Importance of Communication in an Organization

Effective Communication is very important for managers in the organizations to perform the basic functions of management, i.e., Planning, Organizing, Leading and Controlling. Communication helps managers to perform their jobs and responsibilities. Communication serves as a foundation for planning. All the essential information must be communicated to the managers who in-turn must communicate the plans so as to implement them. Organizing also requires effective communication with others about their job task. Similarly leaders as managers must communicate effectively with their subordinates so as to achieve the team goals. Controlling is not possible without written and oral communication. Managers spend a great part of their time in communication. They generally devote approximately 6 hours per day in communicating. They spend great time on face to face or telephonic communication with their superiors, subordinates, colleagues, customers or suppliers. Managers also use Written Communication in form of letters, reports or memos wherever oral communication is not feasible. Thus, we can say that effective communication is a building block of successful organizations. In other words, communication acts as organizational blood. The importance of communication in an organization can be summarized as follows: 1. Communication promotes motivation by informing and clarifying the employees about the task to be done, the manner they are performing the task, and how to improve their performance if it is not up to the mark. 2. Communication is a source of information to the organizational members for decisionmaking process as it helps identifying and assessing alternative course of actions. 3. Communication also plays a crucial role in altering individuals attitudes, i.e., a well informed individual will have better attitude than a less-informed individual. Organizational magazines, journals, meetings and various other forms of oral and written communication help in molding employees attitudes. 4. Communication also helps in socializing. In todays life the only presence of another individual fosters communication. It is also said that one cannot survive without communication. 5. As discussed earlier, communication also assists in controlling process. It helps controlling organizational members behavior in various ways. There are various levels of hierarchy and certain principles and guidelines that employees must follow in an organization. They must comply with organizational policies, perform their job role efficiently and communicate any work problem and grievance to their superiors. Thus, communication helps in controlling function of management. An effective and efficient communication system requires managerial proficiency in delivering and receiving messages. A manager must discover various barriers to communication, analyze the reasons for their occurrence and take preventive steps to avoid those barriers. Thus, the primary responsibility of a manager is to develop and maintain an effective communication system in the organization.

Components of Communication Process

Communication is a process of exchanging verbal and non verbal messages. It is a continuous process. Pre-requisite of communication is a message. This message must be conveyed through some medium to the recipient. It is essential that this message must be understood by the recipient in same terms as intended by the sender. He must respond within a time frame. Thus, communication is a two way process and is incomplete without a feedback from the recipient to the sender on how well the message is understood by him.

Communication Process The main components of communication process are as follows: 1. Context - Communication is affected by the context in which it takes place. This context may be physical, social, chronological or cultural. Every communication proceeds with context. The sender chooses the message to communicate within a context. 2. Sender / Encoder - Sender / Encoder is a person who sends the message. A sender makes use of symbols (words or graphic or visual aids) to convey the message and produce the required response. For instance - a training manager conducting training for new batch of employees. Sender may be an individual or a group or an organization. The views, background, approach, skills, competencies, and knowledge of the sender have a great impact on the message. The verbal and non verbal symbols chosen are essential in ascertaining interpretation of the message by the recipient in the same terms as intended by the sender. 3. Message - Message is a key idea that the sender wants to communicate. It is a sign that elicits the response of recipient. Communication process begins with deciding about the message to be conveyed. It must be ensured that the main objective of the message is clear. 4. Medium - Medium is a means used to exchange / transmit the message. The sender must choose an appropriate medium for transmitting the message else the message might not be conveyed to the desired recipients. The choice of appropriate medium of communication is essential for making the message effective and correctly interpreted by the recipient. This choice of communication medium varies depending upon the features of communication. For instance - Written medium is chosen when a message has to be conveyed to a small group of people, while an oral medium is chosen when spontaneous feedback is required from the recipient as misunderstandings are cleared then and there.

5. Recipient / Decoder - Recipient / Decoder is a person for whom the message is intended / aimed / targeted. The degree to which the decoder understands the message is dependent upon various factors such as knowledge of recipient, their responsiveness to the message, and the reliance of encoder on decoder. 6. Feedback - Feedback is the main component of communication process as it permits the sender to analyze the efficacy of the message. It helps the sender in confirming the correct interpretation of message by the decoder. Feedback may be verbal (through words) or nonverbal (in form of smiles, sighs, etc.). It may take written form also in form of memos, reports, etc.

Seven Cs of Effective Communication

There are 7 Cs of effective communication which are applicable to both written as well as oral communication. These are as follows: 1. Completeness - The communication must be complete. It should convey all facts required by the audience. The sender of the message must take into consideration the receivers mind set and convey the message accordingly. A complete communication has following features: Complete communication develops and enhances reputation of an organization. Moreover, they are cost saving as no crucial information is missing and no additional cost is incurred in conveying extra message if the communication is complete. A complete communication always gives additional information wherever required. It leaves no questions in the mind of receiver. Complete communication helps in better decision-making by the audience/ readers/ receivers of message as they get all desired and crucial information. It persuades the audience. 2. Conciseness - Conciseness means wordiness, i.e, communicating what you want to convey in least possible words without forgoing the other Cs of communication. Conciseness is a necessity for effective communication. Concise communication has following features: It is both time-saving as well as cost-saving. It underlines and highlights the main message as it avoids using excessive and needless words. Concise communication provides short and essential message in limited words to the audience. Concise message is more appealing and comprehensible to the audience. Concise message is non-repetitive in nature. 3. Consideration - Consideration implies stepping into the shoes of others. Effective communication must take the audience into consideration, i.e, the audiences view points, background, mind-set, education level, etc. Make an attempt to envisage your audience, their requirements, emotions as well as problems. Ensure that the self-respect of the audience is maintained and their emotions are not at harm. Modify your words in message to suit the audiences needs while making your message complete. Features of considerate communication are as follows: Emphasize on you approach. Empathize with the audience and exhibit interest in the audience. This will stimulate a positive reaction from the audience. Show optimism towards your audience. Emphasize on what is possible rather than what is impossible. Lay stress on positive words such as jovial, committed, thanks, warm, healthy, help, etc.

4. Clarity - Clarity implies emphasizing on a specific message or goal at a time, rather than trying to achieve too much at once. Clarity in communication has following features: It makes understanding easier. Complete clarity of thoughts and ideas enhances the meaning of message. Clear message makes use of exact, appropriate and concrete words. 5. Concreteness - Concrete communication implies being particular and clear rather than fuzzy and general. Concreteness strengthens the confidence. Concrete message has following features: It is supported with specific facts and figures. It makes use of words that are clear and that build the reputation. Concrete messages are not misinterpreted. 6. Courtesy - Courtesy in message implies the message should show the senders expression as well as should respect the receiver. The sender of the message should be sincerely polite, judicious, reflective and enthusiastic. Courteous message has following features: Courtesy implies taking into consideration both viewpoints as well as feelings of the receiver of the message. Courteous message is positive and focused at the audience. It makes use of terms showing respect for the receiver of message. It is not at all biased. 7. Correctness - Correctness in communication implies that there are no grammatical errors in communication. Correct communication has following features: The message is exact, correct and well-timed. If the communication is correct, it boosts up the confidence level. Correct message has greater impact on the audience/ readers. It checks for the precision and accurateness of facts and figures used in the message. It makes use of appropriate and correct language in the message.

