Poor Communication

So you've watched the video posted previously to this one and you cannot see anything good about what he's doing. For some reason, we've always been taught to look at the negative things in people when you try an evaluate them. It could be because we don't exactly know what to look for in something, such as the previous video and good communication. We have poor communication skills so we don't know what good communication skills look like. I thought I'd post a video about poor communication skills, so maybe some of us can relate and see what we do wrong. Check it out, if you see things that she is doing that you do, then it is most likely negative and wrong and you should work on it.  

Good Communication

Since the difference between formal and informal communication has been identified, I thought I would show an example of good communication in general. This video might not be about communication skills or anything like that, but the man speaking in this video is Stuart Gelles who is a motivational speaker on effective communication skills. He of course personally has exceptional communication skills. The way he speaks to the audience and keeps everybody listening is done masterly. Check it out and maybe you can take some notes on how to communicate with a large audience the way he does.

Communication Do's and Don'ts

Communication is such an important skill and ingredient to have for a superior relationship with people. In face you can not have a good relationship with a person if you cannot communicate properly. So for all you people out there who have trouble maintaining a relationship with people whether it's a friend, spouse or family member, it's your lucky day. I will give you the "do's" and "don'ts" of communication to help you out.  

DO'S

• Do make the person you are talking to feel secure by offering a lot of support and appreciation. This gets the silent types to open up more and feel at ease.
• Do listen carefully and avoid interrupting while the other person is talking. I know this can be difficult, just keep working on it.
• Do relax. Feeling anxious can mess up your confidence and attention. Take deep breathes when you feel like you need to end the conversation because of fear or panic.
• Do get to the point and be clear on what you want to get across or if you have any questions.

DON'TS

• Don’t feel that everything has to be resolved at one time. 
• Don’t make your date or partner feel uncomfortable by judging, criticizing, or making fun of what he or she has to say.
• Don’t use offensive vocabularies and expressions in the way you communicate. It is very disrespectful and cheapens your communication skills.                                       

Informal Communication in the Workplace

Informal communication in the workplace satisfies a variety of needs, particularly social or emotional and is not based on the positions individuals occupy within the organizations. Due to this, the communication is not managed or planned in any organized fashion which makes in informal. It is more relaxed, casual and is usually spread by word-of-mouth throughout a department or organization very quickly.

Typically the most common term used for informal communication in the workplace is grapevine. This communication that is sent through an organizational grapevine is called gossip or rumour. Gossip and rumours are the most commonly used way of communication in the workplace, whether its conversations during lunch or during a cigarette break. Grapevine communication usually occurs when employees feel threatened, vulnerable or when an organization experiences changes.

There are several advantages of grapevine communication:

• Spread information quickly throughout an organization      
• Social purpose 
• Reduce stress

Usually this type of communication occurs by employees with the same position, even though it isn't necessarily the only way. Co-workers can talk at lunch about what they'll be doing on the weekend for an example. Staff members usually keep informal communication between each other and don't include managers or executives. 

Formal Communication in the Workplace

Communication in general is the sharing of information for a variety of purposes such as informing, persuading or influencing. Then formal communication is organized and managed information that is shared with coworkers or relevant individuals in order to secure action throughout an organization. Usually, formal communication goes downward from owner to executives to managers to staff regarding company instructions and then goes upward from staff to managers to executives to owners regarding data and reports for the company.

Formal communication in a workplace usually only occurs when one employee speaks to another employee who has a different title then the other. Whether it's the owner talking directly to a staff member through an email or vise-versa. Usually when employees with a similar title are speaking to one another they use informal communication (will be discussed in the next blog), which can consist of two staff members speaking to each other.    

Mistakes Made in Informal Communication

If informal communication is supposed to be like walking around the house in slippers and a tank top, then how is it possible to make a mistake in this format. The video posted above is a great example of how mistakes occur. Sure it is a silly cartoon video if a few animals, but it makes perfect sense. As you see the only animal with the descent informal communication skills was the rabbit and he was the only one that survived. It took a simple question to keep him alive and that was to take him off the list. The other animals lacked that simple skill and they did not last.

A few key mistakes made in informal communication are:

1. Negative attitude
2. Not asking important questions
3. Just not caring

There aren't many mistakes you can make when having an informal conversation but there are a few things to try and avoid. I believe if you are good at having an informal conversation you can teach yourself to be formal when needed.  

Mistakes Made in Formal Communication

"You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can't get them across, your ideas won't get you anywhere." - Lee Lacocca

When communicating formally whether it's in an email or a face to face job interview, it is very important to avoid a few mistakes that could make you look unprofessional. Imagine going into a job interview for a banking position and you show up in shorts and a tank top. What do you think your chances are of getting this job? Very very unlikely. Even though the way you dress is not really communicating, it sets the mood right. You want the person who is interviewing you to think you are a professional before you even open your mouth. By that you must dress properly for the interview depending on what you are applying for.

Some key mistakes made in formal communication are:

1. Not spell checking and reviewing a formal letter
2. Speaking slang in a letter, email or in person
3. Bad attitude 

All of these mistakes can be vital in getting a job, writing a complaint letter or writing a business email. Many letters don't even get read if the first couple sentences have misspelled words in them. Why would they? The people you are writing these letters to have better things to do then read a letter that wasn't even important enough to be reviewed.