Effective Communication
by Dr. Barbara Spies, Professor, Communication and Public Relations
Human Resource professionals know from exit interviews that one reason for workplace turnover is difficult communication circumstances. When organizations can assist employees in advancing their relationship skills, they can help maintain smooth interactions. Recently, I heard someone say that when we are in elementary school, mentors help us to repair friendships and interactions with others. But, somehow, beyond that stage, we are left on our own to learn how to get along well. Yet, most of what we are doing in organizations is directly influenced by our interactions. Steve Duck and David McMahan, in Communication in Everyday Life, note that there are many “activities of organizations that occur in the context of interpersonal relationships.” Directing, collaborating, information gathering, rewarding, correcting, conflict, feedback, persuading, interviewing, reporting, gossiping, debating, supporting, selling, buying, ordering, and managing are all interpersonal communication activities. What are some key elements of the communication process that can be enhanced?
Listening and Perspective Taking are the basic requirements to start any communication improvement efforts. When I listen well to another person, I have focused all of my attention on them with my cell phone put away, my laptop closed, and distractions removed. As we work to listen effectively, we avoid rushing to consider our response, but rather focus to gain an understanding of their message. To communicate well with another, we need to be able to see the circumstances from their perspective. Empathic communication results from realizing that we see the world through our own perceptual lenses drawn from our own life experiences. Identification with another increases when we try to put on the lenses of that person. This use of perspective taking can be especially important in intercultural communication. Our experiences and views of society and work are not the same, and our cultural experiences influence that strongly.
Organizations can help their members know that there are ways to enhance what Duck and McMahan refer to as our “professional face.” Trainings, and even simple interactions, can help people to understand the kinds of behaviors, courtesy, and interaction styles that are appropriate to this organizational culture. I watched the pilot episode of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, which takes place in a San Francisco tech company. In the setting one finds a cereal bar, swings, and moveable seating arrangements. People carry their laptops from space to space as they work together on projects. An individual entering this workplace from a more traditional setting might feel unsure about behavioral expectations. Helping new people to understand how communication happens in this place and what kind of professional face they should put on can alleviate concerns and also make interactions smoother. I spoke with an individual who started at a new position in a local organization. Her new manager failed to alert her to any particular expectations and practices. She spent her first few months not knowing what time work started, how long lunch was meant to last, what projects she should work on in addition to her main project, and how to report what she had done. She was very relieved to discover that starting this year, she would be working with someone recently promoted who has been much clearer about how communication flows in this area.
Effective communication helps us with both our instrumental goals for performing tasks well for our work, and our relational goals for getting along well with coworkers. As we hone our listening skills, our interactions with others will be enhanced. When we work on our perspective taking, others enjoy communicating with us as their own perceptual lenses are taken into consideration. Clear understanding of what a professional face is for this organizational culture will help people to feel comfortable with well-defined expectations. Enhanced communication skills benefit the organization’s outcomes and relationships.
This post is locked to comments.
