Lead Communication in the Workplace - Workplace Information and Communication

Lead communication in the workplace =================================== **Learning Objective** - This unit will help you by establishing effective internal processes which contribute to developing a culture of information sharing and continuous improvement, everyone can contribute to the...

Lead communication in the workplace =================================== **Learning Objective** - This unit will help you by establishing effective internal processes which contribute to developing a culture of information sharing and continuous improvement, everyone can contribute to the organisation's strategic direction. **Unit Content** 1. Establish communication protocols 2. Coordinate effective communication 3. Present and negotiate persuasively 4. Review communication practices 1. Establish communication protocols ------------------------------------ **Learning Objective** 1. Understand the influence legislation has on how a business communications to consumers and employees.  2. Describe the importance of workplace policy with regard to safe and effective information communication.  3. Become familiar with communication methods that recognise and support diversity in the workplace. **Module Content** **1.1 \| **Workplace information requirements **1.2 \|** Organisational policies and procedures **1.3 \|** Analysing internal and external information needs **1.4 \|** Organisational communication protocols **1.5 \|** Key principles of cross-cultural communication **1.6 \|** Adaptive communication protocols **1.7 \|** Adapting communication protocols to different contexts **1.8 \|** Communication protocol support materials **1.9 \|** Emergency protocols **Description** Communication within organisations is vital to ensuring the effective delivery of strategy. 1.1 \| Workplace information requirements ----------------------------------------- In Australia, the government has created detailed legislations which guide organisations in how to operate and communicate effectively both internally and externally. Organisations and their employees are required to **follow this legislation and will also develop and implement their own policies and procedures alongside these governmental requirements.** Make sure you are familiar with the laws and regulations relating to your company and particular to the state you are in regarding all communications with others. **Legislations and regulations relevant to customer service** Governmental legislations, whether federal or state, can be roughly grouped into the following topics. Click the \> to learn more about each one: **Australian Consumer Law ( ACL )** This legislation is part of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 and deals primarily with standards of business conduct such as fair trade, consumer rights, product safety, and product information given to consumers. Among other things, regulations for this law deal with the practical matters of asserting a right to payment, solicited consumer agreements, and requirements for warranties. These are all forms of written communications for which you need to have in place specific protocols and formats. **Privacy and legislation** These laws serve to protect the information of customers and employees. Personal or sensitive information is any information that identifies a person and is often required of the customer when purchasing a product or service, or of an employee upon employment. It is therefore important that all of this information is protected from misuse or inappropriate disclosure such as the selling of customer contact information to advertising agencies. **Work Health and Safety ( WHS ) legislation** This legislation specifically deals with issues of health and safety in the workplace and includes regulations about assessing and controlling health and safety risks, use and handling of goods and substances, use of machinery, the workplace environment, and insurance/compensation for employees. There are specific communication protocols in place when dealing with WHS issues and must be adhered to. **Discrimination laws** The Human Rights Commission of Australia helps to enforce several acts relating to discrimination, on both federal and state levels. These Acts cover legislation regarding discrimination on the basis of: - Age - Race (including skin colour, descent, national/ethnic origin, and immigrant status) - Disability (whether physical, mental/intellectual, or medical such as an illness or disease) - Sex (including gender identity, marital/relationship status, sexual orientation, family responsibilities, pregnancy and breastfeeding.) - Religion - Political opinion - Criminal record These laws apply to customers and employees alike, with jobs, pay, provision of services and various other areas being potentially affected because of discrimination against the customer or employee. It is important to know your rights as an employee as well as the rights of the customers you serve and the appropriate way in which all communication is directed. As a manager or team leader you are **accountable for how staff and the organisation treat others.** This refers to both internal and external customers, and includes a consideration of ethical behaviour that aims to do good, do no harm, show respect, is fair and truthful, and strive for justice. In Australia there are a number of rules that dictate how a business must operate to ensure these principles are addressed, which come in the form of federal or state legislation. Depending on whether the legislation affects employees or consumers there are different elements to address. **Consumers** If you don't treat customers ethically, they will leave, and it's very difficult to win them back. When operating a business, it is important to understand the laws, codes of practice and service charters that govern behaviour in the marketplace to ensure unethical practices don't occur. The Federal Department of Fair Trading plays an important role here by **creating a level playing field** for all businesses and ensuring compliance with the law. Fair trading legislation states that businesses must practice acceptable conduct. This includes: - Undertaking no misleading or deceptive conduct - Making no false or misleading claims - Maintaining high standards of information provision - Develop mandatory codes of practice and service charters to protect consumer rights. Essentially, all businesses must operate ethically and comply with the commonwealth competition, fair trading and consumer protection laws. Ethical behaviour affects the wider community, not just individuals or businesses. Organisations have an ethical obligation to act in the best interest of their customers. **Employees** Treating employees poorly can have severe consequences on staff morale, public image and ultimately, profitability. Under Federal anti-discrimination law, it is illegal for an organisation to discriminate against any employee based on any of their personal characteristics. Regardless of its size, an organisation may be legally responsible for any discrimination or harassment that occurs in the workplace, or in connection with a person\'s employment, unless it can be shown that "all reasonable steps" have been taken to reduce this liability. This legal responsibility is called "vicarious liability". Discrimination can be direct or indirect. - **Direct discrimination**\ Treating one person less favourably than another because of particular attributes, such as race, colour, sex, sexual preference, age, disability, medical record, impairment, marital status, pregnancy, potential pregnancy, family responsibilities, criminal record, trade union activity, political opinion, religion, national extraction or social origin. An example of direct discrimination would be deciding not to employ a person because that person is from a particular ethnic background. - **Indirect discrimination**\ Treating everyone the same but in a way that ends up being unfair to a specific group of people. An example of this is where the design of a workplace prevents a person with a disability from accessing the equipment needed to do the job. It is unlawful to discriminate, even when it was not your intention to discriminate. For example, if you set conditions that in practice will favour one sex over another, the decision may be unlawful even though you did not intend this to be the outcome. Anti-discrimination provisions are contained in a number of federal Acts. The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission administers these Acts. **Operating in line with ethical guidelines is essential**, particularly in regard to workplace communications. Additionally, claims of discrimination can affect a business in multiple ways, including court and settlement fees, loss of public image and loss of business. 1.2 \| Organisational policies and procedures --------------------------------------------- Any workplace interaction, verbal and nonverbal, is regulated by the organisation's policies or procedures, Some important policies affecting external communication might fall into one of the following categories and the communication policies and procedures will need to include: - The process for greeting and acknowledging customers - The expected and recommended timeline for resolving issues - Procedures for communicating electronically, in writing and verbally - Complaint handling process Policies are rules and guidelines set by an **organisation to ensure consistency in the running of the company**. There are usually several, separate policies for a range of areas, such as for hiring new employees, sending letters or emails, interacting on behalf of the business via social media or web chats etc. Procedures are the specific ways in which company policies are implemented. For example, a policy regarding correspondence with a customer might include the following procedures: Each of the above points is a procedure and together they comprise a policy and outline how the specific policy is to be exercised. It is important that policies and procedures are developed and implemented across the workplace for areas including: - Expand List → - Email, letters and faxes (internal and external) - Forms, reports and memos (internal and external) - Minutes and agendas for meetings (internal) - Technical and procedural manuals (internal) - Workplace signs (internal) - Whiteboards and pin-up boards (internal) - Verbal handovers (internal) - Telephone (internal and external) - Meetings (internal) - Online enquiries - Advertising and media engagement - Social media platforms With technology today and the increasing use of digital methods of communication, organisations must have in place a specific procedure and protocol for how all digital communication in the workplace is conducted. Types of digital communication include: - Emails - Phone calls - Video calls - Web chats - SMS - Podcasts - Blogs If employees are not instructed on the required protocols for communicating in a professional way that aligns to the legal and organisational expectations, both the organisation and individual are open to legal action. **Procedures for communicating personal information** To ensure compliance with legal and organisational requirements, it is necessary to put in place the methods which all workers must apply as part of recording, storing and disclosing both employee and customer information. It is important to adhere to privacy legislation when handling personal information and most organisations have in place a CRM system (Customer Relationship Management) and administration information system that helps you keep contact details up to date, track every interaction with customers and communications with employees both written and verbal. There is important financial data which needs to be recorded and retained for reporting purposes to relevant authorities (e.g. Australian Taxation Office) which also need to be communicated in confidence. Make sure that you are familiar with the company policies and procedures that apply to you. They have been developed to help the company run smoothly and to ensure consistency in day-to-day actions of employees. **Codes of conduct** A workplace code of conduct is a **guideline on the acceptable behaviours** of those working within the organisation at all levels. It is the expected standards of social norms, responsibilities and regulations related to the behaviours of everyone and in particular the way in which they communicate with others. Because communication is a fundamental action in any role, the code of conduct will set out specific requirements which include: - Professional standards of behaviour - Integrity and ethical standards of the organisation - Level of professionalism to be adopted which align to the standards and ethics established. 