Assertive Managerial Communication - Case Study Example

Assertive Managerial Communication Relevant skill area Observation and learning 1st October Employability skills audit In a study by Whetton and Cameron, 402 individuals were asked to name the most effective managers and the skills they have, the main factors listed were verbal communication, managing time and stress, managing decisions, influencing others, delegating, self awareness and team building. First and foremost the self awareness is the key step to success. Employability, career advancements and other achievements all start with the self awareness; hence, this employability skill audit helps in getting an idea of where we stand. Skills consists of identifiable sets of actions that individuals perform that lead to certain outcomes. They are purely mental and are embedded in the personality. They are also overlapping and interrelated. They are not simplistic, repetitive behaviors, they are sets of complex responses. After an audit of the skills essential for employability and job success, it is essential that we develop the necessary skills, which is possible through conceptual learning and practice. The skills that are essential for employability in common are verbal communication, listening, enthusiasm, written communication, technical competence and appearance. But for job success the skills needed are interpersonal, verbal communication, written communication, determination, enthusiasm and technical competence. The learning model by Bandura, et al, suggests that first we assess our current knowledge and behavior, then learn the best practices and understand why they work, analyze successful and unsuccessful cases, practice the essential competencies and apply the new skills. All of us should enhance our abilities to survive and grow in the constantly changing environment. 8th October Learning to learn We may come across a sea of information but not all information is conscious and over a period of time we suppress some kinds of information and attention to other kinds. These strategies are habitual and ingrained and they result in our own kind of learning style. As suggested by David Kolb and colleagues at the Case western reserve University, individuals are inclined to react to information in different ways as they try to understand and interpret it. When we are aware of our learning style, it is possible to identify how we learn best, the types of learning activities we are likely to prefer, and how we will have the easiest time assimilating and responding to information. It will also help in determining the kinds of people we want to work with as we build an effective learning team. Today’s environment is characterized by turbulent , gigantic change and chaos, rapid decision making is becoming the norm. As Runyon points out that in this chaotic pace of change being aware of our own orientation toward change is an important prerequisite for successfully coping with it. What can be done? First build the self awareness, by identifying comprehensive, consistent and universal set of principles in which I will base my behavior. I want to identify the most important values that guide my decisions. Next, I want to I want to assess my learning style and I want to get involved in different kinds of activities and seeking new information to broaden my exposure. 29th October Presentation skills It was understood that the five S’s of effective presentation are Strategy(for specific audience), structure(developing a clear structure), support(supporting evidence), style(combining ideas with the interesting style) and supplement(providing informed responses to questions). Hence, to make effective presentations first it is essential to tailor the message to specific audience. That is first we analyze the attitude of the audience and then we determine the approach to be used the approach can be informative or humor based or argumentative(Stewart, 1990). The next step is to create a clear structure, then choosing an appropriate pattern, conclude on high note. It is often expressed by experts that the presenter should give a road map for the lecture and give some signposts for the audience about the progress of the presentation. Also a variety of supporting evidence and proof has to be provided. The support for the presentation can be visual aids. But the most challenging part in a presentation is how to respond to objections in an orderly manner. First we can restate the objection, state our position explaining the why we believe that way, then we have to offer support to the position which is the most critical aspect to overcome the objection. And then we have to show the impact of adopting our position. What is my strategy for good presentation? I should make clear notes, practice my presentation, I may use practical aids, have precision in my ideas for presentation, pay attention to tone in oral communication, respond to objections in the proper manner. 