Communication in the Work Place - Research Paper Example

?Workplace Communication Before going into the discussion regarding interpersonal workplace communication, let us get a better understanding of what workplace communication actually is. Workplace communication is the delivery and receiving of messages between two or more employees working for any specific company. The difference between normal communication and workplace communication is that normal communication can take place anywhere between two or more individuals whereas workplace communication is the communication that takes place in any specific workplace environment. In this paper, we will discuss interpersonal communication in the workplace settings. We will also develop strategies for active listening, critical listening, and empathic listening. Along with that, we will also discuss the impact of gender and culture on interpersonal communication and will explain the principles and misconceptions related to effective workplace communication. Interpersonal Communication Interpersonal workplace communication is a form of communication, which takes place between two or more individuals in any workplace setting. Interpersonal communication is basically the exchange of information, expressions, and symbols between people. Interpersonal communication depends on the type of relationships and the level of understanding that exists between the individuals. For example, interpersonal communication taking place between a person and his or her family members will be different from the interpersonal communication that takes place between an employee of a company and the manager or boss of that company. Level of understanding between the individuals is the key towards effective interpersonal communication. Less understanding results into ineffective communication whereas good understanding and patience result into effective and result-oriented communication. Therefore, we can say that interpersonal communication has a deep association with the level of understanding and the nature of relationships that exists between people. Interpersonal Communication in the Workplace Environment Interpersonal workplace communication is different from normal interpersonal communication. In workplace settings, interpersonal communication takes place between employees of a company. Effective workplace communication is a key towards success in today’s competitive market. Employees must be able to communicate effectively with each other because ineffective communication, bad attitude, and misunderstandings lead towards many problems for a company. It is very important for the employees to possess excellent communication skills in order to have better and effective working relationships because poor communication skills put adverse effects not only on a company’s productivity but also on the business relationships. Meverson (2005) affirms, “Poor workplace communication skills will have negative effects on your business relationships and may result in decreased productivity”. Let us now discuss some of the basic characteristics of effective workplace communication. Characteristics of Effective Interpersonal Workplace Communication Convenience Talking from workplace perspective, employees need to express willingness to exchange information and communicate with each other. Such communication processes result in nothing where employees do not show agreeability and conformity to each other. “Communication is a two way process, so it is necessary to be a good listener and not just a good talker” (Dhavale, 2011). All people involved in workplace communication need to participate in the communication process and share their thoughts in order to make the communication process effective and result-oriented. Freedom Effective communication can never take place if people involved in the process of communication are not given equal freedom to express their viewpoints. Freedom in communication is the way towards successful and result-oriented workplace communication. In workplace settings, if a boss maintains a very harsh and unkind behavior towards the employees, the employees will never be able to communicate effectively with the boss, which will put a very adverse affect on the company. Value of Time Another important communication feature is time. Dhavale (2011) states, “It is very important to be punctual and respect time when it comes to effective office communication”. Delayed communication or late responses make a communication process ineffective and produces bad results for the company, such as, delayed project submissions and difficulty in taking business decisions. Strategies for Active, Critical, and Empathic Listening There are different listening types, which play their roles in the process of communication. Let us discuss three of the most important listening styles and design strategies for those styles. Active Listening Active listening is an important communication skill in which the listener needs to understand what other person is saying to him or her. In active listening, a person needs to listen and interpret effectively in order to remain a valuable part of the communication process. The ability to listen counts a lot in a communication process and that is the reason why active listening is given extreme importance in teaching the communication skills. The main components of active listening include eye contact, posture, and gesture of the involved parties. Active listening makes the communication process effective and successful because every person involved in the process gives his or her significant input during communication. Active listening is a seven-step process in which each step has its own importance for the success of the communication process. The steps include facing the speaker, maintaining eye contact, minimizing external distractions, responding appropriately, focusing the speaker, minimizing internal distractions, and keeping the mind open (Cortright, n.d.). The listener should show attentiveness to the speaker by sitting up straight or leaning forward slightly towards the speaker. Maintaining eye contact and switching off all external distractions such as television or mobile phone are also important parts of active listening. Showing appropriate facial expressions and focusing solely what the speaker is saying makes active listening more successful. The listener should also minimize internal distractions, such as, own thoughts and internal feelings in order to concentrate more towards the speaker. Critical Listening Critical listening is a process in which a person evaluates the arguments or viewpoints, which are put forward by other people. Critical listening helps a person reach a better decision based on the arguments of other people. Critical listening also involves some sub processes, which include listening to other peoples’ arguments, analyzing those arguments, and reaching an appropriate decision. In workplace environments, the process of critical listening plays an important role in the success of employees and the companies. Employees come across different viewpoints of different people and they evaluate those viewpoints to make a final decision regarding any specific matter. Critical listening is not just a process of listening; rather it also includes the steps of understanding other people and evaluating or analyzing their arguments. There are four main steps involved in the process of critical listening, which include sensing, interpreting, evaluating the arguments, and assigning worth to the arguments. Sensing is the first step in critical listening which means to hear what other