1.3 \| Analysing internal and external information needs -------------------------------------------------------- Consider the mayhem in the workplace where there was no guidance on how to communicate effectively with your colleagues and no policies on what to say in a way that is appropriate, professional and courteous. The way an organisation communicates with those within it and those outside of it is **integral to its success**. Communication policies and guidelines help employees share information to do their jobs effectively and support the organisation's image externally. It is important to establish the role of internal and external communications and the specific needs to be addressed by implementing communication protocols to manage each. Internal Communications -- are based on the **sharing of information within the workplace.** This can be in writing through emails or memos or verbally at meetings or conferences. Internal communication is needed to: - Communicate policies and procedures - Share information and knowledge - Improve productivity - Create a culture of inclusiveness - Develop new ideas and concepts - Gain feedback and input into processes - Improve morale - Identify and resolve issues. Workplace communication is vital to an organisation's growth and success. Effective internal communication helps ensure that all members of the organisation are working collaboratively towards a common goal. It develops a cohesive culture and empowers employees to make the right decisions in line with the organisation's goals. This in turn leads to greater efficiency and productivity and improves customer service. These outputs are relevant to every organisation, so size really shouldn't matter in this respect. External Communications -- are when a **business exchanges information with customers, prospects, partners, suppliers, investors and other stakeholders outside of the company.** It's integral that the organisation implement policies that guide employees on what kind of information to share outside the company, who to share it with and how to share it. Having guidelines on what kind of information to share with which party is important so that certain information doesn't fall into the wrong hands or create problems for the organisation. For example, if developing a new product, it's critical not to share specific details of that product with competitors before its release. However, the organisation may want to tell their valued customers, investors and partners about the product before anyone else. Controlling negative information about the organisation is one of the reasons effective external communication is so important. By having a strategy in place, organisations can reach out to external stakeholders and discuss the issues at hand. This may include the need for media protocols and how to address the media if there is a PR issue. Depending on the type of industry you work in and the specific goals of the organisation it is important to address specific organisational needs such as: - Networking strategies - Presentations - Brand information - Advertising - Website content and blogging - Live events including seminars and conferences - Social media platforms and content - Press releases - Marketing and promotional activities External communications represent the organisation, its brand and its culture so its essential that all types of external communication are identified and the protocols are in place that will ensure that everyone who represents the organisation does so in a way that will not have a negative impact. 1.4 \| Organisational communication protocols --------------------------------------------- An open and participative communications strategy involves all levels of management. Various levels of management and specific departments should take responsibility for the type of communication because you cannot have everybody communicating to everybody else about the same issue. **Developing a communication protocol** The culture of the organisation and its management hierarchy dictates how communication flows within the organisation. In general, use the following guideline when determining responsibilities for communication within the organisation and externally. - **CEO**\ Strategic direction, health of the company, important announcements. - **Human resources**\ Performance management, employee relations initiatives, administrative announcements, implementing an internal communications strategy, which should include an online platform for internal communications and the metrics to measure its successful deployment. - **Managers/team leaders**\ Project/departmental details and progress, successes and lessons learned from failures, strategy and goals. - **Employees**\ Raise concerns, provide feedback about issues, and address colleagues' needs and training requirements (skill sharing). - **PR Department/external PR professionals**\ Formal external communications (together with top management), which includes advertising campaigns and dealing with media/releasing media statements/interviews. To develop a communication strategy, employers should begin by **linking communication to the strategic plan**, including the organisation\'s mission, vision and values; its strategic goals and objectives; and its employment brand. Effective communication strategies: - Safeguard credibility to establish loyalty and build trust - Maintain consistency to establish a strong employment brand - Listen to employees and to members of the leadership team - Seek input from all constituencies - Provide feedback - Prepare managers in their roles as organizational leaders. A communication strategy includes the following elements: - Highly effective strategies that are often top-down, with senior management setting the tone for a cascading series of messages - A budget that allows for the use of various types of communication vehicles depending on the message to be delivered and any unique issues associated with it - A process by which leaders evaluate any particular situation driving the need to communicate and from which key messages will emerge - A method for generating feedback and using it to shape follow-up messages - A customised delivery approach with communication materials that are easy to understand. To ensure that the reputation and culture of the organisation are held to a high standard, there must be** rules and guidelines for everyone to follow**. The communication protocols should align to the values, goals and objectives of the organisation and how it wants both its internal and external stakeholders to perceive them. Workplace communication is pivotal to business success and without it you could not create innovative and new products, services or ideas, provide quality customer service, engage with employees to build effective working relationships or satisfy the needs of your customers. When developing or reviewing the organisation's communication protocols you need to consider the following: **Where you currently sit** How has your current strategy performed? What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses of note? Who is currently involved with your plan and who can you add to improve it? **Where you\'ll eventually be** We'll dive into this more, but your initial assessment should point you in a better direction to where your strategy will be if you change your plan. Is it going to address your entire team? **How you plan to get there** What is it going to take to get you to achieving your objectives? What type of content will resonate the most with your staff? **How long it should take** How many resources are needed to reach your objective? What's the difference between how long it should take vs. a realistic timeline for your team? **Who\'s involved** Is your current team too small? Are there too many cooks in the kitchen? Assessing your current strategy should indicate where you can add on or trim fat on your internal comms team. **Communicating roles and responsibilities** As part of the communication protocols, it is important that roles and responsibilities are communicated across the organisation. The organisation may choose a range of methods to communicate roles and responsibilities and could include: - Providing position descriptions in employment advertisements so that applicants are clear about the job requirements - Revising position descriptions and job requirements periodically to ensure they are current and relevant to the position - Establishing an effective performance management system with clear KPIs so that employees are clear about the expected performance standards - Providing clear and consistent policies and procedures that are clearly understood by all employees - Providing straightforward and understandable procedures with expected outcomes and how standards are going to be measured. The general communication responsibility of all employees of an organisation is to **share knowledge and information with their peers and colleagues, within the processes contained in the company's practices.** 1.5 \| Key principles of cross-cultural communication ----------------------------------------------------- Australia is a country which operates its businesses by working with a diverse group of individuals and teams from many races, cultures and beliefs. Different cultures communicate in very different ways. And by this, we should not only consider the different languages, dialects or accents but also how information is interpreted. Although we should not underestimate the language barrier, it is something which is generally approached with good humour. We can clearly see the effort someone has made trying to learn our language and do not mind if they mispronounce a word or use a phrase out of turn. Cross-cultural communication is the **key to accessing new markets, streamlining processes, building more effective and productive teams and enhancing your organisation's reputation** and because of global interaction today it should be just part of the communication used in all workplaces. Some cultures require you to comply with certain protocols to show the necessary respect. These protocols can be cultural or religious. In Australia, the main protocols you need to observe are those of key Australian indigenous groups and some inbound tourist markets. **Indigenous Australian protocols** The Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders are the two main indigenous groups in Australia. They are considered to be the traditional custodians of the land, and it is respectful to recognise them as such. Certain protocols and ceremonies are important to their culture and should be observed when conducting business with these groups. The main protocols and ceremonies are outlined below, but it is good practice to work with a cultural adviser to ensure that proper respect can be shown to these groups. Click the \> to learn more about each protocol: **Welcome to country** This is a traditional ceremony conducted by traditional Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander custodians to welcome visitors to their land. It occurs at the beginning of a meeting or other event and must be conducted by a recognised Elder from the local area. The ceremony has no specific wording or practices but includes the Elder telling some local historical or cultural information before welcoming the guests. **Acknowledgement of conutry and