5 Main Gateways to Effective Communication

 

5 Main Gateways to Effective Communication

• reference of the article shared by Surbhi Rawat 

                       The gateways are 1. Interpersonal Trust 2. Effective Listening 3. Proper Feedback 4. Non-Verbal Cues 5. Non-Directive Counseling.

1.

Interpersonal Trust:

It is impossible to communicate effectively without interpersonal trust. A subordinate will not be able to communicate freely with his manager unless he trusts the latter. By being fair, open and receptive to new ideas, top managers can create a favourable atmosphere for developing interpersonal trust.

2.

Effective Listening:

Listening is one of the most essential elements of effective communication. A message can never be conveyed effectively unless the receiver is attentive and listens to what is being said. The listener should be open-minded to understand the correct meaning of a message. According to a research study, these are the ten prerequisites for effective listening.

(i) Judging the content of the message, but not the weaknesses of the speaker.

(ii) Avoiding premature evaluation.

(iii) Looking for the central idea.

(iv) Being flexible and not expecting the message to follow a fixed pattern.

(v) Concentrating on the message.

(vi) Being mentally alert to grasp the meaning of the message.

(vii) Practicing active listening.

(viii) Having an open mind.

(ix) Trying to benefit from one’s own rapid thought process rather than ‘talk processes’ of the speaker.

Effective listening helps managers improve their relationships with their subordinates. It also helps them give feedback and provide non-directive counselling.

3.

Proper Feedback:

Feedback enables the sender to assess the effect of a message transmitted to the receiver. Both giving and receiving feedback are important aspects of management. To be effective, the feedback provided by managers should be descriptive, specific, and directed towards changing specific behaviours. When receiving feedback, managers should be opening minded.

They should be able to handle both positive as well as negative feedback. While receiving negative feedback, managers should ask for clarification and examples about points that seem ambiguous or unclear. They should also avoid acting defensively.

Nowadays, many organizations encourage their customers to give feedback regarding their products or services. This helps organizations make improvements in their products or services.

4.

Non-Verbal Cues:

Another important prerequisite for effective communication is an awareness of and sensitivity to non-verbal cues in communication. The following pie charts (Figure 1.4), based on a research study, and reveal the significance of non-verbal communication.

According to this graph, only 7 per cent of a receiver’s response is determined by the verbal content of a message, while 38 per cent of the response is determined by the speaker’s vocal characteristics (tone and tenor of the voice) and 55 per cent of the response is determined by the speaker’s facial expressions.

The above figure reveals the enormous impact of non-verbal communication on the receiver. Non-verbal cues include body posture, eye contact, distance from the receiver, voice inflexion, rate of speech, gestures, emphasis of particular words, silence, etc.

Awareness of non-verbal cues helps managers become sensitive to the needs of their subordinates. Such awareness helps managers assess the current state of their interpersonal relationships with subordinates and manage them effectively.

5.

Non-Directive Counselling:

In non-directive counselling, the manager helps the employee examine his own ideas, feelings and attitudes about a problem. Non-directive counselling can be done by holding an interview with the employee.

In a non-directive counselling interview, a manager should:

(i) Be attentive and friendly

(ii) Raise appropriate questions

(iii) Be tactful and enable the employee to think through the problem clearly

(iv) Create an atmosphere of privacy to ensure that the employee can communicate freely

(v) Be a patient listener to help the employee to express his emotions freely

(vi) Encourage the employee to do some introspection.

Reference- 

Course content adapted from Web Sources-

5 Main Gateways to Effective Communication