In an ideal world we would all communicate openly, clearly and effectively with each other. In real life things are inevitably very different. Communication often carries hidden meaning and is frequently confused or ineffective. Your ability to communicate well in a supervisory role will have a direct impact on people's understanding of their job and their performance. It is therefore essential that you can communicate effectively.

This Element focuses on face-to-face communication. While stressing the complexity of interpersonal communication, it identifies some simple practical steps to improve your ability to communicate with others.

 

Barriers to effective communication

As a manager you need to be aware that there are a number of common barriers to effective interpersonal communication. You will not always be able to overcome these barriers but you can try to minimise their effect.

Noise has two meanings. Physical noise, eg surrounding conversations, is an obvious distraction. Noise in the context of interpersonal communication embraces physiological or psychological states - such as being ill, preoccupied or worried.

Stress affects people's ability to communicate effectively.

Breakdowns in communication can occur whenever emotive language is used. Emotive words are often open to misinterpretation.

People's perceptions and prejudices will inevitably shape the way they communicate.

Intrusion into someone's personal space can have a very negative effect on receptiveness. 'Personal space' can refer to time as well as place. This potential barrier is an example of non-verbal behaviour that can influence communication.

 

Understanding non-verbal communication

Non-verbal behaviour can have a profound influence on the success of face-to-face communication.

Non-verbal behaviour is the term used to embrace all aspects of interpersonal communication except the words themselves we use to communicate.

Examples of non-verbal behaviour are: body posture, gestures, facial expressions and eye contact. Even if we are not speaking, we are communicating.

 

Listening

Listening is often the neglected half of the communication equation. One very useful technique is called

active listening.

Active listening means attending to the person speaking, demonstrating (or checking) that you have

understood, and not doing anything else!

It requires concentration and effort, but you will quickly find that active listening has a number of benefits,

including avoiding misunderstandings and building relationships.

Active listening is a skill that takes practice. The following steps will help you develop your ability to listen

actively.

In an ideal world we would all communicate openly, clearly and effectively with each other. In real life

things are inevitably very different. Communication often carries hidden meaning and is frequently

confused or ineffective. Your ability to communicate well in a supervisory role will have a direct impact

on people's understanding of their job and their performance. It is therefore essential that you can

communicate effectively.

6 Key steps to active listening

1.      give the other person your attention

2.      be ready to paraphrase or 'play back' what is said

3.      if there is something you don't understand, seek clarification

4.      'listen for' and acknowledge the other person's feelings

5.      encourage the other person (particularly if they appear uncertain) to continue or expand what

they want to say

6.      do not react in other ways until it is clear that the other person has finished.

Can you think of some opportunities to practice active listening during the next 2-3 days? Make a note

of these and try them out later.

 

Questioning

Being able to ask appropriate questions is an important supervisory skill. It also complements the ability to listen effectively. The quality of information you receive will largely be determined by the quality of the questions you put to people.

You are probably aware that there are two fundamentally different types of question:

  • Closed questions . These allow little or no freedom in choosing a response. They usually elicit simple, single-word answers such as 'yes' or 'no'. For example: 'Have you identified a new software supplier?'
  • Open questions on the other hand offer a great deal more freedom to respond. For example: 'Why have you recommended this particular supplier?'

The 'art of effective questioning' is to ask appropriate questions at appropriate times.

There are several ways in which you can evaluate your questioning technique and improve it:

  • Ask a colleague to act as an observer and to give honest feedback on your performance.
  • Use a tape recorder to record a similar situation and evaluate it yourself.
  • Watch/listen to professional interviewers.
  • Make notes about ways in which you can frame particular types of question.

 

There are a number of common barriers to effective interpersonal communication.

Non-verbal behaviour can have a profound influence on the success of face-to-face communication. Non-verbal behaviour adds to the complexity of communicating. It is easy to misinterpret if treated superficially.

Effective listening is a skill you can practise and develop constantly.

Active listening requires concentration and effort, but has many benefits.

In a supervisory context it is useful to think in terms of three forms of active listening: supportive, responsive and retentive.

Being able to ask appropriate questions is an important supervisory skill. It also complements the ability to listen effectively.

There are two fundamentally different types of question: open questions and closed questions.

 

 

After completing this Element you should be able to:

define barriers to effective communication

describe non-verbal communication

apply more effective listening skills

utilise effective questioning skills.

 

 

 

 

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Listening

  • Supportive Listening . The purpose of supportive listening is to encourage someone to speak in order to learn what they think or feel. The more someone says, the more you will learn. Your role should be to show that you understand without preventing the other person from continuing.
  • Responsive Listening . The objective of responsive listening is to build your relationship with the speaker so that further communication will be of value. Your role therefore is to concentrate more on the person than on the facts or emotions.
  • Retentive Listening . Retentive listening is where you listen for facts and hard information, rather than 'listen' to build a relationship.