people say. Sensing requires proper attention of the listener to what the speaker says. The next step, interpreting, means to understand and interpret the speaker’s message. Evaluating is the next step, which means evaluation of the arguments of the speaker considering the facts regarding the subject matter. Last step to the process is assigning worth to the arguments. In this step, the listener marks the arguments as rational, strong, weak, or illogical and assigns worth to those arguments based on the judgment. Empathic Listening Empathic listening is another type of listening, which helps a person avoid disruptive behaviors and do some purposeful communication. Treder (2010) states, “Empathic Listening is an approach to listening that allows an individual to talk through a problem and feel understood”. Empathic listening builds trust of a person in front of the people with whom he or she interacts. Treder (2010) further states, “By listening to individuals, you demonstrate your commitment to them and communicate the message that they are people of value and worth”. Empathic listening brings many considerable benefits to an individual, which include making communication process easy, uncovering real issues, and making other people understand feelings of the listener. Empathic listening is a four-step process in which each step increases the effectiveness of the communication process. Those four steps include giving required attention to the speaker, giving importance to the feelings of the speaker, allowing silence for reflection, and using restatements for clarifying the messages. All of these points or steps are of considerable importance in the process of empathic listening. The listener should give importance and attention to the speaker in order to make him or her feel valued. There should be no distractions while the speaker conveys the message. Next, the listener should not make such statements that may play down someone’s problems. The listener should understand the feelings of the speaker rather then just focusing the facts. The listener should also give time to the speaker to reflect on his or her statements. In the last step, the listener should interpret and restate the speaker’s message in order to make the speaker clarify or expand the message. Impact of Gender and Culture on Interpersonal Communication Gender and culture put a significant impact on interpersonal communication. Communication between the persons from the same gender is somewhat different from the communication that takes place between the persons belonging to opposite genders. Men usually respect women and give value to what they say. For every person, there is a natural attraction towards the opposite gender. There is a sense of respect, value, and consideration in the communication process in which the participants belong to the opposite genders. Same like gender, culture also plays a significant role in communication. An interpersonal communication process can only be effective if the participants understand the cultural norms and values of the other people. Without having an understanding of the culture of other people, many problems occur during communication such as difficulty in understanding each other’s languages, difficulty in perceiving the opinions, and difficulty in understanding mindsets and feelings of other people. “People perceive things differently due to differences in cultural/ethnic background, personal experiences, personality styles, gender differences, attitudes and beliefs” (Stern, 2004). Therefore, it is very important to keep a clear mind about these differences in order to reduce the chances of communication breakdown. Principles of Effective Workplace Communication There are seven basic principles of effective interpersonal communication, which include beginning the communication in a friendly manner, giving sincere appreciation, showing interest in each other, overcoming barriers to communication, giving value to each other, using appropriate body language, and getting appropriate feedback. The process of communication should take place in a friendly environment. There should be concreteness and clarity in the messages so that the other person should understand the message in an easy manner. Both parties should show interest in the viewpoint of each other in order to make each other feel valued. Next, there should be no barriers to communication such as language barrier, cultural barrier, unsuitable location, perpetual barriers, or emotional barriers. Another important principle is that all people involved in the process of communication should show respect to each other. No one should show any kind of attitude or disgrace because it makes other people uncomfortable. The last but the most important principle of effective interpersonal communication is continuous feedback. Seun (2010) states, “Feedback should be carefully considered before being put forward due to its significance”. Feedback also makes the communication meaningful and effective. All individuals involved in process of communication should provide instant feedback to the viewpoints expressed by each other because it helps the participants gain more confidence, freedom, and poise. Misconceptions Regarding Interpersonal Communication Misconceptions occur when people involved in a communication process do not understand each other properly. In some cases, we underestimate other people, whereas in some cases, we cannot express our ideas or concerns to other people in a proper way. Both situations affect the interpersonal communication process adversely. Some of the misconceptions regarding interpersonal communication include misjudging other people, inability to communicate properly, carrying on talking without any meaning, and inability to perceive other people. There should be a good understanding between participants of the communication process in order to make the communication process effective and result-oriented. Conclusion Interpersonal communication is a type of communication that takes place between two or more individuals. Good understanding of culture and gender play an important role in the success of interpersonal communication. There exist many misconceptions in interpersonal workplace communication, which reduce the effectiveness of interpersonal communication. Some of the common characteristics of interpersonal communication, which make communication effective, include convenience, commitment, clarity, concentration, and freedom. Along with these characteristics, there exist many key principles, which also play a great role in making the interpersonal interactions effective and result-oriented. References Cortright, S. (n.d.). 10 Tips to Effective & Active Listening Skills. Retrieved from http://powertochange.com/students/people/listen/ Dhavale, G. (2011). Effective Communication Skills in the Workplace. Retrieved from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/effective-communication-skills-in-the-workplace.html Meverson, H. (2005). Top 7 Keys to Effective Workplace Communication. Retrieved from http://top7business.com/?Top-7-Keys-to-Successful-Workplace-Communication&id=1016 Seun, O. (2010). The Importance of Feedback In Communication. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Importance-Of-Feedback-In-Communication&id=3631322 Stern, N. (2004). Gender Jive – Communication Between Men and Women. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?Gender-Jive---Communication-Between-Men-and-Women&id=1861 Treder, E. (2010). The Power of Empathic Listening. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Power-of-Empathic-Listening&id=5085235 Read More