COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUES

Moreover, the organization is able to exploit vital opportunities that would

have been missed out if there was no proper communication.
Communicating effectively helps in preventing the occurrence of problems at
the workplace and dealing with them accordingly when they occur. It also
helps in solving problems shunning conflicts and forging good relationships
with other colleagues at the workplace.

Therefore, it is important for every member of staff to have effective

communication skills. This discussion explores the various communication
techniques in the contemporary workplace and how they contribute to the
achievement of an organization’s goals.

Communication at the Workplace

There are different types of communication at the workplace. There is

internal communication that involves the communication between the
employees or between the employees and the management.

There is also external communication that involves exchanging information

between members of the organization and outsiders like customers,
contractors, other organizations and also through marketing of the
organization’s products to the public. Various communication channels are
used in the contemporary workplace including telephone, email, bulletin
boards, and memos among others.

Each of these channels is suited to a certain type of communication. These

communication channels pose several challenges like delays and distortion
of the information that need to be addressed.

Effective communication in the workplace depends on the workers’

possession of proper skills in talking, writing, active listening, problem
solving, negotiation and influencing, conflict resolution, and constructive
feedback. Effective listening is important because it prevents
misunderstanding, conflicts and loss of profits and clients.

One should also organize the received information for proper

comprehension. For effective communication to take place, the staff
members need to have proper feedback skills. This will enable them to be
sure that the message has been understood.
The staff at the workplace should be able to use and read non-verbal
communication effectively. The eyes, hands, face, legs and posture are
mostly used to transmit nonverbal communication. Being able to effectively
read the nonverbal communication like wringing hands, frowning, among
others ensures the correct interpretation of the message.

One should also express the correct nonverbal communication to avoid

misunderstanding of the message, for instance, wearing a broad smile while
hiding feelings of anger will lead to misinterpretation of the feelings of an
individual.

Persuasion and negotiating skills are important to the success of the

organization. Persuasion enables the employees to be able to convince the
management to take a particular course of action. It is also necessary in
attracting the customers to buy the organization’s products. Negotiation
skills enable the workers to engage in a discussion and come to a rational
consensus.

This is important in reaching agreements on various issues in the

organization. Conflict resolution skills will enable the workers to solve
disagreements and different views before they develop into serious conflicts.
In times of conflicts, the workers should be able to intervene and mediate
effectively. This will ensure that the staff members work in a peaceful
environment.

According to Hunsaker and Alessandra (1986), effective communication can

be improved through various ways. One can apply various channels to
communicate. The communicator should also ensure that enough details are
provided. The language used should also be able to convey the message
clearly. This will prevent any ambiguity that could lead to misinterpretation
and distortion of the original message.

One should also focus on the topic and seek information without
manipulating or threatening the respondent. Effective communication can
also be improved through honesty between the management and the
employees.

The management should avoid sending communication that does not

coincide with their actions, for instance, the management may claim that
they are open to the views and opinions of all the employees and yet they do
not provide channels through which the employees can express themselves.

Each member of staff has his/ her own unique way of communicating. They
should thus be trained to adjust their communication style to the goals of the
organization. Various communication styles exist and are suited to different
people at the workplace. The communicator therefore needs to adjust their
communication style when communicating with each of the category of
workers.

The directors of organizations require the communicator to get straight to

the point and state the facts. These people are in charge of organizations
and they require the communicator to directly tell them the exact outcomes
of certain decisions or actions. Another category consists of people who are
good at socializing. These people prefer to work in an environment where
they can mix and relate with a lot of people. These people are sociable and
passionate and are willing to share their thoughts.

They will communicate more effectively if one refers to them by their names
during a conversation. The other category consists of the thinkers who prefer
professions that require perfection and innovation, for instance, engineering.
Their most preferred style of communication is writing. They are specific with
details and documented information. The relaters on the other hand prefer to
work in a team.

They perform their functions better when they are in good relationships with
the workmates and superiors. These people are good in careers like social
work and customer relations. At the workplace, people need to adapt to the
communication styles of all the stakeholders in order to achieve results.

All the staff members are not good in communication and thus organizations
need to train them. Most problems at the workplace occur due to ineffective
communication.

The employees’ morale is also boosted and this makes them happy and
dedicated to the organization. Training also leads to better coordination of all
the organization’s department’s and therefore all the activities and
processes will run smoothly. Improved communication skills will also improve
customer relations and consequently, the retention of customers.

Moreover, the members of staff who are trained in effective communication

skills will be able to deal with challenges as soon as they arise, before they
develop into big problems. Dealing with a conflict early prevents loss of
profits for the organization.

Benefits of Effective Communication

Effective communication has several benefits to the organization. Firstly, the
efficiency in the organization is increased. This is because the employees
and managers will be able to understand the goals of the organization and
the role that each one of them is supposed to play towards achieving them.
Therefore, the productivity will be increased. Another benefit of effective
communication is improved relationships among the workers.

Poor communication leads to conflicts and misunderstanding between the

workers and this can cause distrust between them. For the employees to
work effectively and produce results, they need to work in an environment
free from conflicts and misunderstanding. Communicating effectively and
clearly to the employees also ensures their satisfaction and this translates to
the satisfaction of the customers.

The employees are also able to trust their leaders and feel part of the
decision-making process of the company. Proper communication is very
beneficial to organizations that have several branches in different countries
who speak various languages as it enables them to communicate and
properly interpret the message into the language that they can understand.

Barriers to Effective Communication

There are several barriers that hinder effective communication at the

workplace. These include ignoring nonverbal language, hearing selectively,
personality types, making assumptions, jumping to conclusions, cultural
differences, stereotyping, mistrust between colleagues, among others. Other
barriers include too much information, complicated messages, structural
barriers, and inefficient communication channels.

These barriers need to be overcome in order to ensure the achievement of

the organization’s goals. Too much information will make the employee to be
able to concentrate on what is important. Messages should also be
formulated clearly to avoid the possibility of being misinterpreted.

Structural barriers can be overcome by implementing efficient

communication techniques that incorporate horizontal, upward and
downward communication structures. The most suitable mediums should
also be used for the appropriate message to avoid distortion. Proper
elimination of barriers of communication is important to facilitate effective
flow of processes in the organization (Hahn, 2008).

Conclusion
Effective communication is an important contributing factor to the
achievement of an organization’s goals. Therefore, the organization should
ensure that proper communication exists at all levels including interpersonal,
group, organizational, and external communication.
Various communication styles are used at the workplace and each individual
should tailor his/her style to the needs of the others and the organization.
Effective communication should be embraced at the workplace because it
has innumerable benefits for the company, management, and the
employees.

However, there are barriers that prevent effective communication. These

should be curbed in order to ensure that the functions of the organization are
effectively executed. Therefore, any organization that does not invest in
instilling proper communication skills in the employees can not excel.