Download Communicate Information

Communicate Information
Disclaimer
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
IMPORTANT: The information in this presentation is of a
general nature, and should not be relied upon as individual
professional advice. If necessary, legal advice should be
obtained from a legal practitioner with expertise in the field of
WHS law.

Although every effort has been made to ensure that the
information in this presentation is complete, current and
accurate, the Mining & Quarrying Occupational Health &
Safety Committee, any agent, author, contributor or the South
Australian Govt, does not guarantee that it is so, and the
Committee accepts no responsibility for any loss, damage or
personal injury that may result from the use of any material
which is not complete, current and accurate.

Users should always verify historical material by making and
relying upon their own separate inquiries prior to making any
important decisions or taking any action on the basis of this
information.
Learning Outcomes
 Communicate effectively – orally and written
 Achieve meeting outcomes
 Deliver a presentation
 Participate in a negotiation
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How is information
communicated across site?
 Noticeboards
 Management meetings
 Reports
 Pre-shift meetings
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What is Communication
Communication is any
behaviour, verbal or non verbal, that is perceived
by another.
Effective communication
is giving and receiving
information in a way that
is clear and easily
understood by both the
sender and the receiver.
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Listening
Information
Reading
Observing
Communication Process
Idea
Encode
Sender
Transmit
C
H
A
N
N
E
L
Receive
Barriers
Feedback
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Decode
Receiver
Some idea
Communication involves
Speech (Verbal)
Passing
information
Writing
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Non Verbal
Benefits of Effective Communication
 Employees feel that they belong and are involved
in the workplace.
 Promotes commitment.
 Enhances morale.
 Saves time and effort (fewer mistakes).
 Increased cost effectiveness.
 Safer working environment.
 Able to work as a team.
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Barriers to Effective Communication
Listening
only to
words
Fear of
being
influenced
Selective
listening
Barriers
Selective
memory
Poor timing
Expectation
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Personal
Bias
Components of Communication
 Verbal – the actual words used, including their
meanings and connotations, and the way the words are
put together (ie, format and logic of the message.
 Vocals – use of voice to deliver the message, ie,
volume, pitch, tone, speed, inflection, pronunciation,
and the use of pauses and silence.
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Non Verbal Communication
 Body language
 Physical characteristics
 Touching behaviour
 Vocal qualities – tone, pitch
 Personal space
 Artefacts
 Environment
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3 Vs (vocal, verbal and visual)
- 7%-38%-55% Rule
In his studies, Mehrabian (1971) comes to two conclusions.
Firstly, that there are basically three elements in any
face-to-face communication:
 Words
 Tone of voice
 Body language
These three elements account differently for our liking for
the person who puts forward the message: words account
for 7%, tone of voice accounts for 38%, and body language
accounts for 55% of the liking.
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3 Vs (vocal, verbal and visual)
- 7%-38%-55% Rule (cont)
For effective and meaningful communication about
emotions, these three parts of the message need to
support each other - they have to be congruent.
The following example should help illustrate incongruence
in verbal and non-verbal communication:
 Verbal: "I do not have a problem with you!"
 Non-verbal: person avoids eye-contact, looks
anxious, has a closed body language, etc.
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Perception
 Perception is the way people understand or give
meaning to their environment.
 Perception and interpretation of the same message may
vary between people.
 This is because individual perception is influenced by
experience, attitudes and beliefs and a range of
acquired skills or expectations.
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Listening vs Hearing
 There is a difference between hearing and listening.
 Hearing is a physical process.
 Listening refers to the interpretive process that
takes place with what we hear.
 Listening involves both hearing and striving to
understand the other person’s message.
 If you listen well, you will understand the feelings
and the content in the message.
 If you are distracted, much of the message’s content
and meaning will be lost.
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Why is listening important?
 We need to know what is expected of us.
 It ensures tasks are completed as required.
 It shows courtesy/respect for the sender.
 We can learn from listening.
 If we listen to the sender, then they are more likely to
listen to us.
