The Adverse Effects of Poor Communication

y y y y y y

Employees become hesitant to work with thier manager. Employees argue and reject their manager's opinions and input. Employees file more grievances related to performance issues. Employees don't keep their manager informed and avoid talking to their manager. Employees do their best to hide their deficiencies or performance difficultlies. Employees refuse to take responsibility.

Anyone who is in the sales industry knows the importance of how you communicate to a potential buyer. One false move, or should I say word, and you may have lost their business forever. Truth be told, however, the way you talk can affect every aspect of your business, whether youre in sales or not.
Bad Grammar

Too Majestic What I mean by this is talking over peoples heads by using uncommon vocabulary (like those who enjoy learning and using a new word from the dictionary each day) and overly emphasized proper grammar. There has to be a balance between saying things correctly and using common local colloquialisms (like using yall in the south) to keep whoever is listening engaged in what you have to say. If you constantly talk to everyone as though you were a scholar of the English (or whatever) language, no one will want to listen. They will reach the same conclusion as if you were using bad grammar that youre a moron without any social skills. Too Technical With any industry there are terms that are only known and used by those within the industry. The average Joe likely wont understand what in the world youre talking about when you try to tell him that you feel like it would be best to proceed with filing a Trial De Novo in his case (going with the legal field here because its what Im familiar with). Instead, you would tell him that you think it would be best to ask the court for a new trial. The acronym KISS (keep it simple, stupid) most definitely applies. Keep it in laymens terms when discussing your industry with the general public. If youve realized that you might be guilty of committing one or more of these communication flaws, find someone you can trust and rely on to help you recognize when you are making the errors.

The only thing you can truly do is vow to fix the problem, be self aware and practice. People will notice the effort and commend you, either with a pat on the back, or by really listening to what you have to say.

Importance of Effective Communication

by Barbara Stennes, CSP No matter how brilliant and invaluable your idea, it is worthless unless you can share it with others. For this reason, effective communication is crucial at every level of an organization. However, the ability to communicate effectively does not come easily to many people, and it is a skill that requires practice. We begin practicing our communication skills even before we learn to walk. A newborn child communicates by crying, but it slowly learns to mimic its parents speech. Eventually, the child discovers that certain speech patterns elicit different responses; one of the joys of parenting is trying to decipher the meaning behind certain words. Does baaaaaw mean that the baby wants his ball, his bottle, or his blanket? Slowly, through trial and error, the child learns to manipulate sounds to get what it wants, and as the child develops, this active oral practice leads to more nuanced and fluid conversations. In short, the child learns effective communication. To effectively communicate a complex idea, however, requires skills beyond elementary conversation. There are two golden rules to remember and follow. Golden Rule #1: Organize thoughts in your mind before sharing them with others. One idea often prompts a torrent of others. In order to share your ideas, you must first shape them coherently. Organization is important, because it creates a pattern for your listener, allowing him or her to grasp the larger picture intuitively. This allows the listener to focus on the details of your message, without struggling to understand how you went from Point A to Point B. As a thought experiment, imagine that a colleague has asked you for directions to the airport. Write them down. Your directions will probably look something like:

Drive west half a mile on Aurora.

Take a left on Madison.

At the third light, turn right and follow Dexter for 2-3 miles.

Get on the interstate, heading south.

Etc. Now, with a pair of scissors, cut each line of instructions into a small strip of paper. Jumble the strips up and arrange them in a completely random order, then give them to your colleague. Even with mixed-up directions, s/he should have no trouble reaching the airport, right? After all, your directions are complete and accurate. Not a single step is missing.

The problem, of course, is that your directions are also completely unorganized, rendering them useless. Your colleague will find it impossible to focus on your message itself, because he or she will struggle to follow your messages structure (or lack thereof). Golden Rule #2: Communication is collaborative, not competitive. Thrusting your idea on others mars the beauty and integrity of conversation. Communication is in some ways like a dance; each partner plays off the other, basing his or her steps on the other persons, while simultaneously maintaining a certain amount of individuality. Communication is a two-way process involving an exchange of ideas. If you try to make it one-way, you prevent this exchange and will eventually frustrate the other person. You may also frustrate yourself, if you read the other persons lack of verbosity as disinterest in the conversation, rather than an inability to get a word in. The hallmark of effective communication is the coherent verbal projection of your ideas, so that your listener receives the message that you intend to send. By observing these two rules, you will reduce miscommunication and misunderstanding Learning to communicate effectively can also prevent misunderstandings. Another benefit of effective communication is related to your self confidence. People who know how to listen well and convey their message to others are almost always more confident than people who havent learned these skills.