Awareness of these 7 Cs of communication makes you an effective communicator.

Communication Flows in an Organization

In an organization, communication flows in 5 main directions1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Downward Upward Lateral Diagonal External

1. Downward Flow of Communication: Communication that flows from a higher level in an organization to a lower level is a downward communication. In other words, communication from superiors to subordinates in a chain of command is a downward communication. This communication flow is used by the managers to transmit work-related information to the employees at lower levels. Employees require this information for performing their jobs and for meeting the expectations of their managers. Downward communication is used by the managers for the following purposes -

Providing feedback on employees performance Giving job instructions Providing a complete understanding of the employees job as well as to communicate them how their job is related to other jobs in the organization. Communicating the organizations mission and vision to the employees. Highlighting the areas of attention.

Organizational publications, circulars, letter to employees, group meetings etc are all examples of downward communication. In order to have effective and error-free downward communication, managers must:

Specify communication objective Ensure that the message is accurate, specific and unambiguous.

Utilize the best communication technique to convey the message to the receiver in right form 2. Upward Flow of Communication: Communication that flows to a higher level in an organization is called upward communication. It provides feedback on how well the organization is functioning. The subordinates use upward communication to convey their problems and performances to their superiors. The subordinates also use upward communication to tell how well they have understood the downward communication. It can also be used by the employees to share their views and ideas and to participate in the decision-making process. Upward communication leads to a more committed and loyal workforce in an organization because the employees are given a chance to raise and speak dissatisfaction issues to the higher levels. The managers get to know about the employees feelings towards their jobs, peers, supervisor and organization in general. Managers can thus accordingly take actions for improving things. Grievance Redressal System, Complaint and Suggestion Box, Job Satisfaction surveys etc all help in improving upward communication. Other examples of Upward Communication are -performance reports made by low level management for reviewing by higher level management, employee attitude surveys, letters from employees, employee-manager discussions etc. 3. Lateral / Horizontal Communication: Communication that takes place at same levels of hierarchy in an organization is called lateral communication, i.e., communication between peers, between managers at same levels or between any horizontally equivalent organizational member. The advantages of horizontal communication are as follows: It is time saving. It facilitates co-ordination of the task. It facilitates co-operation among team members. It provides emotional and social assistance to the organizational members. It helps in solving various organizational problems. It is a means of information sharing

 It can also be used for resolving conflicts of a department with other department or conflicts within a department. 4. Diagonal Communication: Communication that takes place between a manager and employees of other workgroups is called diagonal communication. It generally does not appear on organizational chart. For instance - To design a training module a training manager interacts with an Operations personnel to enquire about the way they perform their task. 5. External Communication: Communication that takes place between a manager and external groups such as - suppliers, vendors, banks, financial institutes etc. For instance - To raise capital the Managing director would interact with the Bank Manager.

Grapevine Communication (Informal Business Communication)

Grapevine is an informal channel of business communication. It is called so because it stretches throughout the organization in all directions irrespective of the authority levels. Man as we know is a social animal. Despite existence of formal channels in an organization, the informal channels tend to develop when he interacts with other people in organization. It exists more at lower levels of organization. Grapevine generally develops due to various reasons. One of them is that when an organization is facing recession, the employees sense uncertainty. Also, at times employees do not have selfconfidence due to which they form unions. Sometimes the managers show preferential treatment and favour some employees giving a segregated feeling to other employees. Thus, when employees sense a need to exchange their views, they go for grapevine network as they cannot use the formal channel of communication in that case. Generally during breaks in cafeteria,the subordinates talk about their superiors attitude and behaviour and exchange views with their peers. They discuss rumours about promotion and transfer of other employees. Thus, grapevine spreads like fire and it is not easy to trace the cause of such communication at times.

Examples of Grapevine Network of Communication

1. Suppose the profit amount of a company is known. Rumour is spread that this much profit is there and on that basis bonus is declared. 2. CEO may be in relation to the Production Manager. They may have friendly relations with each other.

Pros and Cons of Grapevine Communication

Advantages of Grapevine Communication
1. Grapevine channels carry information rapidly. As soon as an employee gets to know some confidential information, he becomes inquisitive and passes the details then to his closest friend who in turn passes it to other. Thus, it spreads hastily. 2. The managers get to know the reactions of their subordinates on their policies. Thus, the feedback obtained is quick compared to formal channel of communication. 3. The grapevine creates a sense of unity among the employees who share and discuss their views with each other. Thus, grapevine helps in developing group cohesiveness. 4. The grapevine serves as an emotional supportive value. 5. The grapevine is a supplement in those cases where formal communication does not work.

Disadvantages of Grapevine Communication

1. The grapevine carries partial information at times as it is more based on rumours. Thus, it does not clearly depicts the complete state of affairs. 2. The grapevine is not trustworthy always as it does not follows official path of communication and is spread more by gossips and unconfirmed report. 3. The productivity of employees may be hampered as they spend more time talking rather than working. 4. The grapevine leads to making hostility against the executives. 5. The grapevine may hamper the goodwill of the organization as it may carry false negative information about the high level people of the organization. A smart manager should take care of all the disadvantages of the grapevine and try to minimize them. At the same time, he should make best possible use of advantages of grapevine.

Communication Barriers - Reasons for Communication Breakdown

Communication is a process beginning with a sender who encodes the message and passes it through some channel to the receiver who decodes the message. Communication is fruitful if and only if the messages sent by the sender is interpreted with same meaning by the receiver. If any kind of disturbance blocks any step of communication, the message will be destroyed. Due to such disturbances, managers in an organization face severe problems. Thus the managers must locate such barriers and take steps to get rid of them. There are several barriers that affects the flow of communication in an organization. These barriers interrupt the flow of communication from the sender to the reciever, thus making communication ineffective. It is essential for managers to overcome these barriers. The main barriers of communication are summarized below.

Following are the main communication barriers:

1. Perceptual and Language Differences: Perception is generally how each individual interprets the world around him. All generally want to receive messages which are significant to them. But any message which is against their values is not accepted. A same event may be taken differently by different individuals. For example : A person is on leave for a month due to personal reasons (family member being critical). The HR Manager might be in confusion whether to retain that employee or not, the immediate manager might think of replacement because his teams productivity is being hampered, the family members might take him as an emotional support. The linguistic differences also lead to communication breakdown. Same word may mean different to different individuals. For example: consider a word value. a. What is the value of this Laptop? b. I value our relation? c. What is the value of learning technical skills? Value means different in different sentences. Communication breakdown occurs if there is wrong perception by the receiver.

