Effective Communication

Effective communication is essential for organizations to develop and thrive.  Communication, "the transfer of meaning", includes several dimensions.  (O'Rourke, 2010, p. 24) Verbal and nonverbal messages, overcoming barriers, and effective listening are all very important parts of the communication process.  Mastery of these elements will help to ensure that communication is both effective and productive.

When most people begin to think about communication, they first think of verbal communication.  Verbal communication refers to spoken language.  "In its most general sense, language can be defined as a rule-governed symbol system that allows its users to generate meaning and, in the process, to define reality."  (Trenholm, 2010, p. 68)  In order for verbal communication to be effective it must contain "four important characteristics: it is made up of symbols, it is a kind of knowledge, it is rule governed and productive, and it affects the way we experience the world."  (Trenholm, 2010, p. 68) 

Transfering meaning from one person to another is not an easy task.  First the sender must encode the message, send the message to the recipient, and then the recipient must decode the message.  Notwithstanding many other barriers to communication, this process alone needs consideration.  In order for a sender to relay ideas, they must use some sort of symbol or sign.  "A sign is the vehicle for this expression. It consists of two parts: the private idea located solely in the mind of a communicator (known as the signified); and the form in which the idea is expressed (or the signifier). In natural languages, the signifier is a sequence of spoken sounds."  (Trenholm, 2010, p. 68)  Signs and symbols are integrated deeply into every culture.  They help give us a reference point that every one can understand. 

Spoken language is also a kind of knowledge.  Language itself is not tangible.  It is a form of knowledge we each have and use to communicate and understand the world around us.  Spoken language, or speech, "is the external, physical side of language, and language is the internal, mental side of speech."  (Trenholm, 2010, p. 71) 

Next, verbal or spoken language must be rule goverened and productive.  Because spoken language is based on rules and order, we are able to comprehend information we may not have been exposed to before.  "Your ability to understand and create unusual sentences like this one is called linguistic productivity, and it shows that language learning is more than a matter of trial and error. When we learn language, we don’t learn a set of specific word combinations; instead, we learn rules that allow us to generate meanings."  (Trenholm, 2010, p. 71) 

Lastly, verbal communication affects the way we see the world.  Our very thoughts and feelings are generated through language.  Every feeling, emotion, thought, or memory we have is stored in our brains using languge.  The way we use spoken language to transfer meanings to others is affected by the way we see the world.  In addition, the recipients of our messages will decode their meanings based on their perception of the world. 

Verbal communication is at the heart of transferring meaning.  However, it is only one part of the process.  Even more meaning can be derived from nonverbal communication.  "Nonverbal communication is widely regarded as the transfer of meaning without the use of verbal symbols.  That is, nonverbal refers in a literal sense to those actions, objects, and contexts that either communicate directly or facilitate communication without using words."  (O'Rourke, 2010, p.257)  Nonverbal communication covers three basic categories.  These are sign language, action language, and object language.  Sign language refers to gestures used in the transfer of meaning.  Action language refers to "movements that are not used exclusively for communicating."  (O'Rourke, 2010, p. 257)  Object language covers "all objects, materials, artifacts, and things –ranging from jewlery, clothing, and makeup to automobiles, furniture, and artwork – that we use in our daily lives."  (O'Rourke, 2010, p. 257)  Object language often communicates when do not necessarily intend them to.

Nonverbal communication covers such a wide variety of things that it is often difficult to realize just how much of the communicating we do comes from our nonverbal cues.  For example, the cashier at the end of her shift huffing at the person who just pulled into her lane with a full cart sends a message that they are impatient, ready to leave, and not pleased with the added work. The child sitting at their desk, drawing pictures with their head laying on their arm and sighing communicates that they have very little interest in what the teacher is saying.  Not to mention the four-year old boy sitting by his mother's feet, growling and tickling those feet as she types out her Communication in Organizations paper, is communicating that he wants some attention. 

Nonverbal communication is such a strong part of communication that it typically holds more credibility than many other forms of communication.  "When verbal and nonverbal messages appear to contradict, for example, researchers tell us that most people will find the nonverbal channel more credible than the verbal one. In other words, most of us believe that it is more difficult to lie nonverbally than verbally."  (Shockley-Zalabak, 2009, p. 11)  Understanding what an enormous part of communication nonverbal cues are, helps us to pay more attention to the messages we are conveying.  For example, it is easier to understand a joke if the person communicating the message is smiling, rather than standing there with a stern look in their face.  Another example would be when dealing with small children.  Children often do things that are inappropriate and need correcting.  However, they also tend to make us laugh with some of their little antics.  When correcting a child, it is easier to communicate that their behavior was inappropriate when you can say it with a straight face and not laugh.  Otherwise, many children may think you do not take the situation seriously, or that it is funny when they do not behave.

Communication is the process of encoding, sending, and decoding messages.  We have already looked, in part, and some of the ways messages are encoded and sent via verbal and nonverbal communication.  This however, only encompasses a portion of the equation.  In order to properly complete the transfer of meaning and communicate effectively, they must also be able to receive, decode, and understand messages. 

