Session 15 Appropriate Communication Models People Skills PS

Session 15 Appropriate Communication Models People Skills (PS 10 -01) Accredited By: Copyright © 2010 by The Association of Business Practitioners

Appropriate Communication Models • The choice of the right mode of communication which is both acceptable and most effective will largely depend on the message that is being sent and the importance. • There are many ways to deliver communication and selecting the correct choice is the key to success. For example, if your company is running a local cancer charity awareness event in couple of your stores, radio is perhaps the best medium to let a lager audience know that it is happening. • This session will help you to explore different practical tools that can help you choose the right communication mode. Session 1: Customer Service (CS 10 -01) © BBPSD 2010, All Rights Reserved 2

Appropriate Communication Models Example It has often been said that if you want to know what really goes on in most companies, you only need to talk to the guy who sweeps the floor. Nine out of ten times, he will know more about what is really going on in the company than most of the senior executives. In a major US airline, the Chief Executive worked with company cleaning crews and baggage handlers once a month. During one of these visits, he was told that the workers still had to clean the ashtrays which had become obsolete due to the aircraft smoking ban. However they were being used by passengers to dispose of their chewing gum, which was hard to remove from the ashtrays. The ashtrays were removed within a month. Session 1: Customer Service (CS 10 -01) © BBPSD 2010, All Rights Reserved 3

Appropriate Communication Models • Selecting the correct mode of communication is vital if you really want to communicate. In general face-to-face communication is always best but the following slides give an indication of the correct method for different situations. 1. Communication to be documented: Some messages can be communicated orally or through telephones but some messages may need to be documented if you need to refer back to it. Acceptability of the communication: Good news is often acceptable as a written message. However, bad news or events that are difficult to understand can be more acceptably if done in person. People feel better about receiving more personal messages and bad news face-to-face other than in written notes and phone conversations. [Examination Hint] 2. Session 1: Customer Service (CS 10 -01) © BBPSD 2010, All Rights Reserved 4

Appropriate Communication Models 3. 4. 5. Length of the message: Long messages can be best sent as a document then the receiver can look back and refer to the message for a better understanding or to get any detailed information. Audience for the message: For a small group of people oral face -to-face can be more time efficient and productive. When it is difficult to get many people to receive the same message orally, written is the best from of communication. It is fairly routine for employees to get an email or written messages from their manager for various things as it is quicker, economical and efficient. Need for feedback: When messages are urgent, require immediate answers, action or feedback, the message will be most effective as a phone call if it can not be done in a face-toface meeting. Often a short oral communication followed by a written letter will confirm the details of the conversation. Session 1: Customer Service (CS 10 -01) © BBPSD 2010, All Rights Reserved 5

Appropriate Communication Models Activity Write down the different types of groups of people you have to communicate with at work and socially. Now think of three occasions when: 1. You have felt misunderstood or people failed to act on your communication as directed. 2. What, in your opinion, went wrong? 3. You have felt sure that people have acted as requested and that your message has been clearly understood. 4. Which way do you think is the best way for you to communicate, and which is the least effective? Session 1: Customer Service (CS 10 -01) © BBPSD 2010, All Rights Reserved 6

Appropriate Communication Models • • In order to make communication effective and useful, feedback is necessary. If the receiver is not able to decode the message you have sent, and you are not aware of these difficulties, communication may not have met its purpose. You may think you have communicated but your message will not have got through. Good managers make it a habit of getting feedback form their employees. Getting feedback helps you to learn about your ability to communicate by verifying the messages and being able to determine whether the objectives of communication are being met. Session 1: Customer Service (CS 10 -01) © BBPSD 2010, All Rights Reserved 7

Appropriate Communication Models • Nowadays companies ensure they have feedback from employees through various means such as memos, employee surveys, news letters and regular team meetings, etc. • Not all the feedback is positive or encouraging and the organisation should be receptive to all kinds of feedback from employees if they are going to use the feedback to improve. • Not all the employees or managers like to give and receive feedback, but a few general tips which we show on the next slide can be useful. Session 1: Customer Service (CS 10 -01) © BBPSD 2010, All Rights Reserved 8

Appropriate Communication Models • • • Feedback should focus on a particular behaviour. It should be specific rather than being general. Feedback should be impersonal and job related. Personal criticism should be avoided. Feedback should be goal oriented. If you still need to highlight shortcomings, it should be directed at the outcome, rather than the person. Feedback should be timely and will not serve much purpose if it relates to an old activity. Feedback should be clearly understood by the recipient in order to be effective. For feedback to be effective, the manager should make sure that the recipients understand the feedback correctly and in the right spirit. Session 1: Customer Service (CS 10 -01) © BBPSD 2010, All Rights Reserved 9

Summary • In this session we have highlighted the importance of selecting the appropriate communication medium. • We have also demonstrated how a good feedback system is vital in ensuring two-way communication. • Effective communication and learning good communication skills are extremely important for organisational effectiveness. • A lack of effective communication may lead to misunderstandings between the management and the employees or between the employees. • You have also learned that good communication can also have an impact on the employee performance and can impact negatively on a company’s turnover. Session 1: Customer Service (CS 10 -01) © BBPSD 2010, All Rights Reserved 10