elders** This is a greeting given by the speaker at a meeting at which there are indigenous Australians present. As with the previous ceremony, it does not have any specific wording but should acknowledge the presence of indigenous Australians and their role as traditional custodians of the land. **Avoidance protocols** In traditional Aboriginal societies, certain family members are required to avoid each other as a mark of respect. The main avoidance protocols apply to mother-in-law/son or daughter-in-law relationships, and to brother/sister relationships. In the family avoidance relationships, the two parties are forbidden from talking to or even seeing each other. They might sit back to back and communicate via a spouse/son or daughter. **Bereavement and \"sorry business\"** When a person has died, indigenous Australians have some protocols regarding the deceased. Firstly, the family and community gathers together to grieve until the funeral. This "sorry business" should be remembered and respected even though it can disrupt business. Also, when talking about the dead, it is common practice and a sign of respect to avoid saying the deceased person's name. They are referred to indirectly by a generic description (e.g. that old man) or through a substitute name. This lasts for a varying period, such as a year or a few months. In most cases, it is also customary to avoid showing pictures of the dead person. This is because it is believed that doing so will disturb or summon the person's spirit. **Other key religious and cultural considerations** It is not only the protocols of indigenous Australians that you should be aware of; you are likely to have colleagues and customers from a variety of cultures and religions. Some of the key protocols you should be aware of include: - **Muslim prayer times**\ As part of their religious duties, Muslim believers are required to pray five times a day: dawn, midday, afternoon, sunset and evening. It is likely that some of these prayer times will be during working hours. As such you should be understanding of and try to accommodate any colleagues and customers needing time and appropriate space to complete their prayers. Learning institutions set aside an appropriate room for prayers that is accessible by both employees and customers. - **Hindu greeting**\ A typical Indian practice is the greeting "Namaste", meaning "I bow to you". This is usually accompanied by a slight bow as the hands are pressed together. It is a respectful greeting that can be used universally for people of different ages, genders, or social status. - **Food restrictions**\ Several religions place restrictions on the types of food allowed to be eaten by its members. Some religions might follow a vegetarian diet, and others are less restrictive but have specifications regarding the preparation of food (e.g. Islam requires specific prayers to be said over food items, and Judaism requires certain foods to be prepared separately and according to a specific process). - **Wearing medical or Covid-19 masks**\ Many Asian cultures view it as polite to wear a mask to protect other people from their germs; it is considered impolite to spread illness to others. Covid-19 has made the wearing of masks a necessity to keep everybody healthy so it's become normal for non-Asian people to wear masks in public. **Determining the needs of others** Whether you are communicating with customers, colleagues or other key stakeholders it is important to establish their needs. To meet the needs of your customer for example, you first need to **identify and clarify what they are wanting.** This might simply mean ensuring you listen to what they are asking of you. Communicating with anyone in the workplace should include both verbal and nonverbal cross-cultural interactions that ensure that: - They feel welcome - They are respected and recognised - They are listened to and feel understood - They are responded to promptly - They feel that you are trustworthy Asking questions can help you to identify any expectations they might have on top of their needs. This will enable you to alternatives to what they expect. If you provide a certain product or service for example, it's important that you communicate all the features of the options and any add-ons they might need. Active listening helps you determine what the customer is actually asking and not what they're voicing. **Identify and address any special needs** Cross cultural communication also incorporates anyone who has a special need. These needs might be anything from a language or cultural barrier to a physical or mental disability, to being very young or extremely old. It is important that you treat all individuals with equal respect as well as providing any extra assistance that is required. Ensure that you know your company's policies and procedures as well as the applicable legislative requirements when assisting anyone with specific needs. For example, it is unethical as well as illegal to discriminate against those from a specific race, age, disability, or gender. Specific needs cover a wide range and could arise because they are vulnerable in some way, or due to the individual being disadvantaged. Click through the slides in the following presentation to learn more about different types of special needs along with examples of communicating effectively with them: **Special need to communicate effectively**  A screenshot of a video AI-generated content may be incorrect.  A child holding a pen AI-generated content may be incorrect. 1.6 \| Adaptive communication protocols --------------------------------------- Technology provides a wide range of methods that can be used to get a message across to an audience. Companies need to provide guidelines on appropriate methods and equipment suitable for communication with all employees. **Types of communication** Whether communication used is verbal or written you need to be able to apply specific communication standards and protocols to ensure all communications are appropriate. Click on the \> to learn more about the three general methods for communication: **Visual communication** Visual communication includes posters, flyers, reports, brochures, PowerPoint presentations; any information that is represented with words and or/images. This category also includes in-person communication, talking face-to-face using gestures and other non-verbal means of communication where necessary. These types of communication are particularly important when communicating with people who have hearing disabilities, although they can be useful for general communication as well. **Written communication** Written communication includes faxes, emails, memos, or letters. The last three would be more appropriate to communicate with someone in the same office as you, like a supervisor, while the first two would be more appropriate for a client in another location. Email communication is probably the best form of communication for discussion purposes as you can send a document as a digital attachment and easily keep a record of all communication between you. You can refer to these emails later to double check what was discussed. Check the technology capabilities of the receiver if you're communicating outside the office, even if they're a colleague. In some areas technology is still lacking so you'll have to adapt your communications accordingly. **Verbal or oral communication** Verbal or oral communication includes phone calls, virtual meeting portals, and in-person meetings. The advantage of this type of communication is that you can minimise confusion that might occur in written communication. A disadvantage is that you might not remember everything that is said which may cause issues later if you are unsure of what was discussed and concluded. Therefore it would be a good idea to take copious notes or, if possible, record your discussions. The type of communication you use will be **determined by your audience and the information you need to convey**. For example, a set of statistics on consumer choices are best communicated in a graph or chart, while a discussion with a manager about a project might be best-done face-to-face, virtually, or via email. Refer to your organisation's policies and procedures on the use and design of communication material. Templates should be available to provide the format and layout of various documents, such as PowerPoint presentations, emails, Excel spreadsheets, etc. You will probably also be required to **follow and adhere to various policies and procedures regarding in-person communication and telephone calls.** 1.7 \| Adapting communication protocols to different contexts ------------------------------------------------------------- To be an effective communicator you need to be able to adapt the way you communicate to others based on the situation, the type of message you are sending and any individual or cultural requirements. To tailor your communication you need to **understand the audience and purpose of the communication**. Some of the different contexts for communicating in the workplace include: - Staff meetings - Networking - Marketing - Client or supplier engagement - Performance reviews - Conflict management - Working with regulators and government agencies - Online communications Failing to modify your communication style to suit your audience can result in confusion, misunderstanding and even offence. Click the \> to explore the following examples of how the communication protocols will vary and adapt to the purpose and the channel which is used: **Emails** - Use language that is appropriate, polite and correctly spelt - Use an appropriate greeting such as "Dear" until you have established a relationship in which the use of more informal greetings are appropriate. For example sending an email to a colleague it may be suitable to just say "hi". - Explain the purpose of the email clearly and within the first paragraph. - Do not use abbreviations as an email is a formal written document - Always sign off using an appropriate message such as "Regards" - Always be mindful that the recipient cannot see you so if you are trying to joke or be flippant to keep the email light, this may be misinterpreted. - Remember that you are representing the organisation in both internal and external email communications **Telephone** - Phones should be answered within four (4) rings - Give the name of the organisation and then your own name and job role. This helps people know they have dialled the correct organisation, who they are speaking to and what your role in the organisation is - Speak clearly and at a speed that enables people to understand you - Write any information down as you are listening as it is very easy to get off the phone and find you have forgotten who was speaking, a contact number for them and which information they wanted - End the telephone call with some kind of resolution for the person who rang, either get the person with whom they wish to speak, take a message for them, ask the person to ring back at a later time, or solve the issue yourself. **Taking messages** ------------------- - When you take a message repeat the information back to the sender to ensure that the information you have is correct - Ensure you have the time of the interaction, the message, the sender's details, name, phone number, email or address if necessary, so that the recipient can contact them - Give messages as soon as it is possible, as it may be something that requires urgent attention. If possible check back to be sure that the person received the message. **Social media and SMS** ------------------------ It is important that you refrain from personal opinions when representing the organisation you work for. **Workplace documentation** When designing a document, pay attention to the language being used. The reader needs to understand the information without having to ask for clarification too often. Electronic communications enable the reader to translate the text into their language, but some meaning might get lost during such translation. Translation software is also not perfect so some words might be substituted