4. Today’s Topic… Effective Communication Talking it Out and Making it Plain

6. One way to describe much of the day to day communication that occurs between co-workers is… Mis-communication that is lost in translation!

7. Projects are delayed… …all because of ineffective workplace communication. Teams have conflicts… Assignments are completed improperly…

8. Experienced any of these problems? If so go ahead and celebrate because help has arrived! Consider the following…

9. The most common barrier to effective communication is poor listening skills.

10. When spoken to, instead of fully paying attention to what is being said, most people begin thinking of their response... A habit that normally results in greater confusion and more misunderstandings.

11. 1: Listen Up! Practice waiting and listening patiently to your co-worker. Give yourself time to consider what is being said before arguing or disagreeing. Instead, you should… Rice OLPD Owlets Rock!

12. This communication barrier causes co- workers to tune out of conversations because there is just too much information to pay attention to. Ever heard of Information Overload?

13. What happens when someone becomes a victim of information overload? Important, details are ignored forgotten overlooked lost

14. Instead 2: KISS( Keep It Simple Stupid) and Only communicate essential information. Allow co-workers to ask for details as needed. Be time-conscious during meetings.

15. Have you ever tried to read an email while you were angry, sad, or feeling silly? How well did you do?

16. Or how about talking to someone who was experiencing an especially high or low emotion? How productive was that conversation?

17. The fact of the matter is, emotions influence the way we hear, see, remember, approach and accomplish things. So in order to avoid roller-coaster-like conversations that can result in ineffective communication…

18. 3: Stop, Look, and Listen Stop: Q uiet your own thoughts in order to focus on the other persons thoughts and feelings. Look: Notice body language and non-verbal cues to better understand the speaker’s point. Listen: L isten for the essence of what is being said instead of an reacting to the words the speaker uses to express himself.

19. It won’t happen overnight, but with some intentional effort you will avoid the most common communication barriers and improve the internal dynamics of your team.

20. All through the use of effective communication!

21. OLPD Owlets… Promoting Excellence Through Learning… Contact the Office of Learning and Professional Development at training.rice.edu and visit the Crucial Conversations page for more information on how to resolve improve your communication skills. The Rice Way!