WUC 107/03

Workplace Communication Skills

Unit 1

Communication for Career Success

benny ho
 Purposes of Communication in
career and in life
• To establish & build goodwill (favourable
reputation or relationship between two
parties)
• To persuade, convince or motivate others
• To obtain or share information/ideas
• To establish personal effectiveness(+ve image)
• To build self-esteem (& resulting happiness)
 Definition of Communication:
• Two-way process
• Exchange of ideas, thoughts,
information and feelings between
people by using these media (or
comm. Skills):-
– Listening (input/receive messages)
– Speaking (output/send messages)
– Writing (output/send messages)
– Reading (input/receive messages)
– Non-verbal (improve effectiveness)
Components of Comm. Process
 Communication channels
• Speaking Medium
– Speech, talk/dialogue, oral presentation,
interview, meeting, group discussion
– Formal/informal, external/internal
• Writing Medium
– Memos, letters, emails, reports
• Reading Medium
– Instruction guide/manual, academic
text/articles, newspapers, magazines, books
• Listening Medium
– Speech, talk, presentation, telephone call
Barriers or Interferences to Comm.
• Preconceived or prejudiced impression of
speaker through image, attire, body language
& accent
• Preconceived impression of topic when our
own viewpoints shut our mind off from
others’ opinions
• Environmental distractions/ external barriers
• Inability to stay focused
• Excessive or unnecessary note-taking results
in missing out of major points
 Overcoming Comm. Barriers
• Adopt audience-centred approach via
audience analysis
• Create an open comm. climate by
encouraging feedback & receptive to
others’ opinions.
• Adapt & minimise external barriers by
source of distractions/disturbances
 Obligations & Responsibilities in
Communication Process
• Sender is obliged to create a clear message
(msg) after audience analysis, message
environment analysis and soliciting feedback
• Receiver is obliged to listen, read or interpret
msg accurately
• Receiver’s responsibility to ask for
clarification if the msg is not understood
• Sender’s responsibility to rephrase or
paraphrase the msg for better
comprehension by receiver
 Verbal Communication
• Requires words, vocabulary, numbers and
symbols
• Organised into sentences according to grammar
rules
• Words affect our lives as they have power to
create emotions and move people to take action
• A skill to develop and improve relationships at
home & at the workplace
• Effective & time-saving with immediate feedback
• Can’t revise or take back once it is said
• No record of what is said
 Ways to improve Verbal Comm
• Use positive words instead of negative, critical
words
• Give examples, a short story or a joke to
illustrate your point
• Ask the right questions
• Think before you speak
• Reduce verbal pauses like “aahh...” or
“umm…”
• Avoid careless language & choose right words
• Active listening assists successful verbal
comm.
**Non-verbal Communication
• The most important aspect of any
communication process
• Messages send WITHOUT words or speech
• More reliable, effective & efficient than
verbal communication eg. a wink, a smile, a
wave, a nod
• Can be BOTH intentional and unintentional

**TMA1-related
**Basic Forms of Nonverbal Comm.
• Body language
• Vocal characteristics
• Personal appearance
• Touching
• Use of time & space

**TMA1-related
 **Body Language
• Covers a wide range of motions
made by the body such as:
– facial expressions
– eye contact
– body movement and
– posture

**TMA1-related
 **Body Language (cont’d)
• Most facial expressions are understood
internationally BUT some are interpreted
differently in different cultures
• Eyes reveals the intensity of your
emotions such as excitement, boredom,
nervousness etc.
• Eye contact in some cultures reveals
sincerity and confidence

**TMA1-related
 **Gestures
• A gesture is the use of your face, arms or
hands to express ideas or feelings
• Many gestures are misunderstood when
communicating inter-culturally
– American ‘OK’ sign may be misunderstood by
the French as ‘zero’ or ‘worthless’
– Standing with your hands in the pockets may
project a negative (-ve) image in some cultures

**TMA1-related
 **Vocal characteristics
• Paralanguage are nonverbal symbols that
accompany a verbal message
• Tone, intensity (stress), speed, volume and
rhythm of speech reveal a lot about the
speaker
• E.g. “How are you?” or “How ARE you?”
• Practice: Say ‘no’ using different
tones/stresses to express mild doubt,
terror, amazement or anger
**TMA1-related
 Personal Appearance & dressing
• How you look including how you dress will
affect judgement by others
• All cultures judge people on looks and
dressing
• Can improve the look with proper grooming,
clothes and suitable accessories

**TMA1-related
 **Touching
• Touch is determined by culture e.g. the
handshake is a widely-accepted greeting
– Firm handshake shows confidence
– Weak handshake shows nervousness or fear
• Each culture has clear concept of what
parts of the body that may or may not be
touched
• Touch may signify warmth but be careful
that it may be misinterpreted

**TMA1-related
 **Time and space
• used to show authority or respect
• Some make others wait for them to show
their authority (Malaysian culture)
• Some are punctual to show respect for
others (Western culture)
• People of higher status determine the
duration and venue of a meeting or
discussion
• Space may refer to the physical distance
betw. individuals or the size of the
room/office that one occupies
**TMA1-related
Nonverbal indicators in written messages

