Is there any such thing as perfect communication?
Or are there merely varying degrees of
MIScommunication?

Words don’t have meaning . . .
- only people do
And sometimes they don’t either!

MLCP: Supervisory Skills for Business & Industry
MODULE 7: LINES OF COMMUNICATION - VERBAL
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
On successful completion of this module, participants will:
Have a sharpened awareness of the flow of communications within the organization, and of associated barriers and gateways.
Have a heightened understanding of the nature of active listening, and be prepped to continue practicing the basic skills involved;
Have examined the processes of making presentations and conducting interviews, and have learned tools and techniques for increasing individual effectiveness in these important communication skill areas.

Study by Dr. Paul Rankin - Ohio State University.
(65-member study group; every 15 mins; 2-mth study period)
What’s your guess at the percentages?

Study by Dr. Paul Rankin - Ohio State University.
(65-member study group; every 15 mins; 2-mth study period)
Our ‘Upside-Down’ Educational Priorities!

Findings by Dr Albert Mehrabian – U Cal-LA
- How We Deliver Meaning
When we communicate, we convey meaning as follows:
38% through tone and facials
55% through body language)
7% through the spoken words
Words
Tone &
Facials
“Wow! Hardly worth bothering with the words!” Body
Language

Lawrence Appley, a former President of the American Management Association, defined the management function as,
“Simply, the business of getting others to do the things that must be done”
If this is the management task, then communication must be the very heart and soul of managing any enterprise.
But if we can’t communicate effectively, then how are we to get others to do those things that must be done?
Poor communication is a handicap we just can’t afford!

STRUCTURES:
Hierarchical Organic
Rigid Departmentalization
Clear Chain of Command
High Specialization
Narrow Spans of Control
Centralization
High Formalization
Cross-Functional Teams
Cross Hierarchical Teams
Free Information Flow
Wide Spans of Control
Decentralization
Low Formalization

Communication Loss by Transmission and Poor Retention
Board
Chief Exec 100%
Sr. VPs
67%
53% VPs
Directors
40%
Managers
Employees
30%
20%
Findings from 100
Organizations
Savage-Lewis Corp.,
Minneapolis
Peer Intercommunication: 90%

How can organizations expect to survive with only 20% information efficiency?
Every year, more than 5% of North
American companies go bankrupt!
New businesses have only a 40% chance of lasting their 1 st Year
90% of North American businesses have disappeared after 25 years!

An unstructured & informal network, founded on social relationships
The oldest of the communication channels – and still often the fastest
Fuelled by rumour – but more often than not having at least a kernel of truth.
Grapevines flourish . . .
When the subjects are critical - or fascinating
– to employees
When there is ambiguity
Under conditions that arouse anxiety

E-mail and the wwweb have carried the grapevine far beyond the watercooler e.g., www.vault.com
Pros and Cons:
Helps employees make sense of situations when more formal information not available.
Affords social interaction; helps relieve anxiety; satisfies drive to bond; a sign of inclusion.
Can undermine morale when mgmt is slower than grapevine on important matters
– suggests lack of concern
Info may become distorted enough to escalate anxieties

We judge ourselves by our intentions, while others judge us by our actions.
People hear what we say; they see what we do…
- but actions talk louder than words!
If you can’t do it, don’t say it!
And if you can’t say it . . .
. . . Don’t play it!
Words to live by are just words . . .
. . . Unless you live by them.
YOU MUST WALK THE TALK!

For a full text version, visit the MLCP
Supplemental Materials
Website
Facilitator ‘Primes the
Pump’ with an opening review of subject
Participants complete individual assignment on the subject
Sub-teams brainstorm, consensus-reach, and prepare summaries
Sub-team speakers report back to main group

MLCP: Supervisory Skills for Business & Industry
MODULE 7: LINES OF COMMUNICATION - VERBAL
T= Statement is True
F= Statement is False
?
= Not Specified

INTERPRETING INFORMATION

“It’s a dog”
“I have a pet”
“St Bernard”
“Full-grown” “Colour?”
“What kind?”
“What kind?”
“Pup or old?”
“Tan & white”
Wow! I see what you mean!
“Why didn’t you just say you have a grown tan & white St Bernard pet?”

ACTIVE LISTENING

ACTIVE LISTENING
Components of Active Listening
Based on Steven L. McShane
Canadian Organizational Behaviour
5 th Edition – McGraw-Hill Ryerson

ACTIVE LISTENING
SENSING:
Postponing Evaluation:
Avoid first impressions about the subject; keep an open mind.
Withhold evaluation until the speaker finishes.
Avoiding Interruptions:
Two adverse effects of interruptions:
When speaker’s train disrupted, receiver gets a broken or incomplete message.
Interruptions tend to result from second-guessing the speaker, contributing to problem of premature evaluation.

ACTIVE LISTENING
SENSING:
Maintaining Interest:
Active interest requires motivation:
We so often call a subject uninteresting or boring
“In all this world, there’s no such thing as an uninteresting subject – only uninterested people!”
- G. K. Chesterton, Writer / Philosopher
Try the position, “There’s usually something of value in a conversation: It’s just a case of actively looking (listening) for it”

ACTIVE LISTENING
EVALUATING:
This component includes:
- Understanding the meaning of the message;
- Evaluating the message; and
- Remembering the message
Empathizing:
Active listeners try to be sensitive to the speaker’s feelings, thoughts & situation, so can more accurately interpret the speaker’s verbal and non-verbal cues.
Empathizing includes listening from speaker’s point of view, and making efforts to ‘synchronize’ with the speaker.

