"Communication is as much of a matter of human relationships as is it about transmitting facts" (Winnett, 2003, para. 4). Ineffective communication is a significant hurdle in many businesses today. It can inhibit the productivity of a company as well as ruin professional relationships. Although it is almost always prevalent in any office situation, it can most certainly be avoided.
First and foremost, a manager must be able to communicate effectively with his employees. Without the ability to understand your employees, you cannot gain understanding from your employees. Secondly a manager must be able to give his full attention to the task at hand. More times than any, managers are multi-tasking, handling two or more projects at once. It is vital for a manager to be able to focus on specific situations and assignments, rather than assume the role of a teacher and expect subordinates to take it in and obey.
Some simple rules that one can follow to help win the effectiveness of communication are attention and assimilation:.
Unfortunately when too many outside stressors are present, it makes it very difficult to for a supervisor or manager to persuade an individual in another direction. This is when a manager must be able to make the person feel at ease, try to overcome the discomforts and gain the trust and understanding of that person.
Assimilation plays a big role in communicating effectively. A manager must be able to soak up as much information and opinion as possible to be able to understand his employees.
Consultant Gaylynn Lankford (2000) of HR Connection Inc. says "the majority of communication is nonverbal, such as body gestures and posture." She adds that "When you go in to meet someone, within a few minutes they've made a judgement about you (para. 6)." Face-to-face communication is the best method of initiating relationships in the workplace. Personal contact allows people to feel more comfortable with one another.
