Professional Communication - Essay Example

Week 1: Communication Styles After listening to the insightful anecdotes and reports in relation to how business is managed, I have realised that many indicate that communication is a requisite for a viable, successful business. The topic during the first seminar was mainly focused on how to communicate successfully in the workplace, along with the different communication styles that are used and preferred by employees. Who would have thought that communicating can be so complicated within a single setting? I do, however, have had experiences working with a team which had no collaborative effort. There were times when I felt that I was not heard or understood by my peers; moreover, I have also sensed that some of them wanted to share even more than what they were contributing though they did not know how. Even in the presented folding activity, I found it hard to follow instructions. I am probably better off when people dictate and verbally communicate instructions to me. I am also highly involved in group activities and I believe that putting up relationships with my peers is important which probably makes me sensitive and even upset when things do not work out in our team. These situations have shown me that communication may come off as easy or difficult depending on the ways with which team members exchange information. From my experience, I can probably say that we receive, understand and express everything in different ways. I do believe that companies should consider the styles exhibited by their employees so they can completely understand each other. This means collaboration and synergy regardless of differences in culture, professional experiences or any other factor that can affect communication. The ability to take hold of the complication involved in communication styles is an effectual way for achieving mastery of self and others. It increases productivity and enables this to be attained smoothly. The style of communicating is key to precise meaning of insights, observations, and ambiguity involved in communicating with others (Saphiere, Mikk, & Devries 2005). Week 2: Selection and Recruitment When I was younger, I was anxious of the prerequisites of qualifying for a job. I did not like the thought of passing my resumes and going through interviews. However, as I got older and started understanding why these were imperative, I had a better appreciation of the requirements of selecting and recruiting employees. Lectures from the seminar made me even more aware of the reasons and outcomes of a company’s selection and recruitment methods. I have come to understand that it is not merely about reading over and over through someone’s resume or listening to an applicant’s answers in their interviews. Rather, there is an even more complex process behind such procedures that entails critical evaluation of the competencies and attitudes of potential employees. Such assessment determines if there is a match between the person and the post. Both internal and external recruitment have their strong and weak points. Whichever is used, the primary aim of human resource managers is to look for potential employees that can exhibit the adequate level of competence and allow them to conform well to the organisation. “Recruitment is not just a simple selection process and requires management decision making and extensive planning to employ the most suitable manpower” (Korsten 2003, p. 365). There is a dire need for managers to carefully analyse the details and plan critical requirements for the job as well. They have to make conscientious recruitment decisions to enable favourable outcomes for the company’s coffers. I believe that this seminar can be further developed if it presents outcomes of an effective recruitment process compared to that of an ineffective one for individuals to completely understand the nature, aims and purpose of the selection and recruitment procedures. A realistic job preview with a Recruitment Agency or Office will also be interesting to let students see what this critical job entails and how it is actually practised. Week 3: Performance Appraisal When the topic of performance evaluation was presented, I remembered one of my friends who has worked for an international business firm in a short stint. After being informed about his first ever performance evaluation, he was excited and nervous at the same time; however, during the actual appraisal, his superior assessed his performance as being below expectations. Because of this, he was dismissed from work. Through such an experience, I got a clear idea of why performance appraisal is used by companies in managing their employees. From the seminar, I have learned there should be careful conduct of performance discussions and feedback giving during the appraisal process. The performance of employees has a significant impact on the achievement of the strategies of an organisation. Therefore, performance evaluation is an indispensable best practice because it allows the enterprise to track strategy by assessing whether individuals are on track with their strategies. In this sense, performance management may be used a means to track strategy attainment. Because it should be a core process, performance management should be everyone’s job. “Performance appraisal doesn’t start with the form, it starts with the job- planning what needs to be done and figuring out how it will be accomplished. Before any assessment of individual performance can be made, the organisation’s direction must be