Effective Communication Strategies

Men and Women @ Work

Helping Managers Create and Sustain Superior Performance
Effective communication with various stakeholders within and outside an organiza
tion is a key factor for success
in the present global scenario. With the increasing workforce of women in variou
s organizations, communication
in mixed-and same-gender teams is undergoing a major change and many corporates
feel the need to review and
restructure the existing formal and informal oral communication patterns.
The major challenge before us is to look for appropriate responses to the follow
ing questions: Are there any
differences in the communication patterns between men and women in organizations
? Or is it a myth that needs
to be broken? How can the differences, if any, be resolved? What will lead to a
better workplace culture? While
all these questions do stimulate the thinking process and lead to a healthy disc
ussion, there are no straight
answers or clear-cut solutions. Managers, in search of answers to these question
s, have joined us in the past to
experience, create and develop communication strategies that can be suitably app
lied in differing/same gender
groups.
Effective communication with various stakeholders within and outside an organiza
tion is a key factor for success
in the present global scenario. With the increasing workforce of women in variou
s organizations, communication
in mixed-and same-gender teams is undergoing a major change and many corporates
feel the need to review and
restructure the existing formal and informal oral communication patterns.
The major challenge before us is to look for appropriate responses to the follow
ing questions: Are there any
differences in the communication patterns between men and women in organizations
? Or is it a myth that needs
to be broken? How can the differences, if any, be resolved? What will lead to a
better workplace culture? While
all these questions do stimulate the thinking process and lead to a healthy disc
ussion, there are no straight
answers or clear-cut solutions. Managers, in search of answers to these question
s, have joined us in the past to
experience, create and develop communication strategies that can be suitably app
lied in differing/same gender
groups.
Gain knowledge of interaction patterns
Refine and hone communication skills
Develop a new attitude
Objectives
Sensitize participants to gender differences and their
impact on workplace productivity
Help participants break stereotypes and prejudices
about co-workers of the same and opposite gender
Increase appreciation of the different strengths men and
women bring to the workplace as members of a team
Increase managers skills in communicating, asserting
and presenting

Improve overall communication competence

Content
Communication styles across genders
Listening to and feedback
Vertical and horizontal influence
Assertiveness
Presentation skills
------------Strategies for Effective Communication : Strategies for Effective Communication
Maintain eye contact which is direct but friendly Use a tone of voice which is n
eutral, devoid of judgment, cajoling, or criticism Listen for values, beliefs, a
nd perspectives Mirror Position your body to convey attentiveness but not threat
Choose words carefully bland is better than spicy when establishing trust I is ofte
n more effective than you Use silence effectively Use phrases to learn more (attache
d)
To open the conversation : To open the conversation Tell me more Can you say some
more on that please? Here s what I think you are saying is that accurate? May I rea
d my notes to you to see if I am understanding what you are saying?
To learn more about a problem : To learn more about a problem What does it look
like when What does it sound like when.. What are the students doing when What hav
e you tried to
To explore solutions : To explore solutions What will your classroom be like if
you do that? How will your students be different if you meet this goal? What wil
l it look like in practice? Sounds like? Does this goal seem consistent with you
r beliefs about students/literacy/learning?
To plan for action : To plan for action What is the first thing you want to do t
o meet this goal? What will you do next? When would you like to start? Can you i
magine a point where you will consider the plan to be fully implemented? When wo
uld that be? Is there anyone else you want to turn to for help in meeting this g
oal? What materials do you need? What will it look like/sound like if the plan i
s successfully implemented? What information and criteria will be used to decide
success?
To forward the action : To forward the action How s it going? What s getting in the
way? What have you tried so far? What else could you do? How can I help?
-------Effective Communication Skills: Effective Communication Skills www.humanikacons
ulting.com
Objectives: Objectives Define and understand communication and the communication
process List and overcome the filters/barriers in a communication process Pract
ice active listening Tips to improve verbal and non verbal communication
What are the most common ways we communicate?: What are the most common ways we
communicate? Spoken Word Written Word Visual Images Body Language
What is Communication?: What is Communication? Communication is the transmission
of an idea or feeling so that the sender and receiver share the same understand
ing. Communication is not a mysterious process. It takes place when the ideas fr
om your mind are transferred to another s and arrive intact, complete, and coheren
t.

