Effective

Communication
At Workplace

By: Dr. Jaspreet

What is Communication
Communication is an exchange of feelings, ideas, and
information, whether by speaking, writing, signals, or
behaviors.

Continuous process.
Mostly irreversible.
Intentional or unintentional.
Multi-directional.
Interactive, timely and ever-changing.

Communication is more than information!

Communication is more than merely keeping the

employees updated as to what may be going on in
your organization or in the company at large.
To do that, all you need is an e-mail
message and a computer.

Real communication is far more than a few words

strung together and delivered to your employees.

Communication process
Noise

Sender
Sender
Start
Startwith
withaameaning/
meaning/
message
to
message tosend
send
Encode
Encode(verbal
(verbaland
and
nonverbal)
nonverbal)
Send
Sendmessage
message
Interact
Interactwith
withfeedback
feedback

Communication
Communication
message
Channels
Channels
message
Report/Phone/
Report/Phone/
Meeting/Computer
Meeting/Computer

Feedbac
Feedbac
kk

Receiver
Receiver
Receive
Receive
message
message
Decode
Decodeand
and
Convert
Convertto
to
Meaning
Meaning
Respond
Respond

Continuous process of
encoding and decoding

Who is Accountable ?
Everyone in the organization is accountable
for the effectiveness of their own
communication. This especially applies to
those who manage others.

What is the level of

Communication ?

The concept that communication is

the effective exchange of
meaning or understanding applies
to both formal and informal
communication. It applies to
communication up, down and
across
Boss the organization. Employe
Boss

Employe
ee

Downward
Communication
Highly Directive, from Senior to
subordinates, to assign duties, give
instructions, to inform, to offer
feedback, approval, to highlight
problems etc.

Upward
Communicatio
n

It is non directive in nature from

down below, to give feedback, to
inform about progress/problems,
seeking approvals.
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Horizontal Communication
Flow of information among
peers within the same work
unit to :
Help co-ordinate work
assignments

Share information on plan

and activities

Negotiate differences

Develop interpersonal
support

Cohesive work

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Information richness and

Media
High
Richnes
s

Face-to-face
Face-to-face
communication
communication
Verbal
Verbalcommunication
communication
electronically
electronically
transmitted
transmitted
Personally
Personally
addressed
addressedwritten
written
communication
communication

Low
Richness
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Impersonal
written
communicatio
n

Communication
Media
Face-to-Face: highest information richness.

Can take advantage of verbal and

nonverbal signals.
Provides for instant feedback.
Video Conferences: Provide much of this richness
Reduce travel costs and meeting times.

Verbal Communication electronically transmitted :

Has second highest information richness.

Phone conversations, but there are no

visual nonverbal cues.
Do have a tone of voice, senders emphasis
and quick feedback.

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Communication Media
Personally Addressed Written Communication :
Has lower richness than the verbal forms, but
still
is directed at a given person.

Personal addressing helps ensure receiver reads it.

Letters and e-mail are common forms.
Cannot provide instant feedback to sender but can get
feedback later.
Excellent for complex messages needing follow-up.

Impersonal Written Communication:

Has lowest richness.

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Good for messages to be sent to many receivers.

Little feedback is expected.
Newsletters, reports are examples.

Nonverbal Communication
Non-verbal communication or face and
body language constitutes 93% of
message.
Different types of nonverbal
communication are : Visual
Tactile (Physical)
Use of space and image
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Tactile (Physical)

on the back
le touch on an arm

Approval
Support and concern

Visual
Image

Clothing, hygiene

Facial Expressions
Frown, smile,
sneer
Eye Movements
Looking away,
staring
Posture
Leaning in, slumped
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Physical Space
The "intimate zone" is
about two feet. This
zone is reserved for
our closest friends.
The "personal zone"
from about 2-4 feet
usually is reserved for
family and friends.
Intimate Zone

The social zone (4-12

feet) is where most
business transactions
take place.
The "public zone" (over
12 feet) is used for
lectures.
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Personal Zone
Social Zone

Public Zone

The use of
gestures,
movements,
material things
and space can
clarify or
confuse the
meaning of
verbal
communication.

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Verbal
Communication``
The Seven Cs of Communication:

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Clarity
Completeness
Conciseness
Concreteness
Candidness
Correctness
Courtesy

Hearing vs. Listening

Hearing

Physical process,
natural
passive
Listening

Physical as well as mental process

learned process
19

Suggestions for
improved
listening skills

20

stop talking

put the talker at ease

show the talker you want to listen

remove distractions

empathize with the talker

be patient

hold your temper

go easy on argument and criticism

Written Communication

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e mails
memos
reports
bulletins
letters
newsletters
handwritten notes

E-mail Communication
A company needs to implement E-mail
etiquette rules for the following three
reasons:
Professionalism
Efficiency
Protection

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IF YOU WRITE IN CAPITALS

IT SEEMS AS IF YOU
ARE SHOUTING.

