Enhancing Effective Communication in Organizations

Enhancing effective communication in organizations

                     Yan Fei (group 2)

Introduction

Managers must become proficient cross-cultural communicators if they wish to succeed in today’s global environment. The purpose of this article is to synthesize multiple insight—from fields as diverse as anthropology, psychology, communication, linguistics, and organizational behavior—and apply them specifically to managerial communication. This article mainly talks about the seven issues before managers begin to communicate to be effective in any given culture. As the following: 1. Setting communication objectives. 2. Choosing a communication style. 3. Assessing and enhancing credibility. 4. Selecting and motivation audiences. 5. Setting a message strategy. 6. Overcoming language difficulties. 7. Using appropriate nonverbal behaviors. As we seen, culture permeates every aspect of management communication, from basic decisions about setting a realistic communication objective to specific behaviors when greeting people. At the same time, seemingly superficial behaviors such as greetings can often reflect important and deep-rooted cultural values. And just keep in mind the following point: 1. Read about and discuss the culture before you go. 2. Listen, react, and interpret the culture while you are there. 3. Imitate group members to learn by example, especially for nonverbal communication. 4. Try to maintain an open attitude and respect.

Body

For us Chinese students, the first thing to the effective communication I think is to overcome language difficulties. For instance, in the article, it says language difficulties represent one of the biggest barriers to cross-cultural communication. When you go to another country which language is not your mother language and you will spend at least one year there, you’d better do your best to learn their language. At the very least, you can overcome some vulnerability and isolation; at best, you can achieve much better relationships and other business advantages. If you really don’t know the language at all, during the discussion, just use English, speaking carefully and without unnecessary large words or jargon or use an excellent interpreter who is thoroughly briefed in advance, pausing after every short paragraph or thought. As myself, when I first came to France, I can only speak a little French. So it’s very difficult to listen and to speak to native speakers. And most of the time, they can’t speak English or they even don’t want to speak English to you. So everything was in trouble especially the communication. But after long time studying of it, when I try to speak French to them, in fact they are very glad to talk with you and answer your questions. Of course you can make friends there and easily live in their ways. And in the school, the students in my class are from all over the world. The language to communicate is English. But compared with them, our English is very poor and usually can’t follow them at all. The way of mine is to pick up the key words and say things simply but clearly. Even if your spoken English is not very good, you need to speak. It’s the only way to communicate. With hundreds of practice, you gain experience and you can know what can enhance effective communication with them. But that is not the only one which led problems.

Language itself poses at least four kinds of problems. Barriers caused by semantics. For example, Russians may find their current economic transition even more difficult because several key English words and phrases—such as “efficiency”, “free market” and “regulation”—are not directly translatable into Russian. Then the second level of language problems has to do with “connotation”, or implications of words. For example, in Japanese, the word bai translates as “yes,” but its connotation may be “yes, I’m listening,” rather than “yes, I agree.” In Polish, nie ma translates as “there is none” or “we don’t have any.” Its connotation can be “there hasn’t been any in a long time and there probably never will be. And for a treasury of examples, see D. Ricks’ book, Big Business Blunders (1983). The author points out, for instance, that “Come Alive with Pepsi” was translated as “Come Out of the Grave with Pepsi” in German and “Bring Your Ancestors Back from the Grave” in Asia. A third set of potential linguistic barriers has to do with tone—the mood or feeling your words convey. And the final level of potential difficulties emerges when you stop to realize that, according to many linguists, people who speak different languages actually view the world in different ways.

Using effective nonverbal behaviors can also does help to the effective communication. Some scholars, such as Knapp (1980), estimate that 65 to 90 percent of what we communicate is, in fact, nonverbal. There are three sets of challenges in cross-cultural nonverbal communication: body language and vocal qualities, space around you, and greeting behaviors. It's well known that good communication is the foundation of any successful relationship, be it personal or professional. It's important to recognize, though, that it's our nonverbal communication—our facial expressions, gestures, eye contact, posture, and tone of voice—that speak the loudest. The ability to understand and use nonverbal communication, or body language, is a powerful tool that can help you connect with others, express what you really mean, and build better relationships. If you want to communicate effectively, avoid misunderstandings, and enjoy solid, trusting relationships both socially and professionally, it’s important to understand how to use and interpret nonverbal signals.

Nonverbal communication is a rapidly flowing back-and-forth process requiring your full concentration and attention. If you are planning what you’re going to say next, daydreaming, or thinking about something else, you are almost certain to miss nonverbal cues and other subtleties in the conversation. You need to stay focused on the moment-to-moment experience in order to fully understand what’s going on. Learning how to manage stress in the heat of the moment is one of the most important things you can do to improve your nonverbal communication. Stress compromises your ability to communicate. When you’re stressed out, you’re more likely to misread other people, send confusing or off-putting nonverbal signals, and lapse into unhealthy knee-jerk patterns of behavior. Furthermore, emotions are contagious. You being upset are very likely to trigger others to be upset, making a bad situation worse. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by stress, it’s best to take a time out. Take a moment to calm down before you jump back into the conversation. Once you’ve regained your emotional equilibrium, you’ll be better equipped to deal with the situation in a positive way. There are also another 10 tips to improve your nonverbal communication skills: 1. Pay attention to nonverbal signals. 2. Look for incongruent behaviors. 3. Concentrate on your tone of voice when speaking. 4. Use good eye contact. 5. Ask questions about nonverbal signals. 6. Use signals to make communication more effective and meaningful. 7. Look at signals as a group. 8. Consider context. 9. Be aware that signals can be misread. 10. Practice, practice and practice. In reality, you can build this skill by paying careful attention to nonverbal behavior and practicing different types of nonverbal communication with others. By noticing nonverbal behavior and practicing your own skills, you can dramatically improve your communication abilities.

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