Communication Competency Flashcards

Question

Video conferencing

Answer 1

Advantages: Saves time (no travel required) Allows participants to attend remotely Saves money Makes scheduling easier Can be used to host live events Encourages focus Challenges: Potential technical issues (Internet connections, substandard equipment) Missing in-person communication cues Overuse leading to burnout Can be time-consuming

Answer 2

Advantages: Saves sender time Allows detail Includes multiple parties easily Documents communication Challenges: Requires more care to create accurate message and convey correct tone Does not necessarily provide desired feedback Can be missed or perceived as nuisance

Answer 3

Advantages: Saves time for both parties Can be broadcast to announce information (for example, promotional, emergency) Challenges: Limits content that can be communicated Can be missed or perceived as intrusive

Answer 4

Advantages: Can be broadcast to large audiences Reaches certain audiences efficiently and can elicit immediate feedback (for example, quick surveys) Challenges: May not reach all audiences Requires review since the message will be widely viewed

Answer 5

Advantages: Allows full presentation of topic Can reach a large audience and encourage thoughtful responses Provides documentation of communication Challenges: Takes time and care to create May need to conform to organizational expectations (templates) Takes time to get a response

Answer 6

Advantages: Can allow immediate questions and feedback and adjustment of message Can incorporate visuals, video, handouts Challenges: Requires skill and time to practice Requires time and expense to create support materials

Answer 7

Advantages: Promotes leadership visibility and accessibility Encourages and improves engagement Promotes collaborative teamwork Can reinforce culture and values Challenges: Can be complex to plan and organize Requires comfort in public situations to participate

Answer 8

Projecting credibility and creating an effective and presence or physical image. Credibility clears away noise in the communication process. Perceived credibility involves building a reputation for expertise, reliability, and integrity

Answer 9

Requires supporting your message and credibility with a physical presence that is appropriate and engaging, using words, bodies, and voices as elements of the message. This includes: Posture and movement—maintaining an erect but relaxed posture, moving slowly, following and mirroring the posture of audience members if appropriate. Gesture—using hand movements to emphasize key points but not overusing gestures or using them at the wrong time. Eye contact—establishing soft (not piercing) contact with the eyes of audience members, shifting gaze slowly to include all members of the audience (not picking one spot or person to engage, not letting the gaze dart nervously about the room). Vocal qualities—speaking clearly, loudly enough to be heard, and at a reasonable speed. Varying speed and volume in a way that supports the message can avoid creating tedium.

Answer 10

Falseness and nervousness Falseness can derive from assuming a manner and personality that are so distant from your own that they'll interfere with your ability to connect directly with the audience; also can derive from dishonesty and by lying and being avoidant. Nervousness in itself isn't problematic - but prolonged nervousness can be contagious and cause the audience to feel uncomfortable and skeptical.

Answer 11

individuals on the autism spectrum or those diagnosed with dyslexia, ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), dyspraxia, or social anxiety disorders may not exhibit the same social cues as other people. If such cues indicate that there may be a miscommunication present, it is important to recognize when appropriate accommodations might be needed and to verify that messages are being sent and received accurately. This may also be true for individuals from different cultures, who may have different norms with regard to cues such as personal space and eye contact or gestures.

Answer 12

To initiate or support action. If the outcome doesn't support the objective, the communication has failed.

Answer 13

Significant Communication Events: -Was the audience analysis complete and on target? -Did the audience react as anticipated? -What points did they seem most or least interested in? -Where did they get confused? -Where were they most engaged? What engagement tactics worked and which didn’t? -How could feedback mechanisms be improved? Signs of Effective Communication: -High levels of engagement reported in employee surveys. -High levels of retention. -Positive comments on the organization’s social media channels. -Effectiveness of teams in meeting their commitments and department budgets and schedules. -High levels of collaboration.

Answer 14

Giving and receiving feedback Facilitating Group Discussions Leading Staff Meetings Creating Communication Palns Translating Technical Jargon

Answer 15

Feedback is one way to address the “noise” that can occur at different points in the communication model and that prevent communication from achieving its purpose. Feedback is part of a communication loop that helps message receivers confirm their understanding of the message. It helps align perceptions and reality.

Answer 16

It's important that it's timely and specific; Whoever is giving the feedback should be careful to prepare - be clear on the session's purpose, have examples, and apply emotional intelligence

Answer 17

Effective feedback includes specific examples of actions that have been observed—statements that have been made, reports that were late or incomplete, nonverbals that send contradictory messages, and so on. Generalizations are ineffective: “You always interrupt people.” Statements that emphasize that the feedback is based on your perceptions tends to be more effective: “I noticed today that you talked over certain people in our team meeting, and they sounded frustrated by this.”

Answer 18

They are more accepting of negative feedback. One study found that when given negative feedback, employees often disregard it and begin shopping the workplace for sources of positive feedback. This is more likely to occur when the employer-employee relationship is weak. The employee’s ability to accept negative feedback must be seen within the context of the employee’s entire relationship with the workplace.

