagonal - cuts across both work areas and
organizational levels
benefits efficiency and speed
e-mail facilitates diagonal communication

11.19
 WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT WORKPLACE
COMMUNICATION?

 Almost all workplace conflict can be traced back to issues of

 communication.

 Conflict in the workplace can waste up to 52% of the working day. That’s
52% of your payroll.

 If we give our employees the tools to communicate openly, honestly and

respectfully with each other, we can reduce opportunities for
misunderstandings and ultimately, conflict
• People in workplace spend over 75% of their time
 communicating
 Oral communication at organization level include: Staff
 meeting, Personal discussion, Presentations, Telephone
 discourse, informal conversation
 Out side the organization it take the form of face-to-face,
 meetings, telephone calls, speeches, telephone conference,
 audio/video-conferences.
Means of wokplace Communication

• Face to face talking

• Meetings
• Conference calls
• Phone calls
• Presentations
• Video or audio recordings
• Radio or TV
• Internet
• Other forms of oral communication
Basic communication styles in workplace

 Aggressive
 Passive
 Assertive
 Passive aggressive
Assertive communication

 Assertive communication is your ability to express yourself

 openly and honestly, without denying the rights of others.
 We should be assertive communicators because:
  Aids in problem solving
  Every problem can have a win/win outcome.
  Reduces physical and mental stress
  Assertive communicators are more concise
  Clarifies expectations
  Increases productivity
 Providing feedback that has impact
 Types of feedback
 • Positive – simple praise and reinforces why/how the other did well
 • Constructive – how the other can do better, sensitively delivered,
 focus on observable facts (Feedback sandwich)
 • Negative – describes a perceived negative behaviour without
 proposing a solution, d,estructive happens accidentally or aimed at
 terminating relationship
Communication iceberg
Communication barriers in workplace

 Perception and language (different language, vocabulary,

 accent, dialect, semantic gaps, etc)
 Restrictive environments
 Distractions
 Deceptive tactics
 Information overload
 Cultural ( age, education, gender, social status, economic
 position, cultural backgrounds, religious and political beliefs,
 values, etc)
 Psychological (emotions, anger, fearful...etc)
 How to make workplace communication Effective

 Be a good listener
 Give and receive feedback
 Be clear (should be crisp and to the point)
 Simplify language
 Constrain emotions
 Avoid digression (gives wrong impression)
 Know your audience (behaviour, culture, education etc)
 Play back for confirmation (stop for confirmation and verify what you understand)
Awareness of Your Personal Style
 Awareness of Your Personal Style

Unit One

Past Experiences Shape Communication Style

 Communication doesn’t just happen; your style is based on your experiences

that
over time have developed into a pattern of attitudes and actions.

 It is a continuous cycle. Your experiences influence your thoughts. Your

thoughts, over time, become your attitudes. These attitudes become the blueprint
for new experiences, which develop into patterns of behavior.

 An awareness of your personal style is critical to begin to transform negative

attitudes and behaviors into positive ones.

 It is key to empowering you to establish personal responsibility and

accountability
in the midst of changing your behavior. Remember, the only person you can
ever really control or change is yourself.
– Skillful Listening
Unit Two Skillful Listening

Nine Steps to Effective Listening

1. Face the speaker and maintain eye contact.

2. Be attentive, yet relaxed.
3. Keep an open mind to the speaker’s message – try to feel what the speaker
is feeling.
4. Listen to the words and try to picture what the speaker is saying.
5. Do not interrupt and do not impose your "solutions."
6. Wait for the speaker to pause to ask clarifying questions - ask questions only
to ensure understanding of something that has been said (avoiding questions
that disrupt the speaker's train of thought).
7. Give the speaker regular feedback, e.g., summarize, reflect feelings, or
simply say "uh huh."
8. Pay attention to nonverbal cues -- to feelings, tone of voice, inflection, facial
expressions, gestures, posture.
9. Be aware of potential barriers that impact your ability to listen effectively.
Unit Two
Skillful Listening

Barriers to Listening
Sometimes people have a barrier that impedes their listening skills. Awareness of
a barrier is the first step in being able to overcome it.
Barriers to listening include:
 past experiences that influence our reaction to the speaker or the message
 worry, fear, anger, grief and depression
 individual bias and prejudice
 semantics and language differences
 noise and verbal "clutter"
 preoccupation, boredom and shrinking attention spans
Unit Two Skillful Listening

Acknowledgement

 Listen and acknowledge what you hear the speaker

saying, even if you don't agree with it. At this point do not
express your point of view.

