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  • Communication – Supervisory 3

    In the last byte, we looked at the requirements of supervisors being expressive and also empathetic. In today’s byte, we look at the persuasive and sensitive dimension of the supervisors.

    Supervisor’s ways of communication could generally be classified to be into one of the three forms:

    1. Directive
    2. Autocratic
    3. Persuasive
    A supervisory position generally comes with power and influence in an organization, this is generally to ensure that the work allocated to their employees is done well and the expected performance and results are achieved.

    If a supervisor chooses to be autocratic or directive most of the times, then (s)he would be rubbing the employee on the rough side many a times. A manager could instead use persuasive communication where the supervisor (manager) would encourage others to achieve results intend of telling them what to do! The supervisor would need to necessarily have to be patient if (s)he is to use the persuasive means of communication to get the work done.

    The above argument doesn’t mean to say that directive or autocratic communication is never to be used. It is the situation that would define the application of these means – emergency and high-risk situations (exceptional situation) are one where the directive and assertive nature of the supervisor would be most useful.

  • Communication – Supervisory 2

    In the last byte, we listed the 5 essentials that a supervisory communications should possess. In today’s byte, we look at how an expressive supervisor and how empathetic listening could help supervisory communication,

    Expressive Supervisor:
    Just imagining working with a supervisor who is completely and introvert and doesn’t talk to his/her subordinate about what his/her thought are; how would it feel? The subordinate would definitely be left wanting to know what their supervisors are thinking or feeling!
    Given this scenario, it would definitely be useful to have a supervisor who is expressing about their thoughts, ideas and feeling – they have to speak out their mind in meetings and outside. This requirement would translate to saying that the supervisor would have to tend towards extroversion and an extremely introvert supervisor would find it hard to be effective at getting the work done through their employees.

    Empathetic Listening:
    We have discussed in depth of about reflective listening over the last few bytes. Being empathetic listener is just another of the components of reflective listening. Supervisors would need to be willing to listen with patience and be responsive to the problem that the employee or peers bring to them in the context of a work setting. Responding and engaging with the concerns of other people help them be empathetic to the employee or peer with whom they are working.

    Empathetic listeners should thereby be willing to listen to the feelings and emotional dimension of the message people provide them and simultaneously look at the content of the ideas and issues. This enables the supervisors be more approachable and better at listening to suggestions and complaints.

  • Communication – Supervisory

    In the last byte, we looked at some special feature of one-way communication. In today’s byte, we look at Five Essential aspects that would help Supervisors communicate better with their subordinates.

    A manager and an employee spend several hours working together on projects – interpersonal communication between them thus holds a key role in ensuring effective performance of the organization. This interpersonal element has two components – language of communication and the power that is held by the manager! It is a intertwining of these two.

    Through numerous research on the subject matter of manager-employee communication helps identify five communication skills that distinguish between a “good” and a “bad” supervisor. Following is the list of these five communication skills:

    1. Expressive Speakers
    2. Empathetic Listeners
    3. Persuasive Leader
    4. Sensitivity to Feelings
    5. Informative Managers
    We shall discuss about these in the next few bytes.

  • Communication – One Way

    In the last byte, we began the discussion on one-way and two-way communication. In today’s byte, we look at one-way communication in greater detail.

    One-way communication if carefully observed is suitable for situation which requires quicker communication. It is important to also realize that the speed of communication depends on the amount and complexity of information communicated and the choice of the medium for communication. Let’s use an example to understand this: In emergency situations, where time is of essence example a fire fighting scenario or a military operation – there is little time for any slag in communication. Communication has to be quick!
    Generally, faster communication also risks being inaccurate than two-way communication. A message is more accurate when the perception windows are completely open – so clarification and iterations would be required in the process. In emergency situations, accuracy is crucial too – the training the fire fighting/military personnel undergo help make the communication accurate in addition to being faster.

    If you are wondering which of one-way or two-way communication is better off, and what should be the right mix; clearly it would vary with the individual in question – some require extensive feedback while some others do not require much feedback. This is also true from the listener’s perspective – some prefer two-way while other prefer one-way communication.

  • Communication – One Way & Two Way

    In the last byte, we looked at the two non verbal dimensions of reflective listening. In today’s byte, we look at one way and two way communication. Let’s begin with the definition for clarity sake:

    Two-way Communication:
    Is a form of communication in which the communicator and receiver interact?
    This interactive communication allows for exchange of thoughts, feelings, or both and through which a new shared meeting. Problem solving and Decision Making often use two way communications.

    One-Way Communication:
    Is a communication in which a person sends a message to another personal and no feedback, questions, or interactions follow? Example: Giving instructions, giving directions etc…
    It occurs when a person sends a unidirectional message to the receiver and there is no reflective listening or feedback in the communication process.

    These would be better discussed in a bit more detail and we shall continue this in the next byte.

