Communication Training Session

“A kind word will unlock an iron door”

Communication

• What is the meaning of communication?

Communication is the process of sharing ideas, information, and messages with others in a particular time and place

Communication

• There are several types of communication and they are as follows –

• Verbal Communication – this is in the form writing and talking

• Nonverbal Communication – this includes facial expressions, body language, and gestures

• Visual Communication – this involves the use of images, pictures, paintings, photography, video, and film

• Electronic Communication – This includes telephone call, e-mails, cable television or satellite broadcasts

Communication

• Communication is an important part of an individual’s daily living. It is indeed vital to personal life, business, education, health, and any other situation where people will encounter other people. Life cannot exist without the use of some sort of communication.

• In business, communication is also vital and can be conveyed in several ways, and they are as follows -

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• Telephones• Fax machines• E-mails• Meetings• Video Cameras• CD Players• Printing Presses• Computers

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• Some businesses convey their messages through other means such as

• Movies• Books• Software• Persons working for businesses need to

communicate in order to coordinate their work and to inform others outside the business about their products and services being offered for sale. This type of communication can be classified as advertising or public relations.

Communication

• Most organizations, public and private understand the importance of strategic communication with customers and/or stakeholders/shareholders. Therefore, the company will market and communicate to produce communication plans for external use.

• External communication is quite easy for most companies to comprehend, however few organizations understand the importance of internal communication.

Communication• Determining what should be communicated to

staff, when it should be communicated, and how it should be communicated is often left up to the decisions of individuals made when there seems to be a need.

• Therefore internal communication strategies tend to be more reactive than proactive and are only implemented when there is a major corporate or organizational change.

• However, there is no question that strategic internal communication planning can be a proactive approach to building a better, more directed and efficient workforce

Communication

• Some of the most successful companies have created a workforce that understands the mission, goals, values, and procedures of the organization.

• The purpose of creating a corporate culture is not to dominate or control staff but to aim towards setting common goals that they can act out every day. This brings coherence to the workplace, and allows better-coordinated action. When staff understands the basic values and purposes of an organization, then they can be given the opportunity to make decisions that fall within those parameters.

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• The more decisions that can be made at the line level, the more of a possibility that micro-management can be diminished

• Some of the benefits of creating a common corporate culture and good internal communication are as follows – – Permits employees to make more decisions since

they have the tools and knowledge needed to make the “right” decision

– Encourages a sense of identification on the part of the staff with the goals, mission, and procedures of the organization

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– Has the potential for reducing day-to-day conflict. Much conflict is generated by conflicting ideas on what is important to the organization

– Helps staff feel a part of the organization– Companies can improve their bottom line– Increase in staff morale, productivity, performance,

and retention– Promotes loyalty to the organization– Inspires quality work that satisfies the needs of

customers/members– Encourage employees to represent the company in a

consistent and positive manner

Communication

• Another internal communication tool that a business cannot survive without is the telephone

• Most of us can recollect a business phone call that left us feeling frustrated or irritated. How much of this could have been attributed to poor phone etiquette? There are several examples of executing proper business phone etiquette when receiving and making phone calls –

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• All success business interaction needs preparation – The phone call is no exception. It is important to know whom you are calling, the most convenient time to do so, the reason for your call and what you can do for them.

• If the receiver does not know the caller, then it is important that the purpose of the call and the caller’s credentials be established immediately. A simple introduction followed by a sentence or two only shows good phone etiquette

• Particularize your intentions for calling – Do not assume the receiver understands why you are calling and what you expect. Expand on the information and specify the purpose of the call

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• Pass on information that the receiver will understand, appreciate and find useful

• Good business phone etiquette demands professionalism at all times

• Privacy and security about secretive issues must always be borne in mind on the phone

• Be patient – Demonstrating good business etiquette relies on you staying calm, cool and collected under pressure or when facing a testing situation. Your ability to stay patient earns respect and avoids rash actions or decisions

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• Breaking down Communication Barriers – Do you consider yourself a skilled communicator? Well, regardless of how you feel about your ability to communicate, problems will arise at least once in awhile. When that happens, communication breaks down, partnerships get stuck, and people lose energy and enthusiasm.

• The next time communication breaks down between yourself and another person, remember these four barriers– People are different – They vary in knowledge levels,

communication skills and cultural perspectives. They also have different backgrounds and frames of references

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• People are impatient – They jump to conclusions. People think faster than they listen, which often means they assume they know what another person will say next

• People are selective – They tend to only hear what they want to hear. People are also more likely to accept something that supports what another person will say next.

• People can be negative – They can be bossy or sarcastic. They may take things personally and get angry. People can also tend to show cynicism or mistrust.

Communication• People Problems Perplex Supervisors – The

Problem – Research shows that supervisors do a much better job of handling job related problems than they do at handling people related problems. 1 out of 2 employees believes that his/her immediate supervisor does a poor job of solving problems such as motivational, emotional and personal issues

• Here are some of the reasons for this belief – - Supervisors become supervisors due to their

job related skills- Managing people problems is not a priority- Increased Span of Control- Lack of Training - Diminished Capacity of Human Resources

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• What can employers do to correct this problem?- Train Supervisors- Mentor Supervisors- Recognize good people management

skills- Provide financial rewards

• Beauty is an attitude and so is communication when people asks how are you doing, you should always answer in the superlative, I am doing super, fantastic or great

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• Avoid answers like OK, or I am getting by or I am glad it is Friday

• Don’t complain about your health or spend time talking about your personal problems

• Keep an upbeat approach to your personal life• Mention something good as a conversation starter• Focus on the other person’s strengths• Find something good to say about him or her, maybe

about their clothing, some accomplishment they have achieve, etc

• End the conversation on a positive note

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• It is easy to speak of the bad or the negative but it tale specific effort to keep our messages positive. To have the influence in conversations, put a positive spin on your talk. People will associate you with positive things and will look forward to conversing with you