 Acknowledging the speakers thoughts and feelings does

not mean that you approve of or agree with the speaker’s
opinions or actions.

 Your ability to listen and then acknowledge what the

speaker said allows the speaker to feel a sense of
satisfaction of being understood
 Skillful Listening

Unit Two
Reflecting back
 When making a statement, paraphrase and reflect back what you've heard
the speaker say.

 Reflecting is affirming to the speaker and encourages the speaker to

elaborate further or delve more deeply into the topic.

 Meaningful exchanges between you and the speaker are built on feedback.

 In order to accurately feedback a person's thoughts and feelings, you have

to
be consciously, actively engaged in the process of listening.

 Try to experience what the speaker is describing, feeling the speaker’s

feelings through the lens of your own experience.
Providing feedback

Focus on person’s behaviour not the personality

Feedback should focus on issues not the person
If possible, give feedback in private
Feedback is useful when well timed
Describe, don’t evaluate
Be specific, not general
Receiving feedback with grace and dignity

 Discuss the feedback with those whose opinions you respect

 Avoid being defensive
 Stay calm
 Take notes, record the words the giver used
 Ask for examples to support the point
 Be attentive to the person giving feedback
 Take it as a sincere gift that will help you grow
Expressing Yourself

Effective Communication in the Workplace

 Expressing Yourself

Unit Three
Communicating Long or Emotional Messages

 Briefly explain the intention of your conversation.

.
 The other person(s) will attend better if they have a basic
understanding of the time and effort they will be bringing to the
conversation.
 Use “I” statements to communicate your feelings, and what you
have personally seen, heard, need, or expect.
 Do not engage in verbal attacks on the other person. if you need
to criticize, describe the behavior or actions of the other person
that bother you.
 State what you need or expect in positive terms.
 Utilizing “I” Statements

 Accept responsibility for your emotions

 Use “I” statements. Say “I feel angry when…” rather than “You make meExpressing Yourself
Unit Three
mad…”

Activity:
Consider the following statements you might make. How would you change
them into “I” statements?

1. You make me so mad when you don’t complete your work on time.
2. .
My supervisor frustrates me when she doesn’t communicate her expectations.
3. My employee aggravates me when she comes in late.
4. My boss made me happy when he complimented my financial report.
5. Those students make me sad when they don’t study and fail their tests.
Impact of Emotions

Effective Communication in the Workplace

 Impact of Emotions
Manage your emotions
 Recognize what you are feeling. Are you angry, embarrassed, or hurt?
Unit Four
 Simplify your feelings. Select one or two words to describe how you feel. Be
specific.

 Do not act on your feelings right away. Don’t make a decision, enter into a
discussion, or send an email in anger or frustration.

 Choose an appropriate time and place to communicate.

 Accept that you are responsible for your emotions; Use “I” statements. Say “I
feel angry when…” rather than “You make me mad…”
Unit Four Impact of Emotions

Managing a conflict

 Keep yourself calm by breathing slowly and deeply. Remember that this is
only one temporary moment in your life.

 Concentrate on what you need to move forward rather than dwell on the other
person’s mistakes.

 Summarize the other person’s feelings to make sure that you understand what
they are communicating.

 Give affirmation to the other person about what they may be feeling.

 Acknowledge and apologize for any mistakes you may have made.

 Focus on positive results and make specific requests that will enable the
achievement of those goals.