Communication Overview

Effective communicators will pay a great deal of attention to each stage of the communication cycle, so that each of their messages is suitably tailored to its recipient, to avoid misinterpretation. It is vital to get communication right in the workplace, for example when a manager or leader needs to inform their workforce of key initiatives or strategic changes that will affect them, such as mergers, acquisitions, departmental moves, promotions, potential redundancies etc.

Misunderstandings in the transmission of this message could lead to an unhappy and/or unproductive workforce. A message is successful only when both the sender and the receiver understand to mean the same thing. If messages are transmitted successfully, thoughts and ideas are communicated effectively. When transmission is unsuccessful, the thoughts and ideas conveyed do not necessarily reflect their true meaning, causing a breakdown in communications and relationships.

Communicating Key Messages

People often think of communication as being speaking, listening and writing, but the reality is that everything we do communicates something to those around us. The words and body language you employ are equally as important. If your words and actions don't match up, this might create problems for you, particularly around trust. Ultimately, people always believe the actions taken rather than the words spoken.Most managers and leaders today find that they need to constantly reinforce key messages so that they are fully understood and absorbed by their audience. The communication of key messages also involves:

• being clear on your key message
• thinking about what your audience wants to hear
• understanding what impact your message will have
• understanding what questions it will raise

Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication

To ensure successful communications in any organization, it is best to start with the basics, i.e. verbal and non-verbal communication. In most workplaces verbal and non-verbal exchanges happen often without much (if any) planning or even awareness that such communications are taking place. When we are speaking we often focus on the words we are using, but words account for part of the understanding in verbal communication. In reality, your tone of voice and your body language also have a significant impact. By body language we mean the way you stand and use your body to express yourself:

• your posture
• your hand gestures
• your physical demeanor
• the facial expressions that you employ

If much of your audience's reaction will be derived from your tone and body language in conjunction with the words you use, then it is obviously vital that sufficient time is spent on practicing and preparing these aspects. During the course of your work, you may find that you need to adapt your language when speaking to different audiences. For example, the language you use when communicating with senior managers may be different from the language you use when speaking to your peers or colleagues, or people working in different organizations/departments, or even your friends and family. It is important not to assume a level of understanding, and to ensure that you do not overcomplicate what you are saying by using lots of complex terminology and/or jargon.

Listening

Listening Skills Actively listening and responding to colleagues, customers, members of staff and senior management helps to build trust, respect and influence.

Listening is an often-overlooked yet important aspect of communication. The old saying that “you were given two ears but only one mouth for a reason” is worth remembering. If you want be listened to, then your audience needs to feel as though it is being listened to as well.

Good listening involves not only actively absorbing verbal information, but also being aware of, and analyzing, other behaviors such as body language and tone, looking out for hidden messages and then confirming understanding. It is important to show that you are listening, by asking appropriate questions and summarizing what you think is being said.

Your body language as the listener is also important. Do you look as though you are listening? Are you smiling, frowning, nodding, shaking your head as the other person speaks? Often in a conversation when we hear something we want to respond to, we stop listening and start thinking about our response. It is important to stay focused on what is being said otherwise you may miss something very important in the communication. If you are worried you might forget, jot down a reminder.

Presentations

Presentations are part and parcel of management life. There are three phases to all presentations:

1. Design

This phase includes: establishing aims and objectives, determining the audience, deciding on the length of the presentation, deciding on visual aids or other resources such as handouts, defining key arguments/issues/learning points, establishing the level of research needed, and an outline of the presentation's structure.

2. Prepare

This phase includes: working out what you need to cover during the presentation, conducting research and collecting information, finalizing the structure, producing notes, preparing handouts/other visual aids, practicing the presentation and making sure any equipment you are going to use (e.g. projectors, microphones or other technology) is working properly.

3. Deliver

The final phase is all about ensuring effective delivery of the presentation on the day. It involves checking that the venue and equipment are in order, that you have all the resources you need (including visual aids/handouts and your notes), and familiarizing yourself with the environment before standing up before your audience.

