COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY

CHAPTER 6
 “The medium is the message.”
Marshall McLuhan—Canadian
author and philosopher of
communication theory
 WHAT IS COMMUNICATION?

 Communication is the act of exchanging thoughts, messages, or information.

 Communication facilitates collaboration and cooperation.
 writing, reading, speaking, interacting nonverbally, or listening.
 WHY IS COMMUNICATION IMPORTANT?

 In a recent survey, 80 percent of companies said their employees (or prospective hires) are evaluated on their
communication skills; 72 percent said critical thinking, 71 percent said collaboration, and 57 percent said
creativity.
 In a survey of nearly 300 respondents from numerous industries,5 85 percent say they believe their organization
lost business due to an ineffective proposal, presentation, memo, or email. A recent survey found that while
employees spend over two-thirds of their work time connecting and collaborating, nearly 15 percent of employees’
total work time is wasted on inefficient communications.
 On the other hand, effective communications can protect the bottom line, improve performance issues, reduce
errors, decrease stress, improve morale, and reduce turnover.
 STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

 Your communication competence can be improved by choosing the most appropriate communication channel to
speak appropriately and effectively.
 EFFECTIVE MEDIA SELECTION

 Oral or spoken communication

 Written communication
 Electronic communication
 DO keep your address list up-to-date. DON’T set aside until “later” letters and messages you receive from colleagues
giving you their new contact information.
 ■ DO send business-related messages during work hours. DON’T send or receive personal text or email messages during
work hours.
 ■ DO write concisely, stick to a single topic, use a clear subject line, and identify goals in the first paragraph.
 ■ DON’T mix personal matters with business-focused content.
 ■ DON’T send lengthy emails or emails covering more than just one or two topics.
 ■ DO remember that anything you “say” in an email or on a social media site can potentially be “seen” by many others.
DON’T say anything that is personally negative about or potentially damaging to another person in an email, text, or post.
 ■ DO have a personal email account separate from your account at work or school. DON’T use your work account for
both business and personal purposes.
 ■ DO send brief messages to announce noncontroversial information or to confirm something that’s already been agreed
to. DON’T send lengthy announcements or messages about something that is best handled through face-to-face discussion
or debate.
 PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION:
DOS AND DON’TS

 ■ DO send appreciative notes to people with copies to their supervisors. DON’T give negative feedback via email.
 ■ DO copy your boss on important messages that are relevant to him or her. DON’T leave your boss and significant
members of your team out of the loop. DON’T go over your boss’s head, even though you have access to the personal
email address of her or his boss.
 ■ DO keep a hard copy of important documents for the record. DON’T keep paper copies of all emails sent and received
(archive electronically).
 ■ DO clarify important details verbally. DON’T rely on email communication for important matters (the person you’re
writing to might be out of town).
 ■ DO send personalized emails. DON’T send mass emails, or if you do, don’t include everyone’s address at the top—that’s
giving away sensitive information. Send your message to yourself and blind copy it to the others.
 ■ DO use proper grammar and syntax, and use capitalization and punctuation appropriately. DON’T substitute casual
language for specific business vocabulary in professional emails.
 ■ DON’T type in all caps—this is the equivalent of yelling.
 ■ DO use a polite tone—remember the reader can’t hear your voice or see your nonverbal meaning.
 IMPROVING PUBLIC SPEAKING

 ■ Prioritize preparation.  ■ Embody energy.

 ■ Calm your nerves by showing up prepared.
 ■ Alter your outlook.
 ■ Think positively about the message you believe in
passionately and that you get to share with your audience.
 ■ Make peace with quiet.
 ■ Calm your nerves by realizing you can pause to take a
breath during presentations.
 ■ Embrace the short and sweet.
 ■ The average listening span is 20 minutes—don’t talk too
long, as many speakers do.
 ■ Show up with high energy to deliver a presentation that
will engage your audience.
 ■ Engage in eye contact.
 ■ Make a connection with the audience rather than just
speaking to them.
 ■ Turn to TED.
 ■ Watch some of the highest rated “TED” talks to observe
dynamic, high-quality speakers in action.
 ■ Practice and repeat.
 ■ The more you speak publicly, the better you will get.
 INFORMATION RICHNESS
AND MEDIA SELECTION

 information richness, the potential information-carrying capacity of data. Data that provide substantial new
understanding would be considered rich.
 Face-to-face communication is the richest form of communication. It allows for immediate, two-way feedback and
includes visual and audio cues.
 Written announcements or reports are some of the lowest channels of richness.
 Leaner channels are more appropriate when the information is routine or straightforward
 As you consider what you intend to communicate and the amount of richness or information to be transmitted in
the message, evaluate potential media choices by using these factors:
 Feedback
 Channel
 Type of communication
 Language source
 One survey of executives has shown the most effective communication is personalized, evokes an emotional
response, comes from a trustworthy or respected source, and is concise.
 EFFECTIVE WRITING

 Gather the information that will help you to have a deep understanding of the topic(s) about which you are
writing, using the Internet, articles, research, personal notes, and so on.
 ■ Organize your thoughts, grouping similar ideas together.
 ■ Focus the message to ensure you are capturing the priority concepts.
 ■ Draft the document without taking time to edit—let your ideas flow (you can edit and refine later).
 ■ Edit the document, preferably from a printed version so you can see the overall strategy and flow.
 BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

