Interpersonal Communication Proposal

Interpersonal Communication Improvement Proposal

Submitted by: Casey Green
COMM-1010-054-Sp16
Instructor Mrs. Jones
02/11/2016

Interpersonal Communication Proposal

Overview:
On a daily basis communication is used in each part of our lives. A strong communicator
is an asset to any company. Recognizing and strengthening my own communication skills is
something I am working hard to accomplish. Through recognizing and applying some skills to
my own communication habits I believe I will see a drastic improvement in my work related
communications. Forming and delivering clear instruction to co-workers and responding more
constructively when I receive critique. Identifying and promoting these skills will have a direct
impact on the success of employees who work and communicate with me daily.

Interpersonal Communication Proposal

Description of Problem
In my own communication skills, I can identify certain areas that need to be strengthened
to continue successful production at work. I often dont send clear messages to employees
through clear communication channels, while messages are being encoded properly they may not
always be properly decoded (Alder & Elmhord, (2013) P. 10). Clarity is an important fact when
trying to accomplish a task. Communication without clarity can cause mistakes especially in the
work place. Another problem I have noticed is I find myself not responding well to critique. I
notice myself generating a negative or critical response which blocks me from improving or
gaining a better understanding. Dale Carnegie had a great quote about receiving criticism any
fool can criticize, condemn, and complain but it takes character and self-control to be
understanding and forgiving (Carnegie, 1964). These skills both will have a direct impact on
my future as a manager and a future business owner.

Resources and Constraints

Currently when directing or instructing someone in the work place I may not be clear in
the message I send. I find myself repeating tasks and continually repeating directions. My first
task was determining if this was a communication problem or a listening issue. I noticed that
when other people were delivering instructions the same blocks were not in place. When having
staff meetings, I also noticed that during times of critique I often brought up other issues instead
of listening and evaluating the critique of myself. While studying our text I was able to draw
some conclusions on what barriers and noise maybe affecting my communication skills.

Recommendations

Interpersonal Communication Proposal

Based on my research and studying I came across an idea that will greatly improve the
clarity of my messages. I realized in my delivering of messages I used a high level of
abstractions (Alder & Elmhorst (2013) p.80). Based on the fact I dont like to cast myself in a
demanding or aggressive nature at work I have been delivering unclear messages. I wasnt being
clear about what I needed to be accomplished and because of that my messages were not being
decoded correctly. A solution I have resolved to use is writing my instructions down instead of
just telling someone I can hand them a task list. This will also make follow-up much easier to
ensure the task is being completed. This will also clarify any questions that may arise because
the paper will always be a good reference point. To help when receiving critique, I have decided
to utilize note taking skills so I can self-evaluate at a later time on the points that were made.
We all learn by making mistakes, and learning how to deal with criticism positively is one way
that we can improve our interpersonal relationships with others (skillsyouneed.com 2015). By
remembering we all make mistakes and using the criticism towards improvement, I will become
much more open to critique. Keeping emotions out of critique is also an important aspect I need
to focus on.
Summary
Identifying and working on clear message delivery and receiving critique will help my
work experience become a better one. Less mistakes and more productivity make everyone in
the work place happy. By giving task lists I will help eliminate confusion by clearly writing the
message that needs to be communicated. By taking notes when receiving criticism, I can selfevaluate at a later time to make sure I am correcting the issues that are brought to me. I hope this
proposal is helpful in understanding the communication skills I am looking to improve and I am
looking forward to seeing the results immediately.

Interpersonal Communication Proposal

References

Interpersonal Communication Proposal

Adler, R & Elmhurst, J .(2013). Communicating at work: SLCC custom text (2nd ed).
Boston: McGraw Hill
Carnegie, D. (1964). How to win friends and influence people. New York: Simon and
Schuster.
SkillsYouNeed (2015) What is Communication? [online] available at
www.skillsyouneed.com/general/what-is-communication.html (Retreived
February 12, 2016)