Effective Communication

AASFAA Symposium - 2015

CONTENTS

• What is communication

• Goals & benefits of communication

• Communication components & channels

• Effective communication

• Active listening

• Smart vs Healthy

• Communication barriers

• Personality types

Objectives• Improve communication...to get

things done

• Understand communication

• Improve communication

• Overcome the barriers in communication

• Practice active listening

• Appreciate differences

Challenge

Please write a one sentence definition of:

Effective Communication

Examples

• The exchange of thoughts and messages by speech, signals, or writing

• To express oneself in such a way that one is readily and clearly understood

What is Communication

The act of conveying information for the purpose of creating a shared understanding. Communication involves

a sender and a receiver conveying information through a communication channel.

Goals of Communication

• To change behavior

• To get action

• To ensure understanding

• To persuade

• To get and give information

Benefits of Communication

• Increase productivity

• Improve compliance

• Reduce stress

• Provide clarity

• Enhance relationships

• Support team building

• Build employee morale

• Save time and money

• Increase happiness

• Happy people really are more productive

“

”

If I went back to college again, I'd concentrate on two areas; learning to

write and to speak before an audience. Nothing in life is more important than the

ability to communicate effectively.- Gerald Ford, United States President

“

”

Communication is really all anyone ever gets paid for ultimately...and if you cannot

effectively communicate...you will pay...not get paid...

- Doug Firebaugh, Author, Entrepreneur, and radio host of The Millionaire Road

“

”

Companies that effectively appreciate employee value enjoy a return on equity & assets more than triple that experience by firms that don't. When

looking at Fortune's '100 Best Companies to Work For' stock prices rose an average of 14% per year from 1998-2005, compared to 6% for the overall

market.- Forbes Magazine, 2012

“

”

In recognition of the hard work you've put in this year, we're going to take some extra

time off for Thanksgiving. We will shut down with pay on November 21, 22, and

23 so our teams can spend the entire week with their families and friends.

- Tim Cook, Apple CEO

A Series of Experiences

• Listening

• Speaking

• Smelling

• Seeing

• Tasting

• Touching

• Writing

Communication = Understanding

Communication Channels

• Spoken or Verbal

• Non-verbal

• Written

• Visual

Components of Communication

• Verbal Messages – the words we choose

• Preverbal Messages – how we say the words

• Nonverbal Messages – our body language

Used To:

• Send clear, concise messages

• Receive and correctly understand messages sent to us

Back-to-Back Communication

Effective Communication

• It is two-way

• It involves active listening

• It reflects accountability from speaker and listener

• It utilizes feedback

• It is free of stress

• It is clear

• It involves emotional awareness

Smart vs Healthy

Smart vs Healthy

FIRST

• Build a culture

• Communicate regularly

• Minimize politics and confusion

• Raise levels of morale and productivity

• Minimize turnover

THEN

• Tap into knowledge around technology, strategy, finance, and marketing

My Horse Doesn't Listen

You can take a horse to the pond but cannot make it drink, is an old proverb. Similarly, you can speak a lot, however, what gets communicated depends upon how one listens.

Listening

We listen:• To obtain information

• To understand

• To learn

• To support

• To build trust

Listening

Listening is:• Foundation of effective communication

• Key to win friends

• A tool to improve relationships

Listening

Tips for Improving Listening Skills:

• Stop talking

• Want to listen

• Focus your attention

• Be aware (perceptive) as you listen

• Consciously work to remember what you hear

• Make a habit of responding with feedback

• Care about the relationship as you listen

• Keep in mind that the listening process involves interpretation

• Including both verbal and non-verbal cues

Financial Aid Example

• If FSA disbursements to the student's account at the school create an FSA credit balance, you must pay the credit balance to the student or parent as soon as possible but no later than 14 days after:

• The date the balance occurred on the student's account, if the balance occurred after the first day of class of a payment period, or

• The first day of classes of the payment period if the credit balance occurred on or before the first day of class of that payment period

Credit Balances

Recall the Details

Communication Activity

Quiz

• Where was the person walking?

• What sounds were heard?

• Was the person walking on a path?

• What smells were in the story?

• How many human figures does the person see?

• What is in the branches of the tree?

Barriers to Communication

physical, perceptual, cultural, emotional, interpersonal, language, and gender

Physical Barriers

Perceptual Barriers

• Different world views can create misunderstanding. Without thinking, one might only view a message from their mindset rather than looking to see it from another viewpoint.

Cultural Barriers

• Ethnic, religious, and social differences can often create misunderstandings when trying to communicate. These differences can also affect perceptual factors, as previously mentioned.

Language Barriers

• Not using words another can understand will certainly stop your message from being conveyed. This not only applies to actual languages, but that of expressions, buzz words, acronyms, technical terms, and other jargon. If one is not familiar with your language, misinterpretation will occur.

Emotional Barriers

• Trouble listening can occur if one is consumed with emotion. Hostility, anger, fear, and other emotions make it hard to hear outside of one's self.

Gender Barriers

• Variation exists among masculine and feminine styles of communication. While women may often emphasize politeness, empathy, and rapport building, male communication can sometimes be more direct. Meshing these two styles without awareness could become a barrier.

Interpersonal Barriers

• Interpersonal communication is a kind of communication in which people communicate their feelings, ideas, emotions, and information. Interpersonal communication is not only about what is said and what is received but also about HOW it is said, how body language is used, and what was the facial expression.

Overcoming these barriers to communication is no easy task. It takes great awareness and a

willingness to adapt and look at communication from new perspectives. But, if you begin to focus

on how these communication barriers are affecting your everyday conversation, you will be well on

your way to becoming an effective communicator.

Overcoming the Barriers

Tips

• Taking the receiver more seriously

• Crystal clear message

• Delivering messages skillfully

• Focusing on the receiver

• Using multiple channels to communicate

• Ensuring appropriate feedback

• Be aware of your own state of mind/emotions/attitude

Major Causes

Personality Types • Extraversion or Introversion

• Sensing or Intuition

• Thinking or Feeling

• Judgement or PerceptionBottom line...people are

different

Appreciate Differences

Overcome or Avoid

I passed one day through a lonely town, and saw some men tearing a building down. With a hoe hev hoe and husky yell

they swung a beam and a side wall fell. I asked the foreman; are these men skilled? The kind you'd hire if you had to build? Oh no he chuckled, no indeed, common labor

is all I need. Why, I can destroy in a day or two what builders have taken months to do. I thought to myself as I went on my way, which of these roles have I tried to play? Am I a builder who works with care, strengthening lives by rule and square, shaping my peers to a well-made plan, helping them to do the best they can? Or am I a wrecker

who walks the town content with the labor of tearing down?