Managerial Skills

Session – 7 & 8

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Module-2 : Communication Skills

▰ Fundamentals,
▰ Types - Horizontal, Vertical, Oral, Written, E-mail etiquettes;
▰ Virtual meetings
▰ Delegation, Assigning tasks,
▰ Building Communication matrix,
▰ Report writing, Journaling, Feedback,
▰ Difficult Conversations.

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Fundamentals…

The word communication is derived from the Latin communis, meaning

“common”.
▰ Communication refers to “a natural activity of all humans, which is to convey
opinions, feelings, information, & ideas to others through words (written or
spoken), body language, or signs”.
▰ Effective communication is “purposive symbolic interchange resulting in
workable understanding & agreement between the sender & the receiver”.
▰ It is a way of reaching others with facts, ideas, thoughts & values.
▰ Interchange of information, ideas, & thoughts may occur via different modes:
Words (Oral & Written), Signs, & Gestures. 4
The purpose of Communication….

In business, we communicate to: >>> (1) Inform; (2) Persuade.

▰ Communication to Inform
Communication to inform directed by “the desire to expose, develop, & explain the
subject”. Its focus is the subject of the communication.
Ex:, Short, expository pieces of Writing:
1) Farming provides most of the food we eat. Our chief food crops are cereals or grains.
Cereals include maize, rice, & wheat. We also grow barley & gram.
2) Flies are our deadly enemies because they feed on dirt & rubbish. When they crawl
over meat, sweetmeats, & cakes with their dirty legs, they leave all kinds of germs
behind &, thus, poison our food.
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The purpose of Communication

Communication to Persuade
A communicator may seek primarily to persuade the reader
/receiver of the message. In such a form of communication,
the focus is on the receiver.
- Persuasive communicator wants the reader to understand
the message & to be influenced by it.
Ex: HDFC’s ad, which says: “Now opening a
Savings/Current Account with HDFC Bank is extremely
rewarding.” This handbill is reader-centric. The purpose of
the message is not just to inform readers about a new
savings & current account, but to persuade them to open
such an account with HDFC Bank. 6
Classification of Communication…..

One way to classify communication is according to the number of persons who

receive the message.
▰ Intra-personal communication is “talking to oneself in one’s own mind”.
Ex: Soliloquies or asides in dramatic works.
▰ Inter-personal communication is “the exchange of messages between two
people”.
Ex: - Conversations, dialogues, or interviews in which two persons interact
(others may also be present as audience).
- A letter is an interpersonal communication between the writer & the person to
whom it is addressed.
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Classification of Communication….

▰ Group communication can be “among small or large groups”, such as an

organization, club, or classroom, in which all individuals retain their
individual identities.

▰ Mass communication is “when a message is sent to large groups of people”.

Ex: By newspaper, radio, or television. In this process, each receiver is a faceless
individual with almost no opportunity for response or feedback.

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Classification of Communication….
Communication can also be classified on the basis of the medium employed.
▰ Verbal communication means “communicating with words, written/spoken”.
- VC consists of speaking, listening, writing, reading, & thinking.
▰ Non-Verbal communication includes “the use of pictures, signs, gestures, &
facial expressions for exchanging information between persons”.
- NVC accompanies the acts of speaking & writing.
-NVC is a wordless message conveyed through gestures(Signs), movements
(Action language), pictures/clothes(Objects).
- NVC is characterized by personal space, body language, touch, eyes, sense of
smell, & time.
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Classification of Communication….

▰ Meta-communication is when the speaker’s choice of words unintentionally

communicates something more than what the words themselves state.
Ex: The remark, “I’ve never seen you so smartly dressed” could be a compliment,
but could also mean that the regular attire of the listener needs improvement.
- Comments

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Types - Horizontal, Vertical

▰ In business organizations, the effectiveness of a communication system

depends upon the extent to which the necessary information (required for
decision-making) reaches the concerned person (the person who needs that
information) at the right time (when the information is needed).
▰ Every organization creates a network (channel) for information to pass
through different levels of authority, functional heads & units.
▰ The flow of communication follows the structure of the organization.
▰ In actual practice, the information passes through the “Organizational
Pyramid”.
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Organizational Pyramid

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Horizontal Communication….

