The skills and knowledge required to present and negotiate persuasively, lead and participate in meetings and make presentations to customers, clients, and other key stakeholders are all imperative to successful work teams. Anyone can communicate, but to communicate in a way in which people understand, respect and are motivated is very powerful.
By the end of this chapter, you will understand:
- Cross-cultural communication
- Techniques for negotiating and presenting information when communicating
- Developing healthy communication structures that help influence action
- The importance of tone and style in communication.
What is Communication?
We communicate with different people every day, in all kinds of different ways.
There are many types and factors of effective communication that can be implemented in the workplace, and it is important that leaders know when and how to use them.
The Importance of Communication
Communication is the passing on or sharing of thoughts, opinions or information.
It is a core employability skill.
Communication is important as it helps other people understand:
- What is expected of them in the workplace
- How they should behave and act in relation to specific situations
- What their colleagues, clients or customers need from them
Types of Communication
Communication can be categorised into three basic types:
- Verbal communication: where you listen to a person to understand their meaning
- Written communication: where you read their meaning either on paper or electronically
- Nonverbal Communication: you observe a person and infer meaning
Each style has its own advantages, disadvantages and even pitfalls, depending on the context, the situation and who you are communicating with.
Applying Different Types of Communication
The information below looks at the different ways you might apply different types of communication and their definitions:
| Inter-Organisational | Communication between organisations, for example, discussions with customers, suppliers etc. |
| Intra-Organisational | Communication within an organisation, for example, meetings or between departments. |
| Inter-Group | Communication between groups within an organisation. |
| Interpersonal | Communication between individuals. |
| Intrapersonal | Communication with yourself, such as trying to remember something or thinking something through. |
Using Your Senses to communicate effectively
Communication is about so much more than just the words you speak or the words you write. When you communicate with someone, you pay attention to all kinds of variables, and you usually engage your different senses to help you build a stronger picture of what the person is trying to tell you and to gather additional information.
Using our senses to engage in this way is an important part of effective communication, as below:
| Your Ears | To listen to the words of the other person, but not just their words. We also listen to the tone of their voice and how it changes depending on what they are telling us. The tone of voice pauses in speech and verbal sounds such as sighs tell us a lot when we are communicating. |
| Your Eyes | To observe non-verbal signals such as facial expressions and physical gestures. This also includes eye contact, which is a key part of effective communication. |
| Your Head | When communicating, we engage with not only what is being said but what we know about the person, the information they are sharing with us and our past experiences. We use our minds to analyse all kinds of information when we communicate. |
| Your Heart | Our emotions play a big role in how we communicate, and we may need to tune in to what emotions are being conveyed or covered up when we communicate. Sometimes we will need to use empathy when communicating to demonstrate that we understand the message being delivered. |
Communicating Effectively
The diagram below represents sending and receiving visually.
- The source represents the person sending the message (you!)
- Encoding is where the message or communication is made by you, hopefully in a concise and easy-to-understand way
- Channel is how you choose to communicate a message. This could be verbal communication in a face-to-face meeting, over the phone, or it could be written communication like an email or SMS
- Decoding is where the person the communication is targeted at will process what you have said or sent to them
- Receiver is the last step of the communication process and hopefully where the person understands what you have communicated so that they can take the appropriate action or respond accordingly
Read more about understanding communication skills. 1
For effective communication to happen, four things need to occur:
- NOTICING that a message is being sent
- ACCEPTING the message
- UNDERSTANDING the message received
- RESPONDING to the message
Watch the following short video by wayForward titled Effective Communication. It provides a description of effective communication and its impacts in the workplace: 2
Note
To communicate effectively, we need to also navigate through a range of communication barriers that may exist. We will discuss this in the next lesson.
Mehrabian’s 7-38-55 Communication Model
The 7-38-55 Communication model says that 7% of the meaning of feelings and attitudes occurs through the words we use in spoken communications. In comparison, 38% takes place through tone and voice, and the remaining 55% of communication of these factors occurs through the body language we use (specifically our facial expressions). 3
Types of Communication
Using your current work environment, or one you have recently worked in, consider the following:
Be sure to make and keep notes for your future reference, as this information will support you in your assessment and professional practice.
For each of the types of communication listed below, provide a brief description of what each is about.
| Type of Communication | Description |
|---|---|
| Inter-Organisational | |
| Intra-Organisational | |
| Inter-Group | |
| Interpersonal |
What is a Communication Barrier?
