Communicating in the workplace cheesebro

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“Once a human being has arrived on this earth, communication is the largest single factor determining what kinds of relation- ships he makes with others and what happens to him in the world about him.”

Virginia Satir

Chapter 1 Communication Concepts

Learning Objectives At the end of this chapter, you should be able to meet the following objectives:

1. Understand the importance of communication.

2. Explain the elements that make up the communication process.

3. Describe how the five communication principles influence interpersonal relationships.

4. Explain how barriers can interfere with effective communication.

5. Recognize the impact of technology on communication.

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Communicating in the Workplace, by Thomas Cheesebro, Linda O’Connor, and Francisco Rios. Published by Prentice Hall. Copyright © 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc.

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Communication Is Important Congratulations! You have made an excellent choice by enrolling in a com- munity college program that will profoundly affect your future. William D. Green, chairman and CEO of Accenture, made a similar choice back in 1971 (figure 1.1). Green comments in the following excerpt from Newsweek (2006):

If you had told me back in 1971—the year I graduated high school—that I’d be going off to college soon, I would have assured you that you were sorely mistaken. I was the son of a plumber living in western Massachusetts, and we had all assumed that in the end I’d be a plumber too.

I spent the year after high school working in construction. Then one day I went to visit some friends who were students at Dean College, a two-year residential college 45 minutes outside of Boston, and my mind-set began to change. As I walked around campus and listened to my friends talk about their experiences, I realized this was an opportunity to change my path that might not come again—an opportunity to take another shot at learning. So I enrolled at Dean, and I can honestly say it was a life-altering experience. (Green, 2006, p. 22)

Today Green is running a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company that employs 180,000 workers with $20 billion in revenue. He comments in the article that “there is no doubt that my two years at Dean College not only prepared me for advancing my education and gearing up for a career, but also transformed me as a person. And that’s not a bad start no matter where life takes you” (Green, 2006, p. 22).

Whenever Green has the opportunity, he talks to young people, urging them to consider other options than four-year schools. He states, “Junior and community colleges can help them [students] become better equipped to continue their education and to face real-world challenges. These colleges can smooth their transition from high school to work life, provide them with core decision-making skills and teach them how to think and learn” (Green, 2006, p. 22).

Whether you are preparing for a career in nursing, accounting, the culi- nary arts, or child care at your community college, you will have the oppor- tunity to develop the technical skills needed to excel in your field. However, these technical skills alone are not sufficient. The cultivation of effective com- munication skills will largely determine the career success and personal satisfaction you experience.

In the spring of 2006, the Conference Board, Corporate Voices for Working Families, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, and the Society for Human Resource Management surveyed human resource professionals to determine what skills are necessary for two-year college graduates to meet the needs of tomorrow’s workforce (figure 1.2). The report noted, “For two-year college graduates, the five most frequently reported applied skills considered ‘very important’ are Professionalism/Work Ethic (83.4 percent),

FIGURE 1.1 ■ William D. Green, chairman and CEO of Accenture

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Communicating in the Workplace, by Thomas Cheesebro, Linda O’Connor, and Francisco Rios. Published by Prentice Hall. Copyright © 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc.

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FIGURE 1.2 ■ Very Important Skills Source: Are They Really Ready to Work? Employers’ Perspectives on the Basic Knowledge and Applied Skills of New Entrants to the 21st Century U.S. Workforce, by J. Casner-Lotto and L. Barrington (2006, October).

Teamwork/Collaboration (82.7 percent), Oral Communication (82.0 percent), Critical Thinking/ Problem Solving (72.7 percent), and Written Communication (71.5 percent)” (Casner-Lotto & Barrington, 2006, p. 20).

We can also explore specific careers, such as law enforcement, to discover the im- portance of effective communication skills.

According to the National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI), an international

and nonprofit leadership training organization based in Washington, DC, “Most situations in protective services are resolved with voluntary compliance. Communication skills are one of the officer’s most important weapons on the street. While many hours of instruction are provided on firearms, most officers will use their firearms infrequently throughout their careers. In contrast, effec- tive communication skills are essential on a daily basis, yet very little emphasis is placed on this important skill in most academy training” (NCBI, n.d., p. 2).

Nursing is another field that places emphasis on the importance of effec- tive communication. An article published by the Commonwealth Depart- ment of Education, Science, and Training claims that communication skills are essential for a nurse’s success. As a social activity, nursing requires excel- lent interpersonal interactions with patients. Equally important, poor com- munication skills can lead to tragic consequences for patients and result in costly litigation (Francis, Bowman, & Redgrave, 2001, p. 1).