5th November Assertive communication (Main log) As lee Hopkins explains, Assertive communication is the ability to express positive and negative ideas and feelings in an open, honest and direct way. It recognizes our rights whilst still respecting the rights of others. It allows us to take responsibility for ourselves and our actions without judging or blaming other people. And it allows us to constructively confront and find a mutually satisfying solution where conflict exists. Why should we communicate assertively? Because it leads to the development of mutual respect with others, it increases our self-esteem, it helps us achieve our goals, it minimizes hurting and alienating other people, it reduces anxiety, it protects us from being taken advantage of by others, it enables us to make decisions and free choices in life and it enables us to express, both verbally and non-verbally, a wide range of feelings and thoughts, both positive and negative. It seeks to preserve a positive relationship between the communicators while still addressing the problem at hand. When it is used, not only the message is delivered but also the communicating parties can build a positive interpersonal relationship. The goal of assertive communication is not just to be liked by other people or to be judged as a nice person, but to convey the ideas and messages without being aggressive or submissive. There are various choices for the appropriate approaches to communication, either we can be directly aggressive, or indirectly aggressive or submissive. But the best option will be to be assertive, i.e., to be firm, unapologetic, honest, direct, responsible and spontaneous. The various attributes of assertive communication are learnt as follows: 1. Being honest with feelings 2. Descriptive, not evaluative 3. Problem oriented not person oriented 4. Communicating respect and flexibility How does assertive communication look like? A person with an assertive communication style has a body language that conveys openness and receptiveness. Posture is upright, movements are fluid and relaxed, tone of voice is clear and with inflection. An assertive person makes good eye contact, and is aware of personal space. When giving opinions, an assertive person is willing to express his opinion, and also is open to hearing other’s points of view. He is direct, but not argumentative or threatening. He does not use sarcasm or gossip as a way to communicate. He does not silently sit back out of fear of not being liked. When an assertive person receives feedback from others, he is able to listen and accept what the other person has to say, even if she doesn’t agree. Many people have a hard time receiving feedback, even if it’s positive. How many times has someone paid you a compliment and you simply dismiss it, or minimize it rather than hearing it and simply saying “thanks”! No one likes to hear negative feedback, but an assertive person does not react to criticism by counter-attacking, denying, or feeling anxious or inadequate. He makes conscious choices about how to respond to criticism. Personally, when I was evaluating myself for determining my skill inventory, I felt that though I possessed good communication skill, I could not handle any comments or objections raised by the audience. I felt that I was personally responsible for the less effective show. I felt embarrassed, inadequate and angry when I could not handle objections to my ideas. Hence, when I read about the assertive communication it was very useful for me. In future what are the thing I should remember when giving a presentation: 1. Watch my body posture – practice using an open, assertive body language and voice. 2. Think before I speak. I will take a few seconds to make sure I am conveying the right message, and in the way I want to convey it. 3. I am not going to apologize if it’s not warranted. 4. I should remember it is ok to say “no”. 5. I should ingrain in my mind that everyone is entitled to an opinion, and I will not try to convince others that my opinion is the “right” one. 6. I should know that you I have to apologize or make excuses. I should practice these abovementioned points as learning new behaviors takes time, and it will feel awkward at first and practice leads to improvement. I should also expect some resistance from others. But also becoming assertive may never feel as comfortable as being passive or aggressive, if that’s my learned style, but the rewards are worth the effort. But I should also remember that there is a very thin line between being aggressive and arrogant. 12th Novemeber Managing conflict Eisenhardt 1997, points that a conflict over issues Is not likely within teams but is also valuable. Such conflicts provide the team members the range of information, a deeper understanding of the issues and richer set of possible solutions. In the era of globalization, successful strategic decisions are made by teams that provide active have conflicts over issues without sacrificing speed. But many times conflicts can also contribute to the slowing down of the team and can decrease the effectiveness of the strategy adopted. What are the reasons for conflicts? The main reasons may be personal differences with respect to perceptions and expectations, informational deficiency is like misinformation or misrepresentation, role incompatibility and environmental stress from resource scarcity or uncertainty. How to manage a conflict? We can force a response or have an accommodative approach or have a compromising approach or we can avoid giving response. The author identified several key factors that help in conflict management. 