Also known as “Peer communication”, horizontal communication is usually

needed within the organization due to:
1) Geographical location of divisions
2) Functional basis of division

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Horizontal Communication…

Geographical Organization
In a large setup, divisions may be based on geographical areas. Such divisions may be
known just by numbers or single letters.
Ex: Tata Steel, the “G” blast furnace has its own division with a full-fledged hierarchy of
employees & executives. There are other furnaces known by numbers, with their own
divisions. They are all located on the vast Tata Steel site. There are also other divisions
such as R&D, total quality control, & so on. Each of these divisions maintains close
contact with the others through seminars, presentations, & executive meetings. These
divisions communicate among themselves to share information & help each other as
equal members of the same organization. Thus, communication helps sustain a sense of
unity among the various divisions in the organization.
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Horizontal Communication…
Functional Organization
Normally, business & industrial organizations are divided on the basis of different
functions such as “Production, Marketing, Finance, Personnel, Training & development”.
- All divisions function independently & yet remain linked with each other through peer-
group communication & workflow information.
- With the growth of technology & the increasing size of organizations, the widespread
production of goods & services needs to be coordinated through the channel of
horizontal communication.
- From the stage of selection of raw material to the finished product, numerous
processes are involved in completing the given task of production. Any interruption in
the workflow adversely affects performance at successive stages of production. The
workflow in a company can be steadily managed only through horizontal communication15
between the sections that are directly linked.
Vertical Communication

In organizations, there are well-defined lines/routes for passing on

communication.
- Policy decisions are taken at the boardroom level. From there, information is
sent downwards to senior managers/group of senior managers. They ensure
that the policy decisions are easily understood, implemented, sustained,
monitored, reviewed, & reported.
- Feedback (performance data or employee experiences or suggestions) is, in
turn, sent upwards.
- In this system of communication, the key links are the managers &
supervisors. They transmit information both upwards & downwards. They are
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also responsible for following up on ideas & instructions.
Session – 9 & 10

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Oral Communication

Oral / Verbal communication, is “the interchange of verbal messages between a

sender & receiver”.
- It is more immediate than written communication. It is more natural & informal.

▰ Importance of Oral Communication Skills

A manager’s maximum time is devoted to oral communication. He/she is often engaged
in one of the following tasks:
- Meetings, - Discussions, - Negotiations, - Seminars,
- Presentations, - Interviews, - Peer conversations, - Providing instructions,
- Telephone conversations.
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Importance of Oral Communication
Managers face difficulties in resolving the problems of workers & influencing others. One
has to know when to talk; when not to talk but to listen; how to talk (the tone, pitch, &
modulation); how to interpret the listener’s facial expressions, physical gestures,
movements, & attitude; & how to be aware of one’s own body talk (leakage), which
consciously or unconsciously sends signals to the listener.
Oral communication skills that include being able to:
▰ Solve problems ▰ Be assertive without being aggressive
▰ Resolve conflicts ▰ Listen thoughtfully
▰ Make proposals ▰ Negotiate effectively
▰ Influence people to work together
▰ Persuade others to be involved in organizational goals
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Situations where Oral Communication is Used

1) Face-to-Face:
2) Intercultural: We live in a multi-cultural society & interact with people who speak a
variety of languages & belong to different subcultures. Interaction with foreigners for
business, education, & social purposes has become very frequent.

3) Via Electronic media: In business, the use of “Telephone, Voice-mail, Phone

conferencing, Video-conferencing, Cell-phones, & E-mail” occurs in accordance with the
need & purpose of the communicator.
- Since the communicators in these situations are not face-to-face, one has to have a
high level of Oral-communication skills to be able to communicate effectively through
these methods.
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Guidelines for Effective Oral Communication
▰ Consider the objective.
▰ Think about the interest level of the receiver.
▰ Be sincere; Be brief & precise.
▰ Use simple language & familiar words.
▰ Avoid vagueness & generalities.
▰ Give full facts.
▰ Allow time to respond
▰ Use polite words & tone.
▰ Eliminate insulting implications.
▰ Include some information that is interesting & pleasing to the recipient.
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Written Communication

“Writing is a mode of communicating a message for a specific purpose. Written

communication is one-way—from the sender to the receiver”.
- It reveals one’s ability to think clearly & to use language effectively.
- A manager is responsible for a variety of written communications such as
“replies to clients, enquires, memos recording agreements, proposals for
contracts, formal or informal reports to initiate action, & so on”.
- A manager should be able to convey information, ideas, instructions,
decisions, & welfare proposals in written form, in keeping with the level of the
people who receive & read them.
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Principles of Effective Written Communication

1) Accuracy: To achieve accuracy, the writer should check & double-check:

- All facts & figures - The choice of words - The language & tone

2) Brevity: Brevity lies in saying only what needs to be said & leaving out
unnecessary words or details. To achieve brevity, avoid wordiness.

3) Clarity: An important requirement for effective writing is to recognize the

needs, expectations, fears, attitudes of the audience or receiver & the reader of
the written message
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Email Etiquette….