The article asserts that the communication skills most necessary for nurses are as follows: listening, relationship building, instructing, motivating, exchanging routine information, and giving feedback (figure 1.3).

It is safe to assume that these skills required in nursing and law enforce- ment are also demanded in other occupational areas. The significance of these skills is discussed in an article titled “Behavior Matters: Communication Re- search on Human Connections.” The article states that communication “is what needs improvement when relationships go poorly, when organizations

struggle, or when nations are at an impasse. It is suspect when bad decisions are made, whether communication processes are faulty or not” (National Communication Association, p. 3). On the other hand, the ability to communicate enhances our development, strengthens our self-concept, and increases our ability to influence others. Effective communication makes employment possible, builds stronger relationships with co-workers from diverse back- grounds, and enhances our problem-solving skills.

Development of the skills required for effective communication is what this text is all about. As you read the material that follows, both in this chapter and in upcoming chapters, you will discover information and strategies that will enhance your communication with others. These skills will offer you opportunities for enjoying greater career satisfaction and rewarding personal relationships.

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Written Communication

Critical Thinking/ Problem Solving

Oral Communication

Teamwork/ Collaboration

Professionalism/ Work Ethic

FIGURE 1.3 ■ Necessary Communi- cation Skills

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Communicating in the Workplace, by Thomas Cheesebro, Linda O’Connor, and Francisco Rios. Published by Prentice Hall. Copyright © 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Communication Defined What is communication? This is the first question to consider before you undertake the study of it. Obviously, communication means different things to different people. To a student in class, it is a means of learning new concepts and skills. To an employee, it is a way of making sure that the job gets done. To those who love us, it is a way of maintaining those relationships. To friends and co-workers, it is the tool that helps us to get along.

Communication is sometimes defined as the process of sending and receiving messages. When a customer explains a problem to you about the exhaust system of a car, a message has been sent, and you have, supposedly, received it. What if the language used, however, is not clear? For example, if the customer says, “Every time I’m driving, my car makes funny noises, and smoke comes from that thing in the back and from that little jobber over yonder.” A message has been sent, and you have received it. Communi- cation, as previously defined, has taken place. However, you still do not know what is wrong with the car or how the customer wants the problem fixed.

This situation suggests that more needs to happen for communication to be effective. For one thing, the customer needs to be more specific in describing the problem. You need to listen carefully and ask clarifying questions. The key to effective communication is shared understanding of the information. Consequently, a more accurate definition of communica- tion is a shared understanding between the sender and the receiver of the message sent.

In addition, effective communication involves more than just under- standing the information. It involves the shared understanding of the feelings, thoughts, wants, needs, and intentions of the communicators, which may not be openly expressed in words. Note that shared understanding and receiving the message are different. For example, you may “get the message” that your boss wants customer accounts filed a particular way, but you may not share her understanding of why or how important this procedure is in the office. When you share her understanding of the message, you sense her meaning and the feelings she has about the message.

Communication Process Model One way to see how communication works is to examine a process model. A process model for communication is much like an assembly drawing for a mechanism. They both show the internal workings of a complex process in a simplified way. A communication process model breaks down communica- tion into its separate parts and puts it onto a two-dimensional surface for

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Communicating in the Workplace, by Thomas Cheesebro, Linda O’Connor, and Francisco Rios. Published by Prentice Hall. Copyright © 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc.

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Message

Feedback

Receiver/ Sender

Decodes

Encodes

Sender/ Receiver

Encodes

Decodes

FIGURE 1.4 ■ Communi- cation Process Model

Sender/Receiver You act as a “transceiver.” Encoding The process of changing thoughts and feelings

into symbols. Decoding The process of assigning meaning to symbols. Message The idea, thought, feeling, or opinion to be

communicated. Channel The medium through which the message travels. Feedback The receiver’s response to the sender’s message.

Communication Process Elements Definitions

FIGURE 1.5 ■ Communi- cation Process Elements

inspection. An interpersonal model of effective communication might look like figure 1.4. Elements of the communication process model are described as follows and are shown in figure 1.5.

SENDER/RECEIVER The first component of communication is the sender/receiver. It is important to keep in mind that you send and receive messages simultaneously. For ex- ample, while you are speaking to someone, you also are receiving nonverbal feedback, enabling you to act as a “transceiver,” both sending and receiving messages.

