Key Elements of Communication Essay

By Barbara Bulleit, Global Knowledge Instructor Communication We communicate all the time, every(prenominal) day. Sometimes were even aw ar of it We communicate by gesture, remains terminology, facial runions, and tone of vocalization as well as through the words we speak. These variables can be joined in a strain of ways in our chat. Add to this mix language cultural and companionable divagations educational background physical proximity and mortal fears, insecurities, strengths, and weaknesses.No admire communication is complex There is a huge amount of info on communication and different methodologies for improvement. The following offers one perspective on communication. First of all, existence successful in business requires in force(p) communication. This composition revolve ab out(p)es on effective business communication, although the in varianceation can be apply generally. To untangle the mix described above and to improve communication, we can focus on seve ral key elements point Style ListeningPurpose In business, when we communicate we commonly take a purpose. Sometimes we expect not deal outed that purpose satisfactoryly before beginning the communion, which can gratuity to confusion and mixed messages. So, startle we must clarify our purpose. What do I loss as a result of this communication? What would be a successful outcome? As an example, lets consider conversation with an employee regarding a new denomination. Initially, we whitethorn look at the assignment and consider that its successful completion is the purpose. But lets submit this form further d admit into smaller steps, with handing off the assignment being the for the first time step. Our desired outcome FOR THE MEETING to hand off the assignment skill beEmployee fully understands the assignment Responds to questions to find understanding Is able to rephrase assignment requirements Is sensible of consequences of completing or not completing assignment Employee has an idea of how to proceed Articulates next steps Identifies problems, etc Or we and employee discuss in concert Employee knows resources available Employee knows where to go for patron We and employee agree on a revaluation status keep in line meetingIf we oblige been successful in this first communication regarding the assignment, we render al picturey established a paradigm for communication during the assignment consort, including follow-ups to check status, vex corrections, and to compliment upon completion. Clarity in the initial communication makes a huge difference. And to back up one step, clear up our purpose before starting the communication can separate effective communication from that which is unclear, does not set out sufficient detail, leaves no room for questions or advice, or does not ensure the employee can gain access to sufficient resources. A clearly identified purpose can mean the difference between success or failure, and while thinking t hrough a purpose may take time initially, we willing eventually form a consistent habit of clarifying desired outcome which usually leads to better results.Style Style has to do with who we are and how who we are affects our communication. We may engage in dialogue with little knowledge of the impact of individual differences. Some of us may beat a higher consciousness of flare differences and still not delectation this awareness when communicating. Others of us grow aware of sty key outic differences only when having a problem communicating. Lets stop for a moment and further define mode. Style is influenced by many factors, roughly of which were defined at the beginning of this article. A weeklong list great power include culture, upbringing, religion, gender, age, education, language, race, politics and this is not a broad(a) list.Some of the influences of our early years are mitigated or compound during our growth and experience. In all, we become who we are, and w ho we are influences our communication. Lets curb at this level of detail and agree that generally at work we do not sit round off and tick off this list every time we communicate with someone Then how do we flog some of our differences in order to communicate effectively? We consider behavior mine and theirs. Some of us tend to be more strike and/or assertive, or even aggressive. Some of us tend toward being indirect and/or unresisting. Here are some characteristics of each type. check and Assertive/Aggressive Take charge attitude may have aggressive tendencies whitethorn interrupt or tend to dominate the dialogue peaceful and Indirect More laid back tendency whitethorn hesitate, wait to speak up, or have to be drawn out Lack of response does not necessarily Does not always sample dialogue instead indicate agreement or approval has to tells a lot be probed Does not always see the former(a) someones Sometimes prefers for others to make side may be sensed as closedecisions m inded May assume that passivity indicates agreement Passive style may not indicate true feelings and attitudesNon-verbal clues follow passive Non-verbal clues easier to detect since characteristics and require more careful they are more openly expressed attention Tends to decide or answer quickly May extremity time rather than having to respond immediatelyThis simple(a) plank provides a general understanding of devil basic styles. Its light-colored to see how communication may break down between these two types. Most of us do not easily fall into these simple categories but may have characteristics of each, which may change or set forth on different days. All of this adds to the complexity of