Effective Communication
...ereotyping the employee based on color, gender, age, or other differences. Another way a manager should avoid a communication barrier is to carefully plan a conversation. Using the quote from an unknown author "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail", is an excellent view of how a conversation with an employee will turn out if you don't plan for it. It will result in failure. Even if it is an issue that requires immediate conversations, a manager should still pause to think about a plan of approach; what needs to be said immediately and what can wait until an appointed time is set for a one-on-one conversation. To have an effective conversation with an employee, a manager should use these key techniques: "plan to focus the discussion on the information needed; use open-ended questions to expand the discussion; use closed-ended questions to prompt for specifics; encourage dialogue through eye contact and expression; state your understanding of what you are hearing; and summarize the key points" (Wertheim). Another aspect of verbal communication is written statements. In the workplace, this can include memorandums, bulletins, flyers, and reports, letters, faxes, and e-mails. "Written, verbal, or electronic methods, while impersonal, are fast and effective. Written communication is very often the most suitable and clearest means of communication" (Ball). As a manager of a fairly large corporation, where efforts of interpersonal connections are unrealistic, written communication may be the most suitable. However, I feel that a manager of a smaller business should try to form a close-knit environment to create better manager-employee relationships. Developing a trust relationship between manager and employee makes it easier to reach the goal of successful communication. "Effective communication is built and sustained on the trust between managers and employees. "Doing what is right" and having employees follow this principle also requires initiating and sustaining mutually trusting relationships" (Weiss). Non-verbal communication is a much broader area of the process that may be more difficult to get a hold of in order to reach a level of being effective and not being misunderstood. This area of communicating possesses more impact on a person than verbal communication. Several experts on communication agree that actions speak louder than words. "When we attribute meaning to what someone else is saying, the verbal part of the message actually means less than the non-verbal part...A large percentage (studies show over ninety percent) of the meaning we derive from communication, we derive from the non-verbal cues that the other person gives" (Wertheim). "Non-verbal communication has many functions in the communication process. It regulates relationships and may support or replace verbal communication" (Dunn). The reason actions have so much more impact in communication than verbal statements is because there are so many signals that can be sent in different ways in non-verbal communication. Non-verbal signals can play five roles when paired with verbal communication. Through repetition, they can repeat the message spoken. For instance, if a manager is saying audibly "I am very disappointed in your actions", a non-verbal repetitious signal is if the manager also has his/her arms folded with a stern look on his/her face while he/she is speaking. The role of contradiction tells a message differently than what has been said. Many times, a person will say one thing, but through contradiction, they indicate something else. If a manager tells an employee that they are truly sorry that he/she must terminate their employment, a wide smile is definitely a contradictory signal. Complementing as a role is when the non-verbal signal complements the verbal statement. A manager simply smiling and saying "great job!" is always nice. However, a manager saying "good job" while they give that employee a pat on the shoulder, whereas, afterward, he/she walks away showing a thumbs up is even better and more rewarding. Substitution as a non-verbal signal substitutes a verbal message. It is similar to complementing. However, in this situation, a manager could be well out of distance to verbally communicate approval. So, substituting "Nice job over there" by showing thumbs up and a smile is a good example of substitution. Lastly, accenting underlines a verbal statement. For instance, a manager can say to an employee "I decided to promote you". If the manager stands there with his/her hands behind his/her back, it is only a verbal statement. But, if a manager says the same line and points to the employee, it accents or puts emphasis on the word "you" in the statement. "Non-verbal communication is made of the following parts: Visual, Tactile, Vocal, and Use of Time, Space, and Image" (Wertheim). The area of visual non-verbal communication is most known as body language and consists of several means of communicating without having to speak a word. A person's facial expressions, stance or posture, and even the way they move their eyes are all forms of communication through body language. This characteristic of non-verbal communication is an area which repetitious and contradictory signals play their roles. As a manager, it is important to control habitual body language and gestures that they may have formed prior to their present management position. For example, if a manager is talking with an employee about their experience with a potential assignment, and the employee begins to discuss his experience, a habit a manager may have is to fold his/her arms when he/she is listening to someone or put their hand under their chin while they are sitting down. This could cause the employee to feel intimidated or even cause them to feel as if the manager thinks that their comments are worthless and meaningless. A manager should also identify the body language of his or her employees so as not to take anything personally or put themselves in a situation to assume what the personality of the employee is just by habitual gestures. By assumption, a manager could base major decisions for the employee that could cause unnecessary tension and end consequences. For instance, an employee may have a habit of pursing her/his lips when they are listening to somebody. A manager could assume that the employee is not putting any value into what the manager is saying and, therefore, doesn't really care about anything that he/she has to say. Tactile non-verbal communication is when you use touch to convey meaning. A manager must be very careful in this area of non-verbal communication. Appropriate gestures in the workplace are actions like a handshake or a pat on the shoulder. An arm around the shoulder, a kiss on the cheek, or a hug would definitely be an invasion into an employee's personal space. Another area of non-verbal communication is use of time, space, and image. The best way of describing the...