  • Communication – Nonverbal component of Reflective Listening

    In the last byte, we looked at how clarifying the implicit and reflecting on the core helps reflective listening. In today’s byte, we look at the non verbal components of reflective listening and see how it helps understand the discussion better.

    It is a common observation that people who are upset do not speak with each other for long durations of time. On the other hand, we also tend to associate long, extended periods of silence as something discomforting. If such silence happens in a conversation it could be inferred as a source of embarrassment! This apart, silence could also help both the speaker and listener in reflective listening – let’s see how:

    • Speaker’s perspective – it helps in moments of thought or confusion about the apt means to express a difficult idea.
    • Listener’s perspective – it could be used to sort out their own thoughts/feelings about the speaker’s take on the idea.
    • Silence helps identify and isolate the personal response of the listener and helps control them from being got into the dialogue.

    Eye Contact helps open up conversations between people. There are different interpretations of eye contact and these are influence primarily by the cultural context of the country. However the commonality is –
    1. Too much direct eye contact could have intimidating effect
    2. Moderate direct eye contact opens up the discussion and indicates affirmation.

  • Communication – Clarifying the Implicit & Reflecting “Core” Feelings

    In the last byte, we looked at affirmative contact and paraphrasing as means to improve the reflective communication aspect. In today’s byte, we look at Clarification of the implicit and reflecting on the core feeling.

    Clarifying the Implicit: Speakers do not just limit their discussion to expressed explicit thoughts and feelings; they also communicate implicit thoughts and feelings. Given the implicit nature, these are not clearly or fully expressed and hence the receiver may or may not assume that implicit thoughts and feelings are witting the awareness of the speaker.

    Reflecting “Core” Feelings: The receiver should look for more than just the explicit or the implicit thoughts and feelings that the speaker is expressing. The receiver should reflect on the core feelings that the speakers may be experiencing, and is reaching beyond the immediate awareness level of the speaker.”Core” Feelings are the deepest and the most important ones from the speakers’ perspective.

    Sure enough, the listener always runs the risk of overreaching in reflecting core feelings if a secure, empathetic relationship with the speaker doesn’t exist or if strongly repressed feelings are reflected back. Thus, it is important to exercise caution and care when reflecting.

  • Communication – Affirmative Contact & Paraphrasing the Expressed

    In the last byte, we looked at the various levels of reflective listening. In today’s byte, we look at the first two of these – affirmative contact and paraphrasing the expressed.

    Affirmative Contact: While listening to someone communicating, we find some affirmative contact through the use of simple statements like – “I See”, “Yes, I understand” etc. These statements are to indicate attentiveness, and not agreement itself.

    This affirmative contact is especially reassuring to a speaker during the initial phases of the discussion, by reducing the associated anxiety or discomfort the speaker might feel. As the discussion deepens, it would be better to use additional reflective responses to ensure a greater engagement.

    Paraphrasing the Expressed:  In a discussion, it is useful to paraphrase thoughts and feelings of the speaker. Paraphrasing is useful to reflect on the speaker’s thoughts and feelings as the receiver heard them. This helps build better empathy, openness and acceptance into the relationship while ensuring the accuracy of communication.

  • Communication – Verbal & Non-Verbal Response

    In the last byte, we looked at the four essential aspects that a listener had to do to use reflective listening.  In today’s byte, we look at some of the verbal and non verbal communication dimensions in here.

    We could look at the communication in the reflective format to consist of 2 components:

    1. Verbal
    2. Non Verbal

    The Verbal response from the receiver could have 4 parts
    1. Affirmative Contact
    2. Paraphrasing Expressed Thoughts and Feeling
    3. Clarifying implicit thoughts and feelings
    4. Reflecting on Core feelings not expressed.

    The non verbal response has two parts
    1. Silence
    2. Eye Contact.
    The following diagram summarizes this classification. To help us understand better these aspects, we shall attempt to explain using an example over the next few bytes.

  • Communication – Reflective Listening 2

    In the last byte, we looked at reflective listening and attempted to understand the 3 components of reflective listening. In today’s byte, we look at each of these 3 components in detail.

    Personal aspect: Reflective listening emphasizes the personal element of communication – not he impersonal or abstract elements of the message. There is empathy, concern etc for the communicator as a person. The communicator is not treated as an inanimate object!

    Feeling orientation:  Reflective listening also emphasizes on the feels communicated in the message. In addition to the thoughts and ideas that catch the general attention in normal communication, reflective listening also keeps an ear on the feels. The receiver pays special attention to the feel component of the message.

    Responsiveness:  Reflective listening requires the listener to resound to the communicator instead of leading the communicator in the discussion. The receiver would need to realize the distinction between his/her individual feelings and thoughts and that of the speaker. The focus has to be on the speaker’s feelings and thoughts so as to be able respond to them. A good reflective listener doesn’t lead the speaker according to the listeners’ own thought and feelings….