Effective Communication in Total Quality Systems

Effective Communication in Total Quality System Rohit Ravva Sumanth Gadde AJ Schubert

Defining Communication Communication: the transfer of a message (idea, emotion, feeling, or something else) that is both received & understood. Only when message is received and understood is there communication

Communication vs. Effective Communication Effective Communication: Message is received, understood, and acted upon in desired manner Ex. Boss tells all employees to stay 15 minutes after hours for a week Employees understand message 3 employees choose to not stay after hours

Effective Communication May require: persuasion, motivation, leadership by the managers, and monitoring

Communication Levels One-on-one: two people (face-to-face, telephone, even a simple gesture or facial expression) Team or unit: peer group (solve problems or set team goals) Company-level: communication among groups (meeting with various departments - acount, sales, market) Community-level: groups inside and outside company (company s sales force communicating with clients)

Activity 1

Role in Total Quality If total quality is the engine, communication is the oil that keeps it running. Total quality key elements: customer focus, total employee involvement, leadership, teamwork, decision making, problem prevention, problem solving, and conflict resolution. ALL need effective communication

Customer Focus Determining customer needs requires Listening Asking Observing Probing

Effective Leadership Effective leaders need effective communication to: Inspire others Communicate goals Motivate employees to commit to company s goals

Teamwork Team members must continually communicate among themselves, with managers, and other teams. Communication needed for decision making, problem prevention, problem solving, and conflict resolution.

UNDERSTANDING COMMUNICATION AS A PROCESS Communication is a process with several components. These components are Sender-originator or source of the message Receiver-person or the group for whom the message is intended Message-the information, idea, feeling that is to be conveyed Medium-it is the vehicle used to convey the message

The Four basic categories of media are Verbal- Face to face conversations, telephone conversations, speeches etc. Non verbal-This category includes gestures, facial expressions and body language. Written-This category includes letters, memorandums, manuals etc. Electronic-This category includes the transmission of digital data.

RECOGNIZING INHIBITORS OF COMMUNICATION Managers should be familiar with the various factors that can inhibit effective communication. some of the most common inhibitors of the effective communication are Differences in the meaning Lack of trust Information over load Interference Condescending Poor listening skills

Premature judgments Inaccurate assumptions

ESTABLISHING A CONDUCTIVE COMMUNICATION CLIMATE Corwin p.king describes good communication as one that gives people the information they need to do their jobs well and also builds morale and encourages activity He also describes the bad communication as creates doubt and confusion, demotivating people and leading to cynicism

Some of the steps that manager should take care that does not happen Communicating with peers and employees as little as possible Being vague and obscure Communicating with only a select few individuals Limiting employee access Communicating only when it is personally advantageous to do so Ignoring the good ideas of the employees These are the possible ways that manager should take care that should not happen.

Communication by listenng Listening is one of the most important skill It is one of the skill that people are least likely to have

What is listening and hearing? Hearing is a natural process, but listening is not. Hearing is decoding of sound waves but listening involves perception. A person with highly sensitive hearing abilities can be a poor listener, but a person with impaired hearing can be a excellent listener Effective listening means receiving the message, correctly decoding it, and accurately perceiving .

INHIBITORS OF EFFECTIVE LISTENING Effective listening occurs when receiver accurately perceives the message. Several inhibitors can prevent this from happening, and some of them are due to Lack of concentration Interruptions Preconceived ideas Thinking ahead Interference Tuning out

LISTENING EMPATHICALLY Empathic listening is the highest level of listening . Empathic listening means listening with the intent to understand .It does not mean agreeing with what being said. Rather it means attempting to fully understand. Pretending means acting as if you are listening but tuning out. Using non verbal curves such as eye contacts, facial expressions etc. Selective listening means tuning in to only parts of the message. It involves on focusing intently on the speakers words.

LISTENING RESPONSIVELY Responsive listening involves seeking to receive and affirm the messenger as well as the message. Responsive listening can pay substantial dividends for managers in a total quality setting. Personal benefits to the managers include these Barriers are broken down Valuable insights are gained Communication is encouraged Misconceptions are cleared up Learning takes place

Some pointers that managers can use to become more responsive listeners and to help employees Allocate your listening time Concentrate fully Grant a fair hearing Make it easy for the person to talk Understand completely Clarify expectations.

IMPROVING LISTENING SKILLS Most people have room for improvement in their listening skills Listening skills can be enhanced when there is awareness of the need to improve Upgrade your desire to listen Ask the right questions Judge what is really being said Eliminate listening errors.

Activity 2

Understanding Nonverbal Communication Factors Much of the communication is nonverbal. Postures, gestures, voice tone and proximity factors are the components of non verbal communication. Body Factors Voice Factors Proximity Factors

Body Factors :- Postures, body poses, facial expressions, gestures and dress can convey a message. One of the keys to understanding nonverbal cues lies in the concept of congruence.

Voice factors:- It is an important part of nonverbal communication. The factors such as volume, tone, pitch of voice and rate of speech indicates anger, fear, impatience, unsureness, interest, confidence and variety of other messages.

Proximity factors:- It involves factors ranging from where you position yourself when talking to an employee, to how your office is arranged, to the color of the walls and decorations.

Communicating Verbally Show interest Be friendly Be flexible Be tactful Be courteous

Show interest :- when speaking with an employee show an interest in the topic, show that you are sincerely interested in communicating message also in receivers message. Be friendly:-A positive, friendly attitude will enhance verbal communication. A superior or disinterested attitude will shut off your communication.

Be flexible:- Flexibility can enhance verbal communication. If a manager calls his team members to explain new company policy but find they are focused on a problem that is disrupting their work schedule, he must be flexible enough to put his message aside for the moment and deal with the problem. Be tactful:-

Asking Questions effectively Drop your defenses State your purpose Acknowledge emotions Phrase questions carefully

Drop your defenses:- People have their public and private faces; what is said is not what is felt. They build walls and put up defenses, in order to communicate effectively it is necessary to break through defenses and open up. State your purpose:- It allow the receiver to focus on your question rather than worrying about why you are asking it.

Acknowledge emotions:- Avoid ignoring the emotions of people. Use open ended questions:- You will learn more when listening than talking. Phrase your questions carefully. Avoid questions with yes / no answers.

Communicating in writing Plan before you write Be brief Be direct Be accurate Practice self-Editing

Be brief:- Explain your purpose and state your points in as few words as possible. Be direct:- You don t want recipients wasting time rather than getting to the point. (Time is Money) Be accurate:- Take time to identify specifics such as dates, numbers, quantities and so on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RWh OKb6HzE

Practice self editing:- Never send your first draft. First draft is what you are saying and second draft is how you say it.

Writing Better Reports Define the problem Develop a work plan Gather relevant data Process findings Develop conclusions Make recommendations

Communicating Corrective Feedback Be positive Be prepared Be realistic Don t be completely negative

The two approaches of giving corrective feedback :- Tell-ask-listen Listen-ask-tell

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Whos on First? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sShMA 85pv8M

Improving Communication Keep up-to-date; can t communicate what you don t know Prioritize information; don t overload employees with info. Decide who to inform; employees have enough on their mind Determine how to communicate Follow up; make sure employees understand

Written vs. Verbal Written General info (company policies) Info that requires action (turn in ethics form by Friday) Verbal Reprimanding/commending employee Resolving conflict

Electronic Communication Pros Instant Mass copies Printable Cons No body language, voice tone, facial expression, or eye contact Easy to overuse; unecessary messages

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