A communication barrier is anything that prevents a message or information you are attempting to share from getting across effectively. There are many barriers to communication, and these may occur at any stage in the communication process. Barriers may lead to your message becoming distorted and risk resulting in you, therefore, wasting your time by causing confusion and misunderstanding. Effective communication involves overcoming these barriers and conveying a clear and concise message. What are Common Communication Barriers? Barriers can lead to your message becoming distorted, causing confusion and misunderstandings. It is important to be able to identify common communication barriers in order to overcome them and convey a clear and concise message to the receiver. Types of Communication Barriers Effective communication in the workplace is not always straightforward, and barriers can easily get in the way. Barriers can be visible (we can perceive them) and nonvisible (we might have to hunt them out before realising they are there!).
Some of these barriers include:
- Physical barriers: walls between offices, closed doors and distance between staff members are all examples of physical barriers. These are the easiest to identify.
- Psychological barriers: refers to the psychological state of an individual. The opinions, attitudes, and emotions affect their ability to communicate.
- Organisational barriers: include structures and systems of an organisation. Things like lack of training and supervision, job roles not being clear and understood, and inadequacies in organisational design that make communication confusing for employees.
- Perception barriers: these are internal. Our perceptions and experiences shape how we will perceive or interpret information; the same message could mean three different things to three different people.
- Cultural barriers: this could be societal, cultural differences or even the work culture of a company where seniority is valued over fresh ideas of workers new to the business.
- Language barriers: can be as obvious as it sounds, but it can also include industry jargon that people from outside the business may not be familiar with.
Website
For more detailed information about barriers to communication, follow the link here. 4
Communication Barriers in the Digital World
The way we work in organisations today allows us to communicate using various digital methods such as emails, chats and text messages. Our brains are hard-wired to misinterpret the information we read. This is because all of the barriers we just discussed still play a major role in communication, whether you are face-to-face or communicating digitally.
Theories of Communication
In Albert Mehrabian’s theory of communication and the 7-38-55 rule. This theory states that:
Understanding Cross-Cultural Factors in Communication The norms of social interaction vary greatly in different cultures, as do the way in which emotions are expressed. For example, the concept of personal space varies between cultures and between different social settings. When working with diverse teams and across culturally diverse organisations, it is important to be aware of these differences and how they might show up in communication. Cross-Cultural Communication Within the Workplace Cross-cultural communication has become strategically important to companies due to the growth of global businesses, technology and the internet. Understanding cross-cultural communication is important for any company that has a diverse workforce or plans on conducting global business. This type of communication involves an understanding of how people from different cultures speak, communicate and perceive the world around them. Cross-Cultural Communication at Work Different organisations will have different criteria that impact the way they do business and the ways they communicate, including:
- Customs
- Beliefs
- Communication strategies
Let us take a closer look at what each of these means in relation to work.
Customs
Different cultures have different customs and etiquettes that they place as high importance within business and communication. For example, South African business culture relies heavily on personal trust between parties.
Beliefs
Different beliefs will impact how people work and communicate. This could be due to religious beliefs and customs they need to adhere to. For example, in Islam, and for any Muslim man across the world, the Friday noon prayer is a requirement.
Communication strategies
In some cultures, it is appropriate to shout and be loud, and arguing and debating are seen as a normal and acceptable part of communication or negotiation strategies. In other cultures, the opposite is true. Different cultures have preferred ways of communicating and interacting, especially at work.
Cross-Cultural Communication Factors
Listed below are the major factors that affect cross-cultural communication:
- Language differences
- High context vs. low context cultures
- Non-verbal differences
- Power distance
Watch the following short video by iNurture eLearning called Cross-culture communication: 4:58 5
High Context vs. Low Context Cultures
The communication context of any situation depends on:
- WHO you are communicating with
- WHERE you are
- WHAT you are communicating about
- WHY you are communicating in the first place
Understanding the differences between high context cultures and low context cultures can help you navigate determining the situation and the communication context.