 Information Overload: Managers are surrounded with a pool of information. It is essential to control this information flow else the information is likely to be misinterpreted or forgotten or overlooked. As a result communication is less effective. Inattention: At times we just not listen, but only hear. For example a traveler may pay attention to one NO PARKING sign, but if such sign is put all over the city, he no longer listens to it. Thus, repetitive messages should be ignored for effective communication. Similarly if a superior is engrossed in his paper work and his subordinate explains him his problem, the superior may not get what he is saying and it leads to disappointment of subordinate. Time Pressures: Often in organization the targets have to be achieved within a specified time period, the failure of which has adverse consequences. In a haste to meet deadlines, the formal channels of communication are shortened, or messages are partially given, i.e., not completely transferred. Thus sufficient time should be given for effective communication. Distraction/Noise: Communication is also affected a lot by noise to distractions. Physical distractions are also there such as, poor lightning, uncomfortable sitting, unhygienic room also affects communication in a meeting. Similarly use of loud speakers interferes with communication. Emotions: Emotional state at a particular point of time also affects communication. If the receiver feels that communicator is angry he interprets that the information being sent is very bad. While he takes it differently if the communicator is happy and jovial (in that case the message is interpreted to be good and interesting). Complexity in Organizational Structure: Greater the hierarchy in an organization (i.e. more the number of managerial levels), more is the chances of communication getting destroyed. Only the people at the top level can see the overall picture while the people at low level just have knowledge about their own area and a little knowledge about other areas. Poor retention: Human memory cannot function beyond a limit. One cant always retain what is being told specially if he is not interested or not attentive. This leads to communication breakdown.

Overcoming Communication Barriers

There are a lot of communication barriers faced these days by all. The message intended by the sender is not understood by the receiver in the same terms and sense and thus communication breakdown occurs. It is essential to deal and cope up with these communication barriers so as to ensure smooth and effective communication. As, in the previous section we have discussed the major barriers of communication. Lets talk about how to overcome these barriers of communication. Eliminating differences in perception: The organization should ensure that it is recruiting right individuals on the job. Its the responsibility of the interviewer to ensure that the interviewee has command over the written and spoken language. There should be proper Induction program so that the policies of the company are clear to all the employees. There should be proper trainings conducted for required employees (for eg: Voice and Accent training). Use of Simple Language: Use of simple and clear words should be emphasized. Use of ambiguous words and jargons should be avoided. Reduction and elimination of noise levels: Noise is the main communication barrier which must be overcome on priority basis. It is essential to identify the source of noise and then eliminate that source. Active Listening: Listen attentively and carefully. There is a difference between listening and hearing. Active listening means hearing with proper understanding of the message that is heard.

By asking questions the speaker can ensure whether his/her message is understood or not by the receiver in the same terms as intended by the speaker. Emotional State: During communication one should make effective use of body language. He/she should not show their emotions while communication as the receiver might misinterpret the message being delivered. For example, if the conveyer of the message is in a bad mood then the receiver might think that the information being delivered is not good. Simple Organizational Structure: The organizational structure should not be complex. The number of hierarchical levels should be optimum. There should be a ideal span of control within the organization. Simpler the organizational structure, more effective will be the communication. Avoid Information Overload: The managers should know how to prioritize their work. They should not overload themselves with the work. They should spend quality time with their subordinates and should listen to their problems and feedbacks actively. Give Constructive Feedback: Avoid giving negative feedback. The contents of the feedback might be negative, but it should be delivered constructively. Constructive feedback will lead to effective communication between the superior and subordinate. Proper Media Selection: The managers should properly select the medium of communication. Simple messages should be conveyed orally, like: face to face interaction or meetings. Use of written means of communication should be encouraged for delivering complex messages. For significant messages reminders can be given by using written means of communication such as : Memos, Notices etc. Flexibility in meeting the targets: For effective communication in an organization the managers should ensure that the individuals are meeting their targets timely without skipping the formal channels of communication. There should not be much pressure on employees to meet their targets.

Oral Communication - Meaning, Advantages and Limitations

Oral communication implies communication through mouth. It includes individuals conversing with each other, be it direct conversation or telephonic conversation. Speeches, presentations, discussions are all forms of oral communication. Oral communication is generally recommended when the communication matter is of temporary kind or where a direct interaction is required. Face to face communication (meetings, lectures, conferences, interviews, etc.) is significant so as to build a rapport and trust.

Advantages of Oral Communication

There is high level of understanding and transparency in oral communication as it is interpersonal. There is no element of rigidity in oral communication. There is flexibility for allowing changes in the decisions previously taken. The feedback is spontaneous in case of oral communication. Thus, decisions can be made quickly without any delay. Oral communication is not only time saving, but it also saves upon money and efforts. Oral communication is best in case of problem resolution. The conflicts, disputes and many issues/differences can be put to an end by talking them over. Oral communication is an essential for teamwork and group energy. Oral communication promotes a receptive and encouraging morale among

organizational employees.

Oral communication can be best used to transfer private and confidential information/matter.

Disadvantages/Limitations of Oral Communication

Relying only on oral communication may not be sufficient as business communication is formal and very organized. Oral communication is less authentic than written communication as they are informal and not as organized as written communication. Oral communication is time-saving as far as daily interactions are concerned, but in case of meetings, long speeches consume lot of time and are unproductive at times. Oral communications are not easy to maintain and thus they are unsteady. There may be misunderstandings as the information is not complete and may lack essentials. It requires attentiveness and great receptivity on part of the receivers/audience. Oral communication (such as speeches) is not frequently used as legal records except in investigation work.

Written Communication - Meaning, Advantages and Disadvantages

Written communication has great significance in todays business world. It is an innovative activity of the mind. Effective written communication is essential for preparing worthy promotional materials for business development. Speech came before writing. But writing is more unique and formal than speech. Effective writing involves careful choice of words, their organization in correct order in sentences formation as well as cohesive composition of sentences. Also, writing is more valid and reliable than speech. But while speech is spontaneous, writing causes delay and takes time as feedback is not immediate.

Advantages of Written Communication

Written communication helps in laying down apparent principles, policies and rules for running of an organization. It is a permanent means of communication. Thus, it is useful where record maintenance is required. It assists in proper delegation of responsibilities. While in case of oral communication, it is impossible to fix and delegate responsibilities on the grounds of speech as it can be taken back by the speaker or he may refuse to acknowledge. Written communication is more precise and explicit. Effective written communication develops and enhances an organizations image. It provides ready records and references. Legal defenses can depend upon written communication as it provides valid records.

Disadvantages of Written Communication

Written communication does not save upon the costs. It costs huge in terms of stationery and the manpower employed in writing/typing and delivering letters. Also, if the receivers of the written message are separated by distance and if they need to clear their doubts, the response is not spontaneous.

 Written communication is time-consuming as the feedback is not immediate. The encoding and sending of message takes time. Effective written communication requires great skills and competencies in language and vocabulary use. Poor writing skills and quality have a negative impact on organizations reputation. Too much paper work and e-mails burden is involved.

