What is communication and what does it do?

• Helps us sort out, categorize, understand and interpret messages we receive from others.
• Helps us understand, interpret and create our own responses to messages we have received.

Communication can be simply defined as the mode or method by which we exchange ideas. Effective communication takes the form of a loop. We cannot say that communication has occurred unless one person speaks and the other person understands what has been said.

Communication also helps you sort and categorize what you hear in relation to what you think, and helps you understand, interpret and create responses to what you hear. When you engage in conversations, you understand by associating what you hear with something you already know.  You connect, or reference, the new information to something you already have experienced. 

However, some communication is truly miscommunication.  For example, you speak and someone listens, but that person doesn’t understand what you mean.  Perhaps you haven’t been clear, or maybe your conversation partner isn’t making a connection to something she already knows.  By practicing the skills offered to you in this training, you can help avoid miscommunication. 

Modes of Communication
As a leader, you should understand that the way that you communicate – your nonverbal behavior and tone – is often more important than what you communicate - the message.   Think about these types of communication:

Judgmental: Critical (not constructive), negative, evaluative

Neutral: Straight information passing

Emotional: Expression of emotions: laughter, joy, anger, etc.

Judgmental Mode

This type of communication is critical, negative and evaluative.  The communicator often appears to be speaking from a superior position and talking down at the listener.  

We all know people in our lives who speak to us in a way that makes us feel insignificant. They are critical of us.  They always seem to be evaluating us and the message they send is negative.  Most likely, they are speaking in the judgmental mode.

Example: “That article is awful. You did not do your best. You did not do your research. I am very disappointed and I want you to do it over."

This communication is simply a negative and critical evaluation that can leave the recipient feeling offended and upset, and with no information about how to proceed. It is not constructive because the speaker did not say what was wrong and offered no advice to help improve. 

The main problem with using this mode continually is that there is no follow-up, nothing to restore the relationship to a place where there can be reconciliation, and nothing to build on. Also, using the judgmental mode is usually not the best way to motivate an employee.

If used frequently and indiscriminately, this type of interaction and style can lead not only to poor relationships with your staff, but also to grievances, firings or lawsuits. 

This mode is used to communicate information directly, to simply pass along facts. It places no value judgment on the messages and there is no emotional content to the message.  Constructive criticism is part of the neutral mode.  You can give feedback to your staff that isn’t judgmental or negative by using this mode.

Example: “The article you wrote is not up to your usual standards.  If you edit your lead to make it more focused and concise, then tighten up your organization to reflect these changes, the article will have much more of an impact.”

That's information you need to know.  There's no emotional content in it. The neutral mode is well suited for the professional setting because much of the communication lacks strong emotion. 

However, problems arise when emotions come up in the workplace and we try to suppress or deny them, and thus do not acknowledge them in our communications. Suppressed or denied emotions are usually acted out in some other manner, either through passive-aggressive behavior or overt hostility.  Consequently, the key to speaking in the neutral mode is determining when the message is indeed lacking emotional content and is neutral, or when there is emotional content involved that needs to be expressed.

Example: “I love the article you wrote. You did a fantastic job and really showed that you were up to the challenge.  You did excellent research and got some great interviews.”

The key to speaking in this mode is to determine when and with whom it is appropriate to use it.  The emotional mode is one that some people are not comfortable using in the workplace.