 It encourages further communication.
 It allows us to select an appropriate response or
feedback
 It allows the correct task to be conducted appropriately
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A Guide to Better Listening
 Listen for the whole message.
 Watch for non-verbal signals.
 Concentrate.
 Resist distractions.
 Avoid premature judgments.
 Keep your objectivity.
 Be patient – listen - let speaker finish before
formulating response.
 Ask questions to check understanding.
 Use appropriate body language – lean forward,
nod, mirror body language.
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Sending Clear Messages
 Check current knowledge
 Have a positive attitude
 Be enthusiastic
 Simple, clear language at a moderate pace
 Use appropriate body language – facial expressions,
eye contact
 Be careful with tone of voice
 Demonstrate
 Set the scene
 Explain thoroughly
 Check understanding
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Questions
Types of questions may include the following:
 Open
 Closed
 Targeted
 Probing
 Hypothetical
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Open Questions
 These questions encourage the speaker to give more
information.
 They generally start with who, what, where,
when, why and how.
 They are more likely to lead to a more detailed and
thorough response.
Examples:
 Tell me about the incident?
 Why did you empty the paint thinner down the sink?
 How do you think this works?
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 Explain the task to me.
Closed Questions
 These questions are useful for finding out specifics, but
generally require a limited response (yes or no).
 They close the speaker from answering the question
more fully, and give the asker limited information.
Examples:
 Do you understand what I am saying?
 Did you see the incident occur?
 Can I have your credit card to go shopping honey?
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Targeted Questions
 These questions are very useful to use when you have
a reserved group or a group with a couple of dominant
personalities hijacking your meetings.
 Targeted questions are preceded by the name of the
person from whom you want an answer; eg, James, can
you tell me the characteristics of great leaders?
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Probing Questions
 These questions are useful to check finer points of
participants assumptions, opinions, facts or plans.
 They build on information already received but seek
further information.
Example:
 What makes you say that? Why would you do it
that way?
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Hypothetical Questions
 These questions are used to encourage creativity and
thinking outside the box
 They are excellent for generating ideas and for
addressing contingency situations.
Examples:
 What would you do if Max amputated his hand whilst
using the drop saw in the workshop?
 How would you manage an emergency in the pit?
 How would you convince your partner not to get her
engagement ring valued knowing that the huge
‘diamond’ you purchased for her is really cubic zirconia?
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Improving Verbal Communication
 Use eye contact.
 Adjust voice level so all can hear.
 Speak clearly.
 Avoid monotone.
 Speak more slowly than normal.
 Allow for questions and answers.
 Check understanding by asking questions.
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Styles of Communication
 Aggressive
 Submissive
 Assertive
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Aggressive people
 Demand their rights, and deny the rights of others
 Attack the person, not the problem
 Get angry, make threats and ridicule
 Are often loud, abusive and sarcastic
 Want to get their own way
 Want win/lose solutions
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Submissive people
 Deny their own rights
 Are emotionally dishonest
 Communicate indirectly
 Feel hurt, anxious and insecure
 Often get lose/win solutions
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Assertiveness
… is standing up for your basic human rights without
infringing on the rights of others.
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Assertive people
 Express their true feelings, communicating honestly and
directly
 Acknowledge their rights and the rights of others
 Are self confident, polite and persistent
 Look for win/win solutions to problems
Assertiveness is linked to self esteem and is considered an
important communication skill.
A person communicates assertively by not being afraid to
speak his or her mind or trying to influence others, but
doing so in a way that respects the personal boundaries of
others. They are also willing to defend themselves against
aggressive incursions.
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Workplace Scenario
 Your supervisor approaches you to work overtime this
weekend. However, you have already made plans to
watch your child play in his sporting grand final.
 Your supervisor explains that to meet a client request,
an urgent job needs to be completed this weekend.
 You are his best worker and he really needs you to work
this weekend.
 Will you work?
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Negotiation
 Negotiation is the process of securing an agreement
between parties with different needs and goals.
