Workplace Communication: Shoot The Message Not The Messenger
EmPower Research
August 24, 2007
By G Ravi
For it is not upon the physical sciences that the future will depend. It is upon us who are trying to understand and deal with the interactions between human beings' -Carl Rogers
The ability to understand how people see and hear us or perceive us is critical for effective communication.
Communication fosters culture. The primary indicator of an organization's culture is the nature of its communication - both internal and external. When a newcomer into an organization faces diverse individuals and processes, he initiates an internal communication within himself in order to find his place. This gets vocalized resulting in understanding the culture of which he is to be a part. And this initiation is through questions and dialogues.
However, certain barriers can impede this entire process, which in turn hinders imbibing the very culture that a dialogue seeks to foster. The culture needs to be firmly a part of the organization in order to overcome these barriers. This complex part of efforts in communication can actually be simple. Essentially, all we need to do is to pass on the knowledge that we have received in the first place. This always begins with the individual and spreads through the organization, true to the adage - good begets good.
Understanding Etymology
In order to improve communication at workplace, we must understand exactly what it is. The Latin root of the word communicate is 'communicare', which means to make common or share. The primary purpose of communication, therefore, is to express thoughts, ideas and feelings with others in a way they will understand.
Working with others is a communication-intensive activity. The way we communicate with others is deeply woven into our personalities, into the history of our hearts. It is a reflection of our experience and attitudes, which is expressed in our work. The better we understand what other people feel and want, and the more clearly how others understand our goals and feelings, the easier it will be to make sure that everyone is pulling in the same direction.
Learning better communication skills requires an effort because cooperation between people is a much more complex and mentally demanding process than working by oneself and this forms the crux of working together.
It's All in The Process
In simple terms, communication consists of transmitting information from one person to another. The process starts with a 'sender' who has a 'message' for a 'receiver'. Two or more people are always involved in communication. The sender has the responsibility for the message. It also entails three major dimensions: content, form, and destination. Examples of communication content include acts that declare knowledge and experiences, give advice and commands, and ask questions. These acts may take many forms, including gestures (nonverbal communication, sign language and body language), writing, or verbal speaking. The form depends on the symbol systems used. Together, communication content and form make messages that are sent towards a destination. The target can be oneself, another person or another entity. After sending the message, the sender becomes a receiver and the receiver becomes a sender through the process of feedback.
Feedback is the receiver's response to the attempt by the sender to send the message. Feedback is the key to determination by the sender of whether or not the message has been received in the intended form. Feedback involves choice of channel by the receiver of the original message. The channel for feedback may be quite different from the original channel chosen by the sender. A puzzled look may be the feedback to what the sender considered a perfectly clear oral instruction. Effect on the receiver completes the communication process. Effective communication is the original sender having the desired effect on the receiver. Communication at best minimizes misunderstanding between sender and receiver. Ineffective communication means there was no effect on the receiver or the effect was unexpected, undesired and/or unknown to the sender. This simplified version of a complex process can be a powerful tool for thinking and interaction.
Form and Content of Communication
Communication comprises of different forms: 'reading and writing', 'speaking and listening'. Of which, we do writing - 9%, speaking - 30%, listening - 45%, reading 16% of the time, respectively. And as a corollary it naturally follows that a good communicator listens more than he talks. But we seldom are aware of this and are so in love with our voice that we willingly forego content for verbiage. Most of us think we are good listeners and we assume listening comes naturally. However, listening is just as complicated as reading, writing and speaking. And listening comprises both of mental and physical activity. Listening is our most frequently used communication skill, yet we often feel that it requires no effort on our part. And the higher we go the importance of listening grows more. A good CEO is a good listener.
Human communication is based on many factors that individuals may or may not be aware. The most important part of communication is to have communicators, a sender and a receiver. The message is consists of content and form. The content and form contain both verbal and non-verbal functions. The content will have levels of communication, personal or impersonal. And finally, the context and situation in which the message was sent will have equal importance, if not more, than the message itself. And the receiver interprets the message based on his understanding and experience. The amalgamation of all these elements defines human communication.
Structure: Levels of Communication
Though communication is described as two humans talking to one another, it has many more parts and layers. It can be broken into four levels:
The content and form of messages
Communicators
Levels of communication and
Contexts and situations in which communication occurs
Using these levels, human communication has a more structured view.
