Best Practices in the Workplace Communication - Essay Example

Best Practices in the Workplace Communication Nowadays, there is a constant requirement that we all constantly engage in the sending, receipt and eventual processing of relatively very huge numbers of messages on a daily basis in this information age. However, it is important to note that effective communication should be regarded as being more than just merely pertaining to the exchanging of information as it is seen to also involve the understanding of the actual emotion seen to be behind the information. The use of effective communication can serve to greatly improve the existing relationships not only at the various social situations and at home but also at the work place as it is seen to greatly deepen an individual’s connections with other persons a factor that greatly improves the general problem, solving, decision making and teamwork (Fielding, 2005). The use of effective communication can also aid in causing one to be able to successfully communicate the more difficult or negative messages without tending to destroy the existing trust or create any form of conflict. Of note is that effective communication essentially combines a set of several skills seen to variously include attentive listening, the non-verbal communication accompanying a message, the innate ability for one to be able to successfully manage stress at the particular moment of receipt, sending or processing of the information and the general capacity for one to be able to effectively recognize and understand not only one’s own projected emotions, but also those that happen to be affecting or be projected by the person with whom one is communicating with. While all these skills are seen to be of great importance in aiding us in our ability to better understanding of a given situation or person, building up good levels of respect and trust and successfully create an enabling environment where the various generated creative ideas, affection, caring and problem solving can be able to flourish successfully, it is important to note that good listening skills can be perceived to perhaps be the greatest skill that one should ensure that they cultivate. Listening in Effective Communication According to West and Turner (2010), listening has variously been referred to as being a twenty-first century skill primarily due to the fact that listening is now perceived to have greater importance as compared to the degree of importance attributed to it in the past. Of note is that the various new technologies and modern changes in the manner in which business practices are conducted has served to greatly change the person that we happen to be listening to, the information that we are attempting to listen for, the particular moment that we listen to the individuals and the manner in which we undertake to listen. Attributes of Good Listening There are a number of attributes that are commonly seen to be applied to good listening. Some of these attributes are seen to include: Concentration: Good listening is normally seen to fundamentally be a relatively difficult thinking process (Ahuja and Ahuja 2007). At any single moment during listening, an individual receives thousands of sensory messages that might include messages ranging from issues such as the chair that we happen to be sitting on is particularly hard, the clothes that we are wearing are quite binding, there is music in the background, and a myriad of emotional signals. It is quite critical that one tries to suppress all of these signals so as be able to effectively concentrate on the verbal sounds and visual cues being emitted by the speaker. Attention: Attention may be largely defined as being the actual visual portion of concentration on the particular speaker. One is able to communicate to the speaker that they are attentive by the use of eye contact as well as other body language. Receptive Body Language: the use of certain body movements and postures is seen to culturally be interpreted with some specific meanings. Some of these include the crossing of one’s legs and arms which is commonly judged to indicate a closing of one’s attention and mind while the vertical nodding of one’s head is seen to be interpreted as indicating assent or agreement. However, of note is that these non-verbal communication are sometimes interpreted in a different manner from one culture to another (missouri.edu. 2013). The Restating of the Message: The restating of the given message as a form of feedback is seen to greatly enhance the effectiveness of good communication. If the communication happen to not be clear enough, the use of such feedback will be seen to allow for the immediate clarification of the intended message. It is important for one to ensure that the message is stated in as clear and objective a manner as is possible (missouri.edu. 2013). Not Interjecting: There is normally seen to be a rather great temptation for most individuals to try and jump into the communication and interject with their own comments. This is sometimes seen to unintentionally carry the message that one is able to better communicate the message in a better manner than the individual giving the message. This can have the inadvertent effect of at times stifling any further communication from the speaker as the communication process degenerates into a one-upmanship contest whereby each speaker is seen to attempt to try and outdo the other with the result that very little communication ends up taking place (missouri.edu. 2013). Conclusion In the workplace and business environment, listening errors can serve to negatively affect the general productivity of a given worker while the cultivation of good listening skills is largely considered to a key factor that causes individuals to become effective leaders, across all capacities ranging from supervisory, managerial and executive. The general expansion of an individual’s listening capacity and sufficiently well-developed managerial skills are considered to be non-dispensable management tools (West and Turner 2010). Although the topic of listening is seen to actually date back to the 1940s, it is vital to note that the topic is still quite relevant in the present day. Nearly all of the current interpersonal skills that are being practiced today are seen to generally require that an individual engages in listening. By undertaking to try and improve their listening skills, individuals will generally stand to greatly improve their individual relationship standing with other persons. References Ahuja, P. & Ahuja, G. (2007). How to listen better. New Dehli : Sterling Paperbacks. Fielding, M. (2005). Effective communication in organizations: [preparing messages that communicate]. Lansdowne, Cape Town : Juta Academic. missouri.edu. (2013). Attributes of Good listening. Retrieved on Oct 11, 2013 from http://web.missouri.edu/~campbellr/Leadership/chapter6.htm West, R. & Turner H. L. (2010). Understanding Interpersonal Communication: Making Choices in Changing Times, Enhanced Edition: Making Choices in Changing Times. Cengage Learning. Read More