Effective Communication Skills Professional Development Bachelor Two Taslim Alade & Malika Ouacha Agenda 1 Definition and Importance 5 Class activities in between 2 4 types of communication in the workplace 3 Active listening as a form of verbal communication 4 7 active listening techniques 6 Conclusion 2 What is Communication? Conveying and receiving information through a range of verbal and nonverbal means (Harvard Business Review, 2022) 3 Use of Communication Skills in the workplace • In the workplace include a mix of verbal and non-verbal abilities ✓Presentation at work ✓Brainstorm with your coworkers ✓Address a problem with your boss ✓Confirm details with a client about their project ✓An essential part of developing positive professional relationships 4 Why are communication skills important? • Improve your relationships with your manager/coworkers • Build connections with customers • Help you convey your point quickly and clearly • Enhance your professional image • Encourage active listening and open-mindedness • Help advance your career 5 Communication Skills in the workplace 4 types of communication 1. Written communication 2. Verbal communication 3. Non-verbal communication 4. Visual communication 6 1. Written communication • Via email, Slack, WhatsApp, messenger, etc • Formal documents, project reports and white papers • Conveying information clearly, concisely • Use an accurate tone of voice 7 2. Verbal communication • Informal - Chatting with coworkers during lunch • Formal - Meeting with your manager to discuss your performance • Active listening Source: Veda App 8 3. Non-verbal communication • Body language • Eye contact • Appropriate facial expressions • Nodding • Verbal communication + body language = clear message 9 4. Visual communication • Images, graphs, charts • Visuals + piece of writing or stand alone • Ensure clarity to strengthen what you're sharing 10 Class Activity 1 (10-15 mins) • Reflection on Active Listening Video (1,5 minutes video) • What are your takeaways from the video • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzsVh8YwZEQ 11 Active listening as a form of verbal communication • Listen more, Talk less, Be decisive……….Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO • Average listener remembers 25% of a talk 2 months later (Harvard Business Review) • Absorbing the information and reflecting back • Ask questions and use your body language 12 Active listening as a form of verbal communication • Be intentional, in the moment, full attention • Oftentimes, we don't retain what we hear • Requires much deeper attention and empathy • Demonstrate unconditional acceptance and unbiased reflection (Weger, et.al., 2010) • Retain important information and person feels understood 13 Absence of real listening in the workplace • Under pressure to get the job done ✓We listen for the minimum of what we need to know ✓So, we can move on to the next fire that needs fighting ✓The consequence? ✓It’s no wonder “employee engagement” is a serious issue ✓Everybody’s talking; nobody’s listening 14 7 Active Listening Techniques 15 1. Focus on the intent and purpose of the conversation • Being mindful - being respectful and aware of the present moment • No daydreaming, no interrupting (sentence-grabbing/cutting) • No thinking about what you're going to say in response • Instead, take in the content and purpose of their words • You and the speaker build an authentic connection 16 2. Pay attention to body language • Much relies on the nonverbal face-to-face conversation • Communication is 55% nonverbal, 38% vocal, and 7% words (Albert Mehrabian, 2020) • Conscious/unconscious gestures to express or convey information ✓Facial expressions ✓Posture ✓Hand gestures ✓Eye contact or movement • When listening, consider what your body language says • Nodding your head, making eye contact, or smiling (if appropriate) • Excellent cues to show you're paying attention 17 3. Give encouraging verbal cues • Responses a listener may express to show they understand • “Minimal encouragers” - Professor Maurice Schweitzer • “yes, I see” or “mmhmm” or “I understand” • Used alongside gestures and expressions ✓Such as smiling or nodding 18 3. Give encouraging verbal cues • In turn, the speaker might give verbal cues ✓When they want the listener to pay extra attention ✓Like speaking more slowly or loudly to emphasize points ✓Stressing certain words, using a different tone of voice, or pausing ✓In that silence, they might expect a response from their listener 19 4. Clarify and paraphrase information • Sometimes not enough to nod and maintain eye contact • Doubts whether your mind grasped the full picture • Clarifying and paraphrasing the information ✓Helps both of you fill in any gaps in understanding 20 4. Clarify and paraphrase information • With a supervisor or a professor: Paraphrasing information can help • Supervisor: “I just wrapped up a meeting with the executive staff, and your budget proposal has been conditionally approved for next quarter.” • Direct report: “So we can begin hiring for the new roles as long as we meet our quarterly goal? Is that correct?” Supervisor: “Yes, exactly.” 