ELECTRICAL

INSTALLATION &
MAINTENANCE
NC II
 WORKPLACE
COMMUNICATIO
N
WHAT IS
COMMUNICATION?
 Communication is a word that originated from the Latin term
communicare which means to share and communis which means to
make common or make mutual.

  Communication is a process through which a set of meanings

embodied is conveyed by means of symbols (such as language) to a
person in such a way that the meaning received is equivalent to
those which the initiator of the message intended.

  Communication is the process of passing information and

understanding from one person to another. It involves three (3)
elements- a message, someone to send the message and someone to
receive the message.
 Communication is the sending and receiving of ideas, thoughts
or feelings from one person to one or more persons in such a
way that the person receiving it understands it in the same way
that the sender wants him/her to understand.
  Communication is a two-way process for which the binding
force is the feedback loop. Unless the receiver gives feedback-
verbal or non-verbal- to the speaker, the speaker will not be
able to continue the information for too long. To be effective,
the message must be clearly understood by the receivers and
also the receivers should be able to supply some feedback.
When the feedback occurs it is known as a two-way
communication and is seen as the most effective form of
communication.
THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS
 According to author Allen in his book, “Supervision”, communication in
the workplace involves six (6) basic components: sender (encoder),
message, channel, receiver (decoder), noise, and feedback.
 Workers can improve communication skills by becoming aware of these
components and how they contribute to successful communication.
 The sender is the person who is sending the message. There are two (2)
factors that will determine how effective the communicator will be. The
first factor is the communicator’s attitude; it must be positive. The second
factor is the communicator’s attitude. It must be positive. The second
factor is the communicator’s selection of meaningful symbols, or selecting
the right symbols depending on your audience and on the environment.
 The sender initiates the communication process. When the speaker has
decided on a meaning, he or she encodes a message, and selects a channel
for transmitting the message to a receiver. To encode is to put a message
into words or images.
 Message
 The message is the information that the sender wants to transmit. It may be a
communication in writing, in speech or by signals.
 Channel

 The channel is the path a message follows from the sender to the receiver.
Supervisors use the downward channels to send messages to employees.
Employees use upward channels to send messages to supervisors. Horizontal or
lateral channels are used when communicating across departmental lines, with
suppliers, or with customers.
 An informal channel is the grapevine. It exists outside the formal channels and is
used by people to transmit casual, personal, and social interchanges at work. The
grapevine consists of both rumors and truthful information. Although the
grapevine is associated with workplace gossip, the supervisor should pay
attention to the grapevine but should not rely entirely on it for accurate
information.
 Receiver

 The receiver is the person or group for whom the communication effort is
intended. Communication is successful only when the reaction of the receiver is
that which the communicator intended.
 Noise
 Noise is anything that interferes with the communication. In a work setting, noise is even more common
since interactions involve people who do not have years of experience with each other, and
communication is further complicated by the complex relationships that exist at work.
 The following are a number of sources of noise one finds commonly in work situations:

  misreading of body language, tone

  power struggles, conflict in organizational relationships

  language barriers which create different levels of meaning

  managers’ and subordinates’ hesitation to be open and frank

  erroneous assumptions (e.g. assuming others see a situation the same way you do, have the same
feelings as you, etc.)
  mistrusted source, erroneous translation, value judgment

  physical distractions (interruptions such as phone calls)

 Feedback
 Feedback is the reaction to the message. It is the transfer of information from the receiver back to the
sender. The receiver decodes or makes out the meaning of the message. Thus, in the feedback loop, the
receiver becomes the sender and the sender becomes the receiver.
 Feedback ensures that mutual understanding has taken place in a communication. It allows the
communicator to adjust his message and be more effective. Without feedback, there would be no way of
knowing if meaning has been shared or if understanding had taken place.
 Feedback can be a verbal or nonverbal reaction or response. It can be external feedback (something we
see) or internal feedback (something we can’t
THE DIFFERENT METHODS OF
COMMUNICATION
1. Oral Communication
 Includes:

a. face-to-face

b. Telephone

c. Meeting

d. Presentation

To succeed in oral communication, you must learn to listen.

