EFFECTIVE

COMMUNICATION FOR
NURSE LEADERS
Zenaida I. Villaluna, RN,EdD
DMO IV, (Nursing Adviser)
NCHFD, DOH
 OBJECTIVES

1) Recognizing communication problems

and barriers.
2) Implementing techniques to resolve
communication problems and barriers.
3) Demonstrating the basic general rules
of effective communication.
4) Using special techniques in specific
communication situations.
 • As a manager, your
communication skill is critical in
directing the actions of your
employees. This basic
managerial skill course in
communication will enable you
to become a better manager for
yourself, and for your
organization.
 What is Communication?

• Communication is simply the sending of a

message to another person. The person
sending the message first needs to
formulate the message in his head.
• This involves determining the meaning
that the sender intends to convey to the
other person.
There are many components to
communication.
• verbal communication skills,
• listening skills,
• written memorandums/email,
• telephone skills and non-verbal communication.
Also, reflect upon all the people we
communicate to: subordinates, peers,
supervisors, customers, and groups of people.
 In addition, some of the reasons, why
we communicate:
• to get and give information,
• to discipline subordinates,
• to make assignments, and so on.
To formulate the meaning of the
message, the sender usually draws
upon his :
• background attitudes,
• perceptions, emotions,
• opinions, education,
• and experience.
• The message is then sent to the
listener through both verbal talking
and non-verbal gestures.
• The person receiving this message
then interprets its meaning.
Effective communication exists
between two persons when the
person receiving the message
interprets it in the same way as the
sender intended it.
Who is Responsible for Communicating
Effectively?
• Managers share the responsibility in
communicating effectively with the
individual employees themselves.
• The manager is 100% responsible for
communicating effectively with their
employees.
• This includes establishing an open
and trusting climate for
communication,
• as well as demonstrating good
communication techniques to their
employees.
Why Managers Need to be Effective
Communicators?

o Communication is the primary method

that managers use to direct their
employee's behavior.
o Communication is the basis for almost
all other managerial skills. It is involved in
delegating duties to subordinates,
motivating employees, demonstrating
leadership abilities, training new policies
and programs, and counseling
performance problems, etc.
Why Managers Need to be Effective
Communicators?
• o Communication is used so frequently
that "we cannot afford to do it poorly".
o Communication has a special power: to
create interest, stimulate action, achieve
agreement, foster enthusiasm.
Barriers to Effective Communication
• o Supervisor inaccessible.
o Supervisor buried in work.
o Supervisor always in a hurry.
o Supervisor maintains a pre-occupied
expression; little eye-contact with
employees.
o Supervisor only informal with his peers or
boss (never with subordinates).
o Supervisor tells employees to "write it up"
instead of promoting discussion.
o Supervisor never asks,"How's it Going?".
Where do Difficulties in Communication
Arise?

• The basic source of misunderstanding

between two persons are communication
failures that occur when the receiver
understands the meaning of a message
differently than it was intended. We do not
always communicate what we intend.
• Communication failures arise when there
is a gap between what the sender meant
and what the receiver thought the sender
meant.
Communication failure can be caused by:
o Being so preoccupied that you do not
listen to what other are saying.
o Being so interested in what you have to
say that you listen only to find an opening
to work your way into the conversation.
o Being so sure that you know what the
other person is going to say that you
distort what you hear to match your
expectation.
Communication failure can be caused by:

• o Evaluating and judging the speakers,

which makes the speaker guarded and
defensive.
o Not being able to "see past the words"
and get the emotional message of the
sender.
o Not trusting the speaker and becoming
suspicious of what is being said.
Setting the Stage for Effective
Communication
• Even before the first word is uttered,
various factors are already at work that
can affect the success or failure of our
communications.
Communicator's Appearance

• Before we ever say a word, others have

been receiving messages from us. We
communicate to others just by the way we
dress and groom.
• Many businesses utilize a dress code to
guide people to the appropriate type of
attire. It use to be traditional within the
business world for men to wear a coat and
tie. This conveys to others that we are
professionals.
• Recent changes have occurred in this
area, just always remember that people do
make conclusions about you based on
your appearance.

