1.

a) In your opinion, what are the three most common reason why
communication may fail? Justify your answer by giving real life examples
to each benefit.

Camaraderie between customers and a business and between employees

within an organization is a constantly-evolving process. People aren't always
prone to trust or believe one another. A major cause of communication failure,
therefore, can be a fear of either saying the wrong thing or saying it in the
wrong way. Honesty really is the best policy, but sometimes thinking through
how to best communicate topics can leave you feeling bewildered. Nonetheless,
people appreciate not being deceived and laying all the cards out on the table
helps you keep everything professional and engender trust. In the business
world, marketing and public relations can make or break a company's image and
therefore its bottom line. The trick is to get everyone in the company to
communicate the same messages consistently and thoroughly. Branding is only
effective if your business communications are repeated frequently with the same
intensity and genuineness. Those who interact with clients and customers must
be sure to reiterate the company's core values. Without this consistency,
mismatched communication will result.
Second most common reason is using overly complex or technical terms
often causes communication failure. Don't assume that everyone understands
the same industry lingo or is on the same page when it comes to complex
terminology. A better way to approach communication is to break things down
into digestible phrases and to avoid using complicated language. Use clear and
concise messages and stay away from jargon and acronyms that some may not
understand. A related idea is the belief that some groups are more informed or
knowledge than others. This way of thinking encompasses the idea that
customers "need to be educated" about your products and services, as well as

the idea that managers know how to do things better than other employees.
Instead of being trapped by those preconceived notions, listen to what your
customers and staff are telling you. Keeping the field level helps people to feel
like they have input and that they aren't merely pawns in a larger game.
Customers will appreciate not being talked down to and employees will feel
more empowered.
Most project teams use email to communicate about their projects and tasks.
The biggest complaint here is that project communication resides in each
individual's email box. So, if a new resource joins the project, there is no
centralized view of the project history. This is because Executive managers
usually rely on weekly or monthly status reports from project managers for
project status. This leaves the information about the projects in the hands of the
project manager. Some executives have complained that project managers hold
the communication 'hostage.' As project sponsors, there is no reason why
executives should not have access to the project dialogue. Whereas the Project
managers use of groups in email is very common. Project managers may email
an entire group a communication about a project. The issue comes up with the
responses when some team members forget to click on 'reply to all' and some
team members do not receive the email or communication, yet the assumption is
that all team members have been looped in. Moreover, team members complain
about the volume of emails they receive and the burden of sorting through the
emails, finding those that are most relevant to them as well. This practice wastes
a lot of valuable time that they could be working on tasks, instead they are
sifting through emails.
The solution of this problem is provide a Centralized Location for
Communication. At a bare minimum, communication should be posted in a
centralized location. The lowest common denominator seems to be the
organization's network. The purpose of centralizing the project communication

is so that if new resources join the effort mid stream, they can get up to speed
rapidly by reviewing the entire project history. The better solutions are the web
based collaborative and project systems that provide a centralized location for
project and task communication. This software solves the issue by posting all
relevant project information in one place. For project teams with client facing
projects, centralized communication helps to resolve questions and issues that
arise on projects and tasks. The communication may be referred to for
clarification of scope, goals, and other key decisions made during the project.
For teams that must comply with FDA or other regulatory bodies, maintaining
all of the project communication in one place is imperative. Project teams might
as well get serious about providing a solution to this issue.
In conclusion, solutions to these common issues are a combination of people,
processes and tools. There is no 'magic button.' Good processes should be
implemented that are customized for the business. If outside consultants need to
be hired to help define these processes, then they should be brought on board.
Software solutions that support these processes need to be utilized or invested
in. Once invested in, the solutions need to be supported by top management.