Confidence is crucial, and if you feel comfortable with the subject matter of the presentation then you will be much more confident in your delivery. If you are taking questions at the end of your presentation, your audience will not usually expect you to know every detail, so it is quite acceptable to say 'I don’t know, but I’ll find out and come back to you'. (Just make sure you keep your promise e.g. by directing people to your blog or website, where they will find the answers online.)

Body language and tone are very important aspects of presentations. If you practice your presentations before delivery, get someone to give you feedback on these items specifically. A measured approach is needed to ensure that people remember all of your presentation, not only the opening and closing statements.

Focus on your key messages and think about what you can do to make them memorable throughout.

Image

A significant element of communication is image, i.e. the impression other people have of you. Image can be either an asset or a drawback, depending on how successfully you manage it, and it matters because, like it or not, we all make subconscious decisions about people or things based on what we see and hear. Image consists of three key factors:

1. appearance
2. behavior
3. attitude

These elements work together to create a perception. Every time we interact with another human being, our appearance, behavior and attitude sends messages about us and how efficient, professional, knowledgeable and capable we are. When we understand the messages we are transmitting, we can then begin to manage them, creating an image that others will relate to in order to improve our relationships with them.

Writing

With the extensive use of email and online communications in the 21st century, including social media channels, the ability to write clearly and concisely with a strong purpose and structure is vital to leadership and management success.

Writing is simply another channel for communication and so the same basic guidelines of thinking about your key messages and the audience needs are applicable. However, the volume of information received by people on a daily basis means that to make an impact, your writing must be able to be easily read, quickly digested and acted upon.

The same principles should be applied when writing management reports in order to express ideas succinctly and gain buy-in to recommendations. Unlike verbal communication, you have no immediate way of checking for shared understanding or issues that your communication might generate, and simple mistakes like misspelled words and grammar errors can have a serious impact on your credibility.

It is important, therefore, to check all communication before you send it to make sure that it is clear, succinct and error-free.

Intercultural Considerations

Communication in today’s workplace can often be all the more difficult because of the increasing globalization of business and the growing diversity of the 21st century workforce. Many employees communicate with colleagues and clients from various international locations, and this difference in cultural context brings new communication challenges.

Language barriers and cultural misunderstandings can often get in the way of effective communication, yet even when workers speak the same language there are still some cultural differences that should be borne in mind in order to optimize communication. It is important, therefore, to develop expertise in cross-cultural communication strategies. This includes understanding that the sender of the message and the receiver are from different cultures and backgrounds (e.g. different generations, different ethnic groups).

The ability to adapt your communication style to the audience you are communicating with often requires no more than common sense and discreet observation, but sometimes it may be necessary to ask for more information to avoid causing undue offense. Simply taking the time to find out in advance what is expected can go a long way to gaining mutual respect.

Communication barriers

Recognizing the most common communication barriers and understanding how they impact on effective communication is vital. Removing barriers is one of the easiest ways to improve interpersonal communication. Some of the principal barriers to communication are:

• noise (interruptions, physical distractions)
• physical (geographical considerations, environment, time and space)
• mental attitude (perceptions, stereotyping, prejudice, personal beliefs, status, relationship between communicators, culture, generational issues, emotionality)
• poor feedback
• poor listening skills
• selection of inappropriate medium or language used
• body language (non-verbal communication)

The different types of barriers to effective communication can all reinforce each other, leading to vicious cycles. By anticipating potential barriers and taking action to avoid them wherever possible the impact of communication can become greatly increased.

Conclusion

Good communication entails conveying messages to your audience clearly, without the possibility of misinterpretation. It's also about receiving information from others with as little distortion as possible. Everyone has a responsibility for communicating well, and communication is a key skill and responsibility for all leaders and managers, regardless of the industry they work in. By understanding what your message is, tailoring it to suit your audience and communicating clearly and effectively, you are more likely to be heard, understood, trusted and respected. This will make your job much easier and more enjoyable, and will ultimately lead to personal and organizational success.