We all know about the importance of effective communication, don’t we? We don’t need to be reminded, do we?
If this is the case, how come so many problems in organisations are caused by bad communication?!
It’s worth recapping that when you are talking to others you must be:
- CLEAR: no jargon, straightforward explanations, check they understand, one thing at a time, don’t confuse
- CONCISE: short sentences, get quickly to the point, don’t waffle
- CONSISTENT: reinforce messages, repeat where necessary, use positive language
Remember that communication is a combination of speaking and listening or sending and receiving messages.
How to improve your interpersonal communication
Here are some general guidelines for improving interpersonal communication:
- Check for understanding: As a sender of a message, check for understanding by asking the receiver to summarise what s/he has understood. Check for any assumptions.
- Listen actively: Listening is not a passive activity; active listening demands focus. You need to concentrate totally on what the sender is saying and put aside your own noise .
- Be aware: If you are aware of your own perceptions about your receiver, you are in a better position to prevent unintentional messages being sent. Also, your perceptions of yourself can impact on your communications.
- Be empathetic: your message may provoke an emotional reaction in the receiver. Be sensitive in your delivery and be prepared to acknowledge these emotions. When you are receiving, probe further if you suspect strong emotions underlie the “real” message.
Communication in organisations
In traditional hierarchical organisations, information flows only from the top downward. Whilst this can be an effective way of communicating information from senior management, this form of communication has disadvantages:
- It excludes valuable ideas held by junior members of staff
- It contributes to a culture of organisational inertia
- It demotivates more junior members of staff who feel excluded
- Current approaches and more modern technical practices are not passed up the line
Ideally information needs to flow upward as well as downward to maximise the communication process. As this is against the traditional method in hierarchies, it needs facilitation to make it happen. This can be achieved by several methods including:
- Quality teams from all grades in the organisation meeting to discuss a single issue
- Regular feedback up and down the line on progress and achievement
- Managers being prepared to genuinely listen to junior staff and take on board their ideas
As a manager you have a responsibility to improve the communication patterns around you, starting with yourself.
Take time to answers these questions:
- How does communication flow in your organisation?
- How effective is this as an aid to effective communication?
- What can you do to assist in the improvement of communication patterns within the organisation?
- What can you do to improve your interpersonal communication skills?