ENCODING More specifically, senders originate a communication message. An idea comes into mind, and an attempt is made to put this thought into symbols

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Communicating in the Workplace, by Thomas Cheesebro, Linda O’Connor, and Francisco Rios. Published by Prentice Hall. Copyright © 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Chapter 1 Communication Concepts 7

(gestures or words) that the receiver will understand. This process of chang- ing thought into symbols is called encoding.

DECODING The receiver, who is the destination of the communication message, must as- sign meaning to the symbols in order to understand the message. This process of assigning meaning to symbols is called decoding. Like encoding, decoding happens so fast, you rarely are aware of its occurrence. As you read and listen, you simply assume you understand what the symbols mean. Each person, sender and receiver, is a product of experiences, feelings, gender, occupation, religion, values, mood, etc. As a result, encoding and decoding are unique for each person. For instance, you could tell a co-worker that your new secretarial job has great benefits and mean you are satisfied because you get a three-week paid vacation. Your co-worker may think that you mean you have family insurance coverage.

MESSAGE The message is the idea, thought, feeling, or opinion to be communicated. Sometimes the message is clear and direct, such as, “Please help me log onto this computer.” Other times the message is unclear, as when a job inter- viewer says, “We’ll keep your application on file.” Does this comment mean you will be called for the next vacancy, or is this remark a polite way of saying you are not qualified, and you will never hear from the employer again? In addition, at all times, you are sending several messages simultane- ously. Along with the actual content of a message, you may nonverbally be sharing a feeling or defining how you see your relationship with the other person.

CHANNEL The channel is the medium through which the message travels from sender to receiver. In face-to-face communication, messages are carried by sound and light waves. Though you use sound and light primarily, people can and do use any sensory channel. How a person smells communicates, as does how firmly a person shakes hands. In addition, communication technology is requiring you to communicate in new and different ways. Whether you are using email or voice mail, teleconferencing or audio-conferencing, you need to know how and when to use the proper technology.

FEEDBACK Feedback is the receiver’s response to the message and indicates how the mes- sage is seen, heard, and understood, and often how the receiver feels about

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the message and/or the sender. In the case of oral communication, effective feedback comes after careful listening. Most students and employees spend more time listening than reading, writing, or speaking. Communication ex- perts, in general, estimate that you spend close to 50 percent of your day lis- tening. Part of a listener’s responsibility is to provide feedback, making communication a two-person affair, and as important, senders must seek out and attend to the feedback that is offered by their receivers. In interpersonal relationships where understanding is the goal, you will want to stimulate and use as much feedback as possible. In short, feedback is the primary means of increasing personal awareness and establishing a shared understanding. You should give and get as much feedback as possible.

Communication Principles If you think about the career for which you are preparing, you will proba- bly agree that most careers operate on the basis of certain fundamental principles. Accountants, for instance, balance books, prepare tax docu- ments, and compute payroll by following established accounting princi- ples. Engineers design products and processes, troubleshoot systems, and test new materials using scientific principles. Nurses adhere to ethical prin- ciples by treating patients with dignity and respect, being honest and trust- worthy in their professional relationships, and maintaining patient confidentiality.

Since communication skills are an integral part of your career, these skills are based upon a set of principles as well. Let’s examine some of them.

COMMUNICATION OCCURS WITHIN A CONTEXT Stop and think for a moment about when, where, why, and with whom you communicate. These factors form the context of your communication with others. Picture this scenario: It is eight o’clock in the morning, and you’ve had barely four hours of sleep due to a second-shift job (when). You’re sit- ting in a hot, stuffy classroom (where) listening to an economics lecture on supply and demand (why) delivered by an instructor (whom) with a mono- tone delivery that makes it difficult for you to keep your eyes open. Your ex- perience in this instance is likely to be much different than if it were lunchtime (when) in the campus cafeteria (where), and you were having a lively discussion about an upcoming Super Bowl (why) with a group of close friends (whom).

Based upon this comparison, you can see how the time of day, the location and purpose of the interaction, and the nature of the relationship all influence the kind of communication that occurs. Being tired, uncomfortable, and bored in the economics classroom, you may not feel inclined to be an active partici- pant. Talking with your friends, on the other hand, in a laid-back setting about a favorite topic will probably stimulate an engaging conversation.