Be concise and to the point

Answer all questions and

pre-empt further questions
Use proper spelling,
grammar & punctuation
Answer swiftly

Do not attach unnecessary files

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Use, but Do not overuse

the high priority option

Don't leave out the message thread

Dont use fancy fonts.

Spell check before sending. (Set in Options for auto spell

check)
Smiley's- :- ) ;-) - not recommended

Abbreviations - Only use those which are common in use

and only with colleagues or friends.FYI and BTW for
example.

Add disclaimers to your emails

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Keep your language gender neutral

E.g.: The user should add a signature to his email
should be The user should add a signature to his/her
email or The user should add a signature to the
email

Use active instead of passive

Try to use the active voice of a verb wherever possible.

For instance, 'We will complete your task today',
sounds better than 'Your task will be completed today'.
The first sounds more personal, whereas the latter,
especially when used frequently, sounds unnecessarily
formal.

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Signature
Casual
Simple / Informal
Formal Compliant with
legislation

26

 Casual
friends and close business acquaintances
Regards
Andy P
Your man 4 IT

Simple / Informal
Regards

Andy Poulton
Business Adviser - ICT
Mobile: 07966 547146
Please consider the environment before printing this email.
Double side and print in draft where possible.

`
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Email Signature- Formal

Regards
Andy Poulton
BUSINESS ADVISER ICT
Business Link
Great Western Business Centre, Emlyn Square, Swindon, SN1 5BP
Mobile: 07966 547146 | Customer Information Centre: 0845 600 9966
Email: andy.poulton@businesslinksw.co.uk
Website: www.businesslinksw.co.uk
Business Link provides the information, advice and support you need to start,
maintain and to grow a business
Please consider the environment before printing this email.
To see how your business can reduce its impact visit
www.businesslinksw.co.uk/environment
Registered Address: Northern Arc Ltd, Great Western Business Centre, Emlyn Square,
Swindon, SN1 5BP
Company No.: 05607342 VAT No: 927 2729 04
DISCLAIMER: This e-mail is intended for the addressee only and may contain
information that is privileged and confidential. If you are not the intended recipient,
you
28 must not copy, distribute or take any action in reliance on it.
If this email has been sent to you in error please notify us immediately by telephone

The Benefits (Written)

Creates a permanent record

Allows you to store information for
future reference
Easily distributed
All recipients receive the same
information
Necessary for legal and binding
documentation
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Feedback
Feedback is a constant barometer to let you know if the
message you are sending is the same one that your
employees are receiving.
Feedback taps basic human needs-to improve, to
compete, to be accurate and for people who want to be
competent.
Effective feedback is absolutely essential for
organizational effectiveness.
A high degree of feedback should be maintained
throughout the communication process.

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How to do it ?
Positive
question-andanswer
approach
It helps create an atmosphere
in which asking questions is
entirely acceptable.
In addition, your behavior
demonstrates some
productive feedback
techniques, and this can
helps in creating a learning
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atmosphere

Characteristics of
effective feedback
Specific: It should not be generalized and should indicate the
right problem.
Timely: Give feedback as soon as possible. Excellent
feedback presented at an inappropriate time may do more
harm than good.
Descriptive: Give facts. Talk about your observations, rather
than what you'd concluded from your observations. Focus on
the behavior not the person.
Sensitive: When emotions run high, allow a cooling-off
period before talking.
Helpful: When feedback is negative, explore alternatives for
improvement so that the employee has goals to aim for. For
negative feedback, use the "sandwich technique" by saying
one positive statement followed by the negative feedback and
then another compliment.

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Barriers of Communication

33

Perception
Semantics/ Language
Channel Selection
Inconsistent Communication
Information Overload

Cooperative
Communication :
)

Soften the yous or change them into I, to avoid

sounding pushy
Instead of: Youll have to.., say Could you. Or
Would you be able to.

Turn cant's into cans

Instead of: We cant do that until next week say We
will be able to do it next week

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Take responsibility, dont lay blame

Instead of its not my faultsay Heres what I can do to
fix that

Say what do you want, and not what you dont want
Instead of Dont drive too fastsay Drive carefully

Focus on the future, not the past

Instead of I have asked you before not to.say
From now on

Share information, rather than argue or accuse

Instead of No, you are wrongsay I see it like this

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Final Thoughts
A persons competence and a
persons effectiveness are based on
their ability to communicate
effectively
Competence isnt the problem
How you Communicate is

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Thank you

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