There are several aspects that affect a person's ability to understand a message they have received.  Some of these include things like background noise, cultural differences, and a person's own mental set.  "A mental set consists of a person’s beliefs, values, attitudes, feelings, and so on. Because each message is composed and interpreted in light of an individual’s past experience, each encoded or decoded message has its own unique meaning."  (Trenholm, 2010, p. 25) 

Listening is a crucial step in receiving and decoding messages.  Effective listening involves more than just hearing what a person says.  "The difference between hearing and listening is substantial.  Hearing is merely an involuntary physical response to the environment.  Listening, on the other hand, is a process that includes hearing, attending to, understanding, evaluating, and responding to spoken messages.  It's a sophisticated skill that can be mastered only with considerable practice."  (O'Rourke, 2010, p. 225) 

Active listening is an important part of effective listening skills.  It "includes the processes of hearing, assigning meaning, and verifying our interpretations.  Skill in active listening supports effective communication by increasing the accuracy of message reception."  (Shockley-Zalabak, 2009, p.171) It "begins with an attitude about our role in the communication process. Active listeners stop talking long enough to hear what others have to say. They summarize main points and evaluate facts and evidence before responding."  (Shockley-Zalabak, 2009, p. 172)

The benefits of better listening are overwhelming.  They can spell the difference between success and disaster.  For example, in watching the movie "Life as We Know It", there is a scene where poor listening results in a very destructive situation.  In this scene, one of the characters is attempting to teach another how to ride his motorcycle.  As he starts the machine up, he yells over the engine, "Don't let go!"  Unfortunately, the message received is "Let go!"  The motorcycle screeches across the street without its rider, hits a tree, and then is run over by an oncoming bus.  Whereas this situation was used for humor in the movie, the effects of poor listening can still be seen.  In real life, this would be a horrible situation.  Sadly, it could have been easily avoided with better listening.

Aside from avoiding potential disaster, several other benefits are also available from effective listening skills.  For example, listening demonstrates acceptance.  "The very act of listening to another person demonstrates that you value him or her and care about what he or she is saying."  (O'Rourke, 2010, p. 226)  Lisenting effectively also promotes problem-solving abilities.  "Rather than providing advice and solutions right away, most successful managers encourage employees to arrive at solutions on their own.  By listening carefully and reflectively, a supervisor can guide a subordinate to a solution that has a greater chance for success and substantiallther than providing advice and solutions right away, most successful managers encourage employees to arrive at solutions on their own.  By listening carefully and reflectively, a supervisor can guide a subordinate to a solution that has a greater chance for success and substantially greater levels of employee buy-in."  (O'Rourke, 2010, p. 226) 

Listening to others also utilizes a degree of humility.  When we listen to others, we realize that they have thoughts and ideas that we may not.  "Often, you'll find great ideas where you least expect them.  They may come from your customers, your employees, your suppliers and business partners, and (interestingly) from people who refuse to do business with you.  You might be genuinely surprised at what your competitors customers are saying about you, if only you'd take the time to listen to them.  (O'Rourke, 2010, p.226)

Another benefit of effective listening comes from a more emotional side.  When we listen to others we help to increase their level of self-esteem.  In addition, litening helps us to reflect on our own imperfections.  When we listen to others, we stop talking ourselves.  We give ourselves a moment to reflect on what is being said and to stop being the center of attention.  Often times, "a little instruction and some practice in active listening can help talkers to shut up and the self-consciously shy to open up."  (O'Rourke, 2010, p. 226)  Emotions often run high in conversation.  However, when we use active and effective listening, we can often avoid a head-on emotional collision.  "If you concentrate on your own needs to the exclusion of other people's needs and interests, you will find that others return the favor.  They will focus on their own interests and not yours.  The key to preventing the sort of emotional train wrecks that are destructive to any organization is to put other people's needs ahead of your own.  Find out what their concerns and interests are first - by listening carefully to them - and you will likely get what you want sooner and with substantially less angst."  (O'Rourke, 2010, p. 227)

Verbal, nonverbal, and listening skills are all essential parts of the communication process.  Sometimes, however, they are not enough.  Messages can still become distorted and unclear.  Often times, barriers to effective communication get in the way.  One of these barriers is noise.  "Noise is any distraction that interferes with or changes a message during transmission."  (Trenholm, 2010, p. 25)  In the case of the example earlier, the noise was the roar of the motorcycle engine.  However, any distraction that interferes with the transfer of meaning constitutes noise.  This can vary from distractions outside of ourselves to the internal noise we create in our own minds.  Our own attitudes, feelings, fears, values, and past experiences influence the noise and messages we receive.  In turn, they also influence the verbal and nonverbal messages we send out.  In truth, these mental sets can form a large barrier or benefit to our communication abilites. 

Other barriers to effective communication include such things as "labeling communicators and subjects as uninteresting or unimportant,  emotionally Resisting Messages, and criticizing personal style rather than messages."  (Shockley-Zalabak, 2009, p. 170-171)  Failing to identify listening distractions, faking attention, and not listening are also barriers that prevent good communication from taking place. 

Effective communication is essential for organizations to develop and thrive.  Effective communication requires the use of many skills.  Of these, some of the most important include verbal and nonverbal communication, effective listening skills, and overcoming barriers.  Mastery of these elements will help to ensure that communication is both effective and productive.

References

O'Rourke, J. A. (2010). Management Communication, A Case-Analysis Approach. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.

Shockley-Zalabak, P. S. (2009). FUNDAMENTALS OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION: Knowledge, Sensitivity, Skills, Values (7th ed.). University of Colorado: Pearson Education, Inc.

Trenholm, S. (2010). Thinking Through Communication for Ashford University (6th ed.). Pearson Learning Solutions.