COMMUNICATION: THE LIFEBLOOD OF EVERY ORGANIZATION

 

Communication today has become the lifeblood of every organization.  It is the process of sharing thoughts and feelings with other people.  Communication has become more critical as managers’ roles move from controlling to facilitating.  It is important to communicate effectively because communication cannot be avoided and other people are needed to satisfy our needs and to assist us in the accomplishment of our goals.  Effective communication skills enable us to send accurate messages.

Communication always involves the sender and the receiver.  The responsibility of the receiver is to listen and to provide feedback.  The three (3) areas of greatest concern in interpersonal communication are:

1. listening,
2. verbal message, and
3. nonverbal message

Listening is the number one culprit in poor communication.  Effective listening also involves empathy.  There are 6 major skills in effective listening:

1. Enquiry (skills of gaining information)
2. Diagnosis (skills of analyzing)
3. Summarizing (skills of bringing together a considerable amount of information and reflecting back to others the points)
4. Proposing (skills of putting up solution ideas, recommendations and suggestions)
5. Directing (skills of indicating to others what has to be done in order to solve the problems and giving guidelines on action)
6. Informing (skills of providing information)

 

Communicating is a continuing process.  Without personal communication skills, interpersonal relationships cannot be developed.  Communication is vital to create and maintain relationships.  Interpersonal communication involves real time face-to-face or voice-to-voice conversation that allows instant feedback.  Characteristics behaviors of successful interpersonal communicators

• Positive self-concept
• Open-mindedness
• Ability to feel empathy
• Positive assertiveness and
• Ability to use persuasive strategies

In every communication there is a past, present and future.  People spend so much time on past issues that they never get around to resolving present and future matters.  The most effective communicators know the value and power of ‘keepers’.  They are crisp and catchy snippets that drive home a point in a memorable and attention-grabbing manner.  Tips for creating keepers:

• Be your own editor
• Pretend you’re speaking to readers in order to help you put concepts in the simplest terms possible to make it understandable for others
• Simple analogies that create visual impressions

 

Powerful communication can position you for leadership success.  There is a direct connection between morale and the way management communicates that contributes to the success of an organization.  The way we pass by someone in a hallway, glance away at a meeting, talk on the phone or even stand while conversing, verbal and non-verbal communications continually impact others.  The way you engage, connect and share ideas on a daily basis determines how you make others feel.  Great leaders empower others by making them feel important.  In order to succeed, treat every meeting, conversation, speech, interview or presentation as an opportunity.  The tips to better engagement and influence are:

• Make a stronger start
• use passive phrases
• Be your own cheerleader
• Self-promotion is not bragging
• take ownership and credit for your hard work
• Stand tall
• Positive body language
• Show some emotion
• speak with passion and make others believe
• Seven seconds
• It takes approximately seven seconds for someone to form an impression
• The first impressions set the tone
• Stand for phone interviews
• stand up and imagine the person you are talking to is in the room
• Just because you are not in front of someone does not mean you’re not ‘‘on.’’
• Mind your attitude
• It speaks volumes about a leader’s perceived ability to instill confidence, navigate issues and create an environment
• Be warm. Be real. Laugh a little, smile – let them relate to you

 

One of the biggest communications challenges leaders face is in situations of change.  Embracing change and communication change are both very difficult for many people.  Leaders will face the risk of disengaging the very employees who are needed to help them accomplish their goals without deliberate and well-planned communication.  While leaders cannot always control what happens, they can foster understanding, shape perceptions and influence outcomes.  Here are a few key ‘game changers’ to help to influence the end result in a positive way:

1. Face-to-face
• nothing can replace face-to-face contact when times are tough
• be visible
• make a personal connection
2. Focus on one big message (OBM) and stick to it
3. Top down
• do not leave middle management and other communicators out of the loop
4. Do it quickly
• say something so people hear it from you first
5. Two-way street
• keep the lanes of communication open
• give people opportunities to ask questions and share concerns
• Encourage people to speak up
• take time to listen even if you do not have answers
6. Positive attitude
• Lead by conveying confidence during changing times
• Help people understand how everyone will get through this together
7. Multiple channels
• Make people feel you are keeping them in the loop
8. Show empathy
• understand what they are going through
• convey your support
9. Long haul
• open honest communication must take place at all stages of change
• deliver accurate information
• help people understand how change could benefit the organization
• empower them to positively embrace it
10. Pay attention
• Give your full attention to the person speaking to you
11. Regularly hold meetings to celebrate major milestones
• helps people perceive what is important
• gives them a sense of direction and fulfillment
• let them know that management values their contributions
12. Communicate quickly, openly and as often as possible so people can talk with each other about what is happening in the workplace
• Make them feel included
13. Help people understand
• changes reflect the times
• understand the importance and necessity of actions
14. Providing step-by-step tactics and help others visualize success
• Lay out the changes in steps
• so people can actually see their advancement toward success
15. Be understanding and empathetic
• Use phrases such as ‘I understand’ or ‘I appreciate your concerns’
• give people a chance to vent
• people want to be heard even if they realize you cannot do much about the situation
16. Everything talks
• People communicate when they are not talking
• be careful of how loudly your actions speak
17. Go to your audience instead of making them come to you
• let them know you are listening
18. Keep your communication as simple and frank as possible regardless of your audience
• Instead of defending change, constantly look for ways to communicate what that change means to them
19. When you are a leader who communicates effectively, you can look to your own words to help others change theirs
• learn to use these tips and techniques for clear, convincing, and credible communication
• position yourself for true leadership success

 

Everyone wants to feel that they are important and that their message is valued.  Breakdowns in communication often result in feelings of anger and frustration.  Personal appearance is one area of possible conflict between verbal and nonverbal messages.

REFERENCES:

Charles Margerison and Dick McCann, The Communication and Problem-solving Skills Index; Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 24 No. 1, 1992. pp. 22-24

Karen Friedman, You’re on! How strong communication skills help leaders succeed; BUSINESS STRATEGY SERIES, VOL. 12 NO. 6 2011, pp. 308-314

Mary Bambacas and Margaret Patrickson, Assessment of communication skills in manager selection: some evidence from Australia; Journal of Management Development Vol. 28 No. 2, 2009 pp. 109-120

Sandra G. Garside and Brian H. Kleiner, EFFECTIVE ONE-TO-ONE COMMUNICATION SKILLS; Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 23 No. 7, 1991, pp. 24-27

Tamer A. Awad and Suhaila E. Alhashemi, Assessing the effect of interpersonal communications on employees’ commitment and satisfaction, International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management Vol. 5 No. 2, 2012 pp. 134-156