ACTIVE LISTENING
EVALUATING:
Organizing Information:
First we’ll explore perhaps the biggest and least-recognized listening trap of all:
The differential between speech speed and thought speed
Normal talking: 100 – 120 words/minute
Thought speed: 400 – 800 words/minute
Typically in every 60 seconds:
10 seconds of attention;
50 seconds of ‘Out’;

ACTIVE LISTENING
EVALUATING:
Organizing Information:
Harnessing the differential between speech speed and thought speed is at the very heart of listening skills development:
1
Listen carefully to what the speaker has to say,
- and what he AVOIDS saying;
2
3
Anticipate what his next point is going to be;
Throw in mental summaries every few minutes as though preparing to make a speech-end report.

ACTIVE LISTENING
Responding:
Responding deals with the listener’s development and behaviours that support the communication process,
Showing Interest:
Active listeners show interest in such ways as: maintaining good eye contact;
‘mirroring’;
‘matching’.

ACTIVE LISTENING
Responding:
‘ Mirroring’ (Signalling Similarity)
Show commonality;
Reflect posture
People like it when they sense empathy
‘Matching’ (Synchronizing)
Matching others’ movements makes people feel in synch
Nod when they emphasize key points
Smile when the words indicate pleasure
But Remember: Subtlety is paramount!

Aim to maintain eye contact about 60% of the time
Imagine a small triangle on the forehead, just above the nose, and between the eyebrows
Looking at the triangle creates the impression of maintaining eye contact without experiencing the feeling of discomfort that that can come from staring into a person’s eyes

ACTIVE LISTENING
Responding:
Clarifying the Message:
Active listeners provide feedback by rephrasing the speaker’s ideas at appropriate breaks
“So you’re saying that . . .”
Provides three important benefits:
Further demonstrates your interest’
Helps consolidate what you’ve heard;
Enables speaker to gauge your level of understanding.

ACTIVE LISTENING
Now it’s time for your Active Listening Self-Assessment!
Working individually, please fill out the questionnaire.
The sheet won’t be collected in
‘Say it the way you see it’
Scoring and interpretation info will follow.
“Oh boy!
Time to confess!”

ACTIVE LISTENING

Developing and Delivering Presentations
People’s Greatest Fears:
Death - 19%
Sickness - 19%
Drowning - 21%
Money problems - 22%
Insects & bugs - 22%
Heights- 32%
Public speaking - 41%

Developing and Delivering Presentations
- Get clear on the mission:
What’s your objective?
What’s the desired outcome?
Consider this:
If you don’t know where you’re going. . .
- How can you reasonably expect to get there?
- How would you know if you strayed off-course?
- How would you even know if you got there?

Developing and Delivering Presentations
“The meaning of a communication is the response it elicits”
R. Bandler & J. Grinder
The success of a presentation can only be measured from the audience’s perspective.
Knowing something well and being able to communicate it are two different things!
Cater to your audience’s composition, disposition, subject matter grasp, language level.
Rapport provides the essential context for successful communication.

Developing and Delivering Presentations
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
START
Primacy
TIME
Recency
END

Developing and Delivering Presentations
1. The Opening:
‘TELL THEM WHAT YOU’LL TELL THEM’
Key concepts; WIIFM; timing; ‘rules of play’
2. The Body:
‘TELL THEM’
Your case; keypoints; data; arguments
3. The Close:
‘TELL THEM WHAT YOU’VE TOLD THEM’
Keypoint summary; action statement

Meet the ‘Phantom Critic’
He’s the toughest, most critical audience I can think of, and he reads over my shoulder while
I write, challenging me at will.
He’s intolerant of . . .
- Long sentences
- Lack-of-Clarities
- Ambiguities
- Other long words
He’s Mr. K.I.S.S. personified, and he holds me accountable for my every word!

Communication Self-Appraisal
- Fifteen tough questions to ponder . .
1.
Do I assume that if an idea is clear to me, it will also be clear to the receiver?
2.
Am I tolerant of other peoples’ feelings, realizing that their feelings - which may be different from mine- affect their communication?
3.
Do I listen to understand, rather than spending my thought-power preparing my next remark?

Communication Self-Appraisal
- Fifteen tough questions to ponder . .
4.
Do I really try to listen from the point of view of the sender before evaluating the message from my point of view?
5.
Do I make a conscious effort to determine my own bias, if any, and try to make allowances for it?
6.
Do I check my understanding of what the other person has told me before I reply?

Communication Self-Appraisal
- Fifteen tough questions to ponder . .
7.
Do I listen primarily for ideas and underlying feelings, or do I concern myself mainly with the detailed ‘facts’?
8.
How skilful am I at being brief, concise, and ‘to the point’ in my communications?
9.
Do I make a conscious effort to use the
‘feedback’ process to advantage both as a speaker and as a listener?

Communication Self-Appraisal
- Fifteen tough questions to ponder . .
10.
In my face-to-face communications, am I alert to the expressions, gestures, or mannerisms the “Non-verbals” - that might indicate a conflict or breakdown in understanding?
11.
Do I make it comfortable for others to tell me what’s really on their minds - or do I tend to encourage them to tell me what I like to hear?
12.
How easy is it for people to disagree with me when they have evidence or the experience to support their position?

Communication Self-Appraisal
. . and now the last three closing questions . .
13.
When a point at issue is under discussion, do
I tend to make it so strongly that other people yield too rapidly, despite their convictions to the contrary?
14.
How willing am I to let others know when I don’t understand, particularly in situations where, by doing so, I might be considered
‘dumb’?
15.
Do I always have to have the ‘last word’?

Stephen R. Covey, Author
- Principle-Centred Leadership
- The ‘7 Habits’ Series, and More.

tsi&@execulink.com