Effective communication
means that we are able to express ourselves, both verbally and non-verbally, in
ways that are appropriate to our cultures and situations. This means not only
being able to express our opinions and desires, but also our needs and fears
and to ask for advice and help.
Effective
communications are important skills that I will have to grasp as I am holding a
leadership appointment in my workplace. Effective communication helps to foster
a greater sense of mutual understanding among team members and allows the
leader to influence the people around to achieve organizational goals.
When team
members are able to communicate effectively, it creates a synergy within the
team. This is essential for a team’s efficiency and effectiveness. In addition,
effective teams often undergo the 5 stages of Tuckman’s Theory. The stages are
namely: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing and Adjourning. Team leaders are
often required to play the role as facilitators in these stages of team building
and effective communications is particularly important in this aspect.
Another
aspect of team building is the establishment of vulnerability-based trust. Referring
to the above definition, effective communications, which involve the need to
express our fears and needs, are often neglected. This could be a barrier in
the process of team building and hence team synergy.
On the
other hand, the influences of a leader are largely dependent on his ability to
communicate effectively to the people so that the latter are motivated to
achieve organizational goals. For example, a head of the department in a
hospital will have to effectively communicate these ideas not only to the
medical staff (such as doctors and nurses), but also to the technicians and
cleaners in the hospital. Effective communication in this case therefore
involves being able to communicate the mission of saving lives in the
perspective of the support staff (which could often be different from that of
the medical staff).
Hi! I agree effective communication is important in the workplace. To add on to your post, I think for most people, when asked to define communication, they will describe the techniques used to express as what they feel, think, want namely talking, writing or body language. However, I think listening is an important aspect of effective communication as well; especially so when one is confronted with difficult issues. To improve communication, it is important to recognize the importance of listening and make listening a key part of the working environment's culture. Active listening help to save time because it cuts through people's defenses and get more information without having to repeat conversations and help to assess a situation accurately.
ReplyDeleteHi Jun Han,
ReplyDeleteWhat struck me most about your post was how effective communication helps a leader to influence others. Yes i do agree with you that a good leader is one who is able to deliver his intended message well to his co-workers. This definitely helps to establish a strong community bond in the workplace. However, i believe that, another trait to what makes a leader great is also his ability to deliver charisma. A gift of grace that is able to touch and motivate the people. Take for example Barack Obama, he had both worlds. With these two factors working hand-in-hand, i believe you will suceed to be an even greater leader in the future :)
Hi Jun Han!
ReplyDeleteI like how you mentioned in your opening statement that effective communication is not just verbal communication but non-verbal communication as well. Furthermore, I agree that different people conform to different societal norms and hence we need to know what to say, and when to say what.
Perhaps you could expand more and elaborate on the 5 stages of Tuckman's Theory. It seems interesting but some examples would be good =)
Knowing and admitting one's weaknesses is also an important part of effective communication as we can identify our shortcomings and allow people who are stronger in that particular field to take on the tasks at hand instead.