Download Session8

MGT 674
Employee Relations Management
Ajaya Mishra
Session 8
COMMUNICATIONS …. And
Interpersonal Communications
Basic Ideas on Communication …
 Is there a sound in the forest if a tree crashes down
and no one is around to hear it ?
 One can communicate only in recipient’s language
or in his terms.
 We receive what we expect to perceive, we see
what we expect to see and we hear what we expect
to hear … Largely
 The human mind resists vigorously any attempts to
make it change in mind .
Importance …
Problems
•Interpersonal conflicts
•Feeling undervalued
•Feeling overworked
•Feeling resentful, angry
•Trouble maintaining relationships
•Feeling afraid of losing someone
•Feeling unable to trust yourself in
arguments
Solution
Effective
Communication
What ?
 Communication is an interaction between
two or more people.
 Listen to the other person
 Interpret what is being said
 Respond in an understandable way
Elements in Communication …
Encoding
Message
Transmitted
on medium
Receiver
decodes
Receiver
creates
meaning
Noise
Sender
Source
decodes
Transmitted
on medium
Message
Encoding
Communication is more than just verbal…
•Nonverbal communication
–Words account for only 7% of emotional impact
of a message
–Voice tones- 38%
–Facial Expressions- 55%
STATISTICAL VIEW OF OMMUNICATION
•70% of our communication efforts are:
• Misunderstood
• Misinterpreted
• Rejected (not accepted)
• Disliked
• Distracted
• Not heard at all
(in spite of the same language and same culture!)
•Only 30% is effective!
IMPORTANT SKILLS TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN
ORGANIZATIONS
 Communication
 Teamwork
 Leadership
 Critical Thinking
 Personal Management
 Creativity
4.94
4.72
4.60
4.57
4.52
4.08
(On a scale of 1 to 5; 1 being least useful and 5 being most useful)
FREQUENCY OF SKILLS USE IN ORGANIZATIONS
 Communication
 Teamwork
 Personal Management
 Critical Thinking
 Leadership
 Creativity
 Technical/Scientific
 Social Responsibility
4.91
4.73
4.51
4.47
4.46
3.95
3.91
3.89
(On a scale of 1 to 5; 1 being least useful and 5 being most useful)
Forms of Communication …
Verbal / Oral :
Expressed through words /
voice
Non Verbal:
Expressed through body
language, dress and
personal grooming
Written :
Expressed through Letter,
Memo, Reports etc.
Visuals:
Movies, Documentaries …
Barriers to of Effective Communication
 Personal barriers:
 Your style and character (rude, polite, shy, etc.)
 Preparation & presentation
 Lack of clarity (pronunciation, pitch, etc.)
 Lack of credibility
 Timing
 Jargon and pronunciation
 Sender’s speed of thought
 Receiver s not prepared
 Information overload
 Not repeating and important point
 Meeting in the evening
 Distractions
 Organizational barriers:
 Culture
 Environment
 Size
 Structure
 Pace of activity
 Process barriers:
 Channel/medium
 Irrelevant information
 Lack of proper response
 Absence of feedback
 Inappropriate questions
 Information overload
Other Barriers …
 Physical Barriers: pertain to the physical
distance between people communicating
 Semantic Barriers: relate to the different
understanding and interpretations of the
words we use to communicate
 In order to communicate effectively you must do
the following:
 Identify your communication style
 Identify problematic situations
 Given you have some areas that could be
improved…
 Practice changing your communication skills
Different Communication Styles
 The Aggressive Style.
Fighting, accusing, and threatening characterize this style.
 The Passive Style.
Acceptance, unconditional with others’ demands, and being
“walked on” by others characterize this style.
 The Passive Aggressive Style
On the surface these individuals appear to be following the
passive style. Hidden beneath the surface, however, these people
act in an aggressive way.
The Assertive Style.
 This style is characterized by balance. Balance in the
expression of feelings, self-pride, and self-regard, while at the
same time being considerate of others. Through direct
communication, you demonstrate respect for your rights and
the rights of others. The advantage of assertiveness is that you
can compromise so that you can get what you need and want.
