Communication in the Workplace

 

About This Post: This is a larger post than others in this Blog. Most people in a Managerial or Leadership position will agree that Communication is a very important subject to say the least. A business may have a great product, but if they have poor internal and external communications then they'll not reach their full potential, or worse.

 This post will cover the following topics of Business Communication:

• The Importance of Communication.
• The Basic Communication Diagram.
• Barriers/Filters in the Communication Process.
• Guidelines for Communication Improvement.
• Nonverbal Communication.  

 

Communication: "The process  of a sender transmitting a message to a receiver with mutual understanding for the purpose of influencing, informing, and/or to express feelings.

 

The above definition in one of many concerning the subject of communication. The "sender" is the person who formulates and delivers the message through "media." It is sometimes referred to as the "Source." The two words, "mutual understanding" means both the sender and receiver have a common understanding of the subject being transmitted.

 

Communication is the foundation on which Management and Human Relations are built upon. Consider that managers get things done only through people and that occurs only through communications, i.e., no communication results in no organized activity....poor communication results in poor organized activity.

 

Importance of Communication:

1. Generally speaking, in life we are usually judged by four criteria:

• What we do, i.e., job, profession, life style hobbies, activities, etc.
• What we look like. Like it or not it's a fact of life, i.e., our grooming, appearance, hygiene, etc.
• What we say and/or talk about.
• How we say it.

 Note that the these are all forms of communication. Yes, what you "do" says something about you.

 

    2. Everything we do in Management and Human Relations is through communication. All four of the Management functions, Planning, Organizing, Controlling, and Leading rely on effective communication.

 

   3. The failure of an organized effort, e.g., individual worker effort, teamwork, etc., is usually due to poor communications.

 

   4. Communication is a flawed process, it is important to remember this in all your communication efforts. Most communication is distorted to some degree. That distortion could be very minor or very major, or anything in between. Now consider that 80% of our time in the workplace is spent in communication, (speaking, listening, reading, writing, etc.). Then consider that about 80% of communication is distorted to some degree, which then means any improvement in the workplace must start with communications. It is very important that this be understood and considered in all Communications.

 

  5. Today's work environment requires more communication skills than before because of advances in technology. The increase use of computers, FAX, email, internet, telephones, etc., requires concise, accurate use of the language because this technology has reduced or eliminated face-to-face communication. Which means we no longer have the ability for the non-verbal component of communication or the convenience of immediate clarification. (Note: Non-Verbal communication is a very important topic and will be discussed later in this post....stay tuned).      

 

 

A True Story About Communication

A friend of mine, Larry, is a Small Business Consultant, (a competitor of mine). He became aware early on that his clients want results quickly, mostly because he was "On the Clock." In order to provide some results quickly he devised an approach that was to first evaluate and provide suggestions on how to improve communications for his client's business. His reasoning was that inefficient communications was so prevalent in most businesses that he could uncover many areas to improve in a relatively short time. This allowed him to quickly produce results in this one area which satisfied his client so he can then go onto to work on other areas of his client's business, e.g., Sales, Motivation, Marketing, etc., without the client breathing down his neck.....He said it worked every time.

This true story reinforces the point that Communication, in its many forms in the business environment, is to a large degree, a flawed process and has many areas that can be simply improved.





 

 

 

 

 

 Components of the Basic Communication Diagram

 

1. Source/Sender: The person/ persons/organization formulating and sending a message.
2. Receiver: The person/persons/organization receiving the message. 
3. Message
4. Response/Reply/Feedback

     5.  Media/Path/Channel
     6.  Source Communication Filter
     7.  Receiver Communication Filter

     Note #1: This diagram is presented here to use as a reference for all the following information.

     Note #2: The Source and Receiver Filters refer to the barriers that distort a message. There are many causes for these barriers, e.g., wrong wording, incomplete information, emotions, etc. Remember most, not all, communication is distorted to some degree.

    Note #3: The diagram shows that the Source/Sender alternately becomes a receiver during an ongoing communication process. Same for the Receiver.