Listening has three types:
e. active listening

f. passive listening
g. reflective listening.
2. Written Communication
-is when you convey messages through writing. It is appropriate
for sending general information, for messages requiring future
action, for sending formal, official, or long-term messages and
when the message affects several people in a related way.
Common written communication includes memos, letters,
reports, emails, and facsimile/fax.
3. Formal Communication
 Formal communication is what you do when you convey
messages through the hierarchy within your organization, or
when you communicate to people outside your organization.
 The most common form is the downward communication, which
happens when the superior officer sends messages to his
subordinates or to the rank and file. It includes memos, reports,
meetings, written proposals.
4. INFORMAL COMMUNICATION
Informal communication is the opposite of formal
communication. It occurs when messages are conveyed outside
the organization’s chain of command. It includes office gossip,
personal email to co-workers, anonymous letters.
5. VERBAL COMMUNICATION
Although mistaken for oral communication, verbal
communication encompasses all kinds of messages, written or
spoken, using words. Examples are sending text messages,
making telephone calls, video conferencing, making speeches.
 Verbal communication includes rate, volume, pitch, as well as,
articulation and pronunciation.
6. NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION
-is wordless communication, or messages conveyed through
gestures, actions or behaviors. Your gestures, eye contact and
movement, and the way you stand and sit all convey a
message to the person you are communicating with. Use
gestures appropriately, or leave your hands at your sides.
Don’t fidget, which is distracting, and avoid crossing your
 Nonverbal communication includes those important but
unspoken signals that individuals exhibit which are grouped
into five (5) major categories:
a. Body Signals or nonverbal signals of the body, also known
as Kinesics (e. g. facial expressions, eye contact, shaking
hands, crossing your legs, slumping in your seat, posture,
crossing or uncrossing your legs)
b. Object Signals or nonverbal messages sent by physical objects, also
known as artifacts (e. g. one’s wardrobe, framed pictures on your table,
plaques and awards on the wall of your office)
c. Space Signals or nonverbal messages sent by action and use of
personal space, also known as proxemics (e.g. physical territory like
arrangement of desks at your workplace, the distance or closeness you
stand from someone else when you communicate)
d. Time Signals or nonverbal messages sent by time actions, also known
as chronemics (e.g. speed of your speech and movement, your
punctuality, willingness to wait)
e. Touch Signals or nonverbal messages sent by touch, also known as
haptics (e.g. patting a co-worker, hugging, pecking the cheek)
 A very good example is: A man comes home late, hears from the kitchen
the slamming of pots and pans and cupboard doors. He enters the
kitchen, asks his wife, “What’s wrong, honey?” She answers, “Nothing!”
as she slams another cupboard door and rolls her eyes toward the ceiling.
 She has spoken the word “Nothing!”, but it is her unspoken
communication that tells him that “Nothing!” is not the real answer. It is
clearly communicated by her actions.
WHAT BASIC COMMUNICATION
SKILLS DO WE NEED IN THE
WORKPLACE?
 Communication skills refer to your written and oral capabilities, as well as your ability to
work well with others.
 To meet the challenges in the workplace, you need to possess the ability to communicate
effectively with customers, co-workers, superiors and subordinates. Without these good
communication skills, all other functions in the workplace suffer. Communication experts
generally agree that these skills are beneficial in any communication process, and
particularly important in workplace relationships:

 1. Listening well – demonstrating interest in the conversation, paying attention and

empathizing

 2. Observing – taking note of body language, voice tone and emotive expressions, listening
“between the lines” by watching for nonverbal cues like facial expressions and gestures.

 3. Acknowledgment – responding in a way that conveys that you value the other person’s
opinions or are interested in his concerns, recognizing your co-worker or client’s initiative
to state his/her issues
 Awareness – ensuring attentiveness, responding appropriately by
using body language that is suitable for the context of the
conversation

 5. Thinking – reasoning about what is and what is not

appropriate input to the process; evaluating what message is
being sent

 6. Using verbal expression – ensuring the use of the appropriate

and respectful tone, rhythm and volume of voice

 7. Reflecting – clarifying and verifying what your co-worker or

client has expressed, rephrasing the message to make sure you
have understood the message the way it was intended
COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL
Communication protocol enhances productive business
relationships
 In order to achieve business goals and maintain profitability,
companies rely on effective business communication protocol.
Interviews, board room meetings, and informal discussions are
samples of opportunities to communicate business objectives
within an organization.
 1. Protocol Purpose