21 5. Ask questions • Eliminates confusion • May think you have processed most ✓But you still have questions • By asking clarifying questions ✓You ensure you have heard the correct information ✓Demonstrate interest 22 5. Ask questions • Asking an open-ended question can encourage the speaker ✓To elaborate on an important or interesting idea • Shows you have been listening attentively and want to know more • This can nurture a bond between the speaker and listener 23 6. Refrain from judgment • Remain open, neutral, and nonjudgmental, avoiding criticism • Enables engagement with new ideas, perspectives • An open mind can open many doors of opportunities 24 7. Summarize, share, and reflect • Ensure to end on a high note (summarize) • Share a quick summary • If prompted, share your thoughts and opinions (reflect) ✓in a way that demonstrates you have digested the information ✓In informal settings may lead to deeper and meaningful conversations 25 7. Summarize, share, and reflect • After interaction, reflect on what you learned ✓In a lecture, interview, or a conversation with an old friend ✓May have strong feelings/ideas that need to be processed or written down ✓You may want to share your reflections with your teacher, or colleague • Feel free to reach out and engage with them after the initial interaction 26 7 Active Listening Techniques Focus on purpose Summarize, share, and reflect Body language Verbal cues Refrain from judgment Clarify and paraphrase Ask questions 27 Class Activity 2 – Group Role Play (20 mins) • Most students can go out while few remain in the class if they wish • Each group consist of three students • The talker, the active listener, and the observer • Each group will discuss their past summer holiday and plans for the present academic school year • When all students are back in class, at least most groups should reflect on the 7 active listening techniques 28 Class Activity 2 – Reflection on Role Play Which of these techniques did your colleague use during the role play amongst the 7 Active Listening Techniques? Focus on purpose Summarize, share, and reflect Body language Verbal cues Refrain from judgment Clarify and paraphrase Ask questions 29 Two aspects of listening in a co-active context • Awareness and Impact • Awareness - Information we receive in what we hear with our ears • Also listen with all of our senses and intuition • We hear, see, and experience sounds, words, images, feelings, energy • We are attentive to all the information we draw in from our senses 30 Two aspects of listening in a co-active context • Impact - points to the effect of our listening on others • Effective listener-Need to be conscious not only of what you are listening to • But also of the impact you have when you act on your awareness • Mostly, consciousness occurs just below surface while your attention is still on another person 31 Active Listening Source: Collaborative Equity 32 Active Listening Source: Collaborative Equity 33 3 Levels of Listening Source: Collaborative Equity 34 How to be a better listener - The Three Levels of Listening https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvBfVg3n82Q 35 Class Activity 3 - Reflect on the three levels of listening What are your takeaways from the video 36 Class activity 4 Role play – Two students will come in front of the class to discuss the script role play on student employee and employer in a company 37 Reflection of role play on three levels of listening Use the questions from the script 38 In Summary 39 Post-Workshop assignment Think about the following thought: What is the main reason for us (lecturers) teaching you about the art of listening? How did we get here as a society? And what is the value of putting this knowledge and know-how into practice? Accredited by Thank you Accredited by Nederlands Dit onderwijsmateriaal is een auteursrechtelijk beschermd werk in de zin van de Auteurswet. Het wordt in het kader van uw studie aan u ter beschikking gesteld en is uitsluitend bedoeld voor uw eigen persoonlijke gebruik. U mag daarvoor een persoonlijke kopie maken. Het verveelvoudigen en openbaar maken (waaronder begrepen het aan derden ter beschikking stellen en/of verspreiden) van dit onderwijsmateriaal of een gedeelte daarvan is niet toegestaan zonder voorafgaande schriftelijke toestemming van de Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam.