Answer 19

NOT improve acceptance What can help in the delivery of negative feedback is incorporating into the discussion an opportunity for the employee (or the person receiving the criticism) to express his or her own goals or hoped-for results. Then it is possible to state additional goals and present the negative feedback as “things that are happening that will prevent us from reaching these goals.” This helps the receiver of the feedback to understand the premises or criteria that underlie the criticism. If the feedback is framed appropriately, the employee can see how incorporating corrective feedback can benefit not only themselves but also the organization. To that end, HR professionals can employ certain storytelling methods and approaches to paint a picture for the recipient to locate the feedback in a wider context and also reinforce the employee’s value to the organization. Drawing on personal stories and examples can also help increase trust, as it reminds the recipient that they are not the only or first person to receive corrective feedback.

Answer 20

Seeking feedback is an important way to improve personal performance and the performance of a team or the entire HR unit. It can help identify gaps between expectations and performance. It can correct “blind spots”—misperceptions in how we view others and how we think we are viewed by others. Some recommendations for receiving feedback include the following: -Decide what kind of feedback you need and then find the person most equipped to provide it. The highest-ranking member of your unit may not be the best coach. Focus on a few specific issues. -As with giving feedback, the feedback discussion should closely follow the activity to be discussed. This supports specificity. -Listen actively in the moment, and ask questions to make sure you understand. Don’t be defensive. After the discussion, reflect on what has been said. -Offer thanks. In some cases, you may not accept the feedback. For example, HR may request feedback from a function it serves, and the feedback is negative, based on a misunderstanding of the terms of the service. It is appropriate to correct the misunderstanding but still acknowledge the comments and thank the respondent for the feedback. -Follow up with the person giving the feedback about your experiences in applying ideas and advice.

Answer 21

Elicit information

Answer 22

Excellent listeners. They can interpret and confirm what the group is saying and use this content to drive the conversation further Facilitators must also be good observers of nonverbal messages and of group dynamics. They can promote better discussion by using a non-threatening manner to draw in those not participating in discussion

Answer 23

Communication in a recurring staff meeting often focuses on conveying new information, receiving updates, and coordinating activities. While these are essential communication activities, regular meetings can become time wasters that are resented by the staff. Tips: -Have a valuable purpose for a meeting and ensure that everyone understands this purpose. -Set a clear agenda with defined items. Circulate the agenda before the meeting and specify what individuals may need to prepare. -Limit meeting time to what is needed to address agenda items. -Start on time. Come early to allow social exchanges that strengthen relationships, but start covering the agenda at the published time. -For regularly scheduled meetings, consider ways to “change things up”—having a guest speaker, a special activity, or a different location. -Recognize the importance of storytelling to encourage engagement and focus; employ different storytelling tools and methods to keep things fresh (for example, skits). -Take time to resolve conflicts, but postpone discussion of conflicts that may be difficult to resolve until after the meeting. -Review any decisions and next steps at the meeting’s end. Make sure individuals know their assignments. -Send an e-mail summary if needed for more complex agendas. -Periodically, have a “meeting on meetings” to discuss whether the current approach is achieving the team’s goals.

Answer 24

Communication Plans can formalize and facilitate the ways in which communication will be conducted in an organization, department, or project team Creating and disseminating such a plan can ensure that employees and others understand the appropriate and expected methods and manner of communication in the organization—and, where relevant, outside of the organization.

Answer 25

Identify purpose: what is it that you're trying to communicate? What are your goals? Identify Stakeholders: Who is the audience of your communication? What are the communication requirements (method, time, frequency, etc.) of each stakeholder? Are there different requirements for internal and external audience members? Identify communications methods/channels: How are you going to communicate your message? What methods and which tools will you use? Will a mixture of formal and informal communications be used? If the necessary resources are not available, plan for how you will acquire them or alternatives that might be available.

Answer 26

Not all employees in an organization will have the same familiarity with technical language and terminology. Therefore, one of HR’s responsibilities when planning and managing communication is to ensure that jargon is appropriately translated for relevant audiences. This process can take place at various stages, depending on the specific jargon. Sometimes it is more efficient to explain an unusual or rarely used term as it arises, or one could preempt any confusion by offering a definition prior to a meeting.

Answer 27

Be careful to ensure that all of the content is accessible to the whole audience—while simultaneously ensuring that you do not talk down to the recipient.

Answer 28

improve feedback (it’s easier to comment on something you understand), facilitate group discussions (it’s easier to participate if you understand the topic under discussion), and improve staff meetings (confusion can be avoided and time saved as a result).

Answer 29

Anonymous communications can take many forms and organizations should manage and maintain proper structures and policies for receiving and addressing such communications. Employees’ ability to provide anonymous feedback is an important tool for breaking down silos, highlighting issues, protecting the workforce, and ensuring that valuable and honest feedback is voiced, received, and acted upon. While it is true that these mechanisms can be abused or used to vent individuals’ frustrations, they can also surface valuable insights from across an organization.

Answer 30

Not all anonymous communications are negative, of course. Sometimes, an employee might turn to an anonymous communication tool in order to offer suggestions for improvements, perhaps because they do not feel it is their place to do so or for fear of stepping out of their lane. Research has found that providing employees with an anonymous platform for communicating their opinions, concerns, and suggestions freely can increase retention, encourage engagement, and improve performance.

Answer 31

Sometimes this need actually underscores the fact that employees don’t feel safe speaking openly (for fear of reprisals) or that there’s no point in doing so (because nothing will come of it). If this is the case, then a wider examination of the organization’s culture and levels of trust should be conducted to establish why this impression exists and what can be done to address it. The result can be improved employee satisfaction and valuable feedback.

Communication Competency Flashcards

(55 cards)