These two examples reveal that your communication with others is in- fluenced by the following contexts:

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Communicating in the Workplace, by Thomas Cheesebro, Linda O’Connor, and Francisco Rios. Published by Prentice Hall. Copyright © 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Chapter 1 Communication Concepts 9

Chronological Context This context represents the time at which communi- cation occurs. The previous examples referred to time of day, but other chronological frameworks can be just as significant. Consider the days of the week, the seasons of the year, and the sequence of events. These factors can also exert a powerful influence on your interaction with others.

Physical Context This context refers to the location or setting of your com- munication. In addition, the location influences the way you send and receive messages. For example, your communication will be different if you are in a classroom, an office cubicle, a posh restaurant, or a neighborhood bar.

Functional Context This context reflects the purpose of the communication. You communicate to fulfill practical needs such as securing a job, renting an apartment, and maintaining your health and safety. You also communicate to satisfy social needs. As a human being, you desire to establish connections with others. Building these ties contributes to your sense of belonging and well-being. Finally, you communicate to facilitate decision making. Generally, the more information you receive, the better decisions you make. These deci- sions can range from deciding how to dress for the weather to what job to take, where to live, and whom to marry.

Relational Context This context is determined by the person or persons with whom you are communicating and the type of relationship you have with these individuals. Obviously, what you say and how you say it will change depending upon whether you are talking to your spouse, a total stranger, your boss, or a prospective date.

Cultural Context Finally, this context reflects diversity factors that impact interpersonal relationships. They include race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, disabilities, and so on. As an example, imagine that you are

Relational Context Influ- ences Communication

Physical Context Influences Communication

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Communicating in the Workplace, by Thomas Cheesebro, Linda O’Connor, and Francisco Rios. Published by Prentice Hall. Copyright © 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc.

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communicating with someone from a different culture. This individual may prefer to stand closer and establish more eye contact than you find comfort- able. Maybe your co-worker is more relaxed about time, a perspective that you find annoying when there is work to be done. In addition, cultural context can include corporate culture—the way employees view their place of employ- ment. In some companies, for instance, employees may feel comfortable ap- proaching their supervisor who has an open door policy. These employees may also be encouraged to contribute new ideas, participate in decision making, and further their education. In contrast, other companies may dis- courage involvement, preferring that employees punch in, do their jobs, and punch out. Obviously corporate culture is a significant influence in deter- mining productivity, morale, and personal satisfaction.

COMMUNICATION IS UNAVOIDABLE Try to stop communicating. What would you do? Leave? Sleep? Go into a corner with your iPod? If nothing else, you would communicate a desire not to communicate. Although you may associate communication with the spo- ken word, nonverbal cues can be just as powerful when it comes to sending and receiving information.

John Francis, Ph.D., and author of the book Planetwalker: 22 Years of Walking, 17 Years of Silence, is a testimony to the vital nature of nonverbal communication in human interaction (figure 1.6). A social activist, parti- cularly concerned about the environment, Francis gave up the use of motor vehi- cles in 1971 after seeing a massive oil spill in San Francisco Bay. Many looked upon his decision as crazy and told him that one person alone couldn’t make a difference. He decided that he didn’t want to spend the rest of his life arguing, so on his birthday, he gave up speaking for one day. That day, he

Cultural Context Influ- ences Communication

FIGURE 1.6 ■ John Francis, Ph.D., A Social Activist Who Used Silence as a Form of Communication

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Communicating in the Workplace, by Thomas Cheesebro, Linda O’Connor, and Francisco Rios. Published by Prentice Hall. Copyright © 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Chapter 1 Communication Concepts 11

realized he hadn’t been listening, so he decided to be quiet for another day. Those two days eventually turned into 17 years of silence, during which he founded a nonprofit organization (Planetwalk.org) and started walking across the country. Even more amazing is the fact that Francis earned a master’s degree and Ph.D. in environmental studies at the University of Wisconsin without speaking (Francis, 2006).

Francis’ primary means of communication included improvised sign lan- guage, notes, and his ever-present banjo. “For the first time, he found he was able to truly listen to other people and the larger world around him, trans- forming his approach to both personal communication and environmental activism” (Hertsgaard, 2005, p. 1).