to change the meaning of the information. Be clear and concise when writing any communication and ask colleagues from different cultures and languages to proofread the document. Documentation including letters, reports, templates, forms etc are all written communication formats which need to be established. Once documents are standardised, the reader might only ask for clarification once, so standard layout such as headings and sub-headings in reports and minutes of meetings become easier to read. The names of the headings will depend on the information but could include similar to: - Attachment - Attendees - Introduction - Background - Purpose and scope - Deadlines - Notations Of course, you can decide to structure your information differently according to the style and layout of the document as per the organisation's guidelines. The structure of the document is mostly a way of organising the information and deciding which information is most relevant or important. The design of your document has more to do with the **layout and presentation of the information**. Keep the following principles in mind to ensure the document design is effective: - **Visibility**\ Make sure that the information is easy to read and that the reader can find the most relevant or important information easily. For example, put the text in a box, use a larger font, or use colours (following the guidelines as discussed earlier). This is especially important when designing PowerPoint presentations. - **Balance**\ The document can be symmetrical or asymmetrical. The two sides can either be the same as each other (with similarly sized images, colours, shapes, etc.) or they can be different. They should still be visually balanced, however. For instance, if one side has one large image, the other should have the same or several smaller ones. Alternatively, decide on a particular font or colour and make sure you use it throughout the document. - **Alignment**\ This neatens and organises the document. Ensuring that different elements line up in some way creates an invisible connection and helps the reader flow easily from one piece of information to the next. Use the "tab" function in the ruler to easily align text and numbers for visual appeal. The above are only some fundamental principles, and it might help you to read further, especially if you are looking to create a particularly visually striking document or presentation. 1.8 \| Communication protocol support materials ----------------------------------------------- Policies are rules and guidelines set by an organisation to ensure consistency in the running of the company which cover a range of areas, such as hiring new employees, sending letters or emails to customers, or for reporting harassment. Organisational policies are **generally linked to legal requirements** which must also be adhered to. Procedures are the specific ways in which company policies are implemented and, in most instances, there will be s**pecific protocols to address areas of respect, diversity and communication in the workplace.** Procedures include guides on **corporate identity (CI) which is the visual representation of the organisation** and incorporates everything from logo to fonts, music, advertising messages, social media and stationery. The CI extends to internal communications such as email signatures and layout of official documents. **Workplace policies and procedures** In any organisation policies and procedures must be clear, concise and specific about their purpose. This may seem like common sense, however there can often be confusion about what is appropriate when things aren't clarified. Historically, corporate policies used a great deal of legal language to emphasise power and direction, but contemporary writing guidelines have simplified these complicated and never-read documents so they can be better understood and relevant to more people. Policies need to be written so that employees from different cultures and with languages are able to understand and interpret them properly. Very often, pictures or infographics accompany written policies and procedures in order to increase comprehension and context. Policies and procedures are unique to every company and industry. What works for a public health institution won't work for a company that provides cleaning services. There should be specific communication protocols to address how information is communicated within the workplace and include the following key areas. Click on the \> to learn more about each one: **External communication** External communication is the transmission of information between two organisations or between your organisation and an individual from outside the workplace. These persons can be clients, suppliers, government officials or authorities etc. An organisation invests a lot of time and money to improve their image through external communication. Policies and procedures for external communication need to: - Provide clear ideas, thoughts, statements or reasons for communication - Demonstrate how it is two-way communication - Ensure it is clear, error-free, formal, jargon-free, and easy language - Understand the need of the audience - Apply proper choice of words for communication. **Internal communications** --------------------------- Internal communication is the transmission of information within an organisation. Internal communication is the lifeline of a business. It occurs between an employer and an employee, and among employees. Internal communication is the sharing of information, knowledge, ideas, and beliefs between the members of the company. Internal communication can be formal or informal. It depends upon the persons communicating: informal or not so formal language with colleagues, and formal when communicating with senior management. Effective internal communication must have the following. - Open and clear reason for communication - Understanding the need of the audience - Consistent and regular communication - Clear, jargon-free, to the point, and brief language - Possibility for two-way communication - Good use of vocabulary yet understandable by different cultures. **Social media communications** ------------------------------- Company culture and relevant policies and procedures should guide the behaviour of employees about the use of social networks. A valuable social network is enabling and collaborative; employees learn from each other and form a cohesive group structure that includes colleagues with the same values. In contrast, a network that encourages non-work related actions, such as sharing jokes and animal pictures, may create a positive atmosphere but wastes valuable work time. Many employees from other cultures are incredibly professional and work-driven, and they view this type of time wastage in a negative light, which may have undesirable repercussions. The internal communication policy should be clear about this kind of communication. The policies and procedures should outline acceptable communication on digital social platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter. Not all groups are private, and some (undesirable) messages could find their way to a greater audience. The following are positive outcomes of a healthy social workplace network: - Increased focus on important workplace activities - Positive feelings towards the company - Share ideas and work experience with colleagues - Help colleagues to improve productivity, work efficiency, and personal performance. - Improved commitment to the company and own development - Satisfied staff transmit their feelings at home to improve their personal lives. **Deadlines and timelines** --------------------------- It is important that policies and procedures provide timelines related to communications within the workplace. Responding to a phone call may need to be within 24 hours whilst responding to an email might be 48 hours. Make sure that you and your team are familiar with the company policies and procedures as it relates to communication (and, of course, all other policies and procedures for daily tasks). They have been set in place to help the company run smoothly and to ensure consistency in day-to-day actions of employees. They also exist to be of benefit to employees, so that everybody knows what is expected and to help employees assert their rights in the workplace should the need arise. **Cultural diversity policies** Australia embraces a wide variety of cultures, yet communication between the various cultures is not only through English, but some other gestures and body language. Asian and middle-eastern cultures make up the large portion of society, but fellow employees could come from all over the world. An organisation's diversity policies and procedures guide employees through cross-cultural communication behaviour which includes the use of appropriate communication. Policies and procedures are documents that can change periodically, so one document cannot possibly list each culture and their unique norms and standards. A broad policy statement such as the following is a simple way to ensure that employees consider their approach when addressing a person from a culture not their own: Our organisation employs people from a variety of cultures, and we need to recognise and accept their values, attitudes, and beliefs. We respect and tolerate the differences of another culture. Consider verbal and non-verbal communication carefully when interacting with people from another culture. The company provides ongoing cross-cultural development sessions to assist you in your development towards understanding your colleagues better. 1.9 \| Emergency protocols -------------------------- In Australia it is a requirement that all workplaces have in place communication guides on risk management and emergencies. The Health and Safety department of larger organisations would be tasked with developing, implementing, and monitoring the emergency policies and procedures. They would also be responsible for training and communicating the emergency drills and appoint responsible people to be part of the emergency response and evacuation team or to be a first aider -- these are all voluntary positions and may or may not form part of the employee's KPIs. In smaller organisations, senior management would be responsible for managing the emergency processes and they would be well advised to appoint external consultants to help with the planning and deployment of the plan. Disaster management is **part of the overall business risk management strategy, whether a large corporation or a small one-man business.** Disasters strike at the most inopportune time and those organisations that have done risk assessments and include those assessments in their business strategies are well placed to continue with business in the face of a disaster. All Australian organisations have a PCBU -- Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking -- who is ultimately **accountable for the implementation of emergency plans in the organisation**. A PCBU must ensure an emergency plan is prepared for the workplace. This is a written set of instructions that outlines what workers and others at the workplace should do in an emergency. It must provide for the following: - Emergency procedures, including an effective response to an emergency - Evacuation procedures - Notifying emergency service organisations at the earliest opportunity - Medical treatment and assistance - Effective communication between the person authorised to coordinate the emergency response and all people at the workplace - Testing of the emergency procedures---including the frequency of testing - Information, training and instruction to relevant workers in relation to implementing the emergency procedures. Successful non-verbal communication is culture dependent; one culture might interpret the same gesture differently from another culture. All employees need to be familiar with how different cultures interpret body language and ensure that they are educated about inter-cultural communication. Different cultures view professional and ethical conduct differently. It is therefore imperative that the person/department/committee authorised to design and manage these policies, consult with all employees to understand the complexity of including all cultural beliefs and norms. An all-inclusive policy that results from such consultations serves as a benchmark for professional behaviour, which creates a harmonious workplace with contented employees. **Health and safety communications** No matter the size of the organisation, the PCBUs have a responsibility under law to provide a safe and healthy workplace for employees and visitors. Signage that effectively communicates health and safety (H&S) warnings in a diverse workplace and visitors to the premises is universally understood. H&S is not reserved for high-risk premises but basic hazards need to be communicated for everybody to understand. Regulatory (AS 1319:1994) H&S signage is divided into: A screenshot of a computer screen AI-generated content may be incorrect.  