The content and form of the message, which makes up level one, can be broken down into even smaller parts. The content and form, or in other words the data and the medium of the communication, would be consists of two types of communication: verbal which is speech and non-verbal which are the gestures (body, facial, and hand). Verbal communication uses language to convey a message. The language to be used would be made up of sounds, words, and phrases and these would convey the sender's emotions (e.g. tonality and physiology). The order in which the words were spoken can also play an important role.
The channels may be verbal or non-verbal. They may involve only one of the senses, hearing for example, or they may involve all five of the senses: hearing, sight, touch, smell, and taste. Non-verbal communication, popularly referred to as body language, relies primarily on seeing rather than hearing.Verbal communication involves words and the significant order in which the words are used. For example, a simple question can be asked, 'can you do it?' - while, 'Do it' is more of a command. The same words were used to display two types of sentences.
Non-verbal communication which includes body language, gestures (hand and facial), and appearance or dress, would convey the same message as the corresponding verbal communication. Using the same example as above, a person feeling angry could portray this in non-verbal communication by a shaking of the head and/or fist with the inside of the eyebrows angled down. Non-verbal communication can also be portrayed through posture, paintings or pottery.
Other non-verbal communication, which may not directly involve a human, can be seen in a picture or an image. A picture may not include a human being, but may include a metaphor, which portrays the artist's feelings. These artistic forms contain the emotions of the artist (the sender). The sender wants others to feel his/her emotions even though the physical person may not be present.
The level at which the sender communicates, depends on the relationship with the receiver. For instance, an employee does not communicate on a strictly personal level with his/her boss because of the hierarchy structure that has been created at work. The employee does not feel close enough to his/her boss to reveal personal information. An employee might reveal more personal information to a coworker that is not his/her boss because they have more in common and the employee feels a closer bond with that coworker rather than with the boss. The amount and the situation in which these employees communicate can also play an important role in their relationships.
Impact of Communication
Relationships are impacted by the context and situations in which communication occur. The context and situation of messages can have a profound impact on the way relationships develop or diminish. Individuals within a relationship base decision upon the messages that are received. For instance, if one individual plays a joke on another individual, this can have an extreme impact on how the relationship develops. The person that perpetrated the joke may see the two individuals becoming closer and feel that the other person can receive the joke in good humor. While on the other hand, if the other person does not take the joke well, this could deteriorate the relationship a little, or a lot, depending upon the severity of the joke. The context and situation of communication affects the relationship, whether or not the individuals would like to think.
Barriers Towards Effective Communication
Problems with any of the components of the communication model can become a barrier to communication. These barriers also suggest opportunities for improving communication:
Physical (time, environment, comfort, needs, physical medium)
Cultural (ethnic, religious, and social differences)
Perceptional / Attitude (viewing what is said from your own mindset)
Motivational (mental inertia)
Experiential (lack of similar experience)
Emotional (personal feelings at the moment)
Linguistic (different languages or vocabulary)
Non-verbal (non-word messages)
Competition (noise, doing other things besides listening)
Words (we assign a meaning to a word often because of culture or experience
Context (high / low)
Purpose (example: note the difference in communication between men versus women; for men it's report-talk versus rapport-talk or information versus bonding
Gestures (misunderstood gestures are a major barrier)
Variations in language - accent, dialect
Slang - jargon - colloquialism
Different forms or reasons for verbal interaction
Dueling - seeing who can get the upper hand (playing the dozens)
Repartee conversation - taking short turns rather than monologue
Ritual conversation - standard replies with little meaning to words themselves
Self-disclosure: The level of self-disclosure is culturally determined. Not all cultures wish to give personal information; some want to do business without knowing the other person while others insist on full knowledge first.
Strategies for Effective Communication
Focus on what you know: Describe your own feelings rather than evaluating others. Express yourself in terms of information, observations, and specific issues, rather than making assumptions about other people or situations.
Focus on the issue, not the person: Try not to take everything personally, and similarly, express your own needs and opinions in terms of the job at hand. Solve problems rather than attempt to control others.
Be genuine rather than manipulative: Be yourself, honestly and openly. Be honest with yourself, and focus on working well with the people around you, and acting with integrity.
Empathize rather than remain detached: Although professional relationships entail some boundaries when it comes to interaction with colleagues, it is important to demonstrate sensitivity, and to really care about the people you work with.
Be flexible towards others: Allow for other points of view, and be open to other ways of doing things.