 

Barriers/Filters in the Communication Process:

Barriers/Filters: "Anything that Distorts, Alters, Reduces, Minimizes, etc., the Communication Process:

Types of Barriers/Filters: The following is just a brief list of barriers in the communication process. I call it my "Top Ten List."....(My apologies to David Letterman)

1. Semantics: This involves the use and misuse of words. Consider that there are many separate meanings for each of the 500 most used words in the English language, (Blame the British). The problems that usually arise are when there too much use of open-ended, intangible, objective words that can be misinterpreted by people. Examples are: Early/Late vs. seven o'clock in the morning or Heavy vs. 250 pounds.

2. Emotions/Attitudes: These barriers are the most difficult to understand and deal with and they can create all kinds of heartburn. If you are angry with someone your message is not going to be very effective.

3. Role Expectations: This is the perception of status on the part of both the sender and the receiver. We tend to size up, evaluate, weigh a message in terms of the characteristics of the person who sends it. The nature of a conversation between a front-line worker and a CEO will not be the same as each person conversing with people at their own level.

4. Gender Bias: This is a relatively new barrier because of the increase of women entering positions previously held by men. The best selling book by John Gray, has a title that says it all, "Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus." This is to say men and women are so different that they might as well be from different planets. Generally speaking, it has been shown that men tend to speak differently to women than to men.

5. Trust/Credibility: This is based on the person's "expertness" in the subject area being communicated and on the degree of one's confidence or trust that the person will tell the truth.

6. Information Overload: This is more of a problem today because of advances in communication technology. This occurs when people receive more information than they need or can process. It's interesting that the same thing happens to a computer when someone tries to process more data than the computer can handle....it shuts down.

7. Time and Place: When and where you deliver a message has an effect on effectiveness of the message. For example, sending a message too early or late; Sending it at the very end of the work day, may cause a problem. Discussing an important situation in the break room is not a good idea.

8. Background Noise: Sometimes you can't help it, but delivering a message in this environment most likely will result in a poor communication. The answer...simply move to a better location.

9. Media Selection: This is an area that can make a big difference in communication effectiveness. An excellent example is the choice of a media in advertising. If you're going to advertise furniture, you will probably select "Good Housekeeping" or "Home and Garden" magazines not "Field and Stream." Notice the evening TV news programs, almost all of the products advertised are related to health. That's because the manufactures of these products have research indicating a large percentage of viewers are in the older age bracket. That is an example of not only Media selection but also Time and Place selection.

10. Culture: Yes, even if people of different cultures speak English, communication can be altered because it may be influenced by their native language because of the different meanings of words and delivery.

Finally....Remember, these Barriers/Filters can be minimized by understanding what they are and developing methods to overcome them. The following section discusses the many ways to improve communications in the workplace.



Guidelines for Communication Improvement

 

 

With the knowledge we now have of the Communication process and the type of problems associated with Barriers/Filters, we can explain ways to improve this very important managerial function. An awareness and clear understanding of these following points is of basic importance to effective communication for both the sender and receiver.