Francis’ experience also illustrates the intrapersonal dimension that makes communication unavoidable. Whether or not you are in the presence of oth- ers, you engage in a continual internal monologue that judges, comments, worries, dreams, and analyzes. Silencing that inner voice would be almost as impossible as trying to live without breathing. Francis comments, “As I en- tered into the silence, I discovered lots of things about myself—some painful; all illuminating. It became a journey of self-discovery” (Francis, 2006, p. 78).

COMMUNICATION OCCURS AT DIFFERENT LEVELS Stop and think for a moment about the ways you talk to those with whom you live, work, and socialize. A bit of reflection will probably convince you that the nature and depth of your communication occurs on a variety of lev- els. The intimate sharing of feelings, hopes, and fears that you may do with family members and close friends is likely to be very different than the con- versations you have with fellow employees or casual acquaintances.

It is important to remember that because no two of your relationships with others is exactly alike, the levels at which you communicate are going to be dif- ferent as well. Author John Powell in his book, Why am I Afraid to Tell You Who I Am? (1969), explained that people reveal themselves on different levels. Fol- lowing are four levels that you may have experienced in your communication.

Small Talk This level of conversation enables you to establish contact with others and build rapport. Greeting a fellow classmate in the hall, talking with an acquaintance about the weather, or introducing yourself to someone you don’t know at a party can all be considered small talk. The content is not as important as the interpersonal contact this type of conversation provides. In some cases, your communication with others will never go beyond this level. In other instances, small talk serves as an icebreaker, leading to more substan- tive content as the relationship develops.

Information Talk This level of conversation occurs after you have gotten to know someone and feel more comfortable sharing information. The type of information shared can include hobbies and interests, likes and dislikes, per- sonal preferences, and so on. In a workplace setting, co-workers use infor- mation to get their jobs done. Whether an automotive service writer explains to a technician what repairs need to be performed on a vehicle or a team of

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marketing assistants strategize an ad campaign, both are using information to accomplish their objective.

Opinion Talk This level of communication is somewhat riskier than the other two levels already described. At this point, you are willing to let others know what you think about various subjects. Co-workers voicing political view- points over lunch, classmates telling each other the perspectives they have on the school grading policies, and friends critiquing the latest release of a new interactive video game are all engaging in opinion talk. Whenever you share your opinions, you open yourself to criticism from others. In addition, the disagreement that arises from differences of opinion can escalate into con- flicts. Quite often the basis of those conflicts involves attempts to convince someone that your viewpoint is the “right” one. If you recognize that opin- ions simply represent personal perspectives, all of which are subject to error, you may be less inclined to engage in pointless argumentation.

An ancient parable from India called The Blind Men and the Elephant il- lustrates the limitations of personal perspectives or viewpoints (figure 1.7).

Feelings Talk This level of communication is frequently the most challenging of all because when you share feelings with others, you expose parts of your innermost selves. Such exposure can make you feel vulnerable or subject to hurt, criticism, and ridicule. Think of the difficulty you may experience when you risk expressing any of the following: “I’m angry about that”; “I love

American poet John Godfrey Saxe (1816–1887) based this poem, The Blind Men and the Elephant, on a fable that was told in India many years ago. It is a good warning about how our sensory perceptions can lead to misinterpretations.

(Continued)

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Communicating in the Workplace, by Thomas Cheesebro, Linda O’Connor, and Francisco Rios. Published by Prentice Hall. Copyright © 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Chapter 1 Communication Concepts 13

It was six men of Indostan To learning much inclined,

Who went to see the Elephant (Though all of them were blind),

That each by observation Might satisfy his mind.

The First approached the Elephant, And happening to fall

Against his broad and sturdy side, At once began to bawl:

“God bless me! but the Elephant Is very like a wall!”

The Second, feeling of the tusk, Cried, “Ho! what have we here

So very round and smooth and sharp? To me ’tis mighty clear

This wonder of an Elephant Is very like a spear!”

The Third approached the animal, And happening to take

The squirming trunk within his hands, Thus boldly up and spake:

“I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant Is very like a snake!”

The Fourth reached out an eager hand, And felt about the knee.

“What most this wondrous beast is like Is mighty plain,” quoth he;

“’Tis clear enough the Elephant Is very like a tree!”

The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear, Said: “E’en the blindest man

Can tell what this resembles most; Deny the fact who can

This marvel of an Elephant Is very like a fan!”

(Continued)

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Communicating in the Workplace, by Thomas Cheesebro, Linda O’Connor, and Francisco Rios. Published by Prentice Hall. Copyright © 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc.