Importance of Effective Communication in Management - Coursework Example

Importance of Effective Communication in Management Lecturer Importance of Effective Communication in Management Understand the Importance of Effective Communication in Management 1.1 Effective Interpersonal Communication Effective communication involves a two-way process in which each person tries to understand the viewpoint of the other person. Communication is a cycle because when two people communicate they need to check that their ideas have been understood. Good communication involves the process of checking understanding, using reflective or active listening. Skilled interpersonal interaction (social skills) involves a cycle in which you have to translate or ‘decode’ what other people are communicating and constantly adapt your own behaviour in order to communicate effectively. Verbal and non-verbal communication is not always straightforward. The communication cycle involves a kind of code that has to be translated (Riel & Fombrun, 2007). You have to work out what another person’s behaviour really means. For example: a clinician using slang, jargon or complex technical terminology can be heard, but their message may not be understood, by people without clinical knowledge. As a manager I have to communicate not only with people who use services and care workers but also with community nurses, GP’s surgeries, hospital services, occupational therapist, voluntary groups and many other organizations. It is important not to assume that people from different backgrounds or different clinical/non clinical knowledge will understand the same terminology, the channel of communication that will be most appropriate needs careful thought. Communication is a process which involves individual’s participation in transmitting the information within the communication cycle. By understanding the steps in the communication process it leads to effective communication. For example: in our practice effective internal communication is important in attending the employees and employers concerns. Exchanging ideas, information, plans, decisions and proposals keeps everyone involved within the organisation and increase motivation to perform well, increases commitment and it also makes better relationship and understanding between manager and staff, colleagues and individual within the organisation and outside it. 1.2 Examples of Effective Interpersonal Communication In order to shed more light on the aspect of interpersonal communication skills, I would like to use two examples: Example A Here, I would like to describe one issue that I have at work which need good communication to be organized. The issue is about my relationship with one of my team members. The problem is that she is not a good listener. There are some things in her job which I want her to do differently, to improve, to reduce number of mistakes, to be more accurate and to feel accountable for what she is doing. When I try to discuss these problems with her I see she doesn’t take it seriously, she is not making any notes, most of time she is continuing looking in her computer not even looking into my eyes and not paying attention to visual aids. Every time this behaviour of her causes more and more problems, I repeat the same discussion again and again (Floyd, 2009). So far I’ve been using oral communication type with her and every time I stay very calm and polite. But I think that may have been a mistake. I have never changed my tone when speaking to her and this may have exacerbated the situation as she didn’t perceive the problem as important. The problems occur at the encoding and decoding stages of the communication process. I think to eliminate this problem I should use written type of communication and also develop my oral communication skills, make it better and more effective. Example B An employee recently informed me unplanned leave via SMS (short message service), and I felt as a manager that this form of communication was unacceptable. I needed to have a face-to-face session with the employee to find out the meaning of this. It would have been more appropriate if the employee talked to me and explained the need for her to take leave even if she had not planned for it. The disadvantage to this is that short message service can be very impersonal, and if used incorrectly or overused it could actually become a barrier to the communication. Also, it may be the cases that even though the opportunity for feedback and questions is offered there are no real clarification opportunities and it is impossible to see the initial non-verbal response of the receiver. Example C Verbal communication occurs in meeting when I as a manager share my ideas. I clearly define my objectives, such as whether the intent of the meeting is to make a decision, brainstorm ideas, approve a plan, communicate a change or get a status report. At the beginning of the meeting, I use verbal communication to state the priorities of the meeting, the desired outcomes and the amount of time allowed discussing each topic. By asking for additional input from participants, I ensure the meeting remains relevant for everyone. I also ensure that every participant gets a chance to speak without monopolizing the agenda. Example C Here, I would like to focus on the role of effective writing skills in communication. It is a good idea to consider one’s language while communicating with others. The choice of language can help in determining the manner in which the message would reach the intended audience. Hence, while making a formal communication, it is important to use appropriate language which is clear, precise and easier to understand without many constraints. Meaning, excessive use of contractions, idioms and phrasal verbs is quite unnecessary and should be avoided. In order to effectively use my writing skills to communicate to others, I always ensure that I am very keen on the manner in which I use language. In order to maintain clarity, I ensure that I do not incorporate the use of jargons; abbreviations, vocabularies and technical terms which mind hinder my audience from understanding the intended message being communicated (Watzlawick et al., 2006). This has made it much easier for me to deliver my message to my audiences whenever I write a memo or letter for them to give them a direction or seek their opinion regarding certain matters at hand. 1.3 Effective Communication within the Organization Effective communication not only by manager, but also their staff is important in achieving organisational success. Managers need effective communication skills so that they can help staff to develop their communication skills either verbal or written communication because when team members within the organisation are able to communicate effectively with each other and with