Thursday, May 23, 2013


The Art of Effective Communication

The multimedia program, "The Art of Effective Communication." views a piece of communication in three different modalities: as written text, as audio, and as video.

EMAIL

Jan selected appropriate words and phrases in her email message to Mark. She expressed empathy in the first sentence by recognizing that she knows that is busy and might have had to attend the all day meeting (giving him the benefit of the doubt). She clearly communicated the information needed (his report) and why. Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, and Kramer, say to “Clearly describe any actions that people should take based on the information in the report. “ (Portney et. al., 2008). Jan asks for Mark’s report yet offers an option to send her the data in place of the full report in order to meet her own deadlines.

VOICEMAIL

The voicemail expressing the exact same information was more personal. She kept the same tone through most of the message and did not modulate until she said, “I really appreciate your help.” This was effective as she is appealing to him for assistance.

FACE TO FACE

The face to face conversation eliminates misunderstandings that written communications can infer. Face to Face communication allows for an immediate response, and provides a setting for dialogue exchange. Jan begins the conversation with a smile, although her facial expressions become more serious yet non-threatening as she expresses the need for the data. I think this form of communication is always best. You are able to read the body language, watch the facial expressions, and have the opportunity to ask questions and clarify what you understood the other person to say.

Reference

Laureate Education, Inc. (n.d.) The Art of Effective Communication. [Video Webcast]. Retrieved from http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/2dett4d/Walden/EDUC/6145/03/mm/aoc/index.html

Portny, S.E., Mantel, S.J., Meredith, J.R., Shafer, S.M., Sutton, M.M. & Kramer, B.E. (2008). Project Management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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5 comments:

  1. ChrystalMay 24, 2013 at 4:09 PM

    Carol,

    Which form of communication did you find most effective? In the email, did the language or message change? You referenced her tone in the voicemail. How does that change the manner in which the message was received. I agree that the face to face assist with answering any questions or concerns as well as permitting interaction with the other party.

    Chrystal

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    1. CarolMay 26, 2013 at 10:19 AM

      Thanks Chrystal for your questions. I find face-to-face communication the most effective. Although you may not be able to read the body language of every one you talk to, face-to-face affords you the opportunity to get clarity, ask questions, or elaborate immediately. Tone can dramatically affect the message. Tone can imply anger, frustration, impatience, indifference, excitement, etc. The old adage, “It’s not what you said, but how you said it” is very appropriate.

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  2. PatriciaMay 25, 2013 at 1:40 PM

    Carol, I agree with you in this blog post that face-to-face communication is best however with the technology era we are living in now that form of communication is becoming less and less. Even when it comes to education we are becoming conditioned to using written or audio communication more.

    In the three scenarios we analyzed I felt the voice-mail was the more effective one. I liked that the message was clear, concise and had a pleasant tone. The message was also done professionally and courteously. As a project manager communication should be planned and prepared so that the message is received correctly (Portny, et al., 2008).

    Thank you for your blog post this week. I look forward to visiting you again.

    References

    Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). The art of effective communication, (2010). [Interactive multimedia exercise]. Retrieved from http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/2dett4d/Walden/EDUC/6145/03/mm/aoc/index.html

    Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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    Replies
    1. CarolMay 26, 2013 at 10:45 AM

      Patricia,
      The voicemail left in our activity was effective; however, interpreting the tone of a voicemail can be subjective. I agree that face-to-face is the most effective and that technology trends tend to make it less desirable. There is still a great respect for face-to-face communication using tools such as Skype, WebEX, AdobeConnect, etc.
      Writing is such as an art that written communication is one of the hardest forms of communication in my opinion. Great speakers and presenters don't always make the best writers. Writing has elements such as grammar, spelling, clarity, and ambiguity. Dr. Stolovitch (n.d.) states that written communication:
      • Begin with a clear purpose
      • State the situation
      • Include possible solutions
      • Indicate if signoff is required
      • Specify the form that the response is required to take
      • Keep tone of all communications business friendly and respectful

      Reference:
      Stolovich, H. (Producer). (n.d.) Communicating with Stakeholders. Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=/webapps/blackboard/execute/launcher?type=Course&id=_1373695_1&url=

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  3. Brad D. WeilbrennerMay 27, 2013 at 8:23 AM

    Hi Carol:

    I enjoyed your post. I would like to comment on the email component of your post. Email is an easy medium to send and receive communications, but the meaning of the message can be lost or mistaken. This can lead to misunderstandings and other issues. On reason for this the decrease ability to express emotions, though the use of emoticons can help but they are either infrequently used or misused. According to Byron, emotions are expressed and perceived non-verbally as opposed to verbally. Though non-verbal clues can be conveyed in the email, it is the lack of immediate feedback, such as a face-to-face interaction, that provides increased opportunities for misunderstanding (2008). That is important that communication via a written format, such as email, is written clearly and concisely with carefully selected words, to limit the chances of being misunderstood. I find email to be very impersonal and I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt when it comes to a perceived offensive email. Though I do not like email for communication, it is the format that I use the most. I try very hard not to come across as offensive and to be clear and concise.

    Thank for the post,

    Brad

    Reference:

    Byron, K. (2008). Carrying too heavy aload? The communication and miscommunication of emotion by email. Academy Of Management Review, 33(2), 309-327. doi:10.5465/AMR.2008.31193163

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