2. Coordinate effective communication ------------------------------------- **Learning Objective** 1. Describe the skills that communication leaders in a workplace need to effectively communicate with stakeholders across various mediums.  2. Understand how to build effective communications by following a common, but powerful 6-step process.  3. Identify common barriers to successful communication and the tools that can be implemented to remove these barriers. **Module Content** **2.1 \| **Implement communication protocols **2.2 \|** Influencing techniques **2.3 \|** Clarifying and confirming information and output **2.4 \|** Common communication barriers **2.5 \|** Remove communication barriers **Description** Australian companies employ people from diverse cultures and do business across the world. It's therefore imperative that employees understand the different cultures and how they communicate -- they don't have to speak their language (although that would help), but knowing the other party's communication preferences and cultural requirements help foster mutual respect and acceptance of each other. 2.1 \| Implement communication protocols ---------------------------------------- The organisational policies and procedures are put in place to direct employees' conduct to ensure standard approaches to the organisation's required objectives and goals. Senior management and team leaders have a responsibility to ensure that their staff adhere to these protocols and communicate effectively with everybody in the workplace so that there are no misunderstandings about required standards. **Language used when communicating** As the person leading communication in the workplace, your duty is to communicate, and ensure onward communication by the relevant people, of information which consists of: - Seeking out and providing context for organisational information. Your job is to help teams and individuals make sense of what they read and hear - Making information relevant so every employee knows how they fit in, and the valued role each has in contributing to the organisation's goals - Provide task-related information so that employees receive essential information to help them do their jobs even more effectively and efficiently - Provide information and inspiration, which could include feedback on individual performance, recognition of achievements, celebration, and so on. This could be at individual or organisational level to strengthen organisational culture and establish continuous improvement. Part of your responsibility and accountability in directing others to adhere to the company's communication protocols are to inform the relevant people of the requirements and then to monitor the onward communication to ensure the flow of information is according to the policies and procedures. You may choose a number of different communication processes to keep everybody informed such as: - Employee meetings, forums and briefings - Newsletters - Policies and procedures distributed via internal communications system - Workshops and presentations - Performance reviews - Training opportunities - Formal reports - Email and intranet - Notice boards Vibrant, clear, consistent, and honest communication is one way to build confidence and trust within the organisation. However, managers and team leaders need to build on that by making sure they establish, maintain and treat people with respect, integrity and empathy, build rapport, establish credibility, be open, fair, reliable and loyal. By building confidence and trust from others, employees will go beyond their call of duty and have less resistance to change; they become champions of continuous improvement in the organisation to ensure its ongoing health. Language in all communication (internal and external) should be clear and unambiguous. The organisation's policies need to be clear and concise and written so that employees from different cultures and languages can understand and interpret them properly. **Written communication** Very often, pictorial or infographics accompany written policies and procedures, depicted in a way that informs yet avoids treating the reader like a child. Pictorial steps should support written documents so that individuals from different language groups can understand how to follow a process or procedure. The company should have a guideline to ensure that all communication conforms to the set standard and although such guideline will be unique to each organisation, it should follow these basic principles. Click on the \> to explore each principle further: **Writing standards** Develop writing standards to ensure conformity: Employees see documents that don't conform to a standard as not owned by the organisation and therefore see no reason to adhere to the contents. Layout and language should follow the organisation's document design guidelines. **Centralised document storage** Keep all documents in a central location, in written and electronic formats: Keep a written compendium in a central location, such as a library, and easily accessible on the intranet and other electronic mediums, such as memory sticks or CDs. Make provision for people who don't have access to digital formats of the documents. **Clear headings** Dividers or headings should be easily understood and written in plain language: For example, instead of Internal Policies and Procedures relevant to Communications should rather just read Communications because it is internal, and it is part of the overall Policies and Procedures -- there is no need to repeat obvious information. **The spoken language** The spoken word is never simple -- Latin languages are emotional and demonstrative with a lot of shouting and hand gestures just to describe a beautiful painting or plate of food; Anglo Saxon languages are more reserved with fewer physical expressions. It becomes difficult when you cannot see the speaker, as with a telephone conversation, to connect facial expressions (part of body language) with the spoken word, especially between a Latin and Anglo Saxon, or even somebody who is from the Middle East. Make sure that unseen verbal communication is non-emotional, free of local phrases (colloquial), isn't sarcastic and doesn't rely on humour to convey information. **Disabilities in the workplace** It is important that you consider any disabilities associated with the audience with whom you're communicating. The workplace policies and procedures for communication should take into account the needs of staff with impairments from the following six main areas. **[Visual]** - **Colour blindness:**\ This is the most common visual impairment -- the person can't see certain colours - **Low vision:**\ There are two types of low vision -- Myopic (cannot see objects some distance away, i.e. near-sighted) and Hyperopic (cannot see objects close up, i.e. farsighted) - **Partially sighted:**\ Communication is much the same as with legally blind people, i.e. they need particular devices to read text, specific layout of text, Braille, etc - **Legally blind:**\ Also referred to as "low vision". The person has some vision in certain light but otherwise has extremely limited vision - **Blind:**\ The person cannot see anything and needs Braille and other means of communicating content. **[Speech]** Some causes affect speech and range from medical, to accident, congenital disabilities, developmental disorders, and genetic. People with speech disorders are often anxious about speaking in public or to strangers. **[Auditory (hearing)]** Hearing loss is also affected by a range of causes -- trauma, ageing, disease and illness, tumours, genetic, and many more. Three types of hearing impairment make it difficult for people to hear certain sounds or normal speech: - Conductive - Sensorineural - Mixed **[Cognitive]** Cognitive impairment affects a person's perception, including how they understand and process information, have a poor memory, and an inability to recognise people\'s faces and routes to work. Some impairments may be treatable and some not. **[Neurological]** These disorders relate to the damage to the nervous system and have a range of causes. Effects of neurological conditions include weak reading, writing and other communication skills, motor control issues, and fatigue or weakness. **[Physical - other]** Physically disabled people have substantial long-term conditions that affect the way they manage daily activities. Most people with physical disabilities require aids to help them in their tasks, such as crutches, wheelchairs, walkers, and walking sticks, but not all require aids. Physical disabilities are categorised as follows: - Traumatic brain injury - Epilepsy - Cerebral palsy - Cystic fibrosis - Spinal cord injury - Multiple sclerosis - Spina bifida - Prader-Willi syndrome Managers and others in supervisory positions are the drivers behind their teams' performance and ensuring communications according to the organisational protocols should form part of their KPIs. However, they should also be equipped with the skills to manage their teams effectively; these skills include: - The ability to motivate their staff to achieve their and the department's objectives - Techniques to observe and conduct ongoing assessments of staff performance (not just for the annual performance management exercise) - The ability and tools to five ongoing feedback for continuous improvement and working towards objectives - Coaching and mentoring and identifying/providing training opportunities. Effective managers have the tools and skills to encourage their staff to adhere to the organisation's requirements and motivate them to contribute to the strategic direction of the company. 