Establishing a communication protocol incorporates two key

factors: the promotion of a meaningful exchange of
information and the building of relationships with partners and
key stakeholders. Business communication
 Verbal Communication Etiquette
Verbal business communication can take place in hallway
conversations, shareholder meetings, ceremonial events,
interviews, workshops, press conferences, phone calls and even
web videos. Verbal comments that are appropriate in hallway
conversations may not be appropriate in a board meeting. For
example, personal statements about family and hobbies may be
acceptable during a lunch meeting with a co-worker, and can
build authentic and productive networks. However, sharing
intimate stories during a press conference can usurp the
authority of the spokesperson delegate.
 Written Communication Etiquette
Written communication can include formal newsletters,
reports and informal memos that require appropriate
etiquette in business settings. Etiquette in business
communication can vary in structure depending on the
audience size, culture, place and purpose. Written
messages should follow the same ideals as verbal
communication etiquette; each message should be
edited to fit the tone of the audience receiving it.
ETHICAL COMMUNICATION IN THE GLOBAL
WORKPLACE
 1. Explicit vs. Implicit

 Most Western cultures, especially Anglo, Germanic and

Scandinavian groups, will communicate explicitly, that is, almost
all important information is communicated in a direct and
unambiguous manner. This style also reflects those cultures’ ethics,
which are to communicate clearly and truthfully without being
vague or misleading. Such cultures as Asian, Middle Eastern and
Latin American tend to communicate implicitly; they rely on the
context to communicate the most important information and may
take relationships and setting into account, resulting in an indirect
and ambiguous style. Ethics in these groups require that politeness
and avoiding embarrassment take precedence over truth; in fact, for
many of these cultures there is no absolute truth. The avoidance of
saying “no” in some Asian cultures is an example of how these two
styles can threaten communication.
 2. Non-Verbal
We use several non-verbal signals when we communicate,
such as touching, facial expressions, gestures, body
positioning, eye contact, speech volume and tone, physical
distance etc. These can have different meanings across
cultures. Another major difference is the use of silence.
Most Western cultures tend to want to fill long silences,
and this can be perceived as arrogant by cultures where
silence is interpreted as a sign of respect. We may interpret
avoidance of eye contact as an indication of dishonesty or
lack of sincerity, whereas in many African cultures it is
considered respectful.
3. Language
One of the reasons English has become the lingua franca of the
business world is because of its richness, directness and
precision. The Thesaurus exists only in English, and there are
about 200,000 commonly used words in English (whereas
French, for example, has 100,000). Some speakers of English as
a second language, especially those from cultures that don’t
want to lose face, pretend they understand when they really do
not. On the other hand, pretending not to understand when in
fact they do is a negotiation technique used by some others.
Unfortunately, we now have the phenomenon where two
communicators are often both non-native speakers of English,
adding another dimension to the challenge of global
communication.
In conclusion, we can see that this is an extremely
complex issue, but to begin the process of
communicating ethically in the global workplace we
should build awareness so we can anticipate the
differences, and then observe and adapt, while still
maintaining our own values and ethics. In fact, one
could say that taking into consideration both your own
and the other party’s cultural factors when
communicating, in itself constitutes ethical behavior.
A STRATEGIC APPROACH TO
COMMUNICATIONS AND
DISSEMINATION
 Five Steps to Strategic Communications and
Dissemination :
 1. Set clearly defined objectives

Concentrate on setting out one or two (certainly no more

than three) objectives for the challenge at hand. The
following questions may help you think about these
objectives.
 What do you hope your communications and
dissemination efforts will achieve?
2. Identify, prioritize and get to know your audiences
3. Create strong, clear messages
4. Develop leveraged, high impact vehicles (that take your messages to
your audiences
5. Design and implement evaluation mechanisms

How Can You Become an Effective Problem Solver in the Workplace?

 You will experience problems with work and with people at work. Being
willing to identify and accept problems at work are a key to finding
effective solutions.
 In the workplace, solving problems is not only addressing issues and
problems as they arise, but also involves looking at the way things are
currently being done to find better ways of doing them.
 We may not always be able to prevent problems from occurring at work,
but we have control over how we handle problems and how we cope
with problems. There are no guarantees that the decisions we make will
always be the right decisions. But people who are willing to work
through problems are less likely to make snap judgments or generate
more problems for themselves.
PROBLEMS THAT MIGHT OCCUR AT
WORK
 Problem solving is a skill that can be learned. There are
many ways to solve problems-there is no right way.
However, using a problem-solving procedure may help
find the best response to the situation.