• A message with grammatical and spelling

errors placed in a dirty envelope shows the
sender as careless and unreliable
• Error-free and clearly-printed documents
give impression of efficiency, reliability and
high quality control
Note:
These factors are equally important in your TMAs!
 Differences between Verbal &
Nonverbal Communication
• Verbal communication:
– intention-based
– think before speaking
– control over choice of words used
• Nonverbal communication:
– spontaneous
– Unconscious & beyond control
– facial expressions reflect emotions such as
sincerity or deception
Benefits of good communication
• More pleasant work environment
• Objective-driven & results-oriented
teamwork
• Work-related conflicts can be avoided or
solved quickly
• Work can be done smoothly, efficiently &
effectively so that deadlines can be met
• Good, positive self-image & self-esteem
produce happy & motivated employees
 Reading
• To understand & interpret info. in linear text
and non-linear forms eg. Graphs, tables
• To select & locate specific info. from lengthy
text documents or visuals using scanning &
skimming techniques
• To summarise & to draw conclusions
• To prioritise your reading & accomplish a task
• To develop and use technical vocabulary
(terminology)
 Writing
• To communicate thoughts, info. &
ideas
• E.g. memos, reports, letters, emails,
manuals, advertisement brochures
• Involves the use of computer software
to create & edit text documents,
graphics & visuals clearly & effectively
 Listening
• Is more than just hearing but listening actively
• Active listening means listening with a purpose
in mind
• It combines receiving verbal messages &
nonverbal cues/signals to understand &
interpret them accurately
• Nonverbal cues/signals includes body language,
facial expressions, tone of voice and gestures
• Needs full concentration to get the correct msg.
or info.
 Speaking
• To pass on important info to
colleagues & management
• To convey ideas & suggestions at
meetings & formal presentations
• Creates your self-image through the
way you speak, tone of voice,
pronunciation of words and selection
of words
 Internal Communication
• Creation & eXchange of info. & ideas betw.
members WITHIN an organisation(orgn.)
• Info. flows UP, DOWN & ACROSS
(horizontally/ laterally) through the
organisation.
• Helps employees and employers to
function more efficiently & effectively
• Internal comm. channels :-
– Face-to-face
– Phone
– Email
– fax
 External Communication
• Formal and informal
• Oral & written comm. sent to receivers
OUTSIDE the orgn.
• Part of business routine
• May also be for specific events i.e.
advertisements & press announcements
• Links customers, suppliers, competitors,
investors, government agencies & mass
media
 Written Communication
• Should be clear , purposeful and concise
with correct words selected & used to
avoid misinterpretation
• Essential for both internal & external
comm.
• Provides a permanent record of
message/ideas for future use
• E.g. Memos, Letters, Reports, Emails
 Electronic Communication
• Email is very common, fast & effective
• Mailing lists enable comm. betw.
members of special interest groups via
email addresses on mailing lists
• Newsgroup subscription to website where
a newsreader program is used to post
messages and responses
• Instant messaging and chatting on one-to-
one or in a small group are more versatile &
quicker than email
 Electronic Communication (cont’d)
• Videoconferencing replaces actual face-to-face
meetings & allows people from different locations
to “meet” & “talk” with each other & saves time &
costs
• File Transfer Protocol (FTP) provides most basic way
to download & upload files including zipped or
compressed files
• Intranet works like an internal Internet (website) &
accessible only to internal employees of an orgn.
• Extranet is external intranet that allows access to the
orgn.’s network by people who are not employees
but are business partners, suppliers or customers
Technology-related communication
• Telephone system : call management
system & mobile or cellular phone
• Voicemail : replaces the answering machine
or human operator to send, store &
retrieve voice msg. & to route phone calls
to correct receivers
• Speech recognition software recognises
what you say & automatically connect to
required extension No.
• Fax machine scans exact copies of
documents & sends to receiver through
telephone lines
 Technology-related communication
• Personal Digital Assistants (PDA): pocket-
sized handheld electronic device that can
store info., make calls, send & receive emails
& surf Internet
• Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP): allows tel.
conversations to be digitized & sent over the
Internet digital network at much lower cost or
free i.e. Skype
 Change is the ONLY constant in life & work
• Change is inevitable as with changing
technologies
• Globalisation leads to culturally diverse
workforce & new team management
working style
• Flexible & adaptable to changes & learn
new skills
• Training & retraining to keep up-to-date
• Problems with info. overload, data
security, hackers and viruses
 Effective Team Communication
• Team members share a common purpose or
vision
• Sharing collective skills of team members
• Sharing the commitment to achieve targets/vision
• Constantly strives to improve, support &
collaborate
• Team members are able to talk about differences
and to resolve conflicts
• Sharing info. & decision-making
• Establishing team identity
 Virtual Teams
• People may be at different geographical
locations but they work together sharing
info. & skills to accomplish a specific team
goal.
• Function by using Internet & computer
networks, teleconferencing, emails & fax
• Popular among MNCs
• Time-saving & very cost-effective
• Need excellent project management &
time management skills
Understanding how teams function
• Goal of the team
• Team leader
• The recorder
• Task allocation method
– Task assignment method
– Volunteering for certain duties
• Decision-making method(s)
Team Decision-making & Problem Solving
Styles
• Democratic method of voting & accepting
decision of the majority
• Autocratic method where one leader decides
& gives the orders & all team members will
follow
• Consensus building through discussion before
the team reaches a decision using these
stages:
– Defining the problem
– Analysing the problem
– Brainstorming
– Evaluating alternatives & making a decision
Let’s push on & progress further!

All the very best of efforts from

YOU!

Thank You
for
your kind attendance