Value yourself and your own experiences: Be firm about your own rights and needs. Undervaluing yourself encourages others to undervalue you, too.
Present yourself as an equal rather than a superior: Even when you are in a position of authority, focus on what you and the other person each have to offer and contribute to the job or issue.
Use confirming responses: Respond to other in ways that acknowledge their experiences. Thank them for their input. Confirm their right to their feelings, even if you disagree.
Ask questions, express positive feeling; Provide positive feedback when you can.
Be consistent between verbal and non-verbal cues: Non-verbal cues tend to be more convincing than verbal messages.
Ten Commandments of Good Communication
1. Seek to clarify your ideas before communicating
2. Examine the true purpose of each communication
3. Consider the total physical and human setting whenever communicating
4. Consult with others, when appropriate in planning communications.
5. Be mindful, while communicating, of the overtones as well as the basic content of the message
6. Take the opportunity, when it arises to convey something of help or value to the receiver
7. Follow up on Communication
8. Communicate for tomorrow as well as today
9. Actions support communications
10. Seek not only to be understood but also to understand - be a good listener
References:
1. The Seven Challenges Workbook :Cooperative Communication Skills for Success at Home and at Work, Fifth Edition, Dennis Rivers, M.A. human development books, Berkeley, California, USA, March 2000.
2. Littlejohn, Stephen, and Karen Foss. Theories of Human Communication. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2005.
3. Kitty O Locker and Stephen Kyo Kaczmarek, Business Communication: Building Critical Skills, McGraw- Hill Irwin. 2005.
4. Powerful Communication Skills, Colleen McKenna, Career Press 1998.
5. Gene Burton & Manab Thakur, Management Today: Principles and Practice, Tata McGraw- Hill Publishing Co. Ltd, New Delhi, 1995.
6. Bernard L. Erven, Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics, Ohio State University, Overcoming Barriers To Communication.
7. Communication theory from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
8. www.andrews.edu/~tidwell/bsad450/CommunicationBarriers.html
http://rdillman.com/HFCL/tutor/ComProcess/ComProc1.html
10. Adapted from Beebe et al. Interpersonal Communication: Relating to Others 2nd Canadian Edition. (Scarborough, Ontario: Allyn and Bacon, 2000)
11. Management Review, October 1955 and various other sites
For it is not upon the physical sciences that the future will depend. It is upon us who are trying to understand and deal with the interactions between human beings' -Carl Rogers
The ability to understand how people see and hear us or perceive us is critical for effective communication.
Communication fosters culture. The primary indicator of an organization's culture is the nature of its communication - both internal and external. When a newcomer into an organization faces diverse individuals and processes, he initiates an internal communication within himself in order to find his place. This gets vocalized resulting in understanding the culture of which he is to be a part. And this initiation is through questions and dialogues.
However, certain barriers can impede this entire process, which in turn hinders imbibing the very culture that a dialogue seeks to foster. The culture needs to be firmly a part of the organization in order to overcome these barriers. This complex part of efforts in communication can actually be simple. Essentially, all we need to do is to pass on the knowledge that we have received in the first place. This always begins with the individual and spreads through the organization, true to the adage - good begets good.
Understanding Etymology
In order to improve communication at workplace, we must understand exactly what it is. The Latin root of the word communicate is 'communicare', which means to make common or share. The primary purpose of communication, therefore, is to express thoughts, ideas and feelings with others in a way they will understand.
Working with others is a communication-intensive activity. The way we communicate with others is deeply woven into our personalities, into the history of our hearts. It is a reflection of our experience and attitudes, which is expressed in our work. The better we understand what other people feel and want, and the more clearly how others understand our goals and feelings, the easier it will be to make sure that everyone is pulling in the same direction.
Learning better communication skills requires an effort because cooperation between people is a much more complex and mentally demanding process than working by oneself and this forms the crux of working together.
It's All in The Process
In simple terms, communication consists of transmitting information from one person to another. The process starts with a 'sender' who has a 'message' for a 'receiver'. Two or more people are always involved in communication. The sender has the responsibility for the message. It also entails three major dimensions: content, form, and destination. Examples of communication content include acts that declare knowledge and experiences, give advice and commands, and ask questions. These acts may take many forms, including gestures (nonverbal communication, sign language and body language), writing, or verbal speaking. The form depends on the symbol systems used. Together, communication content and form make messages that are sent towards a destination. The target can be oneself, another person or another entity. After sending the message, the sender becomes a receiver and the receiver becomes a sender through the process of feedback.
