Notes from 51st International STC Conference
Baltimore, Maryland, May 9-12, 2004

Communication Skills for Managers

Jacqueline E. Sirota and Kathleen W. Pierce
Write on the Edge, Inc.

Session Description: This workshop addressed communication skills that make for a more effective manager. Topics included verbal and non-verbal communication, active listening, and leadership skills.

• Why do I care? What's in it for me? Career progress is tied to effective communication
   
• Making decisions
• Building relationships
• Coaching
• Persuading
• Problem-solving
• Managing conflict
• Hiring
• What's so hard about communicating?
   
• Everyone is a great communicator (in his/her own mind)
• Here are a few reasons why communication can fail:
   
• Don't know goal
• Make assumption
• Don't listen
• Let emotions cloud message
• Lack confidence
• Communication challenges
   
• Persuading
• Bridging a knowledge gap
• Giving negative feedback
• Dealing with angry, defensive, or arrogant people
• Lacking time or energy
• Managing conflict
• Communication begins with self-awareness
   
• Effective communicators know themselves
• Be aware of how you affect others
• Be aware of how you perceive yourself; project a confident, positive self-image
   
• Know your strengths and weaknesses
• Contemplate personal style
• Identify obstructionist traits
• Capitalize on strengths
• Learn new techniques
• Assessing your communication style
   
• Think of three words that describe your communication style
• How do others perceive you?
• Compare the two
• Basic communication theory: biggest single problem for the manager is to be focused on transmission (self) rather than reception (audience; i.e., the employee)
• Communication model
   
• Sender "encodes" (written, verbal, nonverbal)
   
• Purpose/goal
• Verbal/nonverbal communication skills
• Emotions
• Knowledge
• Self perception/perception of receiver
• Physical barriers
• What receiver is expecting to hear
• Receiver "decodes"(assigns meaning to message)
   
• Expectations
• Listening skills
• Emotions
• Knowledge
• Self perception/perception of sender
• Physical barriers
• Sender encodes the message
   
• Be clear and to the point
• Present in a way the receiver will understand
• Target information for audience
• Avoid unnecessary detail and technical jargon
• Receiver decodes the message
   
• Listen for understanding
• Avoid jumping to conclusions
• Listen actively and ask clarifying questions
• Control filters and emotions
• Verbal communication
   
• First recourse
• Oral or written
• Words are not the same as intent (but the receiver only hears your words)
• Delivery: vocabulary, tone
• Non-native speakers
• Steps in effective verbal communication
   
1. Focus on the exchange
2. Know your goal
3. Be specific and concise
4. Consider the receiver
5. Watch and listen for clues
• Nonverbal communication
   
• You cannot NOT communicate nonverbally
• Includes:
   
• Body language
• Appearance (dress one level above your audience)
• Eye contract
• Tone and speed
• Can support or undermine overt message
• Culturally variable
• Steps in effective nonverbal communication
   
1. Know the impression you want to give
2. Be aware of your frame of mind
3. Use nonverbals to support your message
   
   Note that nonverbal communication varies significantly across cultures.
• Pseudo-listening
   
• Listening to words only
• Relying on preconceptions
• Being distracted
• Thinking ahead to your turn
• Steps in active listening
   
1. Be aware of your reactive filters
2. Listen with all your senses
3. Clarify your understanding
4. Restate and confirm
• Disable your filters
   
• Be aware of your preconceptions
• Identify your sender's goal
• Identify external factors
• Open your mind to the possibility of change
• Listen with all your senses
   
• Focus your attention
• Don't think ahead
• Show genuine interest
• Use body language
• Check your understanding
   
• Restate what you heard in your own words
• Ask relevant questions
• Be open and neutral
• Clarify misunderstandings
• Restate and confirm
   
• Summarize your understanding
• Use nonverbal cues
• Think about next time
• Communication exercise
   
• Choose a partner
• Pick a scenario (or one of your own!)
• Discuss your communication strategy with your partner.
• Identify areas where you could use verbal skills, nonverbal skills, and active listening to improve the situation.
• Be prepared to discuss.
• Summary
   
• Know yourself
• Be aware of your verbal communication
• Be aware of what you are communicating nonverbally
• Use active listening techniques
• Four scenarios (worked in dyads). What is your communication strategy?
   
• Scenario #1: Your project team includes an aggressive, difficult person who demoralizes the team with criticisms, contrariness, argumentativeness, and a general "I know more than all of you" attitude.
• Scenario #2: One of your employees tries hard but often delivers substandard work, or misses deadlines. Whenever you try and address the subject, the employee responds defensively. You have not got the time or desire to handhold or micromanage, but sometimes you feel forced into it because you cannot trust the employee to do the work.
• Scenario #3: You have to work closely with another manager whose work style and personality clash with yours. Tight deadlines, budget constraints, and staffing issues put additional pressure on the situation.
• Scenario #4: Your client (who may be in another department in your own company) has a habit of disappearing right after assigning you a project. E-mail and voice mail go unanswered for days. When the client reappears, the project is urgent and needs to be done right away and the need for information is impatiently discounted. On top of that, this client is famous for nitpicky, last-minute changes that drive your writers crazy.