Effective Report Writing

What is Report Writing ? A report can be defined as a testimonial or account of some happening. It is purely based on observation and analysis. A report gives an explanation of any circumstance. In todays corporate world, reports play a crucial role. They are a strong base for planning and control in an organization, i.e., reports give information which can be utilized by the management team in an organization for making plans and for solving complex issues in the organization. A report discusses a particular problem in detail. It brings significant and reliable information to the limelight of top management in an organization. Hence, on the basis of such information, the management can make strong decisions. Reports are required for judging the performances of various departments in an organization. An effective report can be written going through the following steps1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Determine the objective of the report, i.e., identify the problem. Collect the required material (facts) for the report. Study and examine the facts gathered. Plan the facts for the report. Prepare an outline for the report, i.e., draft the report. Edit the drafted report. Distribute the draft report to the advisory team and ask for feedback and recommendations.

The essentials of good/effective report writing are as follows1. Know your objective, i.e., be focused. 2. Analyze the niche audience, i.e., make an analysis of the target audience, the purpose for which audience requires the report, kind of data audience is looking for in the report, the implications of report reading, etc. 3. Decide the length of report. 4. Disclose correct and true information in a report. 5. Discuss all sides of the problem reasonably and impartially. Include all relevant facts in a report. 6. Concentrate on the report structure and matter. Pre-decide the report writing style. Use vivid structure of sentences. 7. The report should be neatly presented and should be carefully documented. 8. Highlight and recap the main message in a report. 9. Encourage feedback on the report from the critics. The feedback, if negative, might be useful if properly supported with reasons by the critics. The report can be modified based on such feedback. 10. Use graphs, pie-charts, etc to show the numerical data records over years.

11. Decide on the margins on a report. Ideally, the top and the side margins should be the same (minimum 1 inch broad), but the lower/bottom margins can be one and a half times as broad as others. 12. Attempt to generate readers interest by making appropriate paragraphs, giving bold headings for each paragraph, using bullets wherever required, etc.

Overview of listening
Listening is important to each of us because it enables us to:

be more effective in our interpersonal relationships gain important information gather data to make sound decisions respond appropriately to the messages that we hear.

When we listen to others we need to listen for total meaning, that is, both the content and the attitudes or feelings underlying the content. Therefore, even though listening may appear effortless we have the cognitive (mental) ability to process information three to four times faster than people speak - we still require concentration and commitment to the listening process. Listening involves much more than hearing a message. Hearing is merely the physical component of listening: it is a relaxed, passive and physical occupation that requires little or no effort of mind or will. Thus, it is possible to hear sounds, for example, recorded music, while concentrating on other tasks. Three events take place if hearing is to occur properly.

The receiver isolates the sounds correctly. We place the sounds in a meaningful order so that they may be recognised as words. We recognise words in a pattern that constitutes a language, which then helps to convey the communicator's message to us.

Listening, on the other hand, is a mental and active process and thus it is virtually impossible to do other tasks effectively at the same time. Listening involves the three steps necessary for the hearing process but incorporates two additional steps. They are:

paying attention to the speaker trying to understand what the other person is saying.

SIX STAGES OF LISTENING PROCESS: hearing, attending, understanding,

remembering, evaluating, and responding. these stages occur in sequence, but they generally performed with little awareness an often rapid succession

1. HEARING - it refers to the response caused by sound waves stimulating the sensory receptors of the ear; it is physical response; hearing is perception of sound waves; you must hear to listen, but you need not listen to hear (perception necessary for listening depends on attention 2. ATTENTION- brain screens stimuli and permits only a select few to come into focus- these selective perception is known as attention, an important requirement for effective listening; strong stimuli like bright lights, sudden noiseare attention getters; attention to more commonplace or less striking stimuli requires special effort; postural adjustments are aided by physical changes in sensory receptor organs; receptor adjustments might include tensing of the ears tympanic muscle for better response to weak sounds 3. UNDERSTANDING- to understand symbols we have seen and heard, we must analyze the meaning of the stimuli we have perceived; symbolic stimuli are not only words but also sounds like applause and sights like blue uniformthat have symbolic meanings as well; the meanings attached to these symbols are a function of our past associations and of the context in which the symbols occur; for successful interpersonal communication , the listener must understand the intended meaning and the context assumed by the sender. 4. REMEMBERING- it is important listening process because it means that an individual has not only received and interpreted a message but has also added it to the minds storage bank; but just as our attention is selective, so too is our memory- what is remembered may be quite different from what was originally seen or heard. 5. EVALUATING- it is a stage in which active listeners participate; it is at these point that the active listener weighs evidence, sorts fact from opinion, and determines the presence or absence of bias or prejudice in a message; the effective listener makes sure that he or she doesnt begin this activity too soon ; beginning this stage of the process before a message is completed requires that we no longer hear and attend to the incoming message-as a result, the listening process ceases 6. RESPONDING- this stage requires that the receiver complete the process through verbal and/or nonverbal feedback; because the speaker has no other way to determine if a message has been received , this stage becomes the only overt means by which the sender may determine the degree of success in transmitting the message.

Becoming an effective listener

There are some skills that, with practice, can improve your listening competence. First, we need to be aware of the different approaches to listening discussed above and use them appropriately based on the communication situation. Some more general skills identified in Yoder et al. (1996) are:

Generate an interest in the topic to avoid boredom. Adapt to the other person's appearance and style to avoid distraction. Listen for concepts and major ideas. Don't fake attention or pretend to listen; be genuine. Listen to the entire message before evaluating. Listen to difficult material and be challenged by it.

Competence in listening is determined by how well all people in the communication process understood each other and how well they communicated this understanding. This chapter explored the process of listening and barriers that may inhibit listening. It is also emphasised that listening involves clarifying and understanding the message by taking an active interest in the communication process.

Summary activity Monitor your listening over two days. Note any ineffective behaviours such as interrupting people, switching off or finishing people's sentences. How can you improve these?

The purpose of a meeting

Meetings come in many forms. They may be informal or semi-formal, for example, a group of people brainstorming an issue; or formal, involving general rules of meeting procedure (see Table 12.1 on page 322 of the textbook for examples of formal meetings). Meetings may be held to:

share information: for example, training sessions, brainstorming, report briefings, discussion of workplace issues, or solve problems: for example, decision making, problem analysis, conflict resolution.

Note that 'A committee is a specific type of meeting. It is a group of people with the delegated authority to consider, investigate and report or act on some matter ' (Dwyer 2005, p.322). However, meetings are not always the most appropriate way to communicate with a group of people. According to Lahiff and Penrose (1997) meetings cost organisations in America more than $8 billion a year. For example, if a manager's time is worth $50 per hour (many are worth far more than this) then a two hour meeting of ten managers would cost the company more than $1000 by the time overheads such as paper and equipment are taken into consideration. Therefore, the meeting organiser or chairperson must consider whether there is a more effective channel of communication such as an email discussion or an informative memorandum.

The stages of a meeting

Meetings have three main stages: 1. Preparation 2. Participation 3. Follow up At each of these stages the leader and participants assume particular responsibilities.