1. First of all: Fairness, openness, honesty, straight talk, etc., will usually reduce most, but not all distortion. Avoid both excessive criticism and underserved praise....People can see baloney when it's coming.
2. Take for granted that Communication is a flawed process, (Have I mention that yet?), and that you can, with practice, improve the process, but there will always be a degree of distortion.
3. Communication is a learned behavior, which means that people usually send messages that maximizes rewards and minimize punishment. Managers who are guilty of the "Kill the Messenger" syndrome will be told only the "good news" even though the bad news may be crucial to the organization's welfare. As a side note if a manager has employees who don't want to be the bearer of bad news, then most likely this a symptom of poor management. These managers should ask themselves "Why are employees reluctant to be open about problems?"
4. Paraphrasing is a good method of avoiding problems. Ask your employees to paraphrase, (repeat), your instructions and paraphrase for them the problem or request that they bring to you.
5. Using the method of written and oral communication that is appropriate to the situation will improve communication. Generally, oral, (for face-to-face contact allows for feedback), followed by written, (for a record of the specific message), is one method that works well.
6. Most organizations are characterized by top-down communication. Unless managers make a concerted effort to seek information from their employees, i.e., bottom-up communication, they will remain in the dark on many issues. Managers should not only encourage feedback and response from all levels but also do everything possible to expedite this feedback. There's a very important related benefit to encouraging feedback from employees, and that is it is highly motivational to the employees. Consider what you are doing....you're asking their opinion. In their mind they believe you think they are capable of contributing to solving problems, and that is highly motivating......which will be the next post dealing with Motivation...or if you can't wait ask Mr. Maslow and Mr. Herzberg.
7. Do not exclude others or resort to in-group talk. Include everyone present in the interaction. Some people may believe their opinion is not important but they still should be included because they may have some good input and again it is motivating.
8. Nonverbal cues will signify whether each person is aware of what others are saying. If someone is rubbing their eyes, arms crossed, or staring off in the distance then change the setting, ask a question, etc., to get their attention.
9. Using a number of different media/channels to deliver a message will help neutralize the distortion in any one media/channel. For example in addition to using a phone call follow-up with an email.
10. Repetition is a good form of learning and is helpful in communication because it tends to neutralize distortion and filtering.
11. Words should be selected with care to avoid emotionally loaded terms that will cause the receiver to jump to an incorrect conclusion.
12. Some managers deplore the power of the "Grapevine," the informal communication network. However all organizations have Grapevines and they do not present any problems most of the time. Problems do arise when the messages in the Grapevine are false/distorted and harm the operation of the firm. More open sharing of information through formal channels can decrease this problem. Also, when false information is spread via the Grapevine it is very important to address the situation quickly and truthfully.
13. This is very important! The best and fastest way to improve communication is to improve your "listening skills." Listening involves attempting to understand the meaning of the message. It is more than merely being able to repeat the words in the message. A message is only composed of words, symbols, numbers, etc. we do not communicate meanings, we can only communicate messages. The meaning is developed in the mind of the listener according to how they interpret/decode the message. Also, please remember that listening is not a passive activity....you have to work at it!
14. Finally....many, some say most, problems of communication are problems rooted in poor management. If managers are effective in their styles and relationships then communications tend to be effective. If a person has a lot of traits of a lousy manager, such as; tyrant, bully, dishonest, unfair, unethical, demeaning, etc., then they will be the dullest knife in the management drawer of communications. All the best communication processes will never make up for a lousy manager.           

 

Nonverbal Communication

 

        Nonverbal Communication Definitions:

1. "The term, nonverbal communication, is commonly used to describe all communication events that go beyond the limits of spoken or written words.
2. "The transmission of messages by means other than words"

 Before we Start, It is important to remember that nonverbal communication cannot be studied in isolation from verbal communication. Verbal and nonverbal communication should be treated as a total and inseparable topic. Some of the most important findings in the field of social interaction, (which includes business), are about some of the ways in which verbal and nonverbal communication interrelate.

 

 

Characteristics of Nonverbal Communication

 

1. Exists in a Context: Nonverbal communication, like verbal communication, exists in a context, and that context helps to determine the meaning of nonverbal behaviors. In other words, the actions, environment, situation, etc., that exists before, during and after a nonverbal cue helps to understand and give meaning to the nonverbal cue. Therefore, when separated from the context, it is impossible to tell what any act of nonverbal behavior may mean. Some examples are, winking at a female in a bus vs. winking at your son when he does a good job. Another is, pounding your fist during a political debate vs. pounding the table in response to hearing bad news. 
2. You Cannot Not Communicate: Nonverbal behavior during an interactional situation always communicates. It is difficult not behave, and consequently, it is difficult not to communicate. Regardless of whether it is intentional or unintentional, one's nonverbal behavior communicates something to someone. Also, these messages may be received consciously or subconsciously; we need not be consciously aware that we are receiving messages for them to communicate meaning to us.
3. Nonverbal over Verbal: In most face-to-face communication people tend to believe nonverbal messages over verbal messages even when they contradict each other. The reason for this is we feel verbal messages are easier to fake. Therefore, when there is a conflict we distrust the verbal and accept the nonverbal.
4. Nonverbal Reinforces Verbal: Nonverbal communication must be studied as part of the total communication process. This is because nonverbal communication can help to repeat, substitute, complement, accent, or regulate verbal communication. Nonverbal communication is important because of the role it plays in the total communication system. The following details the role of nonverbal.