• Understand the expectation as it relates to

dress code and insure you are in tune with
the company position.
• In addition, conservative colors are
preferred to more outspoken colors. This
communicates seriousness, stability, and
a "down-to-business" attitude.
Communicator's Past Conversations

• Communication experts tell us that the

credibility of the communicator, as
determined by past conversations, is a
critical factor in effective communication.
Credibility refers to the attitude the listener
has toward the truthfulness and
trustworthiness of the sender's statements.
• When a listener views the sender as
dependable, knowledgeable, reliable,
warm and friendly, emphatic, and non-
selfish, the message that is sent will be
more likely to be received. Unless we
seem credible to the receiver.
• Our message will be discounted and we
will not be able to communicate effectively
with him.
Communicator's Personality
• The personality of the communicator plays
a part in both the formulation of the
message and in how the message is
communicated.
• Each individuals beliefs, opinions,
prejudices, feelings, biases, and personal
experiences enter into the development of
a message
• You may know of an instance where two
managers sound completely different in
conveying the same exact message to a
listener.

• For example a result oriented manager

may talk in short, concise, action-oriented
sentences, while another manager may
end up in a long discourse including many
details and side points.
The Communication Situation
• The situation and circumstances
surrounding our communication plays a
part in determining its success or failure.
Although many types of situations affect
the messages we send, one particular type
that can easily distort our messages is
communication under stress.
• Stress, by its very nature, makes it difficult
for us to "think clearly". In a stress
situation,
• the meaning of the message can be
distorted;
• subtle shades of meaning can be
confused;
• pieces of information can be forgotten;
• minor points may seem more important
than major points.
• In addition, the wording of the
communication may suffer.
Uncertainty, nervousness, and
confusion can creep into the
speaker's voice, resulting in a less
assertive statement.
Communicating Effectively - Verbal
Communication
• Verbal communication means talking.
The goal in communicating verbally is
to convey a message to another
person so that the other person
understands it exactly as the person
talking intended it.
• A well communicated message is one
which the other person can accurately
repeat back in his own words. Verbal
communication can be made more
effective by:
• Talking about specific rather than general
situations.
o Using concrete language, e.g., "merchandise"
rather than "stuff".
o Using words familiar to employees; explaining
unfamiliar words.
o Including an example to illustrate the point.
o Giving sufficient detail to convey the point.
o Giving details slowly and in order.
o Making it a practice to address the five "W"
questions in the topic (if applicable).
• Who is involved?
What is the situation; how did it begin?
When will it occur?
Where is it taking place? What you think,
believe, feel?
Why will it happen? Why is this important?
Nonverbal Communication

• Nonverbal communication
refers to the gestures and body positions
that accompany ones speaking. All people
display certain gestures or lack of them
when talking. It is important to be aware of
your nonverbal communication, for it plays
a big role in making your total
communication effective.
• Effective communication occurs when a
person's verbal message and nonverbal
message both "say the same thing".
Problems in communication occur when
the speaker's words say one thing, but his
gestures and body language says
something else.
Types of Nonverbal Communication
• All of the following "says something". In the
specific context, they should correspond and
reinforce the spoken message.
• o Eye contact.
o Position of our arms and legs.
o The distance we stand from others when
talking to them.
o Where we sit at a table or in relation to others.
o Smiling.
o Nodding or other head movements.
The manager can use nonverbal
behaviors in two ways.
• when speaking, he can monitor his own
nonverbal behavior and try to make sure it
corresponds and emphasizes what he is verbally
saying.
• For example:
• o When taking charge of a situation, the
manager should have good eye contact with his
subordinates,
• stand in a straight posture, use a firm but not
overbearing voice, and point to what he wants
done.
• Upon noticing customers, the employee
should smile to indicate friendliness,
• make eye contact to acknowledge the
customer's presence,
• tune his body in the direction of the
customer to indicate his willingness to help
if needed.
• The other way a manager can use
nonverbal behavior is in "listening to what
others are really saying".

• If the manager notices the employee

saying one thing verbally but another thing
non verbally, then the manager should
suspect that the verbal message being
said may be somewhat "incomplete".
• Active listening skills is what separates the good
from the great. Learn to listen with your ears,
eyes and perception paying attention to both the
verbal and nonverbal communication.

