COMMUNICATION IN THE WORKPLACE This workforce solution was funded by a grant awarded under the President’s Community-Based Job Training Grants as implemented by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. The solution was created by the grantee and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership. This solution is copyrighted by the institution that created it. Internal use by an organization and/or personal use by an individual for non-commercial purposes is permissible. All other uses require the prior authorization of the copyright owner.

“No one would talk much in society if they knew how often they misunderstood others.” - Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Many of the problems that occur in an organization are the direct result of people failing to communicate. Effective communication occurs ONLY if the receiver understands the exact information or idea that the sender intended to transmit.

Some people think they have communicated once they told someone to do something. “I don’t know why this task didn’t get done, I told Mary to do it” More than likely, Mary misunderstood the message. A message has NOT been communicated unless it is understood by the receiver.

How do you know when a message has been received? By two-way communication or feedback. The feedback tells the sender that the receiver understood the message, the importance of the message and what exactly must be done. COMMUNICATION IS A TWO WAY STREET!

What prevents the understanding of a message. Ourselves – Focusing on ourselves, rather than the other person can lead to conflict and confusion. Perception – If we feel the person is talking too fast, does not speak clearly, etc., we may dismiss the person.

ACTIVE LISTENING Hearing and listening are NOT the same thing! Listening takes the same amount of energy as talking. Listening with a purpose is very important to understand the message that is being relayed to you.

FEEDBACK Providing feedback involves repeating (paraphrasing) what the sender has said to you. If you didn’t understand something the sender has stated, then ask. Don’t assume! This is a critical period of the message to verify that you understood what the sender was saying.

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION There is much more to communication than the act of speaking. Eye Contact Body language

EYE CONTACT Eye contact shows the person speaking to you that you are interested and listening to what they are saying. If you were speaking to someone and they kept looking away, what would that tell you?

BODY LANGUAGE Keeping your arms crossed as someone is speaking to you gives the impression that you are “blocking” the message that someone is sending to you. Nodding your head and leaning forward towards the sender, tells them that you are interested in what they are saying and open to their message.

So how does communication affect us in the workplace? Think of the animals! If we don’t communicate effectively, the animals are the ones that are affected by it the most.

Medicating We need to know which animal, which drug, how much of that drug, how often to give the medication, by what route and for how long. If we are communicated this information, what could happen? The wrong animal could receive the medication. The wrong drug can be given The wrong amount of the drug could be administered We could give it the wrong route

Doing our everyday tasks If we are not communicated to effectively, it makes it difficult for us to do our job efficiently. Everyone must work together as a team to achieve success!

EXAMPLES OF COMMUNICATION IN THE WORKPLACE Dr. DoLittle would like Mary to give a certain cat in cage number two its’ afternoon dose of medication. He approaches Mary and says “Mary, can you please give the cat in cage number two its’ afternoon dose of medication?” While he is asking her, Mary is eating her lunch and reading the newspaper. She never looks up at him and just says “yeah”.

Was this clear communication? No! Let’s continue with the scenario. Mary takes her time to finish her lunch, talks to a few employees afterwards and suddenly remembers that Dr. DoLittle wanted her to do something. Was it the cat in cage number one or two she thought? She assumes it was number one. So she proceeds to go to cage number one and administer the medication to the cat in the cage. Right after she administers the medication, Dr. DoLittle enters and sees what Mary just did. He asks her why she just gave the medication to that particular cat and she replies, “I thought this was the one that you told me to give the medication to”

Let’s review the sequence of miscommunication: Dr. DoLittle should have been more specific in which cat needed the medication. Instead of only stating that the cat in cage number two needed the medication, what should he have stated? Name of the cat / ID number/ Identifying marks Name of the medication How much the cat was to receive What should Mary have done differently? Mary was not actively listening to Dr. DoLittle when he asked her to adminster the medication. Mary should have made eye contact. Mary should have given feedback; “It was the cat in cage number two that you wanted me to adminster medication to? And just to clarify, that was cat with ID number 22? And the medication was amoxicillin?

Who did the miscommunication affect in this scenario? THE CAT! When miscommunication happens, especially in a medical/research facility, the animals are the ones that are affected the most by it. COMMUNICATION IS A TWO WAY STREET!

CONCLUSION Communication is more than just speaking. When speaking with someone, be sure to be clear and concise with the information that you are telling them. Active Listening – Be sure to actively listen when someone is relaying information to you. It is just as important as speaking clearly and being concise when sending a message. Make eye contact - Making eye contact lets the person know that you are listening to them and not dismissing them. Feedback – Be sure to give feedback. Repeat what the speaker has stated, ask questions if you are not sure. NEVER ASSUME!