Watch the following short video titled High and Low Context Culture by Intercultural English: 3:06 6
Cultural Context Inventory
The list below shows the kind of behaviour that is generally found in high- and low-context cultures within five categories:
- Association: how people relate to each other
- Interaction: how they communicate with each other
- Territoriality: how they treat space
- Temporality: how they treat time
- Learning: how they learn
We will now zoom in a bit closer and look at each in more detail.
| Low context | High context | |
|---|---|---|
| Association |
|
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| Interaction |
|
|
| Territoriality |
|
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| Temporality |
|
|
| Learning |
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Intercultural Communication
Anthropologist Edward Hall founded the field of intercultural communication in 1959 with his book The Silent Language. He defines intercultural communication as a form of communication that shares information across different cultures and social groups (Hall, 2016). The following image displays cultures and where they fall on the high vs. low context scale:
Effective Cross-Cultural Communication
Developing strong cross-cultural communication skills is the first step to creating a successful work environment.
Watch the following short video by Cross-Cultural Communication called Effective Cross-Cultural Communication 101 to learn more about effective cross-cultural communication: 4:06 7
The tone of your communication will change constantly depending on both your audience and your objective for the communication. The tone of your communication can affect your business both positively and negatively and can make the same communication either highly engaging or confusing and even offensive.
Why is Tone Important?
The tone of your communication can be described as how the character of you or your business comes through in words (spoken or written). Rather than being about what you are saying, the tone of your communication is ‘how’ you are saying it. Your tone can convey meaning beyond the words being spoken (or written).
Consider the phrase ‘I don’t know’ Think of the many ways in which this phrase can be conveyed just by changing the tone in which it is spoken (or the tone and context in which it is written). Some examples may include:
- A moody teenager asking where the TV remote is
- A helpful shop assistant who follows up with helpful advice
- A not-so-helpful shop assistant who offers no follow-up
- Someone confused and needing help
- Someone annoyed who wants to be left alone
Your tone is a small component of conversation and communication; however, its impact should not be underestimated. Consider the impact if a manager sounds irritated, bored or disinterested while providing suggestions or supervising team members. This could damage overall team morale and engagement with team members. Your tone is likely to change depending on the type of communication, whether you are addressing a memo, letter, report, formal or informal email or another business document. The tone of a written message is essentially a reflection of the writer and will affect how the reader may perceive the message. In order to convey the appropriate tone in your communication, you need to ask yourself why you are writing the document, who you are writing to and what you want them to understand. These questions can help you to decide what kind of tone you should use.
Example 1
Consider the phrase ‘I don’t know’ Think of the many ways in which this phrase can be conveyed just by changing the tone in which it is spoken (or the tone and context in which it is written). Some examples may include:
- A moody teenager asking where the TV remote is
- A helpful shop assistant who follows up with helpful advice
- A not-so-helpful shop assistant who offers no follow-up
- Someone confused and needing help
- Someone annoyed who wants to be left alone
Your tone is a small component of conversation and communication; however, its impact should not be underestimated. Consider the impact if a manager sounds irritated, bored or disinterested while providing suggestions or supervising team members. This could damage overall team morale and engagement with team members. Your tone is likely to change depending on the type of communication, whether you are addressing a memo, letter, report, formal or informal email or another business document. The tone of a written message is essentially a reflection of the writer and will affect how the reader may perceive the message. In order to convey the appropriate tone in your communication, you need to ask yourself why you are writing the document, who you are writing to and what you want them to understand. These questions can help you to decide what kind of tone you should use.
Example 2
Consider writing a job application for a position you really want but have little experience for. You may be feeling uneasy and not confident about the job application, and this may show in the tone you use. For example, writing ‘I hope that you will contact me on….’ gives a very different impression than ‘You can reach me at… I look forward to hearing from you.’ For business messages, it is likely that you will need to use the same kind of tone for most communications. That is an overall confident, courteous and sincere tone. Using non-discriminatory language and emphasising the benefits for the reader at an appropriate level of difficulty will help to develop a good business tone. Using jargon and industry-specific terms is fine within the context and when communicating with people who have the same level of knowledge of your business and industry as you, but it will be confusing when you are communicating with someone who does not have the same background as you.
Website
For more information regarding tone in business writing, please read this article.8
Communication Styles
There are four main styles in which people communicate and understanding these will help you to improve your own communication with your employees and team members. Some situations may call for certain styles. Once you understand how your team members communicate, you may decide that a particular style is best adopted when dealing with them.
Often seen as the most effective and most used style in business settings, assertive communication occurs when a person is confident but does not belittle or put down others. This style is neither passive nor aggressive and is often calm, measured and positive.