2.2 \| Influencing techniques ----------------------------- Communication is an essential part of an organisation. It allows us to synchronise actions and achieve goals and can be defined as a process during which information is traded between individuals through a mutual system of symbols, signs or behaviour. In business, poor communication is costly and wastes time whilst effective communication serves as an asset for organisations and individuals. As a manager or team leader you have a responsibility to ensure that complex information is communicated in a way that the team can understand and acts a positive influence. **The communication process** An organisation relies on its people, on all levels, to communicate effectively to ensure the messages being sent are consistent, and they are strongly encouraged to leave the channels open for feedback. Information about the business commonly travels from the top, in a hierarchical fashion. Messages are generated from the top and if their intended audience is companywide, it will pass down the line until all staff have read or been explained the content. An organisation needs to ensure the message is delivered in the appropriate format for the intended audience. Not all communication is started at management level. The teams working on the ground also communicate and obtain important and relevant information which needs to be shared, recorded and documented for future reference. Communication is more than just a message that is sent and received, it requires effort by both parties. The sender will work to deliver a clear message and the receiver will actively listen to gain understanding, but above all that, there needs to be a two-way exchange. An opportunity for both to ask questions in order to gain a full understanding of what and why the message is being passed. Diagram illustrating the communication process: **Aim of the message** Planning your message starts with what you want to get across. Envisage the person to whom you're sending the message and ask the following questions: - Why are you communicating with this person? - What outcome do you want from the message or what reaction do you want from the receiver? - How can you create an interest in your message? - Why should the receiver listen to you? - How do you design your message for maximum impact? - How do you prioritise what you are going to say? This stage of the communication process is non-verbal, internalised, and unique to the sender. **Encoding the message** Encoding is putting the targeted message into an appropriate medium which may be verbal or non-verbal depending upon the situation, time, space and nature of the message to be sent. The sender puts the message into a series of symbols, pictures or words which will be communicated to the intended receiver and should follow the organisational guidelines. Encoding is an important step in the communication process as wrong and inappropriate encoding may defeat the true intent of the communication process. **Transmit the message** Channel(s) refers to the way or mode the message flows or is transmitted through. The message is transmitted over a channel that links the sender with the receiver. The message may be oral or written and it may be transmitted through a memorandum, a computer, telephone, cell phone, apps or television. Since each channel has its advantages and disadvantages, the choice of proper selection of the channel is paramount for effective communication. **Receiver of the message** A significant determinant of your overall success of the communication process comes from the ability to listen effectively to others. Showing interest in what others have to say, developing your questioning and conversational skills will help build a strong first impression by gaining trust and establishing credibility. **Decoding the message** Decoding refers to how the sent message is interpreted or converted into intelligible language. It simply means comprehending the message. The receiver after receiving the message interprets it and tries to understand it in the best possible manner. **Responding to the message** Is the final step of the communication process and establishes that the receiver has received the message as it was intended. In other words, the receiver has correctly interpreted the message from the sender. It is instrumental to make communication effective and purposeful. **Communication characteristics** Communication has three primary functions within an organisation: **coordination, distribution of information, and sharing emotions and feelings.** The coordination of effort helps employees work toward the same goals, while distributing information is a key aspect of this process. Sharing emotions and feelings bonds a team and unites people in times of celebration and crisis. Through effective communication people are able to grasp issues, strengthen their understanding with colleagues and reach agreements. Effective leaders apply two main types of communication: - **Verbal communication**\ Occurs over the phone or in person. The mode of the message is oral and involves listening to a person to understand their message and what that message means. - **Written communication**\ Which are printed messages. For example, memos, proposals, e-mails, letters, training manuals, and policies are all written communications. They may be printed on paper or be delivered using online applications which can be viewed on computers, tablets and smart phones. Verbal and written communications have different advantages and disadvantages. When deciding whether to communicate verbally or in writing, ask yourself: "Do I want to convey facts or feelings?" Verbal communications are a better way to express feelings while written communications are appropriate for relaying facts. As well as understanding verbal and written communication it is important to know that it can also be separated into formal and informal communication. - **Formal communication** A system where communication between sender and receivers is based on official channels and structures. This includes sending and receiving official written communications as mentioned above. It is supported by organisational structures and guidelines to guarantee that everyone understands them. Sensitive information that is only meant for the receiver should be communicated in a formal communication environment. A key advantage of formal communication is that it is always supported by the written document. The main disadvantage is that it can be highly time-consuming for issues that need an immediate solution. Overall, it influences the organisational structure significantly. Employees are certain to follow it while carrying out their duties. - **Informal communication** Also known as the grapevine, is typically used for personal communication with friends and family members. It usually involves face to face communication or talking with someone during a telephone call or message. Compared to formal communication, it has no official recognition and is not supported by any structures. It could, however, be the best way to keep the mood and environment light and have everyone enjoying their time together. Informal communication is entirely based on personal interaction with someone and is thus free from organisational formalities and conventional rules. The main disadvantage is that evidence is not available when needed. On the other hand, the primary advantage is that it travels at the ideal speed of making decisions at the eleventh hour. This type of communication is also guided by the organisational processes for communicating effectively in a business environment. Although it is informal and follows less rigid rules, cultural communication requirements should still be followed to ensure harmonious interaction. 2.3 \| Clarifying and confirming information and output ------------------------------------------------------- Regardless of the method used to communicate, the output of the information determines the format of the communication to be used (electronic or written). Before you can effectively communicate the information, you need to clarify and confirm what the information is, with whom you're communicating, and the expected outcome from the communication. Based on this information, you can establish the format of the communication -- whether it is to be given verbally or in a document. Two critical factors that directly impact on the method used to communicate are the content and the audience. **Content** The content is all the information that needs to be included in the communication. This will vary with some of the most common inclusions being words, calculations, statistics, images, charts, graphs, audio or video clips, and even website links. It also includes how the information needs to be communicated and presented. For example, a set of statistics can be written in a paragraph, or represented in chart or graph, whilst information regarding a person's performance or demonstration of a task would need to be face to face. As there is such a wide variety of potential information to include and various forms in which it can be presented, you need to discuss the options with the people involved in the input and output so that you can better understand what type of information they are expecting and how they are expecting to see it presented. **Audience** The requirements of the audience are closely linked to the content. It will affect the way you present the information and how they might receive and understand it. For instance, information about how a particular piece of equipment works would need to be displayed in a straightforward manner to an audience who has no technical knowledge, possibly with diagrams to help them visualise the object. On the other hand, an audience who works with similar equipment could understand more complex jargon and terminology without accompanying images or demonstrations. You may need the services of a translator and/or interpreter whenever there are technical discussions. To help you determine your intended audience, you can ask the following questions: What is their role in the workplace? Are they from a different culture or speak a different language? What knowledge or skills are they expected to have already? What do they already know about the information you are giving to them? Will they agree or disagree with you? Are you trying to persuade/dissuade them from something? What is your relationship with them? (Are they strangers? Colleagues? Managers?) How much time do they have to listen to or read the information being communicated? These questions are by no means comprehensive, but they are a starting point to understanding your audience. The audience will determine the style, formality, language, vocabulary and all the other elements mentioned above. Discuss and clarify the intended audience with the person who asked you to deliver the message or if you are the initiator, ensure that you have established your reason and target audience. The important thing is that your understanding of your audience should help you decide the best way in which to present the information. For example, a team meeting or tool box meeting might be an appropriate method to communicate general information to a team in manufacturing, while formal written documents are appropriate for senior management. Remember, that the key to ensuring that everyone communicates effectively in the workplace, you need to engage others in a positive and proactive way. By encouraging others to participate and contribute to workplace communication you will gain a team which is open, transparent and able to communicate respectfully. 2.4 \| Common communication barriers ------------------------------------ There are many barriers to communication, and these may occur at any stage in the communication process. Barriers may lead to your message becoming distorted and you therefore risk wasting both time and/or money by causing confusion and misunderstanding. Those in a leadership role and all workers in general, need to be aware of other **common factors that either inhibit or facilitate communication** so that they can react appropriately. You should be able to adjust your communication tactics and style to improve communication so that the conversation changes from competitive to cooperative. Click the \> to learn more about the different categories that are used to broadly classify common barriers in communication: **Environmental factors** A safe environment is conducive to holding an effective conversation. Environmental factors that inhibit communication include noise, lack of time, incomplete prior information about the discussion, lack of control over other people present, lack of privacy, and lack of confidentiality (people can see they're meeting with a senior employee and discussing serious issues). To facilitate communication, you should choose an environment that is quiet, private, away from prying eyes, and that all parties have set aside the time allocated to the discussion. **Emotional factors** The other party (employee, community members) may be anxious about the subject matter, which is increased when the person/people come from a different culture, can't speak or understand English too well, or who don't understand legal jargon in the notes distributed before the meeting. Fear of being judged for their inabilities cause the other party to withdraw from the discussion and share little to no information about the subject. Managers, especially those who have never had to deal with difficult conversations, may be anxious about the way they're going to manage