2: Interpersonal and Communication Skills for Managers
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Transcript
Interpersonal and Communication Skills: Strategies for Self-Assessment and Personal Development
ILM Unit 400 - Understanding the management role to improve management performance
START
Index
Let's get started!
Barriers to communication in the workplace
Strategies to overcome barriers to communication
Assessing own strengths and personal development
References
Creating a personal development plan (PDP)
01
04
03
05
02
01: Barriers to communication in the workplace
Let's begin
Communication is the exchange of information, ideas, and feelings between individuals or groups through various verbal and non-verbal channels. Explore the following barriers to effective communication in the workplace:
Barriers to effective communication
Uncertainty of message
Faulty presentation
Lack of channels
Unstated assumptions
Deception
Interference
Limited capacity
Cumulative distorted communications
Incompatible viewpoints
Reflective question: What other communication barriers might exist on a more personal level?The following barriers act as filters that help us determine what information we find useful. While it's impossible to completely avoid these filters, being unaware of them can cause you to miss out on valuable information.
Barriers to effective communication
Ourselves
Perception
Mental state
It's clear that strong written and spoken communication skills are essential in both business and personal life. Managers especially need to be effective communicators, able to clearly share their ideas and motivate others. To ensure mutual understanding, it's important to continually improve all forms of communication, including non-verbal cues.
Barriers to effective communication
Examples of communication challenges
Exercise: Barriers to communication
02: Strategies to overcome barriers to communication
Let's begin
Strategies to overcome barriers to communication
Questioning skills
Skillful questioning can make a considerable contribution to the effectiveness of the communication process.
- Open questions: Useful when wishing to open up areas for discussion.
- Closed questions: Useful for getting others to provide specific facts.
- Probing questions: Useful to dig deeper to find out more about interesting details.
Examples of probing questions
Examples of open and closed questions
Strategies to overcome barriers to communication
Active listening
An active listener is someone who listens with such skill that they come as close as possible to fully grasping what the speaker is thinking when they express their words. Active listening skills involve techniques such as repeating key words to confirm understanding, paraphrasing to ensure clarity, encouraging the speaker to share more, asking for clarification to deepen comprehension, reflecting feelings to show empathy, summarising to recapture essential points, using positive body language to demonstrate engagement, and utilising silence to allow for processing and contemplation.
Covey's 5 levels of listening
Barriers to listening
03: Assessing own strengths and personal development
Let's begin
Assessing own strengths and personal development
"Most people do not know what their strengths are. When you ask them, they look at you with a blank stare, or they respond in terms of subject knowledge, which is the wrong answer." Peter Drucker
Regrettably, many of us lack a clear understanding of our talents and strengths, and as a result, we struggle to build our lives around them. Instead, influenced by parents, teachers, managers, and a focus on addressing weaknesses, we often become more aware of our shortcomings. Consequently, we spend much of our lives trying to fix these flaws, while our strengths remain underutilised and overlooked. Research suggests that individuals who leverage their strengths daily are three times more likely to report an excellent quality of life, six times more likely to be engaged at work, 8% more productive, and 15% less likely to leave their jobs (Flade, 2023).
Assessing own strengths and personal development
In the context of management performance:
- Strength refers to a manager's inherent qualities, skills, or behaviours that consistently lead to effective leadership and positive outcomes. Strengths could include strong communication abilities, strategic thinking, decision-making skills, the ability to motivate and inspire a team, or proficiency in conflict resolution. Leveraging these strengths can enhance a manager’s effectiveness and contribute to the overall success of the organisation.
- Weakness refers to areas where a manager may lack proficiency or exhibit behaviours that could hinder their performance and negatively impact their team or organisation. Weaknesses might include poor time management, difficulty in delegating tasks, resistance to change, or a lack of emotional intelligence. Addressing these weaknesses is crucial for personal development and improving overall managerial effectiveness.
Assessing own strengths and personal development
A strength isn't just something you're good at; it's also something that energises and excites you, where you feel fully engaged and time seems to fly by. Conversely, a weakness isn't merely something you're not good at; it's also something that drains your energy, bores you, frustrates you, or makes you procrastinate.