With an attempt to win at all costs, this style is often hostile and threatening. This style can result in others feeling bullied and intimidated, and the communicator seems to believe that their contribution to the conversation is the only important thing to be heard. This style is not often well-received, and even if the person is correct, people may push back and disagree because the message is unpleasantly conveyed.
Also seen as submissive, passive communicators are often ‘people pleasers’ and actively avoid conflict. Passive communication can be seen as very easygoing but can also sometimes mean that the person is unable to communicate their opinions, needs and wants. By trying to avoid confrontation, passive communicators may find it difficult to express themselves, which may result in miscommunications.
This communication style can be described as passive on the surface but aggressive simmering underneath. This occurs when the communicator is coming from a place of anger or resentment, but outwardly, they appear easy-going and polite. It can appear as sarcasm, patronising comments or even to the point of starting rumours or gossip.
Your style of communication is an important part of your interactions within the workplace and can have ramifications relating to your ability to perform as a leader. Consider the above four communication styles and how each of them can affect the way in which employees view their workplace, the leadership and the general morale in the organisation. If you have a leader who communicates with aggressive or passive-aggressive styles, this can create a sense of fear and distrust from their team members. Alternatively, a passive communicator may not be able to convey their instructions clearly or concisely.
Website
Read more information about communication styles.9
The following videos relate to communication styles and leadership.
Assertiveness - What are Passive, Aggressive & Assertive? By Management Courses – Mike Clayton: 7:55 10
Why Leaders Adapt their Communication Style to Their Audience by Group Sixty: 2:10 11
Internal communication channels depending on your organisation’s structure and size, you may use the following communication channels internally:
Often used to communicate with internal staff to keep them up to date with any important notifications and company news. Keeping the content fresh and relevant will help it to remain a valuable communication tool.
emails are still the most popular means of communication within the workplace. This can mean that at times a large flow of information is delivered via emails, and productivity can be lost while sorting out what is relevant and prioritised.
while enabling team collaboration, project management tools can keep communication regarding particular tasks in one place that is easy to navigate.
used as a way of keeping employees engaged and up to date with relevant information, newsletters are a good internal communication tool; however, they can sometimes get lost among busy email inboxes.
often used to have a team or private discussions, private messaging software is becoming more popular within organisations. Communication is thus limited to teams or individuals rather than company-wide, which can be useful.
allowing teams to connect remotely by video for meetings and discussions has been a more recent and valuable addition to internal communication channels.
younger generations love the storytelling nature of podcasts, and we are seeing this form of communication grow. Keeping in mind that this form of communication is one way, it cannot be the sole communication from an organisation to its employees but can be a valuable addition.
the modern-day newsletter, a company blog can keep employees informed and engaged while reminding them of company values. Keeping the content interesting and engaging is key.
Website
For more information on organisational communication channels, visit this website: 12
External Communication Channels
All organisations need to communicate with external businesses, individuals or organisations. The aim of external communications will differ vastly between organisations, departments and even between different audiences. Consider how the communication of a price rise will differ when being sent to customers as opposed to investors. Who you need to communicate with will depend on the organisation you work in as well as your position. Some examples may include:
- Investors
- Current and potential customers
- Shareholders
- The general public
- Government organisations
- Other businesses
- Suppliers
- Industry leaders, associations and experts
- The media
- Partners
The goals of external communication can be to increase sales and profitability and to facilitate cooperation with groups such as suppliers or investors. It may also be to present information regarding campaigns to relevant government or industry boards so that they can keep abreast of your projects or to present a favourable image of your organisation. Some more examples of reasons for external communication include:
- Community relations
- Collecting information
- Contracts with customers
- Relationships with suppliers
- Relationships with financial institutions
- Relationships with government or industry bodies
- Shareholder relationships
Be sure to make and keep notes for your future reference, as this information will support you in your assessment and professional practice.
Consider the four scenarios below and answer the following questions for each of the scenarios:
- Scenario A: Your current workplace
- Scenario B: A non-profit organisation working in community health
- Scenario C: A large, publicly listed company that manufactures convenience foods
- Scenario D: A commercial building company
1. What government boards or departments would they need to communicate with?
- What would be the purpose of the communications?
- What are the most appropriate communication channels to use?
- Who in the organisation would make contact?
2. What other external organisations would the organisation be in contact with regularly?
For each organisation and relationship, answer the following:
- What would be the purpose of the communications?
- What are the most appropriate communication channels to use?
- Who in the organisation would make contact?
Use the following questions to check your knowledge.