b) Good listening skills will give an edge in life and at work. Please give
FIVE suggestions how to improve listening skill and please relate with your
daily work.
For truly effective communication, business people must hone their listening
skills to ensure they fully understand the whole message - not just the content,
but the motivation behind whats being said, the circumstances around which
theyre conversing, even what gets left out of the conversation. Colleagues must
listen with ears and eyes, picking up on voice tone and physical cues to take in
the whole message.
Quite literally, you cant listen if you cant receive audible input. To make it
easy to hear, find a place with no interruptions or background noise space
that may be difficult to find on an assembly line or sales floor. Reduce
background noise, phone calls, pinging email notices or any other stimuli that
might tempt you to multi-task. Stop work, look at the colleague and focus on
what he is saying.
With physical distractions minimized, concentrate on the speaker, filtering
out extraneous ideas. Wait until the co-worker has finished a thought, allowing
for pauses between sentences. Even if you agree with what she says,
interrupting the thought can distract her or make her feel too uncomfortable to
flesh out the thought further. Important facts or ideas go off-course this way,
sometimes permanently.
Once you take in the message, follow up to ensure comprehension. Ask
questions to clarify parts you feel unsure about, preferably by repeating the
particular point that is an issue and asking your colleague to elaborate or even
rephrase until you gain clarity.

Throughout the conversation, but particularly toward the end, provide

feedback. Maintain eye contact, with the body squarely facing the speaker, and
nod or give encouragement with yes or I see. Then recap or paraphrase key
points, summarizing in your own words what you heard and giving the speaker
time to confirm or correct these summaries.
The most important way to make the speaker feel confident that he has been
heard is to remember the conversation. During the conversation, write down
points or phrases to jog your memory later. These notes can include nonverbal
cues, like seemed very agitated or was enthusiastic to help recall the
intensity or tone of the message. Look for specifics to act on, then get back to
your co-worker and show how these actions made a difference. This reinforces
confidence and trust that you really do listen, and encourages colleagues to
speak up more often.
FIVE other suggestions on how to improve listening skills:

1. Pay Attention:
Give the speaker your undivided attention, and acknowledge the message.
Recognize that non-verbal communication also "speaks" loudly.
Look at the speaker directly.
Put aside distracting thoughts.
Don't mentally prepare a rebuttal!
Avoid being distracted by environmental factors. For example, side
conversations.
"Listen" to the speaker's body language.

2. Show That You Are Listening:

Use your own body language and gestures to convey your attention.
Nod occasionally.
Smile and use other facial expressions.
Note your posture and make sure it is open and inviting.
Encourage the speaker to continue with small verbal comments like yes,
and uh huh.

3. Provide Feedback:
Our personal filters, assumptions, judgments, and beliefs can distort what
we hear.
As a listener, your role is to understand what is being said. This may
require you to reflect what is being said and ask questions.
Reflect what has been said by paraphrasing. "What I'm hearing is," and
"Sounds like you are saying," are great ways to reflect back.
Ask questions to clarify certain points. "What do you mean when you
say." "Is this what you mean?"
Summarize the speaker's comments periodically.

4. Defer Judgment:
Interrupting is a waste of time. It frustrates the speaker and limits full
understanding of the message.
Allow the speaker to finish each point before asking questions.
Don't interrupt with counter arguments.

5. Respond Appropriately:
Active listening is a model for respect and understanding. You are
gaining information and perspective. You add nothing by attacking the
speaker or otherwise putting him or her down.
Be candid, open, and honest in your response.
Assert your opinions respectfully.
Treat the other person in a way that you think he or she would want to be
treated

2. Non-verbal communication is usually the first impression of yourself to

the person you are communicating with. Describe in your own words how
the non-verbal communication will affect your impression to the person
you are communicating with in the following situation: -

i) Customer of your company products

Nonverbal communication plays an important role in the workplace, particularly
when you are dealing with the public. Nonverbal cues tell you whether your
customer are listening to you and are interested in what you have to say.
Nonverbal communication comprises of your overall body language, including
your appearance and posture as a form of communication with others. Rather
than using words, people can communicate using nonverbal gestures, facial
expressions and eye contact. Also, an individuals voice tone may communicate
nonverbal messages to others. In the workplace, people interact with each other
throughout the workday using verbal and nonverbal communication. In essence,
the way individuals deliver nonverbal messages can be just as important as
verbal dialogue.
Examples of nonverbal communication include what you wear, how you
wear your clothes, facial expressions, body gestures, eye contact, voice, posture,
and the distance between you and your audience. Nonverbal cues affect how
people understand what you are attempting to communicate, and their reaction
corresponds to how you delivered your message. If you are expecting a certain
response by the receiver of your message, your nonverbal communication
affects their response.
Depending on occupation, whereby in occupation such as hotel
management you may be required to communicate messages to your customers
on a regular basic and spend a great deal of your workday communicating with