• Repeating: Nonverbal communication can simply repeat what was said verbally. For instance, if you told someone to drive north and pointed in the proper direction, this would be considered repetition.
• Substitution: Nonverbal communication can substitute for verbal messages. For example, when a college professor walks into class after a tough day on campus, his facial expression and slumped shoulders substitute for the statement, "I've had a rotten day."
• Complementing: Nonverbal behavior can modify, or elaborate on verbal messages. Congratulating someone followed by a hug or pat on the back may serve as signaling one's attitude towards another person.
• Accent: Nonverbal behavior may accent parts of the verbal message. Movements of the head, arms, or eyes are frequently used to accent the verbal message, (Watch an Italian movie to see this in action). In written communication underlining, italicizing, or bolding some words serves to emphasize them.
• Regulating: Nonverbal behaviors are also used to regulate the communicative flow between people. The way one person stops and the other starts in a smooth, synchronized manner may be as important to a satisfactory interaction as the verbal content that is being exchanged.

   5. Silence: Silent behavior may seem to the silent person as not communicating, however in this context it may be communicating a lot. It is said, "You communicate the most when you think you are communicating the least."

 

 

Types of Nonverbal Behavior

 

 

1. Body Language: Below are just a few types of body language. It is important to understand that it is in their absence that body language is also significant. That is to say without being able to see body language during a communication process reduces the effectiveness of the message transmission.

• Eye Contact: Actually this should be considered the "eye area," because of all the muscles that react during interactions.
• Posture: The posture you assume while either communicating or listening sends many messages. Standing close, leaning forward in your chair, sends a message.
• Arm and Hand Gestures: These gestures tend to put an emphasis on what is being said.
• Facial Gestures: These gestures are some of the more significant nonverbal cues and can communicate feeling while sending or receiving messages.

2. Vocal Cues:

• Pitch: Increasing and decreasing the pitch of your delivery can add meaning to a message.
• Volume: Variation in loudness can add meaning by emphasizing certain points in a conversation.
• Rate of Speech: Speaking fast or slow can add meaning similar to pitch an volume.
• Articulation: Correct articulation and pronunciation helps increase the effectiveness and reduces distortion of the message

3. Appearance and Grooming:

• Hygiene: Combed hair, clean hands and fingernails, shower, etc.
• Clothing: Clean, appropriate, coordinated, etc.
• Accessories: Jewelry, brief case, perfume, etc.

4. Environmental Cues:

• Office, car, home, pictures on wall/desk, diplomas, artifacts, etc. You can tell a lot about a person by the order versus disorder of their home, car, office, garage, etc.
• Junk: What we don't throw out says a lot about what and who we are. Do you save string, plastic grocery bags, pieces of scrap lumber, report cards from grade school, girl scout uniform, your children's baby teeth, duct-taped hammer handle, etc.? They all say something about you.

Finally

 

                  I hope this post helps you be a better communicator. My experience has been

                  that the best managers I have worked for and the best employees I have worked

                  with have been very good communicators. Yes, effective communication does

                  wonders for a marriage.

 

 

  If you have questions email me at    smallbusinfo.vpt@gmail.com 

 

 

Vincent P.Troccoli

June 7, 2015  









        

 

        

   

    

 

 

 

 

 

Leadership versus Management

 

 

Leadership versus Management

 

                   A Critical Truth: "If you have a horse and a wagon, the placement is

                                                 critical....i.e., If you want good employees you must

                                                 have good managers and good leaders."

 

 

Leadership vs. Management...What is the Difference? The simple answer is: A lot. But that answer is not going to help anyone. In this post I'll explain my answer, by discussing the need for both Leaders and Managers in the workplace; the different skills each require; the different purposes of each, and more.