Activity 10d
1. Read through the duties of the leader, secretary and members of a meeting on pages 323-335 of the textbook. 2. Complete the following case study. The case may seem trivial and light-hearted: however, the problems are not unlike those experienced in workplaces. The 59th annual general meeting of the Ayers Rock Marbles Club was in session. Old Colonel Twittering was in the chair, as he had been for the last 35 years. He, knew nothing about meeting procedure or running sporting competitions, but he was rich and generous with donations. In his younger days his name and title had also lent some credibility to the movement and this had been good for recruiting new members. Nowadays, his main connection with the sport seemed to be that he had lost his marbles. Club meetings were usually fairly formal, boring events at which minutes were kept while hours were lost. Typically for such bodies the organisation had a meeting but the meeting had no organisation. On this occasion young Joan Fewster was sitting next to the colonel in her capacity as Acting Secretary. Immediately things got off to a poor start. As soon as the apologies had been accepted she rose to her feet and astonished everyone by proposing her first motion. 'As the former Secretary has left the district and as the former minutes cannot be located, I now move that the minutes of the last Annual General Meeting be adopted as they would have been read, had they been found.' Bob Jones attempted to take a point of order at this juncture, but the colonel was a no-nonsense man. His idea of a good Annual Meeting was one which was over in about six minutes. 'You can't take a point of order,' he ruled in a somewhat solemn tone. 'It's not on the agenda.' The correspondence included with the agenda was a nice letter from Bill Smith, the club umpire who was in hospital recovering from a minor operation. He wrote thanking the President for his recent bedside visit. The President reported that Bill had indeed looked very fit. 'He even smiled when I explained that I was there on behalf of the entire committee. I told him that by a vote of seven to five they had resolved to wish him a speedy recovery.' More serious difficulties arose later in the proceedings. The meeting had before it a proposal to build a magnificent new clubhouse and convention centre for about $2 million The trouble was that nobody knew whether this was good value: should the cost really have been $1 million or $3 million? Those present were not willing to show their ignorance and so the motion was passed without debate in about 30 seconds. As luck would have it, the next item on the agenda was a proposal to send a small gift to the recently retired Secretary in recognition of her hard work over the years. The suggestion was that this should be a book, costing about $20, suitably inscribed by the Colonel as President. All hell let loose. By this time everyone was feeling dreadfully guilty about having passed the previous resolution so quickly. People who could not comment meaningfully on the design of a new

major building at least knew what a book was. They could also readily identify with the subject matter of the current motion. So, to demonstrate how responsibly they all took the decision making process, they debated at length as to which book the club should get, how much it should cost and what the inscription should say. After nine minutes of this, an amendment was proposed and carried enthusiastically . It instructed the Acting Secretary to get further background information and it also appointed a sub-committee to research the whole project in much greater detail. Then an excited member burst into the meeting room shouting loudly, `Mr President, I have an important message from the police. A primed bomb has just been found under the clubhouse. I move that it be disposed of immediately.' Pandemonium broke out as members attempted to take points of order. Some people asserted that the motion could not be put because 21 days' notice of it had not been given as required under the rules while others said that it had not been validly proposed because the mover had not been given the call. Others were concerned because the motion had not been seconded properly. Someone tried to move the suspension of standing orders to deal with the matter. Debate continued fiercely for another ten minutes before a higher authority brought the meeting to a sudden close. Questions: 1. Make a list of everything that went wrong in the meeting. 2. Develop a series of suggestions as to how the meeting could have been run more efficiently. Adapted from Elder, B. 1994, Communication Skills , MacMillan, South Melbourne , pp.190-191. It is important to follow up the meeting to ensure the leader and members follow through with the meeting outcomes. A co-ordinated effort by the Chairperson and Recorder (or Secretary) is needed to assemble and distribute copies of the meeting record or minutes. The Chairperson should also follow-up members to ensure implementation of any solutions or actions decided in the meeting. Participants are also responsible for follow-up activities. They may need to plan the implementation of any tasks or actions for which they were made responsible and review the minutes to ensure accuracy and clarify any comments or corrections.

How to Conduct a Meeting ?

Communicating in a meeting is an essential part of effective communication. Some meetings are not conducted in an efficient manner due to which they fail in accomplishing the sole objective of the meeting. It may be because:

They do not involve participation of all, or They may be too long, or They may be unsystematic, or They may lack a clear agenda, or They may not begin on the planned time, or They may end without any conclusion.

As a result, such meetings lead to agitation and sheer wastage of time. In order to ensure effectiveness of a meeting, it must be planned, systematic and rational. The process of running an effective meeting includes the following steps: Plan the meeting: Plan the meeting in advance. With the plan clear in mind, the objective of the meeting can be well accomplished. Planning includes

Outline the objective of the meeting. Decide the attendees/participants of the meeting. Plan an agenda for the meeting, i.e., the topics to be discussed, the sequence in which they will be discussed, in how much detail they will be discussed, the time given to each agenda topic, etc. Plan the starting time of the meeting, plan for the breaks, and also plan the approximate time by which the meeting should end.

Announce/declare the meeting: After planning the meeting and before actually beginning the meeting, the participants should be delivered a message/memorandum to make them aware and ready for the topics to be discussed in the meeting. Give each participant responsibility for the agenda item. Issue the agenda. Conduct the meeting: Be punctual. Try and arrive before time for the meeting. The meeting should begin on time. State the objective of the meeting in the very beginning so that all are clear with the purpose of the meeting. Give a brief introduction of the members/participants so that all are familiar. Circulate notes and handouts. Involve all attendees during the discussion. Encourage new ideas from the participants. Respect their ideas. Ask for a feedback. Make sure that there are no distractions during the meeting (such as ringing cell phones, or participants fiddling with pen, or gossiping, etc.). Give a quick review of the issues discussed in the meeting. Make sure that all the issues are discussed within the time frame. If time does not permit discussion of all issues, ask the participants if they are comfortable in discussing those issues in next meeting. Fix and decide upon the time for the next meeting. Evaluate the meeting: Assess the meeting after it is conducted. Distribute an evaluation form to all participants which provides you a feedback on the effectiveness of the meeting. To get credible and honest feedback, do not give a space for name of the attendee on the form. Ask questions such as whether the objectives of the meetings were well met, did it involve participation of all, which part of the meeting did the attendee found most constructive and which part of meeting was not significant.

Communication skill for effective meetings

Meetings hold the potential for dysfunctional conflict and can be a waste of time if they are not wellprepared and members are not open and clear in their communication. Borowick (1996, p.379) lists ten skills to enhance synergy in a meeting:

Understand the purpose of the meeting. Listen carefully. Be considerate. Do not interrupt. Be supportive. Do not attack others. Improve others' ideas. Do not become defensive. Encourage others. Do not dominate.

In addition, the chairperson and members of the meeting should speak clearly and confidently, be aware of their non-verbal communication (for example, eye contact, kinesics and proxemics. See the section on seating arrangements on pages 343-346 of the textbook) and ensure that they maintain their focus on the purpose of the meeting rather than digressing into irrelevant topics. Electronic meetings raise some different challenges, as discussed in your text on page 345.

Effective Presentation Skills

Presentation can be defined as a formal event characterized by teamwork and use of audio-visual aids. The main purpose of presentation is to give information, to persuade the audience to act and to create goodwill. A good presentation should have a good subject matter, should match with the objective, should best fit the audience, and should be well organized.