the proceedings, and they worry that this might cause the other person further anxiety. Other emotional factors include the inability to express feelings and clarify what they mean about a statement. This may result in the person not being totally honest just so that they can end the conversation and return to their place of safety. In creating a cooperative communication environment, you need to take the necessary steps to create rapport and build trust with the other party/parties so that everybody is comfortable enough to speak confidently and openly with you. **Lack of communication skills** Bad news is part of any business, and it's never easy to deliver it to the people you work with all the time. Managers need to be equipped with the skills to cope with difficult emotions, reactions or questions that they have to clarify. If managers don't possess these skills they might not share important information with the people they're addressing. This inability causes additional stress and anxiety in the manager and their audience, leading to a potentially combative situation and further damage to the morale of the workers. Effective communication involves overcoming these barriers and conveying a clear and concise message. The following are some of the common barriers to effective communication: - The use of jargon with over-complicated or unfamiliar terms. - Emotional barriers and taboos. - Status differences such as workers and management - Level of experience - Gender differences - Lack of attention, interest, distractions, or irrelevance to the receiver. - Differences in perception and viewpoint including values, mood. - Physical barriers to non-verbal communication. - Language differences and the difficulty in understanding unfamiliar accents. - Expectations and prejudices which may lead to false assumptions or stereotyping. People often hear what they expect to hear rather than what is actually said and jump to incorrect conclusions. - Cultural differences. The norms of social interaction vary greatly in different cultures, as do the way in which emotions are expressed. For example, the concept of personal space varies between cultures and between different social settings. **Addressing unethical or inappropriate communication** It is important that any unethical or inappropriate communications are identified and dealt with promptly using performance and issue resolution processes. Unethical communication can be verbal and written and just because it is verbal does not lessen the impacts on the recipient or the organisation. Many believe that this only affects an individual but the impacts are far reaching. Examples include bullying, harassment, inaccurate marketing, false information to obtain personal or business gains etc. All of these unethical approaches to communication can lead to penalties and in some instances imprisonment. **Techniques to resolve communication challenges** The techniques which are applied to overcome any barriers or challenges specific to communication with others will need to be adapted to the individual issue and situation. The following are some general approaches which can be taken: - **Be aware of your body language**\ Body language, facial expressions and other nonverbal cues can play a large role in effective communication. Take note of your body language when communicating and adjust if your body language is not supporting what you are trying to communicate. - **Work on your posture**\ Standing up straight or sitting upright in your chair can help promote positive and effective communication. Be sure that you aren\'t slouching or slumping your shoulders during a conversation. - **Consider your tone of voice**\ Your tone of voice can have a significant impact on how others interpret your communication efforts. Pay attention to your tone when communicating and try to match your tone to what you are trying to convey. For example, if you are discussing a serious topic, your tone should be confident and firm rather than playful or unsure. - **Maintain eye contact**\ Maintaining eye contact shows that you are paying attention to the other person and are an active part of the conversation. - **Request and provide feedback**\ Offering and asking for feedback shows that you care about what the other person is saying as well as their opinions on the topic being discussed. - **Use encouraging small verbal comments**\ When taking part in a conversation, use small verbal comments such as \"uh-huh.\" This can encourage the speaker to continue and lets them know that you are listening. - **Don\'t interrupt**\ Refrain from interrupting when another person is speaking to show respect and that you are listening to what they are saying. - **Limit distractions**\ Communication is much more effective when there are little to no distractions. When communicating, put away your mobile device, shut off your computer and limit any other distractions that may prohibit you from being present during a conversation. - **Practice empathy**\ Consider the feelings of the person you are communicating with so that you can better acknowledge their needs and concerns. Written communication strategies could include: - **Proofread and edit**\ Before sending an email, text or other written form of communication, take the time to proofread and make any necessary edits. This ensures your written communication is professional and conveys your message as accurately as possible. - **Use appropriate grammar and spelling**\ Avoid using abbreviations, slang, jargon and other forms of language that may not be understood by others. Spell out words and ensure proper spelling and grammar. 2.5 \| Remove communication barriers ------------------------------------ Effective communication with work colleagues is one of the most valuable skills you can possess. Highly successful team leaders rely on their **communication skills to articulate strategic decisions** to their staff, motivate them to achieve common goals, and resolve workplace issues to name just a few. Without proficient communication skills, there will be staff members who are unclear of their roles and responsibilities, and the best-laid plans could come unstuck right from the start. **Motivate others to communicate respectfully** By understanding the barriers to effective communication that we consciously and subconsciously erect, you can smash them down to ensure your message is getting through loud and clear. Doing this will open up the lines of communication across all levels and business operations will run far more efficiently. Once you have identified communication difficulties between staff members as well as staff having difficulties communicating with customers, you need to address the problem proactively. The benefits of respectful workplaces include: - Improved employee morale and job satisfaction, improved teamwork, lower absenteeism and turnover, and increased productivity - Employees are better equipped to manage conflict collaboratively and cope with workplace challenge and change - Employees are much less likely to perceive their workload as excessive or to submit workers\' compensation claims - Teams and organisations that are seen as positive places to work will attract and retain highly skilled staff. Lack of respect and low-level negative behaviours (such as rudeness, discourteousness, not acknowledging other staff)---can create a dysfunctional team environment, relationship breakdown, decline in productivity, and the risk of psychological injury. Click the \> to learn more about the different ways in which a leader can promote a culture of respectful communication: **Set clear expectations of behaviour** Team discussions can highlight a set of agreed behaviours that embody the APS Values, Employment Principles and Code of Conduct. These discussions are very effective with a new team or when a new manager is appointed. The exercise can also be used for existing teams as a way to reinforce the importance of fostering respect. It could even be included as a regular team meeting agenda item. The goal is to develop a shared understanding of appropriate conduct at work and what these expectations mean in a practical setting. **Be a positive role model** If a manager is respectful, employees are more likely to follow. If a manager is abrasive and impolite, employees have an excuse for displaying the same behaviour. Be genuine in your actions and promote the kind of culture that inspires people to do their best. **Make it how you do business** Include behavioural expectations in performance plans and give regular feedback to employees relating to performance and the APS Values, Employment Principles and Code of Conduct. Give practical examples of positive as well as negative behaviours to build a shared understanding of what is expected. Acknowledge how people achieve, as well as what they achieve **Push back on disrespectful behaviours** In cases where a person you are managing is displaying discourteous, unconstructive or abrasive behaviour, have a conversation with the employee to name the specific behaviour and the impact the behaviour is having on you, the team, or the agency. If you let it go, you may be seen to condone such unacceptable behaviour and set a norm for future behaviour. **Create a positive work environment** As a manager you will influence the way the people in your team feel about your agency and the time they spend at work. Within the bounds of the workplace, people need to feel comfortable to be able to express who they are, bring and take away meaning from the work they perform, and build commitment through inclusion in decisions. Encourage your employees to enjoy themselves at work, and to feel part of a community that respects and supports them. **Maintain open communication** Be open and transparent with employees. Share work fairly and set clear and realistic deadlines. Provide constructive and regular feedback to all employees and promote a balance between work and home life. **Manage workloads and priorities** Prioritise tasks, set clear and realistic deadlines, and ensure employees have all the information they need to do their work. Manage the allocation of urgent work and help staff to re-prioritise workloads where necessary. 3. Present and negotiate persuasively ------------------------------------- **Learning Objective** 1. Describe different communication styles and how to adjust your message to best approach each type.  2. Understand the process of negotiation and how this process can be navigated while factoring in different communication styles and perspectives of the audience.  **Module Content** **3.1 \| **Tailoring communication **3.2 \|** Present information **3.3 \|** Negotiate with others **3.4 \|** Conversational styles in negotiations **3.5 \|** Negotiation and conflict resolution techniques **Description** Good communication skills and a thorough understanding of the other party's culture is an advantage when negotiating sensitive issues or having a difficult discussion. Understanding the different communication styles also help to smooth the conversation so that both parties feel they benefited from the interaction. 