Exercise: Loved it/ Loathed it
Assessing own strengths and personal development
Psychometric tests
Psychometric tests are standardised assessments designed to measure an individual's cognitive abilities, personality traits, attitudes, and behavioural tendencies. These tests provide objective insights into a person's strengths, weaknesses, and overall psychological profile, which can be invaluable for managers in understanding both their own capabilities and those of their team members.
How psychometric tests help managers
Examples of psychometric tests
Assessing own strengths and personal development
Research by Zenger and Folkman shows that focusing on strengths leads to gains that are twice as significant as those achieved by working on weaknesses. Moreover, these improvements often extend to other competencies, demonstrating that when people develop a strength, they generally become more effective in other areas too. It's no surprise that most individuals prefer to enhance a strength rather than address a weakness, as weaknesses are often associated with tasks they struggle with and find unenjoyable. Pursuing strengths is more engaging, which significantly boosts motivation.However, Zenger and Folkman (2013) also advise addressing your greatest weakness, or ‘fatal flaw’—the one that impacts multiple areas of your performance. Focusing on this key weakness can lead to rapid and substantial improvements.
Let's begin
04: Creating a personal development plan
A personal development plan (PDP) for managers is a targeted strategy that identifies key areas for growth in leadership skills and competencies. It provides a roadmap with specific goals and actions to enhance managerial effectiveness and support career progression. PDP's are often seen as a document that outlines areas for improvement. If you find yourself frequently renewing entries without addressing them, it may indicate that these weaknesses are not critical or that the process isn't particularly motivating.However, it's important to strike a balance—focusing solely on strengths isn't the solution. Addressing your most significant weaknesses can lead to the discovery of new strengths as well. With that in mind, it's worth considering a PDP that not only highlights the skills and knowledge areas needing improvement, but also one that celebrates existing strengths. This approach can make the process more engaging and productive.
Creating a personal development plan
Five questions to uncover your strengths
Creating a personal development plan
Planning and implementing a Personal Development Plan (PDP) is essential for effective management development, as it helps to clarify goals and encourages self-reflection, enabling individuals to recognise their strengths and areas for improvement. This customised approach facilitates targeted learning and skill enhancement, which in turn boosts motivation and accountability throughout one’s career journey. By acquiring relevant competencies, managers can position themselves advantageously for promotions, enhance organisational performance, and effectively navigate challenges. Furthermore, a PDP fosters a culture of lifelong learning that benefits both individuals and organisations by aligning personal development with organisational objectives, ensuring ongoing success in a fast-paced professional environment.
Planning your development plan
Implementing your development plan
Creating a personal development plan
The following illustrates what a personal development plan could entail:
Below is a PDP template if your organisation doesn't currently have one for you to use:
PDP Template
Creating a personal development plan
In conclusionPlanning and implementing a personal development plan is essential not just for personal growth but for enhancing team dynamics and organisational goals. It leads to improved performance, satisfaction, and readiness to meet future challenges, creating a win-win scenario for individuals and their organisations.
- Covey, S.R., 1989. The seven habits of highly effective people: restoring the character ethic. New York: Simon & Schuster.
- Mehrabian, A., 1981. Silent Messages. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth Pub. Co.
- Peter Flade, J.A. and G.E. (2023) Employees who use their strengths outperform those who don’t, Gallup.com. Available at: https://www.gallup.com/workplace/236561/employees-strengths-outperform-don.aspx.
- Zenger, J. and Folkman, J. (2013) Overcoming feedback phobia: Take the first step, Harvard Business Review. Available at: https://hbr.org/2013/12/overcoming-feedback-phobia-take-the-first-step.
References
Complete!
Well done! You have completed this unit.
Uncertainty arises when the message is unclear or ambiguous, causing confusion for the receiver. This can happen due to vague language, incomplete information, or complex jargon. To mitigate this, it's crucial to ensure the message is well-structured and clear.
Uncertainty of message
Over time, repeated distortions or misinterpretations of messages can accumulate, leading to significant misunderstandings. Regularly checking for clarity, encouraging feedback, and addressing miscommunications promptly can prevent such cumulative issues.
Cumulative Distorted Communications
Differences in opinions, beliefs, or perspectives can create barriers to effective communication. This can be mitigated by fostering an open-minded approach, encouraging active listening, and finding common ground to ensure mutual understanding.