We'll concentrate first on Leadership, what it is and what it isn't. We'll do this in some parts by contrasting it to Management. We'll have a separate post on Management. 

 

 

                                Let's Start With Some Definitions:

 Leadership:

"A process of influencing individual and group activities toward goal setting and goal achievement." 

 

Management: The process of achieving organizational goals/objectives by Planning, Organizing, Leading and Controlling, (These are the basic Four Functions of Management), the organization's resources, (facilities, material, capital, and employees), while also allowing the employees to achieve their goals and satisfy their needs." (A side note about the last line of this paragraph. This statement is very important and will be addressed in a separate post about "Motivation.")

The above definitions are two of many for the two terms. At first glance the two seem very similar, however we will see that they are very different, they have different roles in business, need different skills, etc. The objective of this post is to focus on Leadership; what it is; what it isn't; and contrast it to Management.

The Need for Leadership.

Well of course we need leadership,....we all know that. O.K. we agree, but let's look a little closer at that need. There are four, and maybe more, inescapable facts of organizational life that demand Leadership.

1. The Uninvited Guest Factor, (UGF): We've all been there....We plan and plan and some uninvited person shows up....now what? A fact of business life is, no matter how superior planning, procedures, schedules, etc., are, there is a fundamental incompleteness in organizations. Gaps can appear, overlaps will develop, unforeseen events occur, external events interfere, and the whole system would come apart if there weren't someone providing leadership.

2. The External Business Environment: Few firms can isolate themselves from external business environmental changes that today happen at an exponential rate of speed. Organizations need someone with a wide and deep vision of the changing business environment to interpret these changes and make decisions to take advantage of these changes or to make decisions to prevent these changes from negatively affecting the firm.

3. The Internal Dynamics of an Organization: An organization is made up of many components/departments depending on the size of the firm. These components interact with each other to form what is called a "System." This System is in a constant state of interaction with each other and each component/department is dependent upon other components/departments. If these components were left to their own there would be a complete breakdown of what was to be a system of interacting company components/departments. A leader with a system's view is needed to ensure the organization works in "Concert" with each other.

4. Human Behavior: The nature of human behavior in an organization is very unpredictable. Here we are dealing with people with a variety of concerns, problems, needs, and biases about how to do things. Abraham Maslow said: "To person with only a hammer, every problem looks like a nail."  These personal concerns vary so greatly that leadership is required for adjustments and adaptation....i.e., some people can be difficult at times especially before their morning coffee.

A Closer Look at Leadership 

 

Another Set of Definitions: By the end of this discussion you should be able to explain the following two definitions.

 

"Managers are people who do things right."

"Leaders are people who do the right things"

Leadership is a subject that has interested scholars, dictators, politicians, military officers and lay-people as well for thousands of years. the term connotes images of dynamic individuals, who command armies of corporate empires, and change the course of nations. For our situation it also applies to people who own and/or run a small business. What we are talking about is an organizational situation in which a person, (a leader), induces others to some specific performance because they have a degree of power over others. (Power, it's role in management and it's many forms will be discussed later).

With the above being said we can now add, leadership really is not mysterious. People are not born with it; it does not require charisma or other exotic personality traits. What it does take is Work.

 

 

Becoming a Leader Takes Work, Not Luck

 

Effective Leaders are not born and they are not academically produced from MBA programs. Effective Leaders are the people who work at becoming one and luck has nothing to do with it no matter how many times you've heard someone say, "He's a born leader."

 

Effective Leaders are those people who work at understanding that people want to be led by people who set good examples. They want to be led by someone who is honest, fair, ethical, trustworthy, wants to achieve and loves life.

 

Effective Leaders are those people who work at merging their vision and passion to achieve the goals for the organization while also satisfying the needs of their followers and society.

