Communication Skills

By
MD & LK

Agenda

Vibes & Strokes

Gossip, rumours, et al
Grapevine
Body Language
Summary

Communication Process

Feedback

I Heard It on the Grapevine

The grapevine is an
informal communication
network within an
organization.
Research reflects that
about 75 % of the
communication in the
grapevine is accurate.

Grapevine
Grapevine Characteristics
Informal, not controlled by management.
Perceived by most employees as being
more believable and reliable than formal
communications.
Largely used to serve the self-interests of
those who use it.

Grapevine contd
Rumors Results from:
Desire for information about important
situations
Ambiguous conditions
Conditions that cause anxiety
It is still an important source of information
because 75% of employees hear about
matters first through the roomers on the
grapevine.

Grapevine cont - Why rumors

flourish in organizations
Secrecy and competition that prevails in
large organizations around issues such as
Appointment of new bosses
Relocation of office
Downsizing decisions
Realignment of work assignments
They create conditions that encourage and
sustain rumors on the grapevine.

Grapevine - importance
Give managers a feel of the morale
of their organization
Identifies issues that employees
consider important
Helps tap in to employee anxieties.
Serves employee needs by
establishing relations among
themselves.

Rumors

Response to situations that are

IMPORTANT to us, and
There is AMBIGUITY between what
is going on and what was said, and
Under conditions that arouse
ANXIETY, such as time off, pay
programs, layoffs, etc.

Rumors
Rumors have no basis in
accuracy.
Can management control
rumors? NO! Management,
however, can do some things
to minimize the rumors.

Suggestions for Reducing the

Negative Consequences of Rumors
Announce timetables for making important
decisions
Explain decisions and behaviors that may
appear inconsistent or secretive
Emphasize the downside, as well as the
upside, of current decisions and future
plans.
Openly discuss worst case possibilities it
is almost never as anxiety provoking as
the unspoken fantasy.

Communications Did you

know?

People remember:

10 percent of what they read

20 percent of what they hear
30 percent of what they see
50 percent of what they see and hear
80 percent of what they say
90 percent of what they say and do

Body language
Humans pride themselves on
their seemingly unique ability to
verbalize feelings and ideas.
While the mouth tells one story,
gestures and posture may tell a
different story.

Territory
Intimate
Touching
6-18

Personal
Close -1 to
2 feet
Far - 2 to 4
feet

Social
Close 4-7 feet
Far - 7-12 feet

Public
Close - 12-25
feet
Far - 25 feet or
greater

When you invade my

space
Reactions to
an invasion of
your space
Feel troubled
Get defensive
Become
aggressive
Retaliate

Taking Gestures Out of

Context
(attaching significance to a
single
gesture)
Gestures should be observed in
clusters to provide a more accurate
picture of person being observed
Each gesture is like a sentence
The sum total of postures and
gestures relate a non-verbal story

Gut Feelings &

Congruence
When intuition tells you that certain
people are not being straightforward
even though they sound logical &
appropriate
This intuition or gut feeling results
from subconscious ability to read
another persons body language

Evolution and
Refinement of Inherent
Gestures

Behavioral scientists have found that

some basic communication gestures are
universal and believed to be inherent
Examples are: smiling, shrugging,
nodding
Children tend to exaggerate these
gestures making their body language
easy to read
(See Fig. 1)

When children are small and tell

a lie, their hands fly over their
mouth.

Fig. 1

A teenager might refine this

inherent gesture by simply
bringing tips of fingers to the
mouth

Fig. 2

An adult may bring the little

finger to edge of mouth.

Fig 3

Tell tale signs

Face Eyes, nose, lips

Neck
Tilt of the body
Arms, hands and palms
Legs position
Gait

Exercise

THANKS