Characteristics of a Good/Effective Presentation

1. The presentation ideas should be well adapted to your audience. Relate your presentation message/idea to the interests of the audience. A detailed audience analysis must be made before the presentation, i.e., an analysis of the needs, age, educational background, language, and culture of the target audience. Their body language instantly gives the speaker the required feedback. 2. A good presentation should be concise and should be focused on the topic. It should not move off-track. 3. A good presentation should have the potential to convey the required information. 4. The fear should be transformed into positive energy during the presentation. Be calm and relaxed while giving a presentation. Before beginning, wait and develop an eye contact with the audience. Focus on conveying your message well and use a positive body language. 5. To communicate the desired information, the speaker should use more of visual aids such as transparencies, diagrams, pictures, charts, etc. Each transparency/slide should contain limited and essential information only. No slide should be kept on for a longer time. Try facing the audience, rather than the screen. The speaker should not block the view. Turn on the room lights else the audience might fall asleep and loose interest. Organize all the visuals for making a logical and sound presentation.

6. A good presentation must be planned. The speaker must plan how to begin the presentation, what to speak in the middle of presentation and how to end the presentation without losing audience interests at any point of time. 7. Rehearse and practice the presentation. This will help the speaker to be more confident and self-assured. The more the speaker rehearses the better the presentation turns to be. 8. The speaker should encourage more questions from the audience. He should be honest enough to answer those questions. If any biased question is put forth by the audience, rearticulate it before answering. 9. Summarize the presentation at the end. Give final comments. Leave a positive impact upon the audience. 10. The speaker must have a presentable appearance while giving a presentation. The speaker should stand with feet far apart maintaining a good balance. He must use confident gestures. He must use short and simple words. 11. Try to gain and maintain audience interest by using positive quotes, humour, or remarkable fact. 12. The speaker must be affirmative and optimistic before giving presentation. He should ensure all tools and equipments to be used in presentation are working well. 13. The speaker must state the objectives of the presentation at beginning of the presentation.

Job Interview - Meaning, Tips for Interviewee & Interviewer

An interview means a face to face interaction between the interviewer and the candidate/candidates so as to obtain desired information from him/them. It can also be defined as a way of exchanging meanings between individuals by using a common set of symbols. Interviews generally need a preparation. Job interviews seem frightening, even if the individual is well prepared. Interviews have a definite structure. Clear communication should take place during an interview. All interviews have a definite purpose familiar to the interviewer and the candidate/interviewee.

Tips for the Interviewee

1. The interviewee should be dressed formally, and not casually. Have a pleasing appearance as the candidates personality is a significant part of the communication. 2. Always carry an extra CV, a notepad to write on, a pen, and all essential things required in an interview. 3. Practice, practice and practice in advance. Prepare and rehearse for the unexpected also. 4. Research a lot about the organization for which you are being interviewed. 5. As soon as the interview gets over, pen down the name of the interviewer, your strengths and weaknesses, answers to questions raised by you during the interview and the feedback of the interviewer. 6. Be punctual. Try reaching before time for the job interview. 7. Do not indulge in a fight or argument with the interviewer. 8. Answer the questions specifically, truly and undoubtedly. 9. Be courteous and sophisticated during an interview. 10. Just be yourself. Do not boast about yourself. The interviewer is smart enough to judge the candidates intelligence and aptness for the job. 11. Do not make negative statements or comments about your past employer. 12. Your body language should be positive during the interview, i.e., maintain an eye-to-eye contact with the interviewer, sit in well balanced and confident posture, do not lean on the table, do not yawn, smile when appropriate, etc.

Tips for the Interviewer

1. The interviewer should be an active listener. He should not interrupt unnecessarily. 2. The interviewer should be considerate enough. Even if the interviewer does not agree with the interviewee, he must respect the latters feelings. 3. The interviewer should be friendly and understanding. He should begin the interview in a friendly manner, some friendly conversation and then show concern in family background, hobbies, etc. This will make the interviewee more relaxed and comfortable. 4. The interviewer should restrain to the time allotted. He shouldnt indulge in arguments unnecessarily. He should try to be precise. 5. The interviewer must be thoroughly prepared for the questions that are likely to be asked. He should be a good planner. 6. The interviewer must focus attention on the interviewee. He should use positive gestures when conducting the interview. 7. Encourage/invite questions from the interviewee. Ensure that the interviewee clarifies the question he has. When selected a candidate should not feel he was not told about a certain aspect of the job. 8. Avoid distraction in the interview area. Ensure that there is no or minimal distraction where the interview is being conducted. A phone ringing all the time in the background can distract the interviewer and interviewee.

The advantages and disadvantages of groups

Groups can be very useful in organisations. They can:

pool the individual talents and resources of individuals help catch and correct individual errors as other members of the group may pick up on the error stimulate productivity through peer group pressure: that is, members encourage other members to keep focused; satisfy the social needs of their members make higher quality decisions as the decisions gain higher acceptance (by group members rather than an individual) and members feel more committed to the decision as they were involved in making it.

However, group work is time consuming and costly because members are removed from their individual activities. Also, often in groups there is unclear individual accountability for errors and undue conformity as some members may succumb to peer pressure.

Improving group performance

In order for group work to be more productive than individual work the group needs positive synergy. Synergy is where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Positive synergy is the force that results when the combined gains from the group are greater than they would be if the individuals worked alone (Bartol et al. 2001). For this reason the performance of the group depends on the extent to which the group's interaction patterns result in positive synergy and a positive outcome. Group performance is affected by many factors such as: 1. Group cohesiveness Group cohesiveness is the degree to which members are attracted to a group, are motivated to remain in the group and are mutually and positively influenced by one another. 2. Group Attractiveness An individual member's attraction to other members and to the whole group results in a more cohesive group. 3. Group satisfaction The evaluation that members make of the worth of their membership in the group and the group's overall effectiveness will affect members' satisfaction with the group process 4. Group culture The group's culture will influence the norms or expected behavior of the group members. For example, a group with a culture of low commitment will result in poor performance. A group culture that inspires enthusiasm and mutual respect will result in a positive group climate and the potential for a higher performing group. verbal is the speaking or writing. Nonverbal communication is the body language, color, smell, or contact eyes.

Non-verbal communication consists of all the messages other than words that are used in communication. In oral communication, these symbolic messages are transferred by means of intonation, tone of voice, vocally produced noises, body posture, body gestures, facial expressions or pauses (see chapter 3. examples).

