COMMUNICATION IS KEY Understanding How We Generate Effective

COMMUNICATION IS KEY Understanding How We Generate Effective Communication A brief presentation at an Engage Workshop held by Be Safe Taranaki November 2015 Presented by Ross Gilmour Consulting Ltd. www. gilmourconsulting. co. nz ross@gilmourconsulting. co. nz GILMOUR CONSULTING Ltd

Communication Is A Huge Topic • Different types of communication include: – Verbal – Non Verbal – Visual (e. g. art, film) – Auditory (e. g. language, music) – Kinetic (e. g. dance, touch) GILMOUR CONSULTING Ltd

Communication Is A Huge Topic Cont’d • Different methods/mediums of communication – Face to face – Written e. g. book, letters, etc. – Telephone e. g. texts, facetime etc. – Computers e. g. emails, skype, Facebook etc. GILMOUR CONSULTING Ltd

Communication Is A Huge Topic Cont’d • Even the environment the communication takes place in, impacts on how the message is interpreted – Remember the example of a message given in a leaders office versus the same message given in a persons space – The prison officer and praise example GILMOUR CONSULTING Ltd

Communication Is A Huge Topic Cont’d • This brief address will link aspects of communication to some fundamental principles of human behaviour • The focus will be on the practical application of these concepts to communication particularly in relation to: – Communication with contractors & subcontractors – Toolbox talks GILMOUR CONSULTING Ltd

The Impact of Questions Leaders Ask • The questions leaders ask are perceived as reflecting what is important to the leader and staff focus on these areas • Areas that are not asked about become perceived as unimportant • People respect not what a leader expects, but what he/she inspects – and questions are a powerful method of inspecting GILMOUR CONSULTING Ltd

Specific Examples Of The Impact Of Questions • Organisations where senior leaders state how important safety is but only ask about production, budgets, meeting deadlines, etc • The Impact of Questions Supervisors and Team Leaders were asking • The office managers and the safety observations cards GILMOUR CONSULTING Ltd

Broad Implications Of The Impact Of Questions • Reflect on the questions you ask – Your staff – Contractors and subcontractors • If you want to increase peoples focus on safety make sure you increase the numbers of safety related questions you ask GILMOUR CONSULTING Ltd

Broad Implications Of The Impact Of Questions - Cont’d • Think carefully about the questions you ask (remember the safety observation cards example) • Ask the Leaders/Contractors/Subcontractors who report to you for examples of the safety relate questions or conversations that they have asked (or held) with their staff in the last week GILMOUR CONSULTING Ltd

Did You Know • Most people who attend safety related conferences and workshops: – Only go to get out of work – Are not genuinely committed to safety, indeed they often behave in unsafe ways • So you really need to listen to what I am teaching in this session GILMOUR CONSULTING Ltd

How Did Those Comments Leave You Feeling • • Uncomfortable? Defensive? Willing and ready to listen to my ideas? The “Did You Know” statements are all untrue. I made them up to highlight another principle of human behaviour that relates to communication GILMOUR CONSULTING Ltd

People Will Be Very Resistant To Listening To Someone Else's Ideas When They Have Just Been Criticised, Either Directly Or Indirectly • Direct criticism e. g. “Only an idiot would do that task like that. What you need to do is…” • Indirect criticism – This occurs when we criticise something the person or group is associated with GILMOUR CONSULTING Ltd

General Examples Of The Negative Impact Indirect Criticism Can Have Comment: Impact: “We need to find ways to work more efficiently” People who have been focusing on working efficiently feel offended and demoralised. Staff who always wear their safety glasses feel offended and demoralised “Too many staff are still not wearing safety glasses when they should be” GILMOUR CONSULTING Ltd

General Examples Of The Negative Impact Indirect Criticism Can Have Cont’d Comment: Impact: “The reality is that we are still having far too many breakdowns and we have to lift our maintenance standards” Maintenance staff who feel they have been trying to deliver a quality service feel offended and demoralised. “It has come to my attention that staff are making too many personal telephone calls. This practice is to cease immediately (sent by e-mail to all staff). ” Staff who rarely make personal calls, especially those who only call home to say they will be working late, feel offended GILMOUR CONSULTING Ltd

General Examples Of The Negative Impact Indirect Criticism Can Have Cont’d Comment: Impact: “The recent serious accident is extremely disappointing and demonstrates that people are still not doing enough in terms of safety” Leaders and staff who have been making real efforts to improve safety will feel annoyed and demoralised. GILMOUR CONSULTING Ltd

