Communication Climate in Sustaining Relationships at Work - Essay Example

The role of a positive communication climate in sustaining relationships Communication climate is defined as the overall feeling or emotional mood between people who are interacting. It can be safe or anxious, warm or cold, comfortable or awkward, accepting or rejecting, open or guarded that is shaped by verbal or non-verbal interaction between people. (Julia T. Wood). A positive communication climate can be seen as that environment where employees can freely express their ideas, opinions and sentiments without fear of victimization. People within organizations and even in families need to have positive communication environment so as to foster peaceful co-existence among them. In doing this, the guidelines below are very useful as it sustains social, personal and professional relationships. Build a confirming climate The nature of communication climate determines the manner people feel and relate with others. A confirming climate values and affirms individual opinions and makes one feel treasured. Creating a positive climate is very important as it fosters effective communication of interacting groups which exist at work place and family. There is a need to create a confirming climate at work place since it enhances good relations among the interacting parties and thus promoting performance. It is also important to not only create a confirming climate at work place but also in social relationships because it has an impact in easing tensions that often build up at work place. A confirming climate in personal relationship helps us disclose our innermost sentiments and opinions without fear of discrimination, disapproval or mockery. It is important to note that a confirming climate is a key to success among interacting groups. Confirmation can be described under the following guidelines. Recognition Through non verbal behaviours such as a simple smile, a hug, looking directly at the eye or looking up when someone enters your room. It can also be accompanied by verbal communication of greetings for example “hello,” “good to meet you,” “welcome home” just to mention a few are good ways of recognition. Responding to others comments is a sign that you recognize them. Acknowledgement This is the most powerful stage of confirmation. The stage involves paying attention to the people’s feelings and thoughts. Acknowledging other people’s opinions and thoughts makes them feel part of the relationship and is therefore vital in promoting social, personal and professional relationship. Endorsement This is the act of accepting a person’s opinions and approach to matters as legitimate. When we do not endorse other people’s thoughts and feelings, our relationship with them weakens. It is therefore wise to endorse in order to promote good relationships. Accept and confirm others (Rawlings, 1994) asserts that “communication research tells us that people expect real friends to give honest feedback, even if it isn’t always pleasant to hear. In the view of this statement, managers are expected to offer straight forward responses as well as criticism. In doing so, such managers are most likely to build a strong working relationship with the subordinates. In the contrary, managers who try to avoid criticism and conflict harm good professional and social relationship between themselves and their subordinates (Fisher, 1998). This is an inference that we must always be sincere in our day to day communication. In most cases people fear to tell the truth because of the perceived response of the subject in terms of what feeling it will cause. This is dishonest and doesn’t foster positive relationships it instead undermines. Affirm and assert yourself This affirmation deals with us in that we do have our own opinions, feelings and preferences. Therefore, it is misleading to think that affirmation concerns others and that our preferences and opinions are less valid than those of other people. The principle of affirmation applies to both other people and to us as well. In this regard, we need to communicate our opinions and feelings to offer an opportunity for others to confirm. Asserting oneself at work place gives one an ability to influence the quality of work produced. In personal relationships, for instance in the family, asserting yourself promotes your own and partners respect for feelings and ideas. Assertion doesn’t insubordinate ones needs to those of others. It is a clear non judgmental statement of how we feel, what we want and what we dislike coming our way. Respect diversity in relationships There is a distinct uniqueness among individuals in life some maybe extroverts or introverts. Depending on their personalities, the way they respond to issues is of a major concern which affects their reactions and feelings in a relationship or interaction. It is therefore important to note that in any relationship, personal or professional life, different individual personality traits need to be respected. Whereas some people would prefer being open in life some do not and there is nothing that can be done to change that situation, therefore, in order to respect and sustain good relationship among such people, there is a need to respect each personality. Furthermore, since people and interactions differ, there is always a need to respect and uphold this variety. In addition, we should be careful as not to inflict our own meaning to communication made by others. The meaning attached to any communication made by a personality is coined from different cultures around the world, for instance, what is considered valuable and desirable by culture A may not be necessarily considered desirable by culture B. Therefore to build a constructive communication surrounding, there is need to respect and accommodate the existence of diverse cultures. Respond constructively to criticism Effective communication thrives in place where positive criticism is appreciated. Constructive criticism becomes a success where issues and conflicts are discussed in private than in public, in addition to considering all parties’ needs, the members involved need to be flexible to adjustments when dealing with the difference. Different approaches are usually employed while dealing with conflicts, for instance some like dealing with a problem as soon as it arises while other prefer a reflection before confronting the problem. Whichever method is used the key issue is accepting positive criticism and solving the problem in question. Pardon when appropriate Grace is a much important principle to consider during conflict resolution. This is a vital component of the religious and rational thinking about moral dimensions of human communication. This may not be common to all individuals because of the differences in our beliefs but truly speaking, granting pardon to and individual can really yield great results in enhancing positive communication. Pardon does not necessarily deal with conflicts, it also concerns how we can easily adapt and/or fit into someone’s program so as to keep positive communication. Grace is therefore a subject of preference which doesn’t command a payback, it is an action done without conditions and expectations of getting a payback. References: Weaver, R. L (1993), “Understanding interpersonal communication”, 6th Ed. Cornell University, HarperCollinsCollegePublishers. West, R & Lynn H. (2009), “Turner Understanding Interpersonal Communication”, Making Choices in Changing Times, 2nd ed. Uhl Lyn, Cengage learning. Wood, T. J (2010), “Interpersonal Communication”, Everyday Encounters, 6th Ed. New York, NY: Cengage learning. Read More