Non-Verbal Commuication Modes

What is non-verbal communication? Definition (CBC): nonverbal communication involves those nonverbal stimuli in a communication setting that are generated by both the source [speaker] and his or her use of the environment and that have potential message value for the source or receiver [listener] (Samovar et al). Basically it is sending and receiving messages in a variety of ways without the use of verbal codes (words). It is both intentional and unintentional. Most speakers / listeners are not conscious of this. It includes but is not limited to:
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

touch glance eye contact (gaze) volume vocal nuance proximity gestures facial expression ? pause (silence) intonation dress posture smell word choice and syntax sounds (paralanguage)

Broadly speaking, there are two basic categories of non-verbal language: nonverbal messages produced by the body; nonverbal messages produced by the broad setting (time, space, silence) Why is non-verbal communication important? Basically, it is one of the key aspects of communication (and especially important in a high-context culture). It has multiple functions: Used to repeat the verbal message (e.g. point in a direction while stating directions. o Often used to accent a verbal message. (e.g. verbal tone indicates the actual meaning of the specific words).
o

Often complement the verbal message but also may contradict. E.g.: a nod reinforces a positive message (among Americans); a wink may contradict a stated positive message. o Regulate interactions (non-verbal cues covey when the other person should speak or not speak). o May substitute for the verbal message (especially if it is blocked by noise, interruption, etc) i.e. gestures (finger to lips to indicate need for quiet), facial expressions (i.e. a nod instead of a yes).
o

Note the implications of the proverb: Actions speak louder than words. In essence, this underscores the importance of non-verbal communication. Nonverbal communication is especially significant in intercultural situations. Probably non-verbal differences account for typical difficulties in communicating. Cultural Differences in Non-verbal Communication 1. General Appearance and Dress

All cultures are concerned for how they look and make judgements based on looks and dress. Americans, for instance, appear almost obsessed with dress and personal attractiveness. Consider differing cultural standards on what is attractive in dress and on what constitutes modesty. Note ways dress is used as a sign of status? 2. Body Movement

We send information on attitude toward person (facing or leaning towards another), emotional statue (tapping fingers, jiggling coins), and desire to control the environment (moving towards or away from a person). More than 700,000 possible motions we can make so impossible to categorize them all! But just need to be aware the body movement and position is a key ingredient in sending messages. 3. Posture

Consider the following actions and note cultural differences: Bowing (not done, criticized, or affected in US; shows rank in Japan) o Slouching (rude in most Northern European areas) o Hands in pocket (disrespectful in Turkey)
o

Sitting with legs crossed (offensive in Ghana, Turkey) o Showing soles of feet. (Offensive in Thailand, Saudi Arabia) o Even in US, there is a gender difference on acceptable posture?
o

4.

Gestures

Impossible to catalog them all. But need to recognize: 1) incredible possibility and variety and 2) that an acceptable in ones own culture may be offensive in another. In addition, amount of gesturing varies from culture to culture. Some cultures are animated; other restrained. Restrained cultures often feel animated cultures lack manners and overall restraint. Animated cultures often feel restrained cultures lack emotion or interest. Even simple things like using hands to point and count differ. Pointing : US with index finger; Germany with little finger; Japanese with entire hand (in fact most Asians consider pointing with index finger to be rude) Counting: Thumb = 1 in Germany, 5 in Japan, middle finger for 1 in Indonesia. 5. Facial Expressions

While some say that facial expressions are identical, meaning attached to them differs. Majority opinion is that these do have similar meanings world-wide with respect to smiling, crying, or showing anger, sorrow, or disgust. However, the intensity varies from culture to culture. Note the following: Many Asian cultures suppress facial expression as much as possible. o Many Mediterranean (Latino / Arabic) cultures exaggerate grief or sadness while most American men hide grief or sorrow. o Some see animated expressions as a sign of a lack of control. o Too much smiling is viewed in as a sign of shallowness. o Women smile more than men.
o

6.

Eye Contact and Gaze

In USA, eye contact indicates: degree of attention or interest, influences attitude change or persuasion, regulates interaction, communicates emotion, defines power and status, and has a central role in managing impressions of others. Western cultures see direct eye to eye contact as positive (advise children to look a person in the eyes). But within USA, African-Americans use more eye contact when talking and less when listening with reverse true for Anglo Americans. This is a possible cause for some sense of unease between races in US. A prolonged gaze is often seen as a sign of sexual interest. o Arabic cultures make prolonged eye-contact. believe it shows interest and helps them understand truthfulness of the other person. (A person who doesnt reciprocate is seen as untrustworthy) o Japan, Africa, Latin American, Caribbean avoid eye contact to show respect.
o

7.

Touch

Question: Why do we touch, where do we touch, and what meanings do we assign when someone else touches us? Illustration: An African-American male goes into a convenience store recently taken over by new Korean immigrants. He gives a $20 bill for his purchase to Mrs Cho who is cashier and waits for his change. He is upset when his change is put down on the counter in front of him. What is the problem? Traditional Korean (and many other Asian countries) dont touch strangers., especially between members of the opposite sex. But the African-American sees this as another example of discrimination (not touching him because he is black). Basic answer: Touch is culturally determined! But each culture has a clear concept of what parts of the body one may not touch. Basic message of touch is to affect or control protect, support, disapprove (i.e. hug, kiss, hit, kick). USA handshake is common (even for strangers), hugs, kisses for those of opposite gender or of family (usually) on an increasingly more intimate basis. Note differences between African-Americans and Anglos in USA. Most African Americans touch on greeting but are annoyed if touched on the head (good boy, good girl overtones).
o

Islamic and Hindu: typically dont touch with the left hand. To do so is a social insult. Left hand is for toilet functions. Mannerly in India to break your bread only with your right hand (sometimes difficult for non-Indians) o Islamic cultures generally dont approve of any touching between genders (even hand shakes). But consider such touching (including hand holding, hugs) between samesex to be appropriate. o Many Asians dont touch the head (Head houses the soul and a touch puts it in jeopardy).
o

Basic patterns: Cultures (English , German, Scandinavian, Chinese, Japanese) with high emotional restraint concepts have little public touch; those which encourage emotion (Latino, Middle-East, Jewish) accept frequent touches. 3. Smell

USA fear of offensive natural smells (billion dollar industry to mask objectionable odors with what is perceived to be pleasant ) again connected with attractiveness concept. o Many other cultures consider natural body odors as normal (Arabic). o Asian cultures (Filipino, Malay, Indonesian, Thai, Indian) stress frequent bathing and often criticize USA of not bathing often enough!
o

4.

Paralanguage

vocal characterizers (laugh, cry, yell, moan, whine, belch, yawn). These send different messages in different cultures (Japan giggling indicates embarrassment; India belch indicates satisfaction) o vocal qualifiers (volume, pitch, rhythm, tempo, and tone). Loudness indicates strength in Arabic cultures and softness indicates weakness; indicates confidence and authority to the Germans,; indicates impoliteness to the Thais; indicates loss of control to the Japanese. (Generally, one learns not to shout in Asia for nearly any reason!).
o

Gender based as well: women tend to speak higher and more softly than men. o vocal segregates (un-huh, shh, uh, ooh, mmmh, humm, eh, mah, lah). Segregates indicate formality, acceptance, assent, uncertainty.

Leadership refers to the capacity and ability of a person or a group of people to guide and direct others. Not all people who are in charge have the same qualities and traits. Some are strong and able to influence, control and manage people effectively. Heads of departments and managers with insufficient skills and capabilities don't make good superiors. Good leaders who teach, inspire and motivate others to boost their human potential become role models and are respected for their capabilities and other admirable qualities.

The roles and functions of heads of department or an organization are the same and that is to reach specific goals.

Among the goals in any system or organization are to...

1. Achieving business and organization goals. 2. Improve performance, production and productivity. 3. Reduce employee dissatisfaction. 4. Identify values for growth and improvement. 5. Focus and work on a vision to succeed for a better future for all involved. 6. Maintain and improve employee motivation.