Incompatible viewpoints
The receiver's ability to process and understand the message can be limited by factors such as cognitive overload, limited knowledge on the subject, or lack of interest. Simplifying the message, using clear language, and ensuring the receiver has the necessary background information can enhance comprehension.
Limited capacity of target
People don’t see things the same way when under stress. What we see and believe at a given moment is influenced by our psychological frames of references-beliefs, values, knowledge, experiences and goals.
Mental state
If we feel the person is talking too fast, not fluently or does not articulate clearly, we may dismiss the person. Our preconceived attitudes affect our ability to listen. We listen uncritically to persons of high status and dismiss those of low status.
Perception
Interference can be anything that disrupts the transmission or reception of the message, such as background noise, physical distractions, or interruptions. Minimising environmental distractions ensures effective communication.
Interference
Deception involves intentionally misleading or providing false information, which destroys trust and hampers effective communication. Building a culture of honesty and transparency is essential to overcoming this barrier.
Deception
- Step 1: Make note of a barrier to communication
- Step 2: Think about strategy/ strategies used to overcome the barrier
- Step 3: Evaluate the merits of the strategy
Exercise: Barriers to commmunication
- Languages: Communication can be difficult when people speak different languages, leading to misunderstandings and confusion.
- Hearing/ Visually Impaired: Individuals with hearing or visual impairments may require specialised tools or methods to fully engage in communication.
- Learning Difficulties: People with learning difficulties might need information to be presented in simpler, more accessible ways to ensure understanding.
- Jargon: The use of industry-specific jargon can exclude or confuse those who are not familiar with the terminology.
- Culture: Cultural differences can lead to varied interpretations of messages, affecting communication effectiveness.
- Geography/ Distance: Physical distance can make communication challenging, especially if technology is not effectively utilised.
- Technology: Reliance on technology can create barriers if there are technical issues or if people are not familiar with the tools being used.
- Listening: Poor listening skills can result in missed information and misunderstandings during conversations.
Communication challenges
- Ignoring: The listener is not paying attention and may be distracted or disengaged.
- Pretend Listening: The listener appears to be listening but is not genuinely engaged, often responding with generic comments.
- Selective Listening: The listener hears only parts of the conversation that interest them, ignoring other details.
- Active Listening: The listener fully engages with the speaker, demonstrating understanding and empathy through verbal and nonverbal responses.
- Empathic Listening: The listener connects deeply with the speaker, striving to understand their perspective and emotions, leading to a profound level of communication and trust.
Stephen Covey's 5 Levels of Listening
A message can fail to be effective if it is presented poorly. This includes issues like lack of proper organisation, using inappropriate formats, or failing to engage the audience. Effective presentation skills, including clarity, conciseness, and the use of visual aids, can help in overcoming this barrier.
Faulty presentation
- What are you finding difficult about the change?
- How did it go?
- What could you do differently next time?
Open questions
- Are you finding the change difficult?
- Did it go well?
- Could you do things differently next time?
Closed questions
Five questions to uncover your strengths
- What is my initial response to the activity?
- Does the task provide me with a sense of satisfaction?
- Do I feel good when performing the activity?
- Which activities have I been able to grasp quickly?
- When I wake up in the morning, which activities am I most excited about for the day?
Focusing on ourselves, rather than the other person can lead to confusion and conflict. Often we are thinking about our response rather than focusing on what the other person is saying. Some other factors that cause this are: defensiveness (we feel someone is attacking us), superiority (we feel we know more than the other), and ego (we feel we are the centre of the activity)
Ourselves
The following are some examples of Psychometric tests:
- Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI): This personality test categorises individuals into 16 personality types based on preferences in how they perceive the world and make decisions. For managers, MBTI can help in understanding their own and their team members' working styles.
- Big Five Personality Traits (OCEAN): This test assesses individuals based on five broad dimensions of personality: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. Managers can use this test to understand personality dynamics within their team and predict how individuals might behave in various situations.
- Emotional Intelligence (EI) Tests: These assessments, such as the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i), measure a person's ability to recognise and manage their emotions and those of others. High emotional intelligence is crucial for effective leadership, as it enhances empathy, communication, and conflict resolution skills.
