1. Improving Communication

2. Active Listening We need to be good listeners.
Active listening is the process of taking action to help someone say exactly what he or she really means.
When people talk they are trying to communicate something. That something may or may not be what they are saying.
We have to be neutral. We cannot evaluate prematurely or interpret what they are trying to say.

3. Active Listening 1. We need to listen for message content
2. Listen for feelings
3. Respond to feelings
4. Note all cues
5. Paraphrase and restate
Try to hear exactly what is being said.
Try to identify how the source feels about the content in the message
Let the source know that her or his feelings are being recognized.
Be sensitive to non-verbal and verbal messages, be alert for mixed messages.
State back your understanding of the message.

4. Active Listening
Don’t you think employees should be promoted based on seniority?
What does the supervisor expect us to do about these out of date computers?
A passive listener would say “No, I don’t.” An active listener would say “It seems to you that they should I take it?”
“Do the best you can I guess.” “You’re pretty disgusted with those machines aren’t you?”

5. Ten Steps to Good Listening
1.Stop talking
2. Put the other person at ease
3. Show that you want to listen
4. Remove any potential distractions
5. Empathize with the other person
6. Don’t respond too quickly; be patient.
7. Don’t get mad. Hold your temper.
8. Go easy on argument and criticism.
9. Ask questions.
10. Stop talking.

6. Constructive Feedback
Feedback is the process of telling someone else how you feel about something that person did or said.
We have to be extremely careful about how we give feedback.
Employees may be harmed by the discussion if not done right.
Sometimes we call this constructive criticism.

7. Constructive Feedback
We need to be direct, and be genuine.
Make sure that feedback is specific, not general. Be clear, use recent examples as your point.
Give feedback at a time when the receive seems most willing or able to accept it.
Make sure the feedback is valid; limit it to things the receive can be expected to do something about.
Give feedback in small doses; never give more than the receiver can handle at any particular time. One thing to remember is called the Sandwich technique.

8. Use of Communication Channels
Channel Richness is the ability of a channel to carry information effectively.

9. Interactive Management
MBWA (Management By Wandering Around)
MBWA sees managers moving around and talking with employees about work-related matters. Breaks down barriers, interpersonal contact is increased, managers get better information (by finding out from lower level workers). A few high-end CEOs would shadow an employee for a day. They would find out a lot about their employees on that day.

10. Interactive Management
Open office hours
Online discussion forums
Employee group meetings
Video conferences
360-degree feedback

11. The Perception Process
Perception is how we receive, organize, and interpret information from the environment.
Message
SENDER
RECEIVER
Feedback
PERCEPTUAL DISTORTIONS - Stereotypes -Selective Perception
-Halo Effects -Projection

12. Perception and Attribution
Attribution is the process of developing explanations for events.
Attribution Error happens when someone’s failures are blamed on internal factors than external factors.
Everyone perceives things differently. This means that we all explain things differently. Attribution Error – For example. If Xin starts struggling at work (like, missing deadlines or giving poor quality assignments, attribution error would happen if I blamed it on laziness or lack of skills. That would mean the supervisor could try to solve the problem with training, motivation, or replacement. The error means that the supervisor is ignoring unrealistic time pressures or poor technology.

13. Perception and Attribution
Self-serving bias is when someone tries to blame failures or problems on external problems and successes on internal problems.
Using the example on the right, this happens regularly with students. We explain successes with our own abilities, and blame our failures on other things.

14. Two Women
Can you see the young woman?
Can you see the old woman?

15. Scary optical illusion - Brightness
Do you see some women looking at themselves in a mirror?

16. Big monster chasing little monster

17. Which line is bigger?

18. They are both the same length
The illusion works because things in the distance would normally be smaller, but in this picture the perspective of the road plays tricks on your mind.

19. The power of letters and numbers - shape
Read the letters from left to right across the page.
Next, read the text from top to bottom.
What does it say?

22. Read the colours!

23. Look Closer

24. Perceptual Tendencies and Distortions
These are things that can influence communication:
Stereotypes
Halo Effects
Selective Perception
Projection

25. Stereotypes
Stereotypes are when traits that are usually associated with a group are associated with an individual.
Race stereotypes
Age stereotypes
Ability stereotypes
Racial groups, senior citizens or young people, would be looked at differently, as would differently-abled people.

26. Halo Effect
Halo effect happens one somebody is judged (well or badly) on one feature.
Positive: Valeria is always on time…therefore she is a good employee.
Negative: His hair is messy…he must be an unorganized, lazy person.

27. Selective Perception
This happens when we look for things that support or reinforce what we already think or believe.
This could mean, for example, that people from different departments are never going to see others’ points of view.
Fight this by getting other opinons.

28. Projection
Projection is when we assign personal attributes onto other people.
You always have to be self-aware of what you are doing. You have to empathize, and you have to have a willingness to communicate.
Like assuming that other people share our needs, desires and values. For example, you could get a promotion and you are in charge of people whose jobs you think are dull and boring. You would try to make their lives more challenging and give them more responsibility, but they might not want this.