people outside, they are much more likely to perform well. It is also needed to increase efficiency, customer satisfaction and quality improvement (Riel & Fombrun, 2007). In the organisation the important component of the communication process is selecting the appropriate communication channel. It is the means by which messages are transmitted. There are two types of channels, the verbal and non-verbal communication. Verbal communication is spoken messages that we share with others such as organisational meetings, handover and telephone. Within my organisation as a dental practice setting, we ensure that we speak clearly and concisely, (principle in a friendly and professional manner to our clients, and colleagues). Written communication which includes reports, memos, emails and forms I make sure that it is simple and easy to understand, avoid slang and discriminatory language. Written documentation is important in monitoring patient’s condition and reporting of incident and accident within the organisation and by giving regular feedback to staff performance such as appraisal and supervision. However, staff appraisal and supervision can also be given by verbal communication or face to face meeting. Non-verbal communication is sharing information without using words to encode messages. Nonverbal communication can be used in conjunction with verbal communication or alone. Nonverbal signals can help you relate to someone on a deeper level than verbal communication is able to do on its own. Using nonverbal communication allows you to complement, emphasize, substitute and contradict the meaning behind verbal communication. Nonverbal cues such as facial expressions, body language, gestures, eye contact can be powerful tools to successful communication skills, thus making your communication more effective. Effective nonverbal communication will allow you to read the emotions and feelings others are not expressing verbally. 2. A Reflective Manager and Effective Communication Skills 2.1. To be an effective manager or communicator within the organisation I must talk with my staff with clear, concise, accurate, well planned communication. Hence, in order to develop effective communication skills as an aspiring manager, it is important to evaluate own ability to communicate with the following set of criteria which can serve as a tool to improve effectively. Speaking – This criterion assesses one’s ability to communicate effectively with accuracy and fluency in formal and informal settings. It is important to use precise vocabulary and intonation to express meaning and show great fluency and ease of speech with confidence and competence. The speaker must explain complex matters in detail and comfortably discuss a variety of topics concretely. Writing - In writing memos, email and reports, it is important to demonstrate a high degree of control of grammar, spelling, and punctuation in both general and professional vocabulary. It is essential to carry out formal writing to address issues in a highly conceptualised fashion and ability to explain complex matters. 2.2 Feedback is any information that individual receive about their behaviour or performance. It can be in the form of questionnaires, surveys and group interaction. As a tool, in order to assess and analyse one’s ability to communicate effectively the statement below provides various feedback from a participants through their own observation if one is expert at different channels of communication using the above criterion as a guide. Respondents are given a choice to rate each statement on the scale of 1-5. 1- Not at all, 2- Rarely, 3-Sometimes, 4-Often, 5- Very Often 2.3 Evaluating Interpersonal Communication Skills As a manager, it is important to evaluate own communication skills to be effective at all points in the communication cycle and be comfortable with the different communication channels such as verbal, non-verbal and written. In order to evaluate own communication skills a self-evaluation was done using the above communication quiz to find out the areas for personal development and improvement. After identifying the strengths and areas for improvement a SWOT analysis illustrated and examined the opportunities that will help focus on the strongest and face the threats that might possibly encounter. Strengths Written communication quite good Willing to learn Weaknesses Lack of confidence Introvert person Self-Criticism Get distracted by too many things Opportunities The opportunities include further learning development techniques such as speech classes or workshops. Education and research Threats Loosing drive Poor communication and support Lack of time and finance to access development opportunities. The above personal professional development plan is a process that recognised the opportunity for individual growth by reviewing, planning and taking responsibility of learning and understanding how to achieve goals by setting time frame to complete (Watzlawick et al., 2006). In managing communication within the organisation it is important to identified areas for improvement and by developing personal professional development plan it gives the opportunity to develop communication skills in order to be an effective communicator. As a manager, development opportunities provide knowledge and skills to support work role and career progression and it also develop personal attributes such as confidence to communicate. Conclusion In conclusion, managing communication in the organisation is important so as to perform basic functions. Managers should be an effective communicator with level of fluency and professionalism and must aware of the communication cycle to achieve team goals. Effective communication within the workplace like in healthcare setting will keeps the team involved in the delivery of care which increases commitment to the organisation and it make a better relationship and understanding within the team. Effective communicator understand the communication process using the appropriate communication channel such as verbal, non-verbal or written communication and discover barriers and determine effective preventive steps to avoid those barriers. In addition, in communication cycle it is essential to get regular feedback, this also helps evaluate and improve communication process and helps used as a basis to develop personal and professional development plan which in turn identify strengths and weaknesses and highlighting opportunities for improvement. Bibliography Floyd, K. (2009). Interpersonal Communication: The Whole Story. New York: McGraw-Hill. Riel, B.M. & Fombrun, C.J. (2007). Essentials of Corporate Communication: Abingdon & New York: Routledge. Watzlawick, P. et al. (2006). Pragmatics of Human Communication: A Study of Interactional Patterns, Pathologies, and Paradoxes. New York: Norton. Read More