customers. Using nonverbal cues can enhance how people receive your
communication in order to book a room or deny to do so. Nonverbal
communication indicates how a person is feeling in relation to what they are
saying, and it also reflects how customer reacts to the message. Communicating
an important message with excitement and enthusiasm may have a greater
impact on your customer in regards to the importance of the message versus
delivering the message with a monotonous tone and facial expression.
Having a conscious awareness of your nonverbal communication when
you are also communicating verbal messages allows your customers to receive
the message the way you intended to deliver your message. Positive nonverbal
communication helps your customer to build positive business relationships,
whereas negative nonverbal communication can cause conflicts and other
negative disturbances in the workplace. Many people build positive business
relationships by consistently delivering positive nonverbal communication to
their customers.
With clients, the key to good nonverbal communication is observing what
the client needs and wants, Jones says. Also, it is important to remember that in
the U.S. politeness and friendliness are key behaviour in a business interaction.
It is the business persons job to pick up on nonverbal cues and facial
expressions, or note when a client is increasing physical distance or using
blocking gestures, she adds. Clients are satisfied when you can perceive what
they want by their unsaid communication, such as posture, tone of voice, voice
speed or body position

ii) The new prospective supervisor in your company

Nonverbal communication, or the expression of messages through facial
expressions, gestures and body languages, is essential to successful
relationships in the workplace. Examples of this type of communication include
eye contact, posture and voice speed. Employees and managers should be aware
of how they communicate in these nonverbal ways in the workplace.
About 65 to 75 percent of all communication is nonverbal in nature,
says Susanne Jones, associate professor of communication studies at the
University of Minnesota. Nonverbal cues give us information to make sense of
how we feel and think about others, she adds. "A new prospective supervisor
use nonverbal cues to arrive at judgments about how they relate to co-workers
or to interpret employee performance, she says. An employee should learn
about nonverbal communication and its potential benefits. This is because
nonverbal communication can increase the opportunity to interact with new
prospective supervisor in your company through explicit word choice. Posture,
vocal tone and eye contact of yours towards the new prospective supervisor can
deliver subtle messages that reinforce whats being said to convey consistency
and trustworthiness.
For example, a new prospective supervisor may conclude that you does
not like him because you doesn't make eye contact or keeps a physical distance
with him. But you could be shy or introverted and may have been interpreted
incorrectly. Jones says it is important to remember that it takes two people to
communicate: one to express and the other to perceive.
Practice beneficial nonverbal communication through effective eye
contact while giving a briefing or greeting your new prospective supervisor by
alternating various approaches. Make eye contact with new supervisor or make
four- to five-second eye contact with him. Always maintain eye contact and be

an active listener. Do not look at the birds and trees or fiddle with objects when
your new prospective supervisor speaks. Giving an impression that you are not
listening tends to annoy him/her and will not be favourable for you. Also,
maintaining eye contact forms a positive connection and tends to reduce the
tension. This psyche creates the required harmony during your conversations.
Nod lightly when listening as this puts the new prospective supervisor
speaking at ease and leads him to think that you appreciate his comments.
People like it when you give them a little appreciation for their efforts. If you
put up a stoic attitude when being addressed to, it naturally puts the new
supervisor off guard and even annoys him at times.
Synchronize yourself with the new supervisor. Read his habits and follow
his/her facial cue and impressions. This would enable you to know if the new
supervisor is or isnt agreeing to your comment. Then make impromptu
modifications in your speech as the occasion demands.
Never keep your hands folded or crossed. This signals that you are
defensive and even portrays a threatening and negative attitude. Be open
towards the new supervisor and show that you are responsive by keeping your
hands apart.
Finally, avoid drooping and looking downcast. Be forward, confident and
direct when you speak. In fact, always sit up straight during important
conversations. This keeps you focused and gives a positive impression to the
new supervisor towards you. If you are standing, stand up straight and keep
your shoulders back.