Communication to organise
The manager is above all a man of relationships, much of his life’s work is marked by talk, listen, relate, negotiate, discuss, debate, meet, talk, words to communicate.
You cannot not communicate … even silence communicates! (Paul Watzlawick)
Why communication skills matter in management
Big part of the manager’s life is spent in communicating: talk, negotiate, reporting, presenting in public.
The ability to communicate is therefore as important as the ability to diagnose and decide. In fact, even the most perfect of diagnosis is not very useful if it can not be adequately explained.
The manager is therefore also a perfect communicator.
Business communication skills
Here below some examples of effective communication techniques that you should know both use and recognize when used by someone else
Implicit. It consists of passing a concept for real without the interlocutor pay attention. When discussing an issue, if you let an implicit statement pass without any objection you are also making it true.
Example in the sentence “the agency is late with the delivery of the new design” there are three implicits: a) the person talking is implying that the agency was assigned a deadline for completing the task; b) The agency agreed to delivery the design by a precise date; c) all the information needed by the agency to complete the task on time were provided to the agency.
Persuasion is made by issuing a communication that is mainly based on emotional arguments rather than rational reasons, making extensive use of expressive language, coming to affect the emotional sphere.“Mirroring.” It is to adopt the verbal expressions, attitudes and gestures of the person you are talking to. When a person sees his own attitudes and behaviours in the other person, he/she acquires more confidence.
Common mistakes in business communication
Giving incomplete information: communication must be complete. unless they intervene specific reasons of confidentiality; all data and information necessary in support of its arguments are to be presented in their entirety.
Do not keep your word: credibility is crucial to win the trust of others; to be credible you must keep your word.Communicate without verifying that the other party has understoodyour message.
Must-have business communication skills
- Write email;
- Active listening;
- Public speaking;
Communication verbal and non
The effectiveness of communication depends more on the attitude of the sender towards the recipient that the sender’s skill in speaking and writing. In other words “the manner in which it communicates influence of most of the message itself”.
A word spoken in anger can have a completely different impact from the same word spoken in a friendly tone.
Only 10% of what you communicate is “told” through words. 90% of the message is then Conveyed through nonverbal communication. more >>
Non verbal communication
Here’s how verbal and non-verbal communication involved in:
Words (10%): only 10% of what you communicate is “told” through words.The rest of the message is then conveyed through the non-verbal communication (90%).
Tone (35%): a word spoken in anger can be interpreted differently by the same word spoken with a friendly tone.
Proxemics (55%): proxemics includes gesticulation, posture, the distance between the interlocutors. These elements communicate the 55% of the message.
The use of visual channel, that is, the use of drawings, symbols or diagrams, as well as stimulate the most attention of the interlocutors, is particularly suitable for synthesizing a complex idea, otherwise very hard to represent and sustainable using only the channel verbal.
The use of visual aids leads to separate the content from the physical entity that is proposing (the what from whom) and makes adherence to the statistically most probable message
Better to draw while talking that use of powerpoint slides.
Control questions: check your communication habits
- Do you communicate in a clear and unambiguous manner?
- Do you check that your communications have been fully understood?
- Do you communicate frequently enough?
- Do you communicate only to give orders or do you allow allow your team to tell you about their expectations?
Bibliographical references
- R. Archibald Managing relationships in project management
- Vitalliano Kettliz, How to deal with employees, Francoangeli
Time Management
If we accept the principle that 80% of the result is obtained with 20% of the effort and that the remaining 80% of effort produces only 20% of the result, it is clear that if we could concentrate the priorities on that first 20% effort, would reach 80% of the success that is expected of us.
How to delegate
No one can do it alone, you need to know to delegate!
Most tasks can be delegated, whether limited or relevant, simple or complex. And ‘essential that the process of delegation is properly conducted: a delegation ineffective leads to a high degree of stressmanagement, the motivation of the staff, to the overlapping of roles.
Read our guide to delegation here >>
Implicit, Persuasion, and Mirroring
Implicit:
Implicit communication involves conveying a concept as true without the interlocutor paying explicit attention. For instance: “Where did you meet Maria?” implies that you have met that person; “When will you give the speech?” implies that you will deliver a speech; “Your intervention has brought no results” implies the failure of the intervention. When debating an issue, allowing opponents to pass implicit messages means conceding to their statements, which can later be used against you.
Persuasion:
Persuasion operates through communication, typically (but not necessarily) verbal, where the communicator emphasizes emotions, utilizing expressive language to impact the emotional sphere. “Convincing” someone involves providing a rational explanation through structured and coherent communication.
Mirroring:
Mirroring involves adopting the verbal expressions, attitudes, and behaviors of the interlocutor. When a person sees their own mannerisms reflected in another, trust is built.
Read also to guide to writing effective emails >>