Communication
Style
Assertive
Nonverbal Behavior
Description
Pushing hard
without attacking;
permits others to
influence outcome;
expressive and selfenhancing without
intruding on others.
Pattern
Good eye contact;
Comfortable but
firm posture;
Strong, steady and
audible voice; Facial
expressions
matched to
message;
Appropriately
serious tone;
Selective
interruptions to
ensure
understanding.
Verbal Behavior
Pattern
Direct and
unambiguous
language; No
attributions or
evaluations of
others’
behavior; Use of
“I” statements
and cooperative
“we”
statements.
Communication
Style
Aggressive
Nonverbal Behavior
Description
Taking advantage
of others;
Expressive and selfenhancing at
others’ expense.
Pattern
Glaring eye contact;
Moving or leaning
too close;
Threatening
gestures (pointing
finger; clenched
fist); Loud Voice;
Frequent
interruptions.
Verbal Behavior
Pattern
Swear words
and abusive
language;
Attributions and
evaluations of
others’
behavior; Sexist
or racists terms;
Explicit threats
or put-downs.
Communication
Style
Nonassertive
Nonverbal Behavior
Description
Encouraging others
to take advantage
of us; Inhibited;
Self-denying.
Pattern
Little eye contact;
Downward glances;
Slumped postures;
Constantly shifting
weight; Wringing
hands; Weak or
whiny voice.
Verbal Behavior
Pattern
Qualifiers
(“maybe,” “kind
of” ); Fillers
(“uh,” “you
know,” “well”);
Negaters (“it’s
really not that
important,” “I’m
not sure”).
Sources of Distortion in Upward Communication
Patterns of Distortion in Upward
Communication
Situational Antecedents
1.
Supervisor’s upward
influence
2. Supervisor’s power
3. Subordinate’s aspiration
for upward mobility
Low
Low
Low
High
High
High
Increased distortion because
employees send more
favorable information and
withhold useful information.
Increased distortion because
employees screen out
information detrimental to
their welfare.
Less accuracy because
employees tend to pass along
information that helps their
cause.
7 Cs of Effective Communication
1. Completeness
2. Conciseness
3. Consideration
4. Concreteness
5. Clarity
6. Courtesy
7. Correctness
COMPLETENESS
 Ensure that you provide all required information
 Answer all questions asked as far as possible
 Always give something extra, where applicable and desirable
Examples:
Incomplete: Please fax me the departure from New Delhi to
Frankfurt on the 6th of this month.
Incomplete: Why was my request for additional furniture for
my office not responded to?
CONCISENESS
 Do not use wordy expressions
 Always use only relevant material
 Do away with unnecessary repetition
Examples:
Wordy : At this time
Concise: Now
Wordy : Due to the fact that
Concise: Because
Wordy : Have a need for
Concise: Need
Wordy : In due course
Concise: Soon
Wordy : Allow me to say how helpful your response was.
Concise :Your last response was helpful.
CONSIDERATION
 - Focus on “you” instead of “I” or “we”.
 - Demonstrate audience benefit or interest in the receiver.
 - Ensure that you emphasize positive, pleasant facts while you
speak.
Examples:
Insensitive:You failed to enclose your cheque in the envelope.
Consideration: The cheque was not enclosed. (passive voice)
CONCRETENESS
 - Use specific facts and figures from reliable sources.
 - Put action into verbs.
 - Choose vivid, image-building words.
Examples:
Vague, general, and indefinite:
Eastern Europe is
making progress in getting investments.
Concrete, precise:
In 1990, investments in Eastern Europe
were about US$30 million; today, that figure has increased by
12%.
CLARITY
 Use precise, concrete, and familiar words.
 Construct effective sentences & paragraphs, with right
emphasis.
Examples:
Unfamiliar: After our perusal of pertinent data, the conclusion
is that a lucrative market exists for the subject property.
Familiar: The data we studied show that your property is
profitable and in high demand.
COURTESY
 - Be sincerely tactful, thoughtful, and appreciative.
 - Use expressions that show respect.
 - Choose non-discriminatory expressions.
Examples:
Tactless, blunt: I rewrote that letter three times; the point was
clear.
Tactful:
I’m, sorry the point was not clear; here is
another version.
Avoid expressions such as: I do not agree with you; obviously
you overlooked; we don’t believe.
Correctness
 - Use the right level of language.
 - Always check the accuracy of facts, figures, and words.
Examples:
Use:
Think instead of deem;
question instead of interrogate;
stolen instead of stoled.
Categories of Non-Verbal Messages
 Environment
 Interpersonal Distance
 Posture
 Gestures
 Facial Expressions
 Voice Quality
 Personal Appearance
Skills and Best Practices: Advice to Improve
Nonverbal Communication Skills
Positive Nonverbal Actions Include:
• Maintain eye contact.
• Nod your head to convey that you are listening or that
you agree.
• Smile and show interest.
• Lean forward to show the speaker you are interested.
• Use a tone of voice that matches your message
Advice to Improve Nonverbal Communication Skills
(cont)
Negative Nonverbal Actions Include:
• Avoiding eye contact and looking away from the
speaker.
• Closing your eyes or tensing your facial muscles.
• Excessive yawning.
• Using body language that conveys indecisiveness or lack
of confidence (e.g., slumped shoulders, head down, flat
tones, inaudible voice)
• Speaking too fast or too slow.
Listening Styles
Results-style:
Interested in the
bottom line or result of a message.
Reasons-style:
Interested in
hearing the rationale behind a
message.
Process-style:
issues in detail.
Likes to discuss
The Keys to Effective Listening
Keys to Effective Listening
The Bad Listener
The Good Listener
1. Capitalize on thought
speed
Tends to daydream
Stays with the speaker,
mentally summarizes the
speaker, weighs evidence, and
listens between the lines
2. Listen for ideas
Listens for facts
Listens for central or overall
ideas
3. Find an area of interest
Tunes out dry speakers or
subjects
Listens for any useful
information
4. Judge content, not
delivery
Tunes out dry monotone
speakers
Assesses content by listening
to entire message before
making judgments
5. Hold your fire
Gets too emotional or worked
up by something said by the
speaker and enters into an
argument
Withholds judgment until
comprehension is complete
The Keys to Effective Listening (cont)
Keys to Effective Listening
The Bad Listener
The Good Listener
6. Work at listening
Does not expend energy on
listening
Gives the speaker full attention
7. Resist Distractions
Is easily distracted
Fights distractions and
concentrates on the speaker
8. Hear what is said
Shuts our or denies
unfavorable information
Listens to both favorable and
unfavorable information
9. Challenge yourself
Resists listening to
presentations of difficult
subject manner
Treats complex presentations
as exercises for the mind
10. Use handouts, overheads,
or other visual aids
Does not take notes or pay
attention to visual aids
Takes notes as required and
uses visual aids to enhance
understanding of the
presentation
Gender Differences
 Women
 Prefer conversation for rapport building
 Want empathy, not solutions
 Are more likely to compliment
 Emphasize politeness
 More conciliatory
Gender Differences
 Men
 Talk as a means to preserve independence and status by displaying
knowledge and skill
 Work out problems on an individualized basis
 Are more directive in conversation
 Are more intimidating
 Call attention to their accomplishments
 Tend to dominate discussions during meetings
Let’s Summarize…
 Most of our stress today comes from interpersonal




difficulties.
Many of these stresses involve failure to communicate
effectively.
Communication styles that can lead to problems are: the
aggressive style, the passive style, and the passive-aggressive
style.
Assertiveness is the only style that allows both parties to
compromise in order to get something each wants.
Assertiveness involves regarding your own rights as well as
the rights of others, seeking compromise, and clearly
communicating your feelings and desires.
WISHING YOU A VERY HAPPY
DASHAIN AND TIHAR …