Skills at Work
Effective Communication
Sally Gillman – SU Careers Service
A good, succinct definition of communication in the workplace is given in the NHS Management
Training Scheme selection criteria:
Oral: Talk about ideas in a considered and logical way and generate interest
and understanding
Written: Produce structures and clearly written communications to suit the situation
Listening: Actively listen to others and demonstrate that they are listening
It is very difficult to separate out communication skills from many of the others covered in this
module, e.g. assertiveness, negotiation, report writing etc. However, this information sheet will
concentrate on looking at the general process of communication, listening, and more briefly,
asking questions and non-verbal communication.
Theory and Process of Communication
A large part of every working day is spent communicating in one way or another; we take it for
granted. But, it can be useful to analyse exactly what is going on and the potential problems and
pitfalls, especially as it is estimated by social psychologists that there is usually a 40-60% loss of
meaning in the transmission of messages from sender to receiver.
(In the theory of communication, the terms sender and receiver are used regardless of whether the
communication is verbal, non-verbal or written.)
The Steps
Sender's Role
1. Message Conceived
The sender decides to send the message as a result of an impulse, thought process or external
stimulus
Possible problem: message ill-conceived - vague, ambiguous, affected by the relationship of
sender with receiver
2. Message Encoded
Appropriate 'language' chosen: oral, written word, picture or non-verbal communication
Possible problem: wrong 'language' used - tone inappropriate
3. Communication Medium Selected
Appropriate medium selected - letter, interview, telephone call, email etc.
Possible problem: wrong medium selected, time wasted, expense incurred, no written record etc.
Receiver's role
4. Message Decoded
Language is decoded from knowledge of terms, specialist vocabulary
Possible problem: the received may not understand the terms used, perhaps unfamiliar jargon or
vocabulary too difficult
5. Message Interpreted
Interpretation of underlying as well as explicit meaning
Possible problem: the message could be wrongly interpreted perhaps as the effect of the
relationship of the receiver with sender, ambiguity etc.
6. Feedback Supplied
A signal passed to sender - written reply, spoken word
Possible problem: feedback not given, or wrongly interpreted by sender
Given the uniqueness and complexity of each human being, it is a miracle that misunderstandings
are not even more common! But, to minimise the crossed wires, the sender should try to:
a) decide what sort of action/response they want
Obviously, they cannot control the response, but knowing the outcome they would like will help
them frame and despatch the message appropriately.
b) select the most appropriate medium, e.g. phone, letter, face to face etc.
There are pros and cons to each method. For example, a written communication allows a record to
be kept and complex information transmitted to a number of people, but it can be time-consuming
and is more formal. Verbal communication, on the other hand, is direct and feedback and
exchange of ideas if immediate, but it is more difficult to control and there is usually no permanent
record
c) try to be as clear and unambiguous as possible. Avoid vagueness, sarcasm and pettiness. In
written communications where cues from the tone of voice are lacking, it can be dangerous to use
humour with people you don't know well
d) check that they receive the desired feedback, e.g. answers, confirmations, indication of attitudes
etc.
On their part, the receiver should try to:
a) give each message their full attention
b) check that it meets their needs. Don't settle for a bad phone line or waiting for a letter. Help the
sender by tactfully saying if the medium is inappropriate
c) take care to interpret correctly. Learn to attend to 'how' something is said and not just what is
stated explicitly
d) avoid deliberately misinterpreting the message as a means of retaliating against the sender
e) provide the sender with feedback to let them know you have received and understood the
message
Listening
In verbal communication, speaking is important but listening can be even more so, a fact that is
often overlooked.
The bully or bore who talks everyone else into submission is not an effective communicator. Really
listening to others can help build relationships, solve problems, increase understanding and
resolve conflict; in short, it can bring about better working relations with benefits both for the
individuals and the organisation.
You may think that you already listen well, but research has shown that often
- we hear half of what is said
- listen to half of that
- understand half of that
- believe half of that
- and remember just half of that
Half (or pseudo) listening
We all do it sometimes and for various reasons, which could include:

appearing interested so people will like us

being alert to see if you are in danger

just for one specific piece of information whilst screening everything else out

to buy time to prepare our own comments or to find someone's vulnterability

to get ammunition for an attack

so other people will feel they have to listen to us in return

to produce a desire effect on the assembled company

because we think we ought to or we don't want to hurt someone's feelings
However, if all your verbal communications involve just half-listening, then your relationships and
workplace effectiveness will probably suffer. The optimum style of listening is called 'active
listening'.
Active listening
This means that you are genuinely interested in finding out about the other person's views,
thoughts, feelings and/or the information they are conveying. Not only do you listen quietly, but you
also provide feedback to the speaker in terms of paraphrasing what they say and through your
non-verbal communication (body language). This way the communication becomes a genuinely
two-way process, you understand fully what the other person is trying to put across and in the
process make them feel valued.
Giving feedback by paraphrasing not only lets the speaker know that you are really listening, but
also allows you to confirm that you have understood correctly and, if necessary ask questions to
clarify.
Blocks to Active Listening
But we're all human and active listening is not an easy skill to master. Some of the blocks to 'real'
listening include:

comparing yourself to the speaker and competing with them

mind reading: making assumptions based on hunches or vague misgivings rather than
really listening to what is being said and how

rehearsing what you are going to say next

filtering so you only listen for certain bits of information and not others

judging or rather pre-judging the speaker so you dismiss what they are actually saying

dreaming: just going off into your own thoughts

identifying: referring everything they say back to you and your own experience

advising: jumping in too soon with the solution to their 'problem'

sparring: you're so quick to disagree, the other person doesn't feel heard

being right: you just keep justifying yourself

interrupting and changing the subject or making a joke of it

placating: just going along with things
When you're aware of the 'blocks' it can be interesting to see which ones you employ, with which
people, and why! Conversely, you can check out which ones people use when they're 'listening' to
you.
Obviously not all verbal communications will call for active listening, a passing conversation with
the postman or the sales assistant in Wright's Pies for example, but many of your dealings with coworkers, managers or subordinates would probably benefit.
Asking Questions
It's by asking questions that we learn, but what we learn will depend on the questions we ask and
how we ask them. The wrong sort of question in the wrong tone of voice will yield little information
and may antagonise the respondent. On the other hand, the appropriate type of question posed in
an encouraging tone will increase positive communication.
There are many types of questions (read Mackay, listed in Resources), but potentially useful
questions will either be open or closed.
If you want explore someone's thinking on a subject and get a better understanding of what they
believe, feel or mean then you should ask an Open Question.
Examples: What do you think about...? What are your views on... ? To what extent do you think
that...?
These types of question give the respondent a chance be expansive and to go into some depth
about their ideas.
However, if you want to get a specific piece of factual information from someone you will probably
ask a Closed Question.
Examples: What is your date of birth? Where did you get that dress? Does it hurt here?
The answers you get will be short and to the point, they may even be just yes or no.
If you ask the 'wrong' (i.e. inappropriate) type of question you won't get the information you require
and, in the process, may create other communication problems.
Example: You're trying to evaluate a colleague's response to a newly introduced office procedure.
If you ask the closed question, "Does the new system work", you may well get a yes/no answer
which won't help you much. But, if you ask the open question, "What do you think about the new
system", the chances are the respondent will be encouraged to go into more detail about the
advantages and problems of the system thus giving you more useful feedback.
Having asked the question you then need to listen carefully to the answer (active listening as
above) and follow up with other inquiries if necessary – though do try to avoid turning the
exchange into a grilling. It is also important to use an appropriate tone of voice – even an open
question aggressively barked is likely to bring a monosyllabic response! Tone of voice is part of
what is called non-verbal communication.
Non-verbal communication
Non-verbal communication (NVC) is as it says, all those elements in which human communicate
with each other apart from the actual words spoken – appearance, movement, intonation, touch,
stance etc. - and it is a very important element of communication. It has been noted that when the
content of what is said conflicts with the messages given non-verbally, most people will believe the
latter.
Pop psychology would have it that each movement or stance has a very specific meaning. This is
a bit of an over-simplification and it is important not to get too rigid in your thinking, i.e. crossed
arms is always a defensive measure – it may just be that the person is cold! There are also social
class, gender and cultural differences which need to be taken into account. However, as you
become more adept at people watching (and that includes being aware of yourself) it is possible to
improve your ability to interpret non-verbal language and thus your communication skills.
Resources:
http://cba.neu.edu/~ewertheim/interper/commun.htm
Readable on the theory of communication, barrier to, listening and giving feedback
www.coping.org/communi/listen.htm
Very useful on listening
www3.usal.es/~nonverbal/introduction.htm
From the essentials to the in-depth of non-verbal communication, with loads of useful links
Books in the Careers Service:
Listening Skills, Ian Mackay (2000)
Asking Questions, Ian Mackay (2002)
Body Language at Work, Adrian Furnham (2000)
Bodytalk: the skills of positive image, Judi James (1999) – This is far less in-depth than Furnham
above, just a chapter in a book about image in general.
There are many books in the Thompson library depending on the area of communications you are
particularly interested in. Probably the main class. no. is 658.45, but please do a search.