communications. Having some knowledge of a somebodys style can help us. To try to break down the complexity we can handling the elements in the table to muse helpful questions, such as the following.Generally, what is his attitude take charge or laid back? Does she comfortably engage in dialogue with others? Does he add comments and ask questions? Is it necessary to draw her out, to solicit her opinions? Does she listen to others or have a tendency to interrupt?We can see how to use this style information to gain a better understanding of the person with whom we want to communicate. For example, if Sallys style is to be assertive or aggressive, she might have to work hard to hold back some of that take charge mentality and her tendency to speak up, dominate, and not read non-verbal clues. If Sallys style is passive and indirect she might have to make more effort to participate in a discussion, to voice her opinions or misgivings, and to ask questions.Its easy to see how we can use this same information to gain more insight or so our own style. After all, it takes at least two people to communicate and we are part of that formula. So we have to apply these questions to ourselves as well.Am I more aggressive or laid back? Do I ask questions of others? Is my tenden cy to accept in the moment then voice my opinions later? Do I consider other peoples opinions, do I ignore their input, or do I salutary withdraw?Once weve go downd our style and the style of the other person, we have to consider the dynamic of the two. twain aggressive people may have to each work harder at allowing the other to talk and voice opinions. Two passive people may tend to come to conclusions too quickly, or may not uncover issues or differences. One of each will have to be very aware of the others differences and make the effort required to accommodate those differences. Taking the time to think about our own style, then to consider the style of the other person, generates huge returns in communication. These returns includeIncreased great power of the passive/indirect person to express Increased ability of the aggressive/direct person to listen cogency to allow and work out differences Realization that we each offer strengths as well as weaknesses Achieving more t ogether than possible as individualsRecognizing style or personal characteristics is key to successful business communications. Listening quick listening takes energy its work. To nimblely listen to someone mode the followingFocus warmnesss and mind on the person utter Indicate listening through spirit contact, note taking, and body language Respond appropriately with comments, questions, or paraphrasingThe first step is the most ticklish focusing solely on the person speaking versus thinking of what we want to say next, beginning to analyze, or even coming up with a solution We can minimize these tendencies by making good eye contact with the person speaking so that our focus is only on that person. Quelling the desire to analyze, problem solve, etc. means we have to micturate hard. It takes a strong effort to halt or slow down these urges. If we dont stop them, then our focus is not on the person but is on our own words and thoughts, and we are not getting all of the infor mation they are telling us. Short circuiting active listening means we short circuit them and ourselves.When this does happen and were aware of it, we can stop the person and ask him or her to reiterate what they said. We might say, Would you please ring that so I will have a full understanding, to cover our embarrassment for not listening Making eye contact with a person may depend upon style or culture. Some cultures prefer not to have direct eye contact. Our style assessment will help us to determine whether or not that is true for the person with whom we are dealing. Our assessment will also help us to establish which other mechanisms to use to indicate we are in truth focused on what the person is saying. Responding appropriately is a real singularity of active listening. When we talk with teenagers we might ask them to repeat what we just said. If they repeat verbatim we know they heard us and can parrot. If they paraphrase or explain what we said in their own words, we kn ow they really listened and understood.The ability to paraphrase is a powerful tool to use with our fellow employees. If we have any doubt of their understanding, having them paraphrase is a good way to check it out. Another appropriate response is to ask questions. If we are listening to the person, request appropriate questions helps that person to know we are really listening. It works the other way as well. If an employee or colleague does not ask us questions or does not respond appropriately, we know we hold to review again, repeat using different words, draw a diagram, or whatever else we need to do to help that person understand. Active listening is not something we need to do all the time in fact, we could not.Whats important is to determine when to use active listening. A good measurement is to say that we should actively listen anytime not listening could result in damaging or hurtful consequences. Summary Behind our communication is a purpose. That purpose may be assign ing a new task, asking an employee to solve a problem, or providing feedback on performance. Our next step is to understand style that of the employee and our own, which helps us to modify our own style and better understand how to work with the employees style. As we talk with the employee we can use active listening to ensure that we are getting complete information and to ensure the employee is listening to us.