Feedback is the receiver's response to the attempt by the sender to send the message. Feedback is the key to determination by the sender of whether or not the message has been received in the intended form. Feedback involves choice of channel by the receiver of the original message. The channel for feedback may be quite different from the original channel chosen by the sender. A puzzled look may be the feedback to what the sender considered a perfectly clear oral instruction. Effect on the receiver completes the communication process. Effective communication is the original sender having the desired effect on the receiver. Communication at best minimizes misunderstanding between sender and receiver. Ineffective communication means there was no effect on the receiver or the effect was unexpected, undesired and/or unknown to the sender. This simplified version of a complex process can be a powerful tool for thinking and interaction.
Form and Content of Communication
Communication comprises of different forms: 'reading and writing', 'speaking and listening'. Of which, we do writing - 9%, speaking - 30%, listening - 45%, reading 16% of the time, respectively. And as a corollary it naturally follows that a good communicator listens more than he talks. But we seldom are aware of this and are so in love with our voice that we willingly forego content for verbiage. Most of us think we are good listeners and we assume listening comes naturally. However, listening is just as complicated as reading, writing and speaking. And listening comprises both of mental and physical activity. Listening is our most frequently used communication skill, yet we often feel that it requires no effort on our part. And the higher we go the importance of listening grows more. A good CEO is a good listener.
Human communication is based on many factors that individuals may or may not be aware. The most important part of communication is to have communicators, a sender and a receiver. The message is consists of content and form. The content and form contain both verbal and non-verbal functions. The content will have levels of communication, personal or impersonal. And finally, the context and situation in which the message was sent will have equal importance, if not more, than the message itself. And the receiver interprets the message based on his understanding and experience. The amalgamation of all these elements defines human communication.
Structure: Levels of Communication
Though communication is described as two humans talking to one another, it has many more parts and layers. It can be broken into four levels:
The content and form of messages
Communicators
Levels of communication and
Contexts and situations in which communication occurs
Using these levels, human communication has a more structured view.
The content and form of the message, which makes up level one, can be broken down into even smaller parts. The content and form, or in other words the data and the medium of the communication, would be consists of two types of communication: verbal which is speech and non-verbal which are the gestures (body, facial, and hand). Verbal communication uses language to convey a message. The language to be used would be made up of sounds, words, and phrases and these would convey the sender's emotions (e.g. tonality and physiology). The order in which the words were spoken can also play an important role.
The channels may be verbal or non-verbal. They may involve only one of the senses, hearing for example, or they may involve all five of the senses: hearing, sight, touch, smell, and taste. Non-verbal communication, popularly referred to as body language, relies primarily on seeing rather than hearing.Verbal communication involves words and the significant order in which the words are used. For example, a simple question can be asked, 'can you do it?' - while, 'Do it' is more of a command. The same words were used to display two types of sentences.
Non-verbal communication which includes body language, gestures (hand and facial), and appearance or dress, would convey the same message as the corresponding verbal communication. Using the same example as above, a person feeling angry could portray this in non-verbal communication by a shaking of the head and/or fist with the inside of the eyebrows angled down. Non-verbal communication can also be portrayed through posture, paintings or pottery.
Other non-verbal communication, which may not directly involve a human, can be seen in a picture or an image. A picture may not include a human being, but may include a metaphor, which portrays the artist's feelings. These artistic forms contain the emotions of the artist (the sender). The sender wants others to feel his/her emotions even though the physical person may not be present.
The level at which the sender communicates, depends on the relationship with the receiver. For instance, an employee does not communicate on a strictly personal level with his/her boss because of the hierarchy structure that has been created at work. The employee does not feel close enough to his/her boss to reveal personal information. An employee might reveal more personal information to a coworker that is not his/her boss because they have more in common and the employee feels a closer bond with that coworker rather than with the boss. The amount and the situation in which these employees communicate can also play an important role in their relationships.
Impact of Communication
Relationships are impacted by the context and situations in which communication occur. The context and situation of messages can have a profound impact on the way relationships develop or diminish. Individuals within a relationship base decision upon the messages that are received. For instance, if one individual plays a joke on another individual, this can have an extreme impact on how the relationship develops. The person that perpetrated the joke may see the two individuals becoming closer and feel that the other person can receive the joke in good humor. While on the other hand, if the other person does not take the joke well, this could deteriorate the relationship a little, or a lot, depending upon the severity of the joke. The context and situation of communication affects the relationship, whether or not the individuals would like to think.
