In order to make your inter-personal communication more effective, you should keep in mind the following points:
Use direct, simple language and avoid words which can have ambiguous meanings.
Use face-to-face communication: Face-to-face communication allows more accurate feedback to be achieved through two-way communication. Generally speaking,people express themselves more freely while talking rather than through writing.Face-to-face communication permits a manager to use and understand the non-verbal signs also.
Use feedback: Feedback enables us to judge whether or not the ideas have been received in the manner as they were originally intended. Most often it is assumed that communication has taken place once a note has been circulated or put on the notice board. You must devise ways to separate fact from distortion.
Listen with understanding: The biggest block to communication is said to be the inability to listen to the other person intelligently, understandingly and skillfully. We tend to confuse listening with hearing. Real communication takes place when the listener truly understands the position and intent of the speaker. In order to be a successful manager, you must develop your listening ability.
You must try to understand the factual and emotional content of the message without making any attempt at criticizing, approving or disapproving it until after you havefully heard and understood the remarks. The empathetic listening, vastly improves the understanding of both the parties, bringing in its wake improved inter-personal relationship in the organisation.
Create constructive environment for the expression of ideas: If you can create a climate in which people acquire confidence that what they say will be listened to with sympathy and considered constructively, you can be sure of a successful and creative communication. This is, however, possible only in an environment of trust which has to be generated by the management through its policies and actions.
Be careful about your non-verbal communication: Because you hold a status higher than your subordinates, your gestures are observed and ‘felt’ by your subordinates. Your body language, therefore, must be supportive of your communication through words. One of the powerful means of communication are your actions which speak louder than words. If you expect your communication to be effective, ensure that your actions are consistent with your words.
Develop and use organisational structures which minimize the chances of filtering the communication: Decentralisation of authority and broadening of span of control can be attempted to reduce the levels in the organisation and minimize the authority filters.
The American Management Association has developed a set of ten suggestions for improving communication, referred to as “The Ten Commandments of Good Communication” (Box).
Box : The Ten Commandments of Good Communication
Clarify before attempting to communicate;
Examine the purpose of communication;
Understand the physical and human environment when communicating;
While planning communication, consult others to obtain their support, as well as the facts;
Consider the content and the overtones of the message;
Whenever possible, communicate something that helps, or is valued by the receiver;
Communication, to be effective, requires following up;
Communicate messages that are of short-run and long-run importance;
Actions must be congruent with communication; and Be a good listener.
We hope that you would be able to put into practice the ideas given here and improve you ability to communicate with your co-workers, superiors and subordinates. On this note, we would like to end this unit and present its summary.
Use direct, simple language and avoid words which can have ambiguous meanings.
Use face-to-face communication: Face-to-face communication allows more accurate feedback to be achieved through two-way communication. Generally speaking,people express themselves more freely while talking rather than through writing.Face-to-face communication permits a manager to use and understand the non-verbal signs also.
Use feedback: Feedback enables us to judge whether or not the ideas have been received in the manner as they were originally intended. Most often it is assumed that communication has taken place once a note has been circulated or put on the notice board. You must devise ways to separate fact from distortion.
Listen with understanding: The biggest block to communication is said to be the inability to listen to the other person intelligently, understandingly and skillfully. We tend to confuse listening with hearing. Real communication takes place when the listener truly understands the position and intent of the speaker. In order to be a successful manager, you must develop your listening ability.
You must try to understand the factual and emotional content of the message without making any attempt at criticizing, approving or disapproving it until after you havefully heard and understood the remarks. The empathetic listening, vastly improves the understanding of both the parties, bringing in its wake improved inter-personal relationship in the organisation.
Create constructive environment for the expression of ideas: If you can create a climate in which people acquire confidence that what they say will be listened to with sympathy and considered constructively, you can be sure of a successful and creative communication. This is, however, possible only in an environment of trust which has to be generated by the management through its policies and actions.
Be careful about your non-verbal communication: Because you hold a status higher than your subordinates, your gestures are observed and ‘felt’ by your subordinates. Your body language, therefore, must be supportive of your communication through words. One of the powerful means of communication are your actions which speak louder than words. If you expect your communication to be effective, ensure that your actions are consistent with your words.
Develop and use organisational structures which minimize the chances of filtering the communication: Decentralisation of authority and broadening of span of control can be attempted to reduce the levels in the organisation and minimize the authority filters.
The American Management Association has developed a set of ten suggestions for improving communication, referred to as “The Ten Commandments of Good Communication” (Box).
Box : The Ten Commandments of Good Communication
Clarify before attempting to communicate;
Examine the purpose of communication;
Understand the physical and human environment when communicating;
While planning communication, consult others to obtain their support, as well as the facts;
Consider the content and the overtones of the message;
Whenever possible, communicate something that helps, or is valued by the receiver;
Communication, to be effective, requires following up;
Communicate messages that are of short-run and long-run importance;
Actions must be congruent with communication; and Be a good listener.
We hope that you would be able to put into practice the ideas given here and improve you ability to communicate with your co-workers, superiors and subordinates. On this note, we would like to end this unit and present its summary.
No comments:
Post a Comment