 

Finally, Effective Leaders are those people who work at understanding the following key principles regarding employees:

• Employees do not purposely intend to do a bad job. Actually, they want to do a good job.
• Employees do want to be acknowledged for doing a good job.
• Employees would prefer to like, even admire their leaders, but trust is a more important attribute.
• Employees want to be inspired, not intimidated.
• Employees perform better when they understand where they are going and know how they will get there.
• Employees feel more secure when they are led, not "Bossed."
• Employees do work to earn an income, but they need more from the workplace other than an income. They need recognition, responsibility, respect, a sense of belonging, and a sense of being part of a team, not someone who is "rented."
• Employees do want to have a voice in the work processes that involve them and appreciate it when they are asked for their opinion.  



 

Management is concerned with coping and directing organizations. Managers at all levels have four main areas of concern....they are the "Four Functions Of Management." They are Planning, Organizing, Leading and Controlling. (These functions will be explained later in another post.)

When these functions are executed in an effective way management brings a high degree of order and consistency to things like quality control, high productivity, efficiency, profitability, consistent high customer service, etc.

 

 

Leadership by contrast is concerned with coping with changes in the business environment, both at the micro, (Internal components of an organization) and macro, (External to an organization) levels. These changes, at the micro and macro levels, are happening at an increasing rate....we call that an exponential rate....a.k.a., acceleration. Leading an organization requires understanding how these changes will effect your organization. Some changes may open opportunities and some may have a potential negative impact. A leader must recognize how these changes could affect their organization and make the necessary adjustments to the organization's strategy so to avoid the problems and take advantage of the opportunities. 

Leading an organization to constructive change begins by developing a vision of the future of the organization, establishing goals/objectives, and then selecting strategies to reach those goals and objectives. That is the essence of leadership.

Leadership and Management By now we can see that they are two distinctive and complementary processes/tasks/jobs, etc. They are both necessary and critical to the success of an organization. They have different purposes. They require different skills. Being a good manager does not mean you can be a good leader. Conversely, being a good leader does not mean you can be a good manager. Can you be good at both? Yes.

 

Finally: For more detailed information that supports the above please research the following:

• Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory.
• Herzberg's Maintenance and Motivation Theory.

Most of this post is based on these two theories. Understanding this information will definitely help people wanting to be a good leader in business.

 

Best of Luck     

 

 

  

    

 



     

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                               

            

 

 

Greetings

 

Welcome to my Blog and its first post. I hope you will visit often and find a lot of information that will help your business.

 

After 30 years in business and an additional 26 years teaching business at the college level, I do believe I've been "Around the block a few times."

 

I believe every Business instructor should work in private business before stepping in front of a classroom with a textbook under their arm. Don't misunderstand me, textbooks are an absolutely necessity to teaching business. However, they don't guide you when a customer calls on a Friday night and says his system he bought from you last year "went out to lunch," (i.e., crashed). Or, a delivery to a customer gets lost.

 

Sometimes the full-page advertisement for a local grocery store hits the streets loaded with errors. Or how about when a competitor appears overnight and undercuts your prices drastically and you lose customers?

 

These and a list of hundreds of solutions to these problems are not fully addressed in a textbook. I have found that the combination of working as a business owner and teaching college level business classes provided me with both the academic and the real world of business and with that experience I hope to help small businesses that are fighting these battles everyday.

 

I am new to Blogging and hope to get your "Comments/Questions" etc. I welcome suggested topics you would like me to address....hopefully I can help. My email address is:
smallbusinfo.vpt@gmail.com 























About Vince

 

 
Introduction
 

           What I learned as a Business Owner

You learn real fast as a business owner that you're the first one to arrive at work, the last one to leave and the last one to get paid!...... But it was worth it because I learned and earned a lot.

     I was fortunate to have three very interesting careers. After graduation I worked as a Test Engineer conducting tests on rocket engines, torpedoes, hovercraft, and more.

    When my company wanted to move me back to California my family and I made a decision to stay in Washington State at our lakeside home. I then made a unusual career move and bought and ran a failing community newspaper. The turn-around was so successful I started two more and sold them 11 years later to a newspaper chain.

     I was offered a job teaching Business at our local Community College. I accepted because retirement was boring. Twenty-five years later I am still there.
I started offering Business Consulting services while still teaching.

My Consulting work combines 30 years of business ownership and college Business Instructor 

 

For questions please email: smallbusinfo.vpt@gmail.com