Reflective Blog: 10-1- Aspects of effective communication

I would have to say that between my work and personal life, 95% of my waking hours are spent communicating. I would like to focus on five important aspects in relation to communication within an organization environment. These points include active listening, emotional control, the importance of manners, email etiquette and the the use of proper language while communicating. I will use some examples based on my working environment within a Law Office.

                                  

Active Listening:

In order to properly and effectively receive a message, it is vastly important to disregard distractions and listen intently to the communication being given. It is important to give full attention to the speaker. I have experienced situations where I have been involved in communication involving a great deal of conflict. Instead of focusing entirely on the person speaking,  in the back of my mind I have been formulating some plan of attack to respond to the individual. In doing this, I have often missed important points being made, which has caused an interruption in the flow of the communication.

http://www.automationworld.com/automation-team/automation-team-manage-your-emotions

Emotional Control:

It is very important to keep a balanced emotional state while you are communicating with others. In an office environment, you are often surrounded by chaos and that can take its toll on your personal feelings and behaviors. The way in which you portray emotions can have a great effect on the way that your organization is viewed by others. The firm’s reputation can be scarred if a legal assistant is notorious for getting outwardly upset in handling a difficult file. I have been in situations at work that have threatened my patience and my ability to handle a particular circumstance. I find that removing myself from the situation, collecting my thoughts and preparing an appropriate response is the best way to deal with an emotionally demanding situation. Emotions can certainly affect the tone of your voice, the speed in which you speak, as well as the organization and format of written communication.

    http://justincaseyouwerewondering.com/2011/08/08/why-manners-matter-more-than-marketing/

Use the manners your mother gave you:

I really don’t think that there is anything worse than dealing with someone who is lacking in the manner department. Bad manners can cause a lack of respect, lack of trust in your ability to handle situations and can negatively affect your reputation. I have been involved in phone conversations at work, where the legal assistant on the opposite side of the transaction has hung up on me, failed to say goodbye at the end of the conversation, and spoken to me through speaker phone for prolonged periods. Good manners can include being polite on the phone, using appropriate language in all communications, responding promptly to voice messages and emails and being respectful of people when language barriers exist.

                                         http://st-caths-web.co.uk/?attachment_id=10657

Email Etiquette:

In my work, a large part of my day is spent constructing and responding to emails. Some important lessons I have learned involve:

-proper salutations;

-using spell/grammar check;

-avoidance of continuous caps lock-all capital emails look as though you are being yelled at!;

-refraining from swear words and other inappropriate language;

-avoiding slang;

-ensuring that your email is being sent to the intended recipient-often times when you begin inserting an email address into the recipient section, it will be automatically filled in. I have experienced this as both a sender and receiver. Sending an email to the wrong person could have disastrous consequences!

                        http://www.macmillandictionaryblog.com/language-wars-and-proper-english

Proper Language:

It is very important to use correct language in both spoken and written communication. Using appropriate, well organized sentences, shows that you have put some thought into your communications. If you are employed within a high level position at an organization, it makes sense to be portrayed as being professional, educated and well organized. This week at work, I was involved in a telephone conversation with a corporate representative from an office supply company. There were some issues in the delivery of some purchases. The woman was getting frustrated with her computer and said "Oh poop" on more than one occasion. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. That is not something I would say to a casual acquaintance on the phone, let along someone that I was doing business with!

Thank you for following me in my journey of Management 255-Introduction to Management at SAIT.This have been a great first blogging experience for me, and I hope that I was able to offer some insight into the various topics of discussion for management.