articulated and communicated” (Grote 1996, p. 18). Based from this quote, I have realised that it is fundamental for companies to clearly establish their organisational goals and strategies to be able to come up with objectives and standards against which they can compare the performance of their employees. When management is able to articulate to employees what is expected of them performance wise, then they can evaluate how well the job was performed and increase the likelihood of success. I believe that the seminar should present, in detail, the complete process of evaluating employee performance for students to become more aware of the positive impact that an appraisal has. Apart from giving the employee feedback on how he has fared in terms of objectives attainment, the information from performance management may also serve as input for personal and professional development. It allows for a dovetailed design of an individual development plan. Week 4: Discipline and Grievance Discipline within a working place- it sounds like two contradictory words as most often, discipline has been associated with children. So the idea of disciplinary action can make people quite uncomfortable. “Managers who condone a relaxed approach to discipline are setting themselves-up for legal disasters. Though commendable in intent, the relaxing of rules and formal punishments usually has proved to be the wrong prescription for positively influencing a work force. Evidence has shown that when management fails to apply punitive measures, its behaviour is interpreted as a sign of weakness by employees.” (Levine 1998, n.p.). In relation to ACAS (Advisory, Conciliation, and Arbitrary Service), discipline is particularly existent in workplaces to provide positive outcomes such as improvement in employee relations or progress in performance. Managers must not be too complacent and lenient when implementing disciplinary action among their employees. Such discipline should motivate and encourage individuals, not make them feel that they are exploited or nagged incessantly without due reason. Management does not have to exclusively use punishment to instill discipline among their employees. In fact, punishment can bring about fear and anxiety, and does not necessarily lead to favourable behaviour and outcomes. I think this seminar can further be improved if more information is presented on how to discipline individuals using a positive approach within a real work setting. By integrating this, students may be taught in more concrete terms thereby enhancing their appreciation of discipline. Week 5: Meetings I always thought that majority of meetings are not successful in attaining their aims. It is because people go in and out of the meetings, feeling all the same as if their questions were not answered or their problems were not solved; in other words, meetings are implicitly perceived as a waste of time. I have always been concerned about unproductive meetings since they can be one of the most common ways of wasting an employee’s time – executive time at that. However, I have learned through this seminar that when meetings are properly conducted, they can actually make organisations function more effectually. I also learned that it is very important to plan and prepare first before going out and holding a meeting with the team. A productive meeting will have as output actionable items, indicating who will be responsible for doing which task, and the timeline for completion. “Meetings require a combination of listening skills. How well we can listen can provide us with important information and an opportunity to share knowledge and receive feedback.” (Goodall, Goodall, & Schiefelbein ). I have come to question, therefore: what is the use of meetings when members do not know how to listen effectively to their speakers or to each other? Listening skills are a prerequisite to effective meetings; employees at all levels have to know how to show empathy and to listen to their colleagues. Only in listening will people have an authentic understanding of each other, which will be the basis for task completion. Week 6: Conflict Management Disagreements are not so dreadful after all. This insight was an offshoot of knowing from the seminar that conflicts can create opportunities and allow people to arrive at meaningful realisations about their roles and relationships. During the seminar, our team accomplished the conflict checklist for the ‘lab problems’ and through this, I realised allowing one’s emotions to overpower sensibility is not helpful. In effect, conflict is best handled when emotions are in tow and when the people involved are in a relaxed, stress-free negotiating environment. “When personal conflict leads to frustration and loss of efficiency, counseling may prove to be a helpful antidote. Although few organisations can afford the luxury of having professional counselors on the staff, given some training, managers may be able to perform this function.” (Knowles and Saxberg 1971, Chapter 8). In the lab problems exercise, it was shown that the professor of the two groups who were in disagreement was not capable of mediating the teams due to inadequate time to deal with the situation or being distracted with other matters. Both teams have been frustrated and have lost their motivation to pursue their projects. In such cases, coaching from gurus or even more senior managers within the company may help to set the strategic course. I also realised that conflicts fuel the dynamics of teamwork. That is, if everyone had the same