For example:
• An employee who says that he would feel
comfortable doing a task but who exhibits folded
arms, crossed legs, and tensed neck muscles
might not be feeling as comfortable as he thinks.
The manager who suspects this might need to
keep his eye on this situation.
Written Communication

• In written communication, the simpler,

shorter, and more direct the better. This
can be remembered by the equation:
• Effectiveness = Conciseness =
Completeness
Try the following tips for achieving
concise and complete communication.
o Use simple words; your goal is not to impress
your reader with your vocabulary, it is to get the
point across.

o Make sure the words exactly express the

thought; different words can slant the entire
message of your point.
• o Make the sentence structure clear; poor
grammar, run on sentences, etc., can
distort the point you want to make.
o Use a different paragraph for each
complete unit of thought.
o Make sure all of the necessary
information is included.
o Anticipate questions and include the
answers in your message.
o Use only essential words and phrases.
Make sure your facts, dates, times, etc.,
are correct
o Consider the tone of the memorandum. Make
sure it doesn't contain antagonism
or preaching. if you are upset about
something, it is OK to write out your thoughts
and ideas for making the situation better.
Make sure your facts, dates, times, etc.,
are correct
• Then make sure you do not send it, until you read it the
next day. You will find in most cases that what you want
to say does not change, but how you say it will change
dramatically once you are over the emotions you
attached to it.

o Make sure it is neat in appearance.

• Remember all written memorandums have
a dual purpose: you want the reader to
receive your message and you want to do
it the shortest, quickest way possible
without leaving out necessary information.

• All memorandums written in this way will

be a good reflection upon you.
Phone Conversations
• Phone conversations do not give us access to
the body language of the other person, hence,
we miss the nonverbal cues accompanying the
words.
• On the other hand, phone communication does
allow us to take into account the tone of voice
the other person is using, unlike written
communication/email.
Phone Conversations
• Talking on the phone lies between
face-to-face communication and
written communication in regard to
information we can receive from the
other person.
• voice tones mean. Remember, you
can't talk to someone on the phone
and someone in front of you both at
the same time and do justice to either
party.
• Voice tone can be used in two ways.
First, we can vary our voice tone to
reinforce what we are saying verbally.
Managers can convey competence,
sincerity, and trust through the tone of
their voice when talking to customers
or employees.
• When talking to someone you have
spoken to before, pay attention to changes
in their usual voice qualities.
• Some people speak slow, loud, or clear.
When these people change their normal
voice qualities, they are communicating
something extra to us. It is up to us to look
for cues to detect what these changes in
customary
• Secondly, we can pay attention to other
people's tone of voice, much like
nonverbal behavior, to check on unspoken
feelings and thoughts.
• To do this accurately, practice listening to
both the words and the tone of the voice
that carries the words.
Communicating to a Group
• Communicating to a group can be as simple as
making an announcement or as complex as
running a training program requiring much group
participation. Much of what has been presented
in this training applies to communicating to a
group.
Communicating to a Group
• Talking effectively and using nonverbal
body language to correspond to the
spoken words can all be used in group
settings. A particularly skillful speaker can
even "read" the nonverbal cues of the
group as a whole and use this information
to adjust his talk.
• Pre-communication factors,
such as your appearance, credibility,
and the specifics of the situation plays
large part in establishing a successful
presentation.
Listening - Why you Should Listen
to Your Employees

o Employees might have helpful ideas.

o Employees might know causes of
problems in the workplace.
o Employees might be able to warn me
about potential problems I haven't yet
recognized.
o How employees feel about things can be
a tip-of future problems.
Ways of Not Listening
• o Signing routine papers.
o Sorting papers.
o Allowing long telephone interruptions.
o Sneaking looks at the time.
o Gazing out of the window, or at distractions
passing by.
o Maintaining pre-occupied facial expressions.
o Calling orders to other employees in between
sentences.
o Fidgeting nervously, shaking foot, playing with
gadgets, coffee cup, etc.
Inhibiting Communication from Your
Employees

• Avoid the following to prevent cutting off

future communication from your
employees:
• o Blaming the employee who gave you
bad news.
o Getting angry.
o "Falling apart".
o Demanding the employee to justify work
that is reported to be not going well.
How should you react to news

