Blend for the better
I S YOUR boss a great communicator?
In a recent survey, a mere 17 per cent of the respondents said that their superiors communicated effectively. The remaining 83 per cent admitted that they were unhappy with their boss's communication style! They realised a wide gap in communication. This question is, however, not just applicable to bosses. Let's get personal and ask ourselves-- are we good communicators? Or is there a gap in our communication? Only it is not merely a communication gap; a chasm would be an apt way to describe it!
It's a chasm!
Communication chasm arises because of the incongruence among the three styles of communication. One must be able to blend and interplay the emotional, factual and symbolic styles of communication if an idea or a thought has to be communicated in the best manner possible. Missing out on these essentialities results in ineffective communication if not miscommunication!
Picture this: In a meeting, the company head focusses on the "growth for survival" agenda. There is an impressive array of statistics, colourful slides and reams of paper with hard facts distributed to all employees. Great presentation too. But it does not hit the right chord with the employees. After all, cancer is also called a growth!
Where did he go wrong? The head rolled down the "all-important" hard facts coldly and without much emotion. He focused more on factual communication, totally neglecting the emotional and symbolic elements. As managers aspiring to lead teams, we must blend the three communication styles with expertise so that the communication is right.. Also keep in mind that every employee has a different way of receiving messages.
Overlap effects!
Emotional and symbolic communications often overlap. Symbols are shortcut methods to convey meaning and emotion together. Factual information has enormous power in motivating employees only if supplemented with right measures of the other two elements.
For instance, if we try to communicate important information through the usage of just factual means, the intended message might get disrupted; the receiver might fill in blanks to ensure completeness of information and create a totally different picture of our message in his mind. A right blend of the three communication styles, on the other hand, increases the chances of the message getting through.
Hard and fast rules!
Call them `tried and tested' formulae or even `hard and fast' rules, but following a few of these will result in maximising the power of communication in organisations.
Interpretation in recitation: If it's business, it will involve enormous amounts of data and huge numbers. However, it is not just about reciting data; it is also about analysing whether your employees can interpret them in the desired manner or not.
Emotional communication: Just displaying facts may not always elicit positive results. One must incorporate emotion along with vision. . The idea is to be a leader and not just a manager. A leader must not only be able to share his emotions but also connect with his people's emotions . This way, communication barriers can crumble easily!
Symbolic communication: Symbols are extremely powerful. They fuse emotion and logic into a communication shortcut. Help employees live the vision by communicating through symbols. Ceremonies and award functions, mementoes, metaphors and quotes are other types of symbolic communication. .
A final say!
This in essence is the right communication blend that managers must follow. Combine the three communication styles and see how effectively you connect with your people.
BINDU MADHAVI
faqs@cnkonline.com
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