What Makes a Good Leader

Ability to solve problems, resolve conflicts and make decisions. Problems happen when there is a difficult situation that needs a solution. To solve a problem a person requires ingenuity as well as facts and skills to move from the present state toward some

desired goal. An effective leader is able to identify whether a problem is a new one or a recurrence. He understands that a problem is associated with relationships, values, perceptions and beliefs.

A superior with problem solving and trouble shooting skills will handle a situation by identifying the symptoms and causes. He sees it in advance the outcomes and the effects on handling it in a certain way. Problem solving is related to creative, systematic and strategic thinking skills.

A leader who uses his mind to reason and reflect on his and other people's judgments and opinions will help him decide, resolves conflicts and arrives at a conclusion. He finds alternatives and resources to either overcome, transform or avoid the problem.

Ability to build rapport. Building rapport is important in developing relationships. Your ability to match a person's behavior and thinking is like putting yourself in his shoes. When people exchange information, interests and beliefs they create a bond. The ability to develop the bond will allow you to recognize and select appropriate behavior to motivate and influence.

You will deal more effectively with people when you know what is more important to them. You are doing him a favor by understanding and listening to him and he will feel obliged to comply with your request or suggestion. And in wanting you to like him, he will try to appear similar to your thinking and behaviors.

An effective communicator. A leader leads by example through his actions and also by his words, either in writing or spoken. A good communicator also uses nonverbal messages like body language, gestures and facial expressions effectively. An effective communicator understands and establishes the states of mind of the people whom he is trying to convey his messages.

He then plans and determines the strategies to get his desired result and in improving work performance. He listens attentively to what others have to say. He will then change the directions, break the patterns and redirect the communication to a new direction to create the best outcome.

Ability to persuade and influence.

Having influence and persuasion skills gives you the power to become an effective mentor and a model to your families, associates and employees. People look up for guidance when they do not know what to do or uncertain of themselves. Show compassion toward them.

A charismatic leader has an added power to influence. A charming personality attracts fascinates and inspires people. He usually shows a compelling vision to succeed and is able to communicate it to others. He shows high level of confidence, dominance and strong convictions on his beliefs.

Build integrity and develop trust. People place confidence and trust on a character that shows integrity, honesty, competency, consistency and openness. When a follower trusts a leader he believes that the actions taken are for his best interest. A supervisor or manager must exercise fairness, is honest about his feelings, maintain confidence and demonstrates confidence and competence. These traits will make others trust him. He must fulfill the promises that he makes.

Trust is essential in any relationship. He must also develop a "trust culture" in his working and family environment or in any system so that people are able to perform effectively. He must learn to encourage teamwork in a working or home atmosphere to speed up the process of goal attainment.

Being flexible. A leader must be flexible. When an activity or action does not produce the desired result, he should then establish a new direction. He should not allow indecision to stop him from making the next plan of action. A leader must realize that any process to get results involves change.

There are several ways to reach an outcome and he should be prepared to adapt and not limit his creativity. He must have a style that adjusts to the task at hand and yet maintains a harmonious relationship brings out the best to all involved.

Self motivated. He must also feel motivated and has a strong desire to increase his own potential and develop an effective management style. He must have the initiative to learn, develop new skills and try new things.

Read related leadership articles.

Giving guidance and employee counseling As the person in charge of a team or employees, you will have to provide guidance and counseling when you identify an employee with a problem that is affecting his work performance.

How to gain cooperation and promote teamwork Getting cooperation from your assistants and subordinates and getting your team working together hand in hand is critical if you want to reach your organization's goal and mission. Motivation is a force that inspires a person to take action. There are two sources that can motivate a person. One of them is from an external stimulus. This is when a person takes action after being offered an incentive or reward.

Inspiration can also arise from watching certain movies, listening to some songs, hearing a motivating speech, reading, or receiving encouragement from others. But it is temporary and brief. Once the spark is gone, the desire subsides and wears off.

The second type and a very powerful one is when a person is internally driven. When a dire need to resolve an unfavorable situation arises or the desire to acquire something is very strong, a person is driven and inspired. Out of necessity he acquires the inner strength. This is self motivation.

How to Get Motivated

Set your goals. What do you want? What kind of job would you like? Do you wish for more money? Do you yearn to get out of debt?

Without goals and vision, you'll lack the drive to thrive. You'll spend your days upon awakening to bedtime doing the same routines. Your life will eventually become dull and uninspiring when there is a lack of anything essential in your life. You might end up diverting your frustrations and boredom on unproductive activities.

Setting goals is therefore, necessary. When you have written goals, it shows that you are serious about succeeding, know what you want and where you are heading.

Plan your activities. You need a balance between work, family and recreation. In order to avoid feeling stressed, you have to make it a habit to plan your day and week in advance.

Decide what you are going to do. When you have a plan set up with your personal values in mind, you will fully utilize your time and will not neglect the important people in your life.

Develop self discipline. Self imposed discipline leads to success. Having set your goals and knowing the reasons to why you want to achieve them will make it easy for you to do the things that you should and must do even when you don't feel like doing them.

Hang around positive people. One of the ways to cultivate positive thinking is to hang around with people who have the right attitude and are optimistic. Try to minimize your encounters and interactions with the pessimists who have the inclination to pull you down.

Take action. Taking positive actions produce positive results. Even a small act will have an effect on your outcome. The results from your action will provide you with feedbacks and the motivation to work harder.

Keep track. Keep track of your thoughts, emotions, activities and progress daily. Record them in a journal. This activity enables you to measure your progress and review your goals.

Stay healthy

Your energy and drive decline when you are sick. Do a little exercise each day to maintain your physical health. If you can run, run. If you prefer to walk, then walk. Eat well and avoid toxic elements into your system.

Staying Motivated
Challenges and hindrance can make you lose your enthusiasm. Here is a list of activities that will help you stay motivated.

1. Read, listen or watch motivational and inspirational recordings, books, stories or any information that stir your emotion and cause you to take massive and constructive actions. 2. Watch what successful people are doing. Learn from these experts and ask them questions to speed up your learning process and understanding. 3. Develop self awareness. Observe why you do what you do to discover your motives. You'll learn about yourself. If you notice something that require change, take the necessary action. If something improves your life keep doing it. 4. Practice creative visualization at least twice a day, once upon awakening and another before you sleep. See in your mind the end result of your goal. Fill in the colors, the sound and the emotions. Or you can try the MindMaster, a word and images tool to help you reach your goals easier and faster. Get the free trial to see how it works. 5. Use positive affirmations daily to overwrite your doubts and negative self talk. Tell yourself that you choose to make it easy for you to reach your goals. 6. Learn to meditate. During meditation, your brain waves are altered and this enables you to relax and remove your stress. Hypnosis and subliminal messages are tools you can use to change your brainwaves, put you in a meditative state, relax and input new mental instructions to your mind. 7. Release your emotional blocks and resistance. Although you want to succeed, there are guilt, anger, shame, fears and other negative related emotions deep within you that are causing you to resist change.