10-1 Communicating Effectively

Effective communication is a critically important factor to the success of an organization. Organizations are made up of various people performing different jobs in order to achieve one main goal. Without proper communication, the individuals involved in an organization may not receive certain messages, which may determine the success or failure of the company. There are many barriers to communication, so its important to know certain aspects that should always be used when communicating. In order to prevent these barriers, I have chosen five main points to remember in order to communicate effectively.

5 Points for Effective Communication:

1. Type of Communication

The type of communication you choose depends on the situation itself, Some things should be communicated over the phone (like quick questions that require an immediate answer), through email (if it doesn't require immediate assistance), or face to face (an employee getting fired or being hired should always be done face to face). Recognizing which form of communication to use will help make the overall process run more smoothly. 

2. Listen

When communicating with an individual, whether face to face or over the phone, it's extremely important to listen to what the other person is trying to say. This can actually be more difficult than most people think, as there can be many things that distract you from listening to the main points of a conversation. For example, depending on where you are, there may be a lot of background noise which will obviously distract you from the other person. Personal distractions such as emotional stress can lead to distractions that may affect work productivity in the long run; and overall judgement of the other person your talking to can block out certain parts of the conversation. These barriers are not always easy to overcome, but its important to be aware of them in order help prevent further obstruction in the communication process.

3. Try being in the other person's shoes

When communicating with another person about something you don't quite agree on, its very normal to judge them based on your own beliefs/opinions. As difficult as it may be, it's important to try and see where the other person is coming from; step into their shoes and try to see from their perspective. This is a very useful tool to master and requires a lot of practice since most of us are quite set in our ways. Looking at conversations with a new perspective will open up more opportunity, and have less of a chance of conflict. 

4. Emotional Control

Controlling your emotions can be incredibly hard to do, especially if your angry/upset. When you react to another person in an angry way, that person automatically becomes defensive, and an argument usually occurs. Being angry will totally block out what you don't want to hear, and the message will most likely not come through to you, causing even more conflict down the road. As well, acting out in this way will change the opinion of the other person, which won't get you the answers you need. It's very, VERY important to learn to control your emotions when trying to communicate effectively. 

5. Feedback

Feedback is probably the most helpful part of the communication process, as it lets the receiver depict what they thought about the overall conversation. It provides an opportunity for all individuals involved to ask questions, give their opinion, and clarify all that was said so miss-communication won't occur. For managers, feedback is an excellent way to motivate and help employees so that they continue to excel and work towards mastering their communication skills. Some people take feedback in an offensive way, as it can sometimes appear to be negative. If negative feedback has to be used, managers should use the "sandwich" effect, and provide 2 examples of positive feedback before and after the negative comment. By doing this, the employee receiving feedback will take the negative comments with a more positive outlook, as they are being recognized for their efforts. 

The success of an organization is entirely affected by the communication process, therefore, it's important for all members to recognize communication barriers and how to overcome them in order to communicate effectively.