Two Ways To Avoid Or Minimise The Negative Impact Of Indirect Criticism 1. When criticising a group, separate the good from the poor performers by starting with a compliment for the good performers. 2. If you know who the poor or ‘problem’ performers are, go and deal directly with them and avoid sending out a ‘general’ memo or making ‘general’ comments. GILMOUR CONSULTING Ltd

Example Of Separating The Good Performers From The Poor What to do – An E-mail from a Senior Manager I realise that the great majority of people only make personal calls when it is really necessary and I thank you for this. Unfortunately a small minority of people are making a substantial number of personal calls and the cost to our organisation is significant. This practice is to stop. From now on please do as the great majority do, and limit your personal calls. GILMOUR CONSULTING Ltd

Example Of How To Deal With Situations Where Real Efforts Have Been Made To Improve Safety And A Serious Accident Occurs • “Given the genuine efforts everyone throughout our organisation have made over the last couple of years to improve safety, I am sure that you will all be as concerned and disappointed as I am about the recent serious accident. Clearly we will need to look for and apply any lessons that can be learned from this tragic event. In the meantime please make sure that you continue to focus on safety and to take actions that will result in you and your workmates going home safely everyday” GILMOUR CONSULTING Ltd

Broad Implications Of The Indirect Criticism Process • Before criticising ask yourself: – What am I trying to achieve – Is making a criticism the best way to achieve it • Apply the strategies outlined on the slide titled “How To Avoid Or Minimise The Negative Impact Of Indirect Criticism” and pay particular attention to this when: – Communicating with contractors – Leading toolbox talks GILMOUR CONSULTING Ltd

Mental Models & Stereotyped Beliefs • Mental models are “shortcuts” that our brain has developed to cope with the massive amounts of incoming information that it receives • The mental models that we hold strongly influence what we end up seeing and hearing and they have a powerful impact on the interactions we have with other people. GILMOUR CONSULTING Ltd

Mental Models & Stereotyped Beliefs Cont’d • We are often not consciously aware of the mental models we hold • The fact that people all have mental models and that these may often be different to the ones we hold is one of the major causes of miscommunication GILMOUR CONSULTING Ltd

• Please write down (or just remember) exactly what is written in the next slide GILMOUR CONSULTING Ltd

The grass is is always greener on the other side of of the fence GILMOUR CONSULTING Ltd

Monkey Business & The Door Study GILMOUR CONSULTING Ltd

The Impact Of Mental Models On Toolbox Talks Potential Problems • People who think they “Know it all” or that “toolbox talks are a waste of time stop listening” GILMOUR CONSULTING Ltd Possible Solution – Ask participants questions – Rotate the leadership of toolbox talks – Pop in the occasional “surprise”, remember the South Island Supervisor example

The Impact Of Mental Models On Toolbox Talks – Cont’d Potential Problems • The message that was given was received differently by the individual or group it was delivered to GILMOUR CONSULTING Ltd Possible Solution – Ask recipients to outline what they are now about to go away and do

The Impact Of Mental Models On Communication With Contractors Potential Problems Assuming that because they are a specialised contractor that they know what to do Contractors having different safety standards to those in your organisations GILMOUR CONSULTING Ltd Possible Solution Ask them detailed question on what and how they are going to do the task and include safety related questions Ask questions related to their safety procedures to check that they are at least as good as those of your organisation

The Impact Of Mental Models On Communication With Contractors Cont’d Potential Problems Over reliance on the “experts” advice GILMOUR CONSULTING Ltd Possible Solution If the advice doesn’t feel right, get a second opinion If you start a task and it doesn’t feel right stop; and check (remember Ross’s recent travel example)

A Second Time When People Will Be Very Resistant To Listening To Someone Else’s Ideas Is When They Have Just Put Forward One Of Their Own • Remember Ross’s highly assertive and very negative management team example • If you want to communicate in a way that influences people do so by asking lots of questions GILMOUR CONSULTING Ltd

A Second Time When People Will Be Very Resistant To Listening To Someone Else’s Ideas Is When They Have Just Put Forward One Of Their Own – Cont’d • If you disagree with someone else's suggestions and you have an alternative idea: – Turn your reasons for disagreeing into questions – Only make your suggestion at a point where you can see that the person (or group) is becoming aware that there could be difficulties with their plan GILMOUR CONSULTING Ltd