Lack of effective communication may lead to: y Misunderstandings y Lack of information y Decrease in employees performance y Increase in companys turnover, as a result If a manager is able to communicate their ideas clearly, so that employees definitely know what is asked of them, the subordinates will, consequently, perform their jobs correspondingly. On contrast, an aggressive way of managing reports results in employees getting more and more frustrated, often guessing what their real faults were. A good style of management, as well as a positive approach to communication, ensures that an employee and a supervisor understand each other, and are more effective at the workplace.

Basically, your skills as a communicator are felt in nearly all of your business dealings. If you and your team communicate well, you maximise efficiency. You find out about issues earlier and can deal with them without adding further

complications or misunderstandings. Having good communications skills is like having a good IT system - information flows faster and this saves you money.

Solutions
y y

y y

y y

A manager should make sure ones communication style is positive and effective. The employees, if they understand the situation correctly, should communicate the problem to the supervisor, or to the higher management in order for the company to take certain measures for solving the problem. Any problems can and should be communicated both among the employees and up to supervisors. The atmosphere inside the company should be encouraging for effective communication so that employees, thanks to their management, clearly realize how important communication is for each staff member personally, and to the company in general. It is very important for communication to be two way, as Business Performance outlines, employees should not only listen, but always have a chance, and be encouraged to ask questions, discuss, express own ideas. Feedback mechanisms and sharing best practices internally should be an integral part of organizational performance, and performance management system in particular.

Conflict is reduced. Most conflict is the result of misunderstood communication. When you
become an effective communicator, you can resolve conflict and create harmony by bridging the communication gaps that create conflict. You can even use your skills to mediate conflict between other people

Have stronger relationships. Effective communication builds strong business and personal
relationships because you learn to understand exactly what people want and how to give it to

them. Learn to communicate your thoughts and emotions in ways that they instinctively understand at an unconscious level.

Reduces conflict. The primary reason for the occurrence of conflict is poor or misunderstood communication. Learning effective communication skills helps a person to be an effective communicator. The person is then able to resolve conflicts, build harmony and bridge communication gaps, which created conflict. 2.Helps in achieving goals. Effective communication helps a person to get more than what he or she expects out of life. This makes you capable of communicating thoughts in such a way that people understand you instantly. Thus, they offer you the resources, which are you require to achieve your dreams and goals. 3.Strengthens relationships. Effective communication helps people understand what they want and expect from each other. This helps to build strong personal and business relationships between them. 4.Better acceptance of ideas. Effective communication is very broad concept and helps to discover the wants and needs of others. You can thus adjust your presentation in order to match their needs. Gradually people know that you try to understand them rather than making them understand your needs they will gladly adopt your ideas. 5.Improves job Satisfaction Efficient communication among employees and boss helps to improve job satisfaction at both the ends. Employees feel that their presence makes difference to the organization. Bosses feel that their orders and requests are being cared for. 6.Helps to save time. With an increase in competition in every field of life time has become a crucial factor. This is true both in business as well as personal lives of people. Another important thing is an appropriate choice of communication for transferring information. Phone, fax, email, and faceface conversation are a few available choices. An apt selection can help a company in saving a lot of time and money. 7.Easy promotions. Effective communicators have greater chances of being promoted in their jobs. Some people are born with effective communication skills and get benefitted in life. Those who feel that their communication is not able to impress people should spend time and effort to improve their skills to achieve the many benefits effective communication.

1) The effective communication leads to lesser organizational conflicts which adds to the productivity of the organization and enhances team spirit. 2) The individual who is effective in communication skills can prosper easily and can raise the morale of the other individuals by promoting same characteristics. 3) Effective communication in terms of 'downward communication' means that leader's policies and missions are easily understood by the lower and middle management which means that organization as a whole will achieve its goals effectively. 4) Effective communication in terms of 'upward communication' means that people in the lower management can communicate their problems and their new ideas effectively to their supervisors and managers which results in increased employee satisfaction. 5) Effective communication systems in organization help in developing participative culture which fosters innovation in the organization