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© 2010 Jones and Bartlett Publishers, LLC
Umiker's Management Skills for the New Health
Care Supervisor, Fifth Edition
Charles McConnell
© 2010 Jones and Bartlett Publishers, LLC
Chapter 32
Spoken CommunicationSpoken Communication
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Of Critical Importance
As leaders, supervisors use
communication skills to discharge
their management responsibilities.
Communication is by far the most
important managerial skill. Without
it, all other skills are inoperative.
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Information Sharing Must Be:
multidirectional, moving up, down,
laterally, and diagonally with equal facility;
objective, factual, and true;
comprehensive but not excessive;
credible; and
timely.
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The Informal System
The informal communication network, or
grapevine, flourishes when information is
scarce or changes take place. The
grapevine is rapid, up to date, and
pervasive and distributes information
quickly—BUT IT IS OFTEN UNRELIABLE.
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The Grapevine’s Advantages:
The grapevines two primary advantages are:
• Speed of transmission—information
moves faster than by most other means.
• Depth of penetration—the “rumor mill”
reaches people who never read a
newsletter, look at a bulletin board, etc.
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For Better Messages
Speak with conviction.
Substitute strong responses for weak ones.
Call a difference between people a
misunderstanding rather than a
disagreement.
Say what you can do, not what you cannot
do.
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For Better Messages
Shake hands with enthusiasm and
smile.
Be assertive.
Use people’s names often and
pronounce them correctly.
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Barriers to Verbal Communication
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Every Day We Speak in Five Languages.
1. English
2. Body language
3. Professional and technical jargon
4. Organizational and bureaucratic talk
5. “Computerese”
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Psychological Barriers
interrupting, arguing, blaming, talking
down to, kidding, or being sarcastic;
name calling or threatening;
using patronizing words or sexist terms ;
making statements indicative of
indifference or apathy:
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Body Language
Body language is often a significant
part of any interchange. It is an
important part of the “message,”
especially when the body language
contradicts the spoken words.
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Weakening Your Message
Making requests or demands in
question form.
Using disclaimers: “I know this
sounds silly, but…”
Using weak qualifiers: “sort of,”
“maybe”
Tolerating interruptions
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For Successful Listening
Look as though you are listening.
Sound as though you are listening.
Provide feedback.
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Skilled Listeners
Skilled listeners make frequent use of
supportive, responses and they
avoid defensive, judgmental, and
advisory ones. Skilled listeners also
listen carefully for underlying
feelings.
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A Test of Telephone Answering
Anonymously call your unit after
regular hours and ask a complex
question about an aspect of your
service. Be prepared for a shock.
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For All Telephone Users
Use the caller’s name frequently.
Say what you can do, not what you cannot
do.
Mitigate anger by answering empathetically.
For outbound calls, state your business first
and save the small talk for last.
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For All Telephone Users
Answer promptly and identify yourself.
Sound enthusiastic and cooperative.
Keep the person focused on the reason
for the call.
Keep personal calls short and
infrequent.
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For All Telephone Users
End conversations on a positive
note, and thank the person for
calling.
Make sure that the callers know
what you are going to do, and do it
promptly.
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Avoiding Phone Tag
Pick the best time to call.
Ask to page your party, or ask if there is
another number for reaching the person.
Ask if there is someone else who can
answer your question.
Leave a message.
Use an answering machine or e-mail.
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Voice Mail
Change your greeting regularly
In addition to your name, organization,
and phone number, state the time and
date, the nature of your call, when it is
convenient for you to be called, or
when you will call back.
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Voice Mail
Substitute a message for a request
to be called back.
Suggest a fax response if a
response is needed.
Let callers know when you make
callbacks.
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Some Pluses of Answering Machines
They force you to be brief.
You get no negative feedback or long-
winded conversations.
There is less likely to be
misinterpretation.
They minimize phone tag.
They avoid interruptions at critical times.