Blog 3 – Interpersonal Communication

In the past few years I have managed to experience many Intercultural communication experiences as well as cultural diversity.

One of the experiences I wish to blog about is the role I undertake in my workplace.  I work at The Glasshouse, otherwise known as the Greater Port Macquarie Visitor Information Centre. Working in an information centre was very tricky at first. Although I have been living in Port Macquarie almost my whole life, having to explain to visitors (or locals who just need a bit of help) where to find everyday businesses i.e. Banks, Post Offices, Newsagencies etc. was quite difficult for me. I had to take a different approach in explaining directions to visitors.

I have now realised that when I was training, I was explaining to visitors how to find places as if they lived in the area. I now know how to communicate effectively with visitors to the area, especially international tourists. I have got the mindset of helping others the way I would like to be guided if I was in their situation.

There are many oral communication factors in Intercultural environments that I have managed to use effectively when dealing with tourists in my workplace. Examples include

• ·         The use of simple English
• ·         Speaking slowly
• ·         Observe the visitors eye messages
• ·         The ability to see if the visitor comprehends the information being given
• ·         Listen without interrupting to answer the questions more effectively

When speaking to tourists, one of the main oral communication skills I have learnt to use is speaking slowly and clearly. Guffey & Loewy (2011) inform us that when it comes to oral communication skills i.e. speaking slowly and enunciating clearly, it is important to avoid fast speech and to try and over punctuate with pauses and full stops. (para.1 - Successful Oral Communication in Intercultural Environments).

Another experience I deal with almost daily is the communication with my supervisor at work. She moved to Australia about 10 years ago from Scotland, and loves it here! The 4 years that I have been working with her, she has never been anything but supportive of me and the role I play in our team. Guffey & Loewy (2011) suggest that one of the most important factors in achieving effective communication is supportiveness. This attitude requires us to support other positively with head nods, eye contact, facial expression and physical proximity. (para.1 - Techniques for Achieving Intercultural Competence). Although she is the one that continues to support me, I do feel that I support the rest of the team, and they do rely on me for specific jobs to be done in our workplace. 

I also believe that I do have an understanding of effective Intercultural competence. When communicating with the rest of the team I do believe I use descriptive, specific feedback which is an attitude of descriptiveness, a major part of Intercultural communication.

References

Guffey, M., & Loewy, D. (2011). Business communication: Process & product (7th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.

Interpersonal Communication Barriers

To communicate effectively and ethically, interpersonal communication barriers need to be overcome. You need to recognise the barriers and examine the ways that you will overcome those barriers.

Although barriers need to be addressed it is vital for business success to understand interpersonal communication. DeKay (2012) identified interpersonal communication skills as critical attributes for new employees and more experienced workers seeking promotions. (p. 449)

To be a successful communicator, the receiver needs to understand the message as intended from the sender. You can improve the likeliness of communicating successfully by recognising some of the barriers that may disrupt the communication process. The main barriers being, bypassing, lack of language skills, distractions and differing frames of reference.  

Bypassing is a main barrier than can effect communication. Both the receiver and the sender must have the same symbolic meaning attached to the words that are being communicated otherwise miscommunication will occur.

Language skills are another important barrier that effects communication. If the receiver doesn't have the vocabulary of the sender, than the message in itself may not be able to be de-coded. Other basic issues like grammar, formality and jargon can all lead to miscommunication if both the sender and receiver aren't on the same level of communication.

Other interferences can include distractions, such as, physical distractions, digital distractions or an emotional interference. All of these distractions can shape a message in the wrong way, therefore not communicating effectively. Clear communication requires focussing on what’s important to the individual and shutting out other interruptions until you have completed your task.

Everybody has their own frames of reference. You will bring your own judgements and experiences into the equation without even realising it, even if it is not what’s best for the business. To communicate ethically you need to have a clear mind and be able to take what the receiver is communicating and be able to justify the statements with evidence. As everyone’s frame of reference is different, no two people will ever read the communication exactly the way it is meant to be delivered.  

Technology may not be an interpersonal communication barrier; however it is definitely a communication barrier that creates many issues daily. The technology that is readily available to us now is vast, and to be a great communicator you need to embrace the technology and use it to the businesses advantage. Nowadays there are communication devices such as; cell phones, home phones, work phones and pagers. You have the ability to use social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Tumbler, and still have the ability to use Emails and Skype for long distance calls and video conferencing. Technology needs to be embraced by all.

Winmar & Olynk (2012) have made the observation that technology needs to be embraced. Back in 2008, a multinational company’s business plan fell through due to communication barriers resulting in a business falling:

Fast-forward 10 months, Buffett notices an icon on his phone and asks his daughter what it means. She explains that it indicates he has a voice mail and helps him check the message.  It was from Barclays, following up with the details of the Lehman Brothers conversation from 10 months earlier. Barclays didn't send the fax, and Buffett didn't check his voice mail — a communication barrier. Or, in this case, a communication failure of grand scale. (p. 33)

Reference

DeKay, S. (2012). Interpersonal communication in the workplace: A largely unexplored region. Business Communication Quarterly, 75(4), 449-452. Doi:10.1177/1080569912458966

Guffey, M., & Loewy, D. (2011). Business communication: Process & product (7th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.

Winmar, D., & Olynk, N. (2012). Communication barriers: Identify them, overcome them!. Agri Marketing, 50(5), 33. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/ehost/detail?sid=996be85e-cfd5-4047-a598-2e7ffff2f990%40sessionmgr110&vid=5&hid=128&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=bth&AN=77688722

Blog Creation & Entry

When comparing the essays; 'Beyond the Glass: The Challenge of  Flight Attendant Rosters' by Jane Citizen (Essay A) and 'The Challenges of the Airline Industry' by John Doe (Essay B) there were a few factors that made Essay A  considerably better than Essay B.

• Reference List and In-Text Citation

Essay A used the formal referencing guidelines as well as the correct in-text citation in comparison to Essay B, who used an informal bibliography along with references that are not always a great source of information i.e. Wikipedia.

•       Formal Report Structure

In regards to the structure of the report, Essay A did significantly better than Essay B. It has an Executive Summary as well as good content organisation and a Conclusion.  As Essay B has no structure, the report is quite difficult to read.

•       Effective Writing Style

Effective writing style consists of;

>   Using active voice and consistent tense

>   Avoiding the use of first person pronouns

>   Using transition words to link sentences

>   Using a variety of coherence techniques

Essay B used first personal pronouns throughout the report. You can use first person in a short report, however the use of the first person tense throughout the report made it overall, very informal.

Essay B used many effective writing styles by using a variety of coherence techniques and using transition words to link the sentences.

Overall, both Essays were good however I believe that Essay A ‘Beyond the Gloss: The Challenge of Flight Attendant Rosters’ was the better Report in this case. The report was well structured, easy to read, firm tense throughout and used the correct form of referencing. As Essay B was quite informal, when compared to Essay A, it didn't stand out as a formal structured report. 

Happy Easter

Hi!

I just wanted to wish you all a Happy Easter!

D.