BUILDING YOUR CAREER SUCCESS WITH COMMUNICATION SKILLS

The Importance of Communication Skills to Your Career

Communication skills are critical to job placement, performance, career advancement, and organizational success.

Succeeding in the Changing World of Work

Trends in the new world of work emphasize the importance of communication skills.

Today’s employees must contribute to improving productivity and profitability.

Business Trends Illustrate the Importance of Excellent Communication Skills Flattened management hierarchies More participatory management Increased emphasis on self-directed

work groups and virtual teams Heightened global competition Innovative communication technologies New work environments Focus on information and knowledge as

corporate assets

Developing Better Listening Skills

Barriers to Effective Listening Physical barriers Psychological barriers Language problems Nonverbal distractions Thought speed Faking attention Grandstanding

Barriers to Effective Listening Physical barriers: hearing disabilities, poor

acoustics, noisy surroundings, illness, tiredness, worry, uncomfortable feeling

Psychological barriers Language problems Nonverbal distractions Thought speed Faking attention Grandstanding

Barriers to Effective Listening Physical barriers Psychological barriers: different set of

cultural, ethical, and personal values

Language problems Nonverbal distractions Thought speed Faking attention Grandstanding

Barriers to Effective Listening Physical barriers Psychological barriers Language problems: unfamiliar

words

Nonverbal distractions Thought speed Faking attention Grandstanding

Barriers to Effective Listening Physical barriers Psychological barriers Language problems Nonverbal distractions: unusual

clothing, speech mannerisms, body twitches, radical hairstyle

Thought speed Faking attention Grandstanding

Barriers to Effective Listening Physical barriers Psychological barriers Language problems Nonverbal distractions Thought speed: listeners process thoughts

faster than speakers can say them, they can become bored and allow their minds to wander

Faking attention Grandstanding

Barriers to Effective Listening Physical barriers Psychological barriers Language problems Nonverbal distractions Thought speed Faking attention

Grandstanding

Barriers to Effective Listening Physical barriers Psychological barriers Language problems Nonverbal distractions Thought speed Faking attention

Grandstanding: fail to listen carefully because we’re just waiting politely for the next pause, so that we can have our turn to speak

Active Listener Tips

Stop talking Control your surroundings Establish a receptive mind-set Keep an open mind Listen for main points Capitalize on lag time: reviewing

speaker’s points (keep focusing) and anticipating what’s coming next. Don’t allow yourself to daydream!

Active Listener Tips

Listen between the lines: Focus both on what is spoken as well as what is unspoken.

Judge ideas, not appearances: concentrate on the content of the message, not on its delivery.

Hold your fire: force yourself to listen to the speaker’s entire argument or message before reacting.

Take selective notes Provide feedback: let the speaker know

that you are listening by using eye contact, nod your head, ask questions

Nonverbal Communication Skills Can Send Silent Messages

Eye contact Facial expression Posture and gestures Time: length of time spending in communication Space: furniture arrangement or design around

us Territory: zones of privacy in which we feel

comfortable Appearance of business document: how neat

in paper works Personal appearance

Tips for Improving Nonverbal Skills Establish and maintain eye contact to show your

interest, attentiveness, strength, and credibility Use posture to show interest Improve your decoding skills Probe for more information Avoid assigning nonverbal meanings out of context:

don’t interpret nonverbal behavior if you don’t understand situation or culture

Associate with people from diverse cultures Appreciate the power of appearance Observe yourself on videotape Enlist friends and family: ask them to monitor you

How Culture Affects CommunicationComparing Key Cultural Values1. Individualism2. Formality3. Communication Style4. Time Orientation

Comparing Key Cultural Values:Individualism

Individual action Self-reliance Personal

responsibility Independence Freedom from

control

Membership in org., group, and team

Group values, duties, and decisions

Individualism Group or Team

While North Americans value individualism and personal responsibility, other cultures emphasize group-and team- oriented values.

Comparing Key Cultural Values:Formality

Less emphasis on tradition, ceremony, and social rules such as casual dressing or a first name basis w/ others

Lack of formality: directness i.e. in business, they will come to the point immediately

Emphasis on tradition, ceremony, and social rules

Formality

Informality and Directness

Tradition and Indirectness

Although North Americans value informality and directness, other cultures may value tradition and indirectness.

Comparing Key Cultural Values:Communication Style

Straightforward: they tend to suspicious of evasiveness and distrust people who might have hidden agenda. They tend to be uncomfortable with silence and impatient with delays.

Indirectness Silence and

delays are common

Straightforwardness Indirectness

North Americans tend to be direct and to understand words literally.

Comparing Key Cultural Values:Time Orientation

Consider time a precious commodity to be conserved. Keeping people waiting for business appointments wastes time and is also rude!

Punctuality

Consider time as unlimited and never ending resource to be enjoyed

Being late for an appointment is not a grievous sin

Time Patience

North Americans correlate time with productivity, efficiency, and money.

Communication Across Cultures

U.S. American Japanese Arabs

1. Freedom 1. Belonging 1. Family security

2. Independence 2. Group harmony 2. Family harmony

3. Self-reliance 3. Collectiveness 3. Parental guidance

4. Equality 4. Age/Seniority 4. Age

5. Individualism 5. Group consensus 5. Authority

6. Competition 6. Cooperation 6. Compromise

7. Efficiency 7. Quality 7. Devotion

8. Time 8. Patience 8. Patience

9. Directness 9. Indirectness 9. Indirectness

10. Openness 10. Go-between 10. Hospitality

Comparison of Cultural Values Ranked by Priority

Controlling Ethnocentrism and Stereotyping

Ethnocentrism Stereotypes Tolerance

The belief in the superiority of one’s own culture and group

An oversimplified behavioral pattern or characteristic applied to entire group, which may not accurately describe cultural norms

Having sympathy for and appreciating beliefs and practices different from our own by practicing empathy, being nonjudgmental, and being patient

Tips for Effective Communication with Diverse Workplace Audiences

Understand the value of differences Don’t expect conformity (agreement): differences can

be positive Create zero tolerance for bias and stereotypes Practice focused, thoughtful, and open-minded

listening Invite, use, and give feedback Make fewer assumptions: don’t think for the others Learn about your cultural self Learn about other cultures and identity groups Seek common ground: mutual goals or similar values

Tips for Minimizing Oral Miscommunication Among Cross-Cultural Audiences Use simple English Speak slowly and enunciate (announce) clearly Encourage accurate feedback: ask probing questions and encourage

the listener to paraphrase what you say Check frequently for comprehension: avoid waiting until you finish a

long explanation to request feedback. Instead, make one point at a time, pausing to check for comprehension.

Accept blame: if a misunderstanding results, graciously accept the blame for not making your meaning clear.

Observe eye messages: Be alert to a glazed expression or wandering eyes. These tell you the listener is lost.

Listen without interrupting Remember to smile Follow up in writing: After conversations or oral negotiations, confirm

the results and agreements with follow up letters. For proposals and contracts, engage a translator to prepare copies in local language.

Tips for Minimizing Written Miscommunication Among Cross-Cultural Audiences

Consider local styles: learn how documents are formatted and how letters are addressed in each country

Consider hiring translator: if your document is important, or will be distributed to many readers, or must be persuasive

Use short sentences and short paragraphs: for most readable (sentences: fewer than 20 words/ paragraphs: fewer than 8 lines)

Avoid ambiguous wording: avoid idioms, slang, acronyms, abbreviations, jargon. Instead, use action specific verbs (purchase rather than get).

Cite numbers carefully

Reference

Essentials of Business Communication, Mary Allen Guffey’s, 2007, Thomson South-Western.