Chapter 11: Communication Flashcards
What is communication?
Communication is the transfer of a message that is both received and understood
What is effective communication?
Effective communication is the transfer of a message that is received, understood and being acted on in the desired manner.
Communication levels
- Community level
Between groups in and outside the company - Company level
Among groups, meeting between departments - One-on-one level
Face-to-face conversation - Team or unit level
within a peer group, all members are involved at once
Role of communication in TQ
Communication plays the role of facilitation in a total quality setting.
How to communicate the importance of quality?
- making quality a core value in the organization’s strategic plan
- including quality expectations in all job descriptions
- Including criteria about quality in all performance appraisal instruments
- posting quality benchmarks along with actual performance
- making decisions on the basis of how they will affect quality
- talking about quality every time any group or team meets
Communication as a process
Communication involves a message (what is being transmitted), a sender, receiver and a medium (vehicle used to transfer the message)
Inhibitors of communication
- differences in meaning
- lack of trust
- info overload
- interference
- condescending tone
- poor listening skills
- premature judgments
- inaccurate assumptions
- kill-the-messenger syndrome
How to establish a conducive communication climate?
- communication is often and openly
- information is to-the-point and easy to understand
- leave nobody out of the loop
- encourage reactions
- listen assertively and objectively
Effective listing
Means receiving the message, correctly decoding it, and accurately perceiving what it means
Inhibitors of effective listening
- lack of concentration
- interruptions
- preconceived ideas
- thinking ahead
- tuning out
- interference
How to improve listening?
- remove all distractions
- put speaker at ease
- look directly at speaker
- concentrate on what is being said
- watch for nonverbal cues
- make note of the speaker’s tone
- be patient and wait
- ask clarifying questions
- paraphrase and repeat
- control your emotions
Descriptors of responsive listening
- active
- alert
- vigilant
- sensitive
- creative
Improving listening skills
- listen more, talk less
- ask clarifying questions
- concentrate
- listen intuitively
Components of nonverbal communication
- body factors
- posture, dress, gestures, facial expressions - voice factors
- tone, volume, pitch, rate of speech - proximity factors
- relative positions, physical arrangements, color of room
Improvement of verbal communication skills
- show interest
- be friendly
- be flexible
- be tactful
- be courteous
How to ask questions effectively?
- drop your defenses
- state your purpose
- acknowledge emotions
- use open-ended questions
- phrase questions carefully
Communicating corrective feedback
- be positive
- be prepared
- be realistic
- don’t be completely negative
Approaches to communicating corrective feedback
talk-question listen or listen-question-talk
Management strategies for interpersonal relationships
- recognition of need: managers must be aware of need for these skills
- careful selection: written credentials, technical and interpersonal skills
- measurement and rewards: interpersonal skills should be part of performance appraisals
- training: interpersonal skills can be learned and improved
Personality and communication
- introvert VS extrovert
- sensing VS intuition
- thinking VS feeling
- Judging vs perceiving
How to improve communication?
- keep up-to-date
- prioritize and determine time constraints
- decide whom to inform
- determine how to communicate
- communicate and follow-up
- check understanding and obtain feedback