thinking style, then there is little opportunity for innovation and continuous learning. Moreover, lack of conflict is the best way to breed groupthink where people do not question or deliberate over one idea and are always likely to concur towards one option. The value of mentoring and coaching is also apparent in managing conflict. Managers ought to have skills in mediating conflict among their staff, and be able to resolve issues in an amicable, win-win manner. The seminar may consider presenting role plays of various types of conflict and how the people involved were able to thresh out differences effectually. This process necessarily requires the use of empathy, mirroring, reflective feedback, and all other techniques that are used in managing conflict. Week 7: Negotiation When I was younger, I found it quite difficult to amicably settle contentious issues and I always sought to have things my way. I was not alone as some of my friends and family members were taken advantaged of other people who had to loan money from them and they end up arguing endlessly and not coming up with an arrangement that works for both of them. Some of them struggled in reasoning with those people who owed them and end up feeling abused. After watching the video on negotiation, I have come to understand the need for negotiation skills, realising its pragmatic value in both personal and professional spheres. “Negotiating skills explains the principle of exchange and gives you the confidence and skill to conduct negotiations and achieve a mutually acceptable outcome.” (Hindle 1998, p. 5). There are effective ways of settling conflict where the wants of two people are contradictory. Basically, a solution that both of them can accept and be grateful about, must be sought. However, there are times when negotiation is not effective. The seminar pointed out that preparing before the negotiation session is necessary to be keenly aware of the issues that need to be tackled. Lack of knowledge is likely to create misunderstanding, confusion, and failure in negotiation. I suggest that future seminars provide typical situations in which negotiations are useful; this is to make it easier to relate to when negotiation is called for. Skills practice sessions may also be considered to make the seminar more effective. Week 8: Stress As human beings, we all have that motivation to enjoy life and attain success and happiness. Due to such drive, , we are often pressured to become good at everything. When we allow ourselves to unconstructively face such pressure, stress will take its toll on us. “Not all stress, however, is bad for people. Most people need a certain level of ‘positive stress’ or ‘pressure’ in order to perform well the tasks allotted to them. It is the negative stress or ‘distress’ that diminishes quality of life and causes injury to health” (Stranks 2007, p. 390). After watching the video about stress during the seminar, I am now convinced that each and every person across the globe has experienced stress at some point in life, making it inevitable. I honestly believe that pressure can be used to our advantage; for instance, the pressure I feel towards excelling academically lead me to be conscientious with academic work. However, as with everything else, stress must exist in moderation or it will have repercussions to our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. There are times, however, when pressure is overwhelming and that it overpowers individuals. “Recognize that stress is a daily part of life and that you must learn to manage it. Try to improve the way to react to stressful situations.” (Shalaway & Beech 1997, p. 312). Consequently, I realised that I was not capable of handling everything simultaneously and that it was unhealthy to stretch oneself too thinly. Thus, I had to make some time for the things that I enjoyed and which effectively promoted well being. In short, I needed to find balance among the activities I engage in. Looking at things from a positive perspective helps when everything gets out of control. Stress does not have to be a bad thing; it can even be the driving force for people to achieve that they set their minds to. Therefore, I recommend that seminars on combating distress and for using stress to one’s advantage be done. This will be useful for young people who are filled with ambition and who tend to multi-task. References Goodall, S, Goodall, HL, & Schiefelbein, J 2001, Business and professional communication in the global workplace, Wadsworth, Boston, MA, p. 94. Grote, R 1996, The complete guide to performance appraisal, AMACOM, New York, NY, p. 18. Henry P Knowles; Börje O Saxberg (1971). Personality and leadership behaviour. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley Pub. Co.. Chapter 8. Hindle, T 1998, Negotiating skills, DK Publishing, New York, NY, p. 5. Korsten A.D. (2003) Developing a training plan to ensure employees keep up with the dynamics of facility management, Journal of Facilities Management, vol. 1, no. 4, pp. 365-379. Levine, G 1998, Firm-but-fair approach in workplace discipline. Available at http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3638/is_n5_v39/ai_20298340/[Accessed 6 May 2010]. Saphiere, DH, Mikk, BK, & Devries, BI 2005, Communication highwire: leveraging the power of diverse communication styles, Intercultural Press, Yarmouth, ME. Shalaway, L, & Beech, L 1997, Learning to teach, Scholastic, New York, NY, p. 312. Stranks, J 2007, Human factors and behavioural safety, Butterworth-Heinemann, Burlington, MA, p. 390. Read More