1. Work with more information 2. Focus on the facts 3. Develop multiple alternatives to enrich the level of debate 4. Share commonly agreed upon goals 5. Inject humor into decision process 6. Maintain balanced power structure 7. Resolve issues without forcing consensus. Although many people intellectually understand the value of conflict, they feel uncomfortable when confronted with it. Their discomfort may be because of lack of understanding of the conflict process or lack of training in conflict management. Lesson learnt: Hence, in my experience, I should be more aware of negotiation skills and understand the dynamics of human relationships to handle conflicts more effectively. 19th Nov. Influencing skills First it is essential to understand the difference between power and influence. Power is the necessary precondition for influence. Influential people have power, but not all powerful people have influence. The best influence strategies are retribution, reciprocity and reason. (Allan et al).retribution is about is forcing others to do what to say.bit can be both direct and indirect retribution. Former involves coercion and that letter involves intimidation. This approach can be adopted by the boss to control and influence his employees. But behind the coercion there is a possibility of noncompliance. Intimidation is accompanied by special emphasis on the authority of the power holder. Reciprocity serves by satisfying the self-interest of both the parties. The direct form of this is bargaining in which each party gains something. The other way of reciprocity that is, ingratiation is more subtle. It involves using friendliness and favors to incur social obligations. Reason. Instead of applying to a person’s emotional side, the person can apply the reason. We can argue that compliance is best, due to the merits of the situation. The direct approach of reasoning is persuasion and the indirect way of reasoning is by appealing to the person’s values and beliefs. What is the best for me? There is no one strategy for influence for all the situations. There are merits and demerits for all the approaches. So it is best to think which one is the appropriate based on the team, activity and the attitudes and values of people we work with. 26th Nov. Time management We all want some free time. This desire is showed in the Davidson study that an average person engages in 237 – 1037 separate incidents a day. It shows that individuals spend their time on unimportant matters; important activities are those which produce the desired results. The best practices for effective time management is to read selectively, if we are exposed to a sea of materials we have to choose which is appropriate for our job and then read. Then make a list of things to accomplish today. this can help in advance planning. Then have a place for everything and keep them in that place. Also we should prioritize the tasks. Divide up large projects into smaller chunks of jobs. Set deadlines for the jobs, which will serve as motivation for planning and execution. Also a consistency so we should write down long term objectives. This helps us to have consistency in activities and tasks. we have to be on alert to learn new ways of managing our time. We have to read a list of time management techniques periodically and this keeps us reminded of the continuous improvement we have to make in our lives. For me, I should first prioritize my tasks. I have understood that I can’t complete all the tasks. As an individual I have limitations, hence, it is best to assign importance to the jobs and finish the jobs that are vital and eliminate the time wasters. 1. Hopkins, Lee. 19 January 2005. "Assertive Communication - 6 Tips For Effective Use." Ezine Articles Available at http://ezinearticles.com/?Assertive-Communication---6-Tips-For-Effective-Use&id=10259 2. Bandura, A, 1977, A social learning theory, Upper Saddle River, Prentice Hall, NJ 3. Kolb D.A (1984)experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development, Upper Saddle River, Prentice Hall, NJ 4. Runyon K. E, (1973) some interaction between personality variables and management styles, Journal of applied psychology, 57, 288 – 94 5. Stewart, T.A, (1992) The search for an organization of tomorrow, Fortune, 92 -98 6. Eisenhardt, K.M, Kahwajy, J.L and Bourgeois , L.J., III(1997), How management teams have a good fight, Harvard Business Review, (July – August) , 77 – 85 7. Allan. H., Waclawski, J. (1999), Influence behaviours and managerial effectiveness in lateral relations, Human resource development quarterly, 10, 3-34 8. Davidson. J., (2002), Managing your time(III edition), , Alpha Books, Indianapolis 9. Alder, R. B., & Rodman G., (2003), Understanding human communication (8th edition), Oxford university Press, New York. 10. Whetton A. David, Cameron S. Kim, (2005), Developing Management Skills(6th Edition), prentice Hall, New Jersy Read More