React to bad news by remaining objective;

keep your emotions under control; switch
to a "problem-solving", "let's get this
situation corrected" approach. Respond to
good news with praise, acknowledgment
and appreciation
Active Listening
Active listening is comprised of three
separate and important skills: attention
skills, following skills, and responding
skills. Attention skills are those actions you
take to put the talker at ease, to non
verbally show you are listening, and to
best "pay attention to" what the other
person is trying to say.
• Maintaining eye contact, eliminating
distractions, and concentrating on
both the verbal and nonverbal are
examples of attention skills.
Following Skills
o These are the skills we use to encourage the
conversation along; to get the point the person is
making. Nodding our heads, saying "uh-huh", "I
see", and "go on" are following skills.
o Asking appropriate questions to bring out the
point is a following skill as is allowing silences
without jumping in. All following skills serve two
purposes:
- to indicate to the speaker that you are "with
him"
- and to help him get the point across.
Responding Skills
- This is where we determine if we received and
interpreted the message as the speaker intended it. Say
something like, "If I understand correctly, you are saying
... " and go on to paraphrase that we understand, using
our own words.

- Check out the facts and ideas, the main point of what
the speaker said. It is only after we are sure that we
understood the message as intended, can we then
evaluate, judge, take action, or supply an answer or
comment.
Upward Communication

If we will be communicating to our immediate

supervisor, our message might be prepared,
formulated, and presented in a specific manner.
For example, if we need to seek assistance from
our supervisor, asking an open-ended question
will result in more information than a question
that can be answered yes or no.
Peer Communication

If the communication is intended for a

peer, the message might be less "formally"
prepared and presented.

For example, less background information

might need to be given since the peer can
"easily relate" to the situation to be
described
Downward Communication
o The manager who is communicating to his
subordinate may need to do so in a
different way than to others.
o Clear, concise, directions might be the
format for much of the messages the
manager gives to his employees.
o In addition, the manager may follow-up
many of his messages with, "Do you have
any questions?".
Checking For Understanding
o When communicating with employees, it is
always a good idea to check for understanding.
o Simply take a second and ask " recap for me
what I have asked you to do." By doing this, you
can clear up any missed communication that
may have taken place.
o This step is helpful for both parties as it allows
them to communicate back to you that they
heard and understood your direction. This is a
critical step in delegation of tasks.
Communicating With Customers
o Communicating to a customer also affects
how the message is formulated and
delivered.

o Messages conveyed to customers need

to be totally accurate and delivered in a
professional and friendly manner
Purpose of the Communication
A manager may communicate for any of the following
reasons:
• o To motivate employees.
o To teach, instruct, or explain a task.
o To counsel an employee.
o To seek information or assistance.
o To correct an employee's behavior.
o To be persuasive.
o To socialize.
Purpose of the Communication
• With each of these purposes, the
communication changes in order to accomplish
our goal.
• One of my favorite leaders use to say, that you
will have become a master of communication
when you are able to tell someone where to go
and to have them looking forward to the trip!
 WE ALL USE LANGUAGE TO
COMMUNICATE, TO EXPRESS OUR
SELVES, TO GET OUR IDEAS ACCROS,
AND TO CONNECT WITH THE PERSON
TO WHOM WE ARE SPEAKING, WHEN A
RELATIONSHIP IS WORKING, THE ART
OF COMMUNICATING SEEMS TO FLOW
RELATIVELY SMOOTHLY, WHEN
RELATIONSHIP IS DETERIORATING, THE
ART OF COMMUNICATING CAN BE A
FRUSTRATING AS CLIMBING A HILL OF
SAND. ---------
CHIP ROSE, ATTY
AND MEDIATOR
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS
ARE ESSENTIALS, UNFORTUNATELY,
GOOD COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS ARE
SOMETHING MOST PEOPLE TAKE FOR
GRANTED AND RARELY IMPROVED.
SO DON’T ASSUME IF YOU HAVE
MOUTH AND TWO EARS, THAT YOU
KNOW HOW TO COMMUNICATE--- a
mother advice to his son
• To be a great leader you
must be a great
communicator
 MARAMING
SALAMAT PO