 Noise is any distortion factor that blocks, disrupts, or distorts the message sent to the receiver, interfering with the
communication process.
 Barriers to effective communication may be interpersonal or organizational.
 Interpersonal barriers can include perceptions, semantics, media selection, and inconsistent verbal/nonverbal
cues.
 Organizational barriers include physical distraction, information overload, time pressure, overly technical
language, or the absence of established communication channels.
 Information Overload

a) Presenting too much material

b) Presenting information that is overly complex
c) Presenting information too quickly
d) Presenting at a level of difficulty that goes beyond the person’s understanding
e) Not giving the person sufficient time to process the information
 Emotions
 Trust and Credibility
 Time
 Filtering
 Message Incongruency/suitability
 Eye Contact
 ASSERTIVE COMMUNICATION

 Assertive communication is a form of communication in which you both speak up for your rights and take into
account the rights and feelings of others. Assertive communication includes:
 ■ Fairness.
 ■ Directness.
 ■ Tact and sensitivity.
 ■ Honesty.
 PASSIVE COMMUNICATION

 Passive communication includes indirectness, avoiding conflict, being easily persuaded/ bullied, being overly
concerned about pleasing others, and screening or withholding your thoughts and feelings to the extent that the
person with whom you’re communicating has no idea of your real opinion on the matter being addressed. We use
passive communication
 when we are fearful of losing someone’s affection or have low self-esteem, when we are in a situation where we
have little control, or when we have decided the issue isn’t worth taking a stand.
 Frowning, crying, whispering under your breath, or simply saying nothing are all ways you demonstrate passive
communication
 AGGRESSIVE COMMUNICATION

 Aggressive communication includes exerting control over others, humiliating others, dominating, being pushy,
always needing to be right, using absolute terms, and blaming others.
 Aggressive communication is often unclear because it is emotionally charged, reactive, and sometimes irrational.
We respond aggressively when we want to be in control, are insecure, are afraid, don’t value the opinions of
others, or have unresolved anger.
 It results in a win–lose situation.
 TAKING RESPONSIBILITY
AND “I” MESSAGES

Ways to take responsibility and clarify assumptions are:

 ■ Specify the behavior(s) on which the assumption is based
 If your assumption is based on your own expectation of the listener’s behavior, state that expectation specifically;
do not assume the listener knows the details of your expectation
 If your assumption compares the listener’s behavior with that of other members of a reference group, clarify that
group and exactly how the behavior compares
 Elicit feedback about your assumptions
 Another element of assertive communication is the use of “I statements
 An “I” message consists of three parts:
 ■ The specific behavior.
 ■ The resulting feeling you experienced because of the behavior.
 ■ The tangible effect on you.
 HOW TO COMMUNICATE
ASSERTIVELY?

 Your perspective/perception of the situation: In your own words, what is the issue or situation as you see it? For
example, “I’ve noticed that the common areas are frequently messy and dirty.”
 Your feelings about the situation: Describe how the situation makes you feel without placing blame on others.
For example, “I feel frustrated since I am holding up my end of the deal, yet others don’t seem to do theirs.”
 Your wants regarding the situation or outcome: Own your request for a resolution by using “I” instead of
“you.” For example, “I would like to revisit our roommate agreement and come up with a plan that we all can live
with regarding the cleanliness of our apartment.”
 TIPS FOR SENDING EFFECTIVE
VERBAL MESSAGES

 Be direct: Others may not pick up on your hints or may  ■ Pay attention to the receivers: Watch for their
misinterpret them. nonverbal clues, not just what they’re saying.
 ■ Consider your audience: Communicate with them in  ■ As necessary, be redundant: Repeat when needed or
terms of their interests, values, and backgrounds. restate something to make it clearer to the receiver.
 ■ Be clear: Don’t ask questions when you need to  ■ Communicate bit by bit: Make the pieces sufficiently
make a statement. Focus on one thing at a time; know understandable individually and as a whole.
your purpose and have an objective; think and organize
your thoughts before speaking.
 ■ Watch the nonverbal aspects of communicating:
Make your facial expression and gestures congruent
with your verbal statements.
 ■ Use varying techniques to send your message: We all  ■ Cover your bases: Write it, review it, demonstrate it,
process information differently and have varying
learning styles.
 ■ Some are auditory—they have to hear it to learn it.
 ■ Some are visual—they need to read it or see it on
paper.
 ■ Some are kinesthetic—they need to have hands-on use
or personal practice to learn.
 ■ Some are didactic—they ask questions and get full
background info before processing what others are
saying.
and defend it.
 ■ Build in feedback and check for understanding:
Encourage and incorporate means that allow others to
know you want feedback. They are unlikely to do it
automatically. Ask for feedback and clarification.
 ■ Be straightforward with no hidden agenda or lies:
Deal with issues straight-on and in a timely manner,
often, and openly.
 ■ Be supportive: Avoid labels, sarcasm, dragging up the
past, negative comparisons, and “you” messages and
threats.