Planning your development plan
Successful management of development plans involves several key elements:
- A genuine commitment to personal growth.
- Understanding your preferred learning style.
- Familiarity with the techniques, resources, and opportunities available to support your learning journey.
- Conducting a needs analysis to identify:
- Personal aspirations and goals.
- Organisational requirements.
- Areas where skills may be lacking.
- Setting clear learning objectives based on these insights.
Ask yourself the following questions to help identify your commitment to personal growth:
- Are you capable of dissatisfaction with your current performance, skills, knowledge, etc.?
- Do you accept that you can learn and develop by planned direction as well as by accident?
- Do you recognise that managerial activity may have more than one purpose?
- Will your manager (or organisation) support or reward your efforts?
Exercise: Loved it/ Loathed it
- Step 1: Write two separate lists of activities you completed this week. One list of activities you loved, and another list of activities you loathed.
- Step 2: Reflect on what you liked doing, even if you’re not that good at doing it.
- Step 3: Reflect on what you think you are good at, but don't like doing.
- Self-Awareness: By identifying their cognitive strengths, personality traits, and potential areas for development, managers can gain a deeper understanding of their own management style. This self-awareness enables them to play to their strengths and address weaknesses that may be affecting their leadership effectiveness.
- Improved Decision-Making: Psychometric tests can help managers make informed decisions about team dynamics, such as assigning roles based on individuals' strengths or understanding how different personalities might interact. This can lead to better team performance and a more harmonious work environment.
- Enhanced Communication: Understanding different communication styles through psychometric assessments allows managers to adapt their communication strategies to suit the needs of their team members, fostering clearer and more effective interactions.
- Development Planning: The insights gained from psychometric tests can be used to create personalised development plans for managers. These plans might focus on building leadership capabilities, improving emotional intelligence, or addressing specific behavioural challenges.
Insufficient communication channels can hinder the effective flow of information. Ensuring multiple and appropriate channels for communication (e.g., face-to-face meetings, emails, instant messaging) can help ensure messages reach their intended audience.
Lack of channels
Implementing your development plan
If you are truly commitment to your self-managed development and have thoughtfully considered your future direction, creating an action plan can significantly support you on your journey. At this stage, you might want to reflect on the various actions you can take simultaneously, potentially categorising them into short-, medium-, and long-term objectives.
Ask yourself:
- How achievable are my goals?
- How detailed does my plan need to be?
- Are my objectives short-, medium-, or long-term?
- Do I need to involve others in my plan?
- What challenges or obstacles might I encounter along the way?
- How familiar am I with the relevant subject area?
- Should I share my plan with anyone else?
- How clear are my goals?
- What level of motivation do I have to reach these goals?
Assuming that the receiver has certain knowledge or understands specific contexts without stating them explicitly can lead to misunderstandings. Clearly articulating all necessary background information and assumptions helps in bridging this gap.
Unstated assumptions
- “Please explain that in more detail?” - Clarifying
- “Give me an example of when that happens?” - Exemplifying
- “Where did you go from there?” - Extending
- “How does this affect what we agreed yesterday?” - Relevance
- “Who (or what) specifically”…? - Behaviour specific
- “What stops you from?” - Unblocking
- “In what way is that important to you?” - Priorities
- On the one hand you said…..on the other….” - Challenge
- “You mentioned (or didn’t mention) earlier….” - Relating back
- “What do you really want?” - Preferences
Examples of useful probing questions
- Distraction: External noises or internal thoughts can divert attention away from the speaker.
- Judging: Forming opinions about the speaker or their message before fully understanding it hinders true comprehension.
- Interrupting: Cutting off the speaker disrupts the flow of conversation and prevents full expression of thoughts.
- Advising: Offering unsolicited advice can shift focus away from the speaker’s feelings or needs.
- Hurrying: Rushing the conversation can lead to missed information and a lack of thoughtful engagement.
- Being right: Focusing on proving oneself correct can obstruct openness to the speaker's perspective.
- Rehearsing: Preparing your response while the other person is talking can detract from genuinely listening.
- Derailing: Changing the subject or making jokes can derail the conversation and diminish its seriousness.
- Dreaming: Allowing the mind to wander can cause important details to be overlooked.
Barriers to listening