The Communication Process: The Communication Process SENDER (encodes) RECEIVER (

decodes) Barrier Barrier Medium Feedback/Response
Types of Communication (One-way): Types of Communication ( One-way )
Types of Communication (Two-way): Types of Communication (Two -way )
Types of Communication (One to Many): Types of Communication (One to Many)
Components of Communication: Components of Communication Vocal communication Ver
bal Communication Non-verbal communication
Features of Effective Communication: Features of Effective Communication Active
Listening Eye contact Posture Simple language Questioning skills
Benefits of effective communication: Benefits of effective communication Quicker
problem solving Better decision making Steady work flow Strong business relatio
ns Better professional image
Barriers to communication: Barriers to communication Distractions Use of jargon
Poor listening skills Cultural differences Language differences Emotions Assumpt
ions/Misconceptions Inappropriate medium Noise
Hearing Vs Listening: Hearing Vs Listening Hearing
Physical process, natural, pa
ssive Listening
Physical as well as mental process, active, learned process, a s
kill Listening is hard. You must choose to participate in the process of listeni
ng.
PowerPoint Presentation: Hearing Choosing Understanding Responding The reception
of sound. The act of choosing to focus attention on the message. Deciding what
the message means to you. Your reaction to the message. It can be emotional and
intellectual. Steps in the listening process Definition of listening: It is a ph
ysical and psychological process that involves choosing to listen, understanding
, and responding to symbolic messages from others. Your knowledge, attitudes, va
lues, beliefs and self-concept influences your perception. You first respond emo
tionally, then intellectually. Then you decide how to respond. Your own needs, i
nterests, attitudes, and knowledge affects your choice to pay attention. Not eve
ryone hears the same way. Men actually prefer certain frequencies.
PowerPoint Presentation: placating filtering derailing comparing mind reading re
hearsing dreaming sparring identifying judging being right BLOCKS TO LISTENING
PowerPoint Presentation: Comparing constantly comparing yourself to the other pe
rson, checking to see if you measure up in terms of intelligence, wit, emotional
stability, competence, or even level of suffering or children's achievements. M
ind Reading what you think someone "really means" (based primarily on your own f
eelings, assumptions, or hunches) than to what he or she is actually saying. Reh
earsing plan ning your response to what someone is saying to you while the other
person is still speaking. Filtering tun ing out certain topics or you may hear
only certain things and tune everything else out , a ny possible hint of unhappi
ness, no matter what he actually sa ys .
PowerPoint Presentation: Judging if you decide ahead of time that the other pers
on is not worth hearing (because he or she is "stupid," " crazy,"'"hypocritical
," or " immature"), and that you will therefore listen only in order to confirm
your opinion. Dreaming you pay only a fraction of your attention to the person t
alking; inside, your thoughts are wandering elsewhere. identifying whatever you
hear from the other person triggers memories of your own similar experiences, an
d you can't wait to. jump into your own story. Advising Jumping in with advice w
hen the other person has barely stopped talking (or before)

PowerPoint Presentation: Sparring If you listen only long enough to find somethi
ng to disagree with, and then assert your position- regardless of what the other p
erson says. Being Right If you want to prove that you're right or to avoid the s
uggestion that you're wrong including lying, shouting, twisting the facts, changi
ng the subject, making excuses, and accusing Derailing chang ing the subject or
make a joke whenever you become bored or uncomfortable with the conversation. Pl
acating being so concerned with being nice, agreeable, or liked that without rea
lly listening you agree with everything being said.
Active Listening: Active Listening The process of recognizing, understanding, an
d accurately interpreting communicated messages and responding to spoken and/or
nonverbal messages.
Tips to become a better listener: Tips to become a better listener Don t talk
list
en. Don t jump to conclusions. Listen between the lines. Ask questions/paraphrase.
Don t get distracted by the environment. Keep an open mind. Be willing to listen
to someone else s point of view and ideas. Provide feedback. Take advantage of you
r brain power.
Improving Verbal Communication-Tips: Improving Verbal Communication-Tips Elimin
ate Noise Get Feedback
Verbal & Body Signals Speak Slowly & Rephrase your senten
ce Don t Talk down to the other person Listen Carefully & Patiently
Improving Body Language - Tips: Improving Body Language - Tips Keep appropriate
distance Touch only when appropriate Take care of your appearance Be aware - peo
ple may give false cues Maintain eye contact Smile genuinely
in the new global and diverse workplace requires excellent communication skills!
: in the new global and diverse workplace requires excellent communication skills
!