Barriers Towards Effective Communication
Problems with any of the components of the communication model can become a barrier to communication. These barriers also suggest opportunities for improving communication:
Physical (time, environment, comfort, needs, physical medium)
Cultural (ethnic, religious, and social differences)
Perceptional / Attitude (viewing what is said from your own mindset)
Motivational (mental inertia)
Experiential (lack of similar experience)
Emotional (personal feelings at the moment)
Linguistic (different languages or vocabulary)
Non-verbal (non-word messages)
Competition (noise, doing other things besides listening)
Words (we assign a meaning to a word often because of culture or experience
Context (high / low)
Purpose (example: note the difference in communication between men versus women; for men it's report-talk versus rapport-talk or information versus bonding
Gestures (misunderstood gestures are a major barrier)
Variations in language - accent, dialect
Slang - jargon - colloquialism
Different forms or reasons for verbal interaction
Dueling - seeing who can get the upper hand (playing the dozens)
Repartee conversation - taking short turns rather than monologue
Ritual conversation - standard replies with little meaning to words themselves
Self-disclosure: The level of self-disclosure is culturally determined. Not all cultures wish to give personal information; some want to do business without knowing the other person while others insist on full knowledge first.
Strategies for Effective Communication
Focus on what you know: Describe your own feelings rather than evaluating others. Express yourself in terms of information, observations, and specific issues, rather than making assumptions about other people or situations.
Focus on the issue, not the person: Try not to take everything personally, and similarly, express your own needs and opinions in terms of the job at hand. Solve problems rather than attempt to control others.
Be genuine rather than manipulative: Be yourself, honestly and openly. Be honest with yourself, and focus on working well with the people around you, and acting with integrity.
Empathize rather than remain detached: Although professional relationships entail some boundaries when it comes to interaction with colleagues, it is important to demonstrate sensitivity, and to really care about the people you work with.
Be flexible towards others: Allow for other points of view, and be open to other ways of doing things.
Value yourself and your own experiences: Be firm about your own rights and needs. Undervaluing yourself encourages others to undervalue you, too.
Present yourself as an equal rather than a superior: Even when you are in a position of authority, focus on what you and the other person each have to offer and contribute to the job or issue.
Use confirming responses: Respond to other in ways that acknowledge their experiences. Thank them for their input. Confirm their right to their feelings, even if you disagree.
Ask questions, express positive feeling; Provide positive feedback when you can.
Be consistent between verbal and non-verbal cues: Non-verbal cues tend to be more convincing than verbal messages.
Ten Commandments of Good Communication
1. Seek to clarify your ideas before communicating
2. Examine the true purpose of each communication
3. Consider the total physical and human setting whenever communicating
4. Consult with others, when appropriate in planning communications.
5. Be mindful, while communicating, of the overtones as well as the basic content of the message
6. Take the opportunity, when it arises to convey something of help or value to the receiver
7. Follow up on Communication
8. Communicate for tomorrow as well as today
9. Actions support communications
10. Seek not only to be understood but also to understand - be a good listener
References:
1. The Seven Challenges Workbook :Cooperative Communication Skills for Success at Home and at Work, Fifth Edition, Dennis Rivers, M.A. human development books, Berkeley, California, USA, March 2000.
2. Littlejohn, Stephen, and Karen Foss. Theories of Human Communication. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2005.
3. Kitty O Locker and Stephen Kyo Kaczmarek, Business Communication: Building Critical Skills, McGraw- Hill Irwin. 2005.
4. Powerful Communication Skills, Colleen McKenna, Career Press 1998.
5. Gene Burton & Manab Thakur, Management Today: Principles and Practice, Tata McGraw- Hill Publishing Co. Ltd, New Delhi, 1995.
6. Bernard L. Erven, Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics, Ohio State University, Overcoming Barriers To Communication.
7. Communication theory from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
8. www.andrews.edu/~tidwell/bsad450/CommunicationBarriers.html
http://rdillman.com/HFCL/tutor/ComProcess/ComProc1.html
10. Adapted from Beebe et al. Interpersonal Communication: Relating to Others 2nd Canadian Edition. (Scarborough, Ontario: Allyn and Bacon, 2000)
11. Management Review, October 1955 and various other sites
Print
Email