Helpful Problem-Solving Procedure

1. Identify the problem. It is important to correctly
identify the problem. Assess the context of the problem
and analyze and identify the root cause(s) of the
problem.
 2. Gather information about the situation. You need to know all the facts so
you can make a good decision. Dissect any complex problem into a series of
smaller, more manageable components, which helps to make the solution more
evident and the problem easier to solve.
 3. List possible solutions to the problem. Think of all the ideas you have that
may solve the problem. Be creative. Discuss the problem with others and
conduct brainstorming sessions.
 4. Create a good plan to implement the solutions. Review possible results of
each solution. Think through the problem enough to determine what might
result from your decision. Review your options: what are the pluses and
minuses?
 5. Act decisively on the best solution. After you have given the problem some
thought, gone through the problem-solving process and obtained agreement and
support for your proposed solution, be ready to act decisively on the decision
you feel is best for the situation.
 6. Agree on contingencies, monitoring, and evaluation. Conditions may
change. Make contingency agreements about foreseeable future circumstances.
Monitor compliance with the requirements of the solution. Create opportunities
to evaluate implementation.
DEVELOPING A FRIENDLY
WORKPLACE
AVOIDANCE
 This is the most frequently used strategy along with accommodation.
Methods of avoidance can include changing the subject, putting off a
discussion until later, or simply not bringing up the subject of contention.
Conflict avoidance can be used as a temporary measure to buy time or as
permanent means of disposing of a matter.
 While avoidance is not always a good way of dealing with conflict because
it tends to bury important concerns, it is worth being considered as a
strategy when conflict is just not worth the effort of being addressed.
ACCOMMODATION
 Here, you take notice of the conflict and submit; essentially surrendering
our own needs and wishes to please the other person.
 Accommodation is preferred when the issues are minor or when the
relationship would be irreparably damaged because tempers are too hot.
 This is another not very effective method of dealing with conflict, but it
can be used when you know that a more permanent solution is coming
soon.
COMPETITION
 This strategy means that you turn conflict into a game by
resorting to the very same tactics used by the opposition.
 Like avoidance and accommodation, this is merely a
temporary answer. Often, conflict returns, perhaps in a more
powerful or vicious form.
 Be very sure you want to use this strategy because lowering
yourself to someone else’s level rarely shows you in the best
light.
COMPROMISE
 This is a tactic that entails working out a solution that is
acceptable to those on both side of the conflict.
 Compromise works best when time is short and both parties
benefit. But it is also not a very good way to address conflict
because everyone loses or has to give up something.
COLLABORATION
 The goal of this strategy is to focus on working together to
arrive at a solution, with both sides expressing commitment to
the solution.
 Collaboration involves consensus-building and is the best
remedy for communication breakdown.
12 VITAL SKILL AREAS
OF COMMUNICATION
1. Appearance
2. Posture
3. Gestures
4. Eye Contact
5. Facial Expressions
6.Voice
7.Padding
8. Involvement
9.Handling
10.Humor
11.Introducing others
12.Visual Aids
 SOME PROBLEMS THAT
OCCUR IN
COMMUNICATION
Informationdeficit
Communication Style
Gender Differences
Native Language Differences
 7 KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL
WORKPLACE
COMMUNICATION
1. Personal contact is important
2. Develop a Network
3. Always be courteous
4. Be consistent and clear
5. Compromise decreases the tension
associated with conflict
6 . You cannot hold a persons interest if
you have nothing interesting to say.
7. Listen to what others are saying and
show interest in the conversation.
 EFFECTIVE
INTERPERSONAL
COMMUNICATION IN
THE WORKPLACE
THREE BASIC STEPS
IN REAL LISTENING
1. Hearing
2. Understanding
3. Judging
 TIPS FOR BEING A GOOD
LISTENER
1. Give your full attention on the
person who is speaking
2. Make sure your mind is focused,
too.
3. Let the speaker finish before you
begin to talk.
4.Let yourself finish listening before
you begin to speak.
5. Listen for main ideas.
6. Ask Questions
7. Give feedback
THE ART OF
LISTENING
What do you know about
Listening?
1. Listening involves more than your
ears.
2. Hearing is the same as listening.
3. People who get the facts right are
always good listeners.
4. Listening is a passive activity.
5. You can listen well and do other
things at the same time.
6. Posture affects listening.
7. Good Listening comes naturally
when we pay attention.
8. Most Listening distractions can be
controlled.
9. If you can’t remember something you
weren’t really listening.
10. Good Listeners never interrupt.
Activity Time
 “The End”

Thank you!!!