3.1 \| Tailoring communication ------------------------------ Many of the differences discussed in the previous section will result in different communication styles among members of a workgroup. Age, gender, culture, and language all affect the preferred type of communication but this can cause a lot of misunderstandings or instances where one person feels another isn't respecting them or they might feel excluded, whereas it could simply mean a different communication style. **Types and styles of communication** The type and style of communication preferred by fellow employees is influenced by many factors including age, gender and culture. Types of communication include: - **Talking**\ In person, over the telephone (in some cases, through sign language), or video conferencing. - **Writing**\ This includes emails, text messages, workplace documents, handwritten letters or memos, and signage. You might find that some people prefer talking to writing, or vice versa. For example, people from an older generation might have been brought up to see talking in person or over the phone as more respectful than writing an email or sending a text message. On the other hand, younger employees who have grown up with electronic communication see it as a standard way of communicating and don\'t understand that they might be unintentionally offending older colleagues. Styles of communication are less distinctive as they can vary greatly from person to person with individual nuances. This is usually where the effects of culture and upbringing can be seen. Styles of communication can be influenced by individual understandings and use of non-verbal behaviours such as: - Body language, including facial expressions and gestures, posture, and touching each other - Eye contact - Personal space - Punctuality - Passiveness/assertiveness, possibly including manipulation and aggression - Tone - Speed of speaking - Volume - Use of idioms/metaphors/figures of speech. All of these aspects might vary only slightly, or very much, between different team members. As you get to know your co-workers better, you will pick up on and better understand each different style of communication. While each person has their unique style of communication, based on the aspects mentioned above, a key step in bridging the gap between different communication styles is to **recognise that this difference is usually based on that person's culture, background, and experiences.** Getting to know the person better will help you to understand their preferred style of communication and respond appropriately. **The five communication styles** In terms of tone and behaviour, there are five communication styles that people adopt to convey information. You may find that you have used all five styles, depending on your mood and who you are talking to, or you may be more inclined to just use one or two. Some styles are healthier than others, so select the headings below to learn more about each: **Assertive** Assertive communication is the healthiest of the five, and involves clearly communicating your needs and boundaries without being aggressive or submissive. Assertiveness comes from confidence and high self esteem, and often leads to both parties feeling heard, understood, and valued. **Aggressive** Aggressive communication often comes from a place of wanting to win and gain power over others. Rather than being respectful, the aggressive communicator will aim to trample the other party\'s values, needs, and wellbeing in favour of their own. This style requires force and intimidation to achieve \'winning\'. **Passive aggressive** This style is more covert than the overt aggressive style, and often includes sarcasm and put-downs. The other party may not immediately realise they are being disrespected as passive aggression can be quite underhanded. **Submissive** Submissive is the opposite of aggressive, as submissive communicators will often put their own needs, values, and boundaries last in order to please others. They are people pleasers who want to avoid conflict at all costs, so they normally suffer as a consequence. **Manipulative** Similar to passive aggressive, manipulative communicators will use covert means to achieve their goals, often convincing the other party that only their own needs are important. They often make the other party believe something that is untrue in order to get what they want, and are cunning in the way they make others feel obliged to succumb to their wants. Being aware of a colleague\'s culture and background can help you to identify and understand how they communicate. This is especially important if your team has members that aren\'t necessarily from the same country or religion. In these cases, team members might work in a different time zone, speak a different language, or observe different holidays and working hours. This is especially true in the way businesses have had to adapt to the Covid-19 regulations, one measure being to allow employees to work remotely. Culture can also affect a person\'s style of communication, generally based on the following aspects; click the \> to learn more: **Directness** Some cultures value being explicit and quickly getting to the point in a conversation, while others prefer to rely on nuances, reading-between-the-lines, and depend heavily on context. Direct cultures include most Germanic and English-speaking countries such as America, the UK, and Australia. Indirect cultures include Mediterranean, Latin, African, and Asian cultures. **Social etiquette** This can vary significantly between cultures, and each culture has their standards and understanding of etiquette. Two important aspects of etiquette include the notion of personal space and appropriate eye-contact. For example, most Northern Europeans are comfortable with a relatively large amount of personal space, while Hispanics would consider distance to be unfriendly. In another example, many Asian cultures view direct eye-contact as a sign of disrespect, while a person from a European culture might consider the lack of eye-contact as a sign of disrespect. For this reason, it is important to learn about a customer or colleague\'s culture so that you can understand that they are trying to show you respect even if you might otherwise usually interpret that as disrespectful. **Understanding of time** This can be a particular point of frustration in relating to colleagues or customers. Some cultures, e.g. Europeans and European Americans, understand time to be linear and sequential. They attend to business items one after the other according to a timeframe. Other cultures (e.g. Asians and Africans) view time as fluid and interconnected without a particular timeframe. This can make working between these types of cultures very difficult. **Display of emotion** In some cultures (e.g. Asians and Northern Europeans), it is deemed unacceptable to display or involve emotions with business. This might make them appear cold or distant, but to those cultures, displaying any emotion is seen as too personal and therefore inappropriate while conducting business. On the other hand, other cultures (e.g. Hispanics and Americans) view emotional involvement as natural and acceptable in business situations. The degree to which different cultures combine these aspects vary between the cultures, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach. For example, most Australians have a relatively informal but candid style of communication; Germans tend to rely heavily on logic and evidence; Englishmen tend to be understated, polite and humorous; and Italians are exceedingly eloquent and expressive. Most of the time, if you are unsure how best to communicate with and show respect to a colleague or customer, ask them politely to explain it to you; most people will be happy to do so. If necessary, in the case of a language barrier, it might be best to employ an interpreter (oral and behavioural) or translator (text) who can help both parties to better understand communication and cultural differences. Even when working within the same language there are likely to be differences in communication styles and it is important to note that everyone, employee and customer alike, should mutually accept each other's style of communication. In some situations it might be too taxing to try to remember how each person likes to give and receive the communication; in this case, a company might outline a policy regarding one style of communication, e.g. office memos are sent around by email, or that customer communication is done in English. However, keeping your communication clear and unambiguous will minimise any misunderstandings and avoid offence. 3.2 \| Present information -------------------------- Effective communication is getting your message across clearly without resorting to complicated jargon that you think might impress your audience. If the receiver of a message cannot understand what it is you\'re trying to get across, after a while, they will switch off, and you have lost your opportunity to share information. Effective listening means that you can understand the message and the information doesn't confuse you. Discuss the communication needs with employees when the communications strategy is being formulated and train employees to include the requirements of the other party in all external communications. Individuals also need** guidelines when they communicate with each other on business matters**, such as cultural greetings or acceptable body language. Click on the \> to learn more about the different components of the process for effective communication. **Aim of the message** Planning your message starts with what you want to get across - Why are you communicating with this person? - What outcome do you want the message or what reaction do you want from the receiver? - How can you create an interest in your message -- why should the receiver listen to you? - How do you design your message for maximum impact -- how do you prioritise what you are going to say? **Encode the message** This stage is the visible embodiment of your message and usually takes on one or more forms: picture, dance, music, numbers, written, spoken. Most of the time the context is dependent on (and often changes within organisational setup): - Religion/Belief system - Cultural background - Age - Vocabulary - Status - Native language - Gender - Level of education - Expertise in the subject - Priorities - Confidentiality - General knowledge **Transmit the message** The message is transmitted through one or more channels, which is dependent on the previous step, e.g. if you're using dance to communicate your message, you would have to include a video in an email. Visual transmission often uses a combination of the following: - Hand gestures -- what do your hand gestures say about your message? - Visibility -- is the receiver able to see you? - Background distraction -- are there noises or other people to distract from your message? - Audibility -- is the receiver able to hear you? - The tone of voice -- does it convey your message or is it saying something else? - Stress -- how do you emphasise words, or does your voice reflect stress? - Eye contact -- do you know the guidelines for different cultures? - Facial expressions -- does your expression contradict your message? - Pauses -- do the pauses invite interaction, or require the receiver to pay attention? - Voice inflexion -- is your voice interesting to listen to or is it monotonous and boring? - The speed of delivery -- do you talk too fast or too slow? - Body language -- do you have open and inviting body language? - Timing -- are you delivering your message when the receiver can pay attention? Non-visual transmission (written) is much more involved because the receiver cannot see facial or body expressions to judge emotion. Icons (smileys, emojis) that convey emotion have no place in business communication so be careful with the design of the message. Business communication, whether it is through email or another document, has four main parts: - **Opening**\ Tells the reader why you are writing - **Focus**\ States the details about the topic. - **Action**\ Outlines what you want to happen and gives a timeframe. - **Closing**\ Thank the reader and mention further communication/action. For the message to be interpreted correctly, it is imperative that the receiver: - Listens/reads without reacting - Asks for clarification if something isn't clear - Pays attention to body language - Understands the sender's point of reference - Actively listens/reads to the message before reacting. **Active listening skills** Active listening is essential as a team lead and requires practice because people generally prefer to talk and have their ideas heard rather than listen to what the other person is trying to say. This means that the message the other person is trying to get across can easily be misinterpreted or not heard at all. Active listening skills which should be incorporated into communications with the team include the following actions: - Respect what the other person and what they are saying - Verbally