Email is “the quickest channel of written communication. Any amount of information,

documents, pictures, & so on, can be sent to the recipients as attachments”.
▰ Receiver’s E-mail Account: For e-mail connectivity, one needs to have just the e-mail
address of the intended receiver. Many persons have more than one e-mail
account—an official account & a personal account.
▰ Subject Line: In an e-mail, the subject line is the first thing that is noticed by the
receiver. It should be composed as precisely as possible. The writer needs to
carefully work out the wording of the subject line so that the title, context are clear,
& the reader gets the gist of the message.
▰ Sending Copies: The sender may need to send a copy of the e-mail to several
persons at the same time. This is generally simpler if group e-mail IDs are provided.
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Email Etiquette

If a company has internal group IDs

set up, then by writing “marketing”
in the “To” line, an e-mail can be
sent to all the people in the
marketing department is an internal
facility.
- In external e-mails, the e-mail addresses of all intended receivers are listed in the “Cc :
Carbon Copy” line.
- A “Bcc : Blind Carbon Copy” of the e-mail can also be sent to one or more persons
without the knowledge of other receivers, by entering their addresses in the “Bcc” line.
- Body of the letter where the main content is written.
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- Email should end by Signing off with Sender’s name / Signature.
Guidelines for Writing E-mail

▪ Consider the readers’ (receivers’) needs and expectations.

▪ Understand the purpose for writing the message & the total context in
which it is being written.
▪ Put essential information first.
▪ State each point clearly & directly.
▪ Use conventional formats.
▪ Be courteous.

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Virtual Meetings

“When people anywhere in the world meet online through video calls & share text
material, audio & videos on a real time basis, it is called Virtual meeting”
- Its an electronic version of face-to-face communication. Business meetings, interviews,
& other urgent interactions among several distantly located individuals can be
effectively conducted without requiring participants to move from their respective
places of work.

- Virtual meetings use “Video-Teleconference

(VTC) software”, such as Microsoft's Skype,
Zoom, Adobe's Connect, & Google's
Hangouts, etc.
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Guidelines for Effective Virtual meetings

▰ Choose a quiet place as this will eliminate background noise.

▰ Set sound/volume to an appropriate level.
▰ Ensure that the faces of the speakers are visible by checking the lighting in the room.
▰ Sit comfortably facing the camera. Do not move unnecessarily.
▰ Wait for the image of the other person & your own image to appear on the screen before
beginning the discussion.
▰ At the beginning of the conversation, introduce yourself & your team to the other party.
▰ Wait for the transmission to complete before responding. Due to technical issues, there may be
pauses between the two speakers.
▰ Always direct your message or question by specifying the person you are addressing.
▰ Treat video conferencing as an audio–visual medium of relaxed business & social
communication connecting people in different locations. 29
Delegation

▰ Delegation is “the act of passing on work-related tasks and/or authorities to other

employees or subordinates”.
▰ Delegation is “the assignment of authority to another person to carry out specific
activities. It is the process of distributing & entrusting work to another person”.

- It involves the process of allowing your tasks or those of your employees to be

reassigned or reallocated to other employees depending on current workloads. A
manager with good delegation skills is able to effectively, efficiently reassign tasks, &
give authority to the right employees.
- When delegation is carried out effectively, it helps facilitate efficient task completion.
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Delegation Process

- Delegation helps the manager to avoid

wastage of time, optimizes productivity,
ensures responsibility, & accountability on
the part of employees.

- Manager must have good delegation

abilities to achieve optimal results, &
accomplish the required productivity
results.

- Authority to complete the job can be

delegated, but responsibility cannot be
delegated. 31
Assigning Tasks

Assigning of tasks means “distributing the work.”

▰ Task assignment should be a more employee-oriented process that requires
additional dedication & effort, which yields incredible results.
Some things to keep in mind when assigning tasks to employees:
1) Delegate positively,
7) Take note of progress.
2) Choose the right person. 8) Give feedback.
3) Get input. Ask your team for ideas. 9) Post-project, evaluate performances.
4) Set a deadline. Assign the responsibilities.
5) Give training & supervision.
6) Assign authorities.
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Benefits of Assigning Tasks
Properly assigned tasks push employees, projects, & the overall company forward.
▰ More satisfaction from work
▰ Growth in the quality of work
▰ Increase in Labor productivity
▰ Help teach new skills & perfect old ones
▰ Healthier environment & builds good rapport in team or company
▰ It becomes easier to make project estimates
▰ Decrease of losses from managerial incompetence
▰ Makes for great bases for performance reviews, etc.
▰ Strengthen accountability & trust between managers & employees.
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▰ Allow employees to get familiar with other teams & avenues of work.