 Negotiation is a basic human activity. All employees
(including middle managers and senior executives) are
called upon to negotiate, almost on a daily basis. More
often than not, however, this is done intuitively or on an
ad-hoc basis rather than by following a planned, proven
strategy.
 Negotiation is a planned sequence of events that
requires strategy, sound interpersonal skills, emotional
Intelligence and patience. Preparation is probably the
single most important part of successful negotiations.
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Successful Negotiation
 Successful negotiators have a positive vision of their
success.
 They fully understand their subject matter and have a
firm grasp of the negotiation process. In addition, they
can also read people very well.
 Accomplished negotiators know not only their own
personal negotiation style, but also their counterpart’s
preferred negotiation style - and they use this
knowledge to build a stronger relationship that will help
achieve their goals.
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Negotiation Strategies
 Win/lose
 Win/win
 Lose/win
 Lose/lose
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Written Communication
 Meeting minutes
 Memos
 Letters
 Job hazard analysis/risk
assessments
 Procedures
 Newsletters
 Forms and
documentation
 Statistics
 Reports – annual,
end of month
 Emails
 Posters
 Incident reports
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Written Communication
 The use of plain English when writing will help you
communicate your message effectively and efficiently.
Technical writing is difficult to understand. Many writers
use complex words and sentence constructions. While
this might make the writer feel important and
knowledgeable, it only confuses readers.
 It is not reasonable to think that the words you use
mean the same thing to your readers as they do to you.
 Unless the message is in plain English, the
consequences can be confusion, misunderstandings,
inefficiency and work having to be redone.
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Written Communication
7 characteristics of effective written communications are:
1. Clear – readable, logical and unambiguous
2. Complete – contains all necessary details
3. Concise – has no more detail than is necessary
4. Considerate – aware of the reader
5. Courteous – tactful and sensitive
6. Concrete – not vague or abstract
7. Correct – in details, grammar and spelling
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Assertiveness
The seven characteristics of effective written
communications are achieved through appropriate use of
six components of writing style:
 The words (language) you use
 The sentences you write
 The paragraphs you construct
 The rhythm or flow you achieve
 The tone you adopt
 The layout or format of your document
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Language
 Use simple language.
 Remove unnecessary words.
 Choose concrete language.
 Avoid technical jargon.
 Choose non discriminatory and inclusive language
– no racial or religious jokes, no sexist comments.
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Sentences and Paragraphs
 Simple sentences one idea per sentence
 Short sentences
 Punctuation
 Spell check
 Acronyms and abbreviations
 Paragraphs group a set of ideas
 Paragraphs should have at least 2 sentences.
 Separate paragraphs by a double line spacing.
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Review the written communication
Check written communication prior to sending to ensure:
 accuracy
 clear purpose for receiver
 it is well set out
 it is easy to read
 it conveys your ideas as you intended
 the tone is appropriate
 it is being sent to correct person
 contact details are provided
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How Many F’s
 The soldiers of the first fleet were brave and fearless
as they fought all of the forces of nature when facing
the fierce storm off the coast of Australia.
The soldiers of the first fleet were brave
and fearless as they fought all of the forces
of nature when facing the fierce storm off
the coast of Australia.
13 F’s
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Summary
We have discussed:
 the communication process
 verbal communication
 non-verbal communication
 written communication
 negotiation
 feedback.
Any questions?
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Further Information
For further assistance, MAQOHSC WHS Specialists are available
for guidance, onsite support and advice on WHS Matters.
www.maqohsc.sa.gov.au
MAQOHSC WHS Specialists can be contacted via:
Les Allen
Phone: 08 8204 9807
Mobile: 0403 160 706
Email: [email protected]
Eric McInerney
Phone: 08 8303 9908
Mobile: 0448 914 630
Email: [email protected]
Work, Health and Safety Legislation, Codes of Practice, fact
sheets, HSR information and guides can be found at the
following websites:
SafeWork SA - www.safework.sa.gov.au
SafeWork Australia – www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au
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