Communication At The Workplace
2011 April 11 by admin-focuslearning
As we all know, communication is not just simply talking and listening, or writing and reading, but it also includes body language. Through these actions, meanings are transferred and understood between the sender and receiver. Hence, communication is a process to create a shared understanding.
For a communication to be successful and effective, a vast repertoire of interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, besides an appreciation of the various channels or mediums of communication is required, and the process has to be as error-free as possible. Just one little error somewhere along the communication process such as the lack of a needed skill, or the wrong channel or medium used, will lead to a faulty transference, a defective message. The meaning that is received and understood by the receiver is not quite, according to what it was meant to be originally by the sender and the result is a miscommunication, a misunderstanding.
Much miscommunication unfortunately occurs today at the workplace as we spend a minimum of eight hours per day carrying out our jobs in pursuit of a sustainable career or business. Miscommunication disrupts or hinders collaboration and co-operation, and at best, we get a difficult collaborative situation, or an ineffective co-operation. When this situation abounds, it is difficult for an organisation to be effective. Hence, it is essential to work towards achieving effective communication so that greater collaboration and co-operation can develop for organisations to progress at a faster rate.
Effective communication is also pro-active communication. To achieve this, we can make use of specific tools that have been proven easy to learn and easy to apply. The following is a list of seven simple Winning Tools for Communication that we have abbreviated to remember easily:-
- CTA – Communicate to Align
The first and most important tool we use in a normal, common communication setting in the workplace i.e. before we execute any task, we must bring to line the expectations. We use this to get the ‘big picture’ of the assignment, and to check our understanding with our superior. We also use this tool to check that our subordinate understands our expectations, preferences, outcomes, and objectives. - CTL – Communicate to Lock
This is done after we have clarified both superior and subordinate expectations. We Communicate to Lock the task to the Person-in-Charge with specific outcomes and deadlines, i.e. we obtain clarification on when and who to deliver the tasks, or to engage the subordinate specifically on when and who to deliver the task as agreed. - CTR – Communicate to Remind
We should Communicate to Remind to highlight events, keep track of schedules or targets, and educate the other party on tasks and ongoing or current issues. Timely reminders are important – before and after deadlines. - CTU – Communicate to Update
We should also Communicate to Update to inform the superior regularly on the progress of current or urgent issues, especially those that are important to him/her. It is not only better for us to over-update than under-update our superiors, especially before deadlines, but also crucial that we use his or her preferred channel of communication to ensure the communication is effective. - CTS – Communicate to Simplify
We need to Communicate to Simplify when dealing with complex or complicated concepts. We use visual means, analogies, or metaphors to turn these difficult concepts into something simple and meaningful to understand. - CTN – Communicate to Negotiate
We Communicate to Negotiate in difficult and critical situations, or when task expectations, priorities, or deadlines change. We must consult the individual or team involved before the deadline. - CTN – Communicate to Win
To Communicate to Win, we put forward ideas while attending to major issues; we aim to be our superior’s “Best Man,” not his “post man.
The above seven simple tools tell us ‘what’ to do, but just knowing about the tools, just knowing ‘what’ to do, does not guarantee that our communication or message is effectively transmitted. These tools – the ‘what’ – need to be supported or complemented by skills and techniques – the ‘how’. We need to know ‘how’ to use these tools. How do we communicate to align and to lock? How do we communicate to remind and to update? And how do we communicate to simplify, to negotiate, and to win?
There are a few communication techniques that we can learn to apply based on an understanding of the fundamentals of communication. This understanding coupled with the techniques helps us prevent mistakes happening in the communication process (which may still occur even while using the tools). With fewer errors occurring in the process, the less chances of a miscommunication occurring. With fewer miscommunication incidents, the shared understanding will be greater. And with a greater shared understanding, collaboration and co-operation will be higher, leading to a more effective organisation. Thus, the development of a highly progressive organisation can be greatly accelerated with effective communication training on the tools and techniques of the communication process.
Generating Innovative Ideas
2011 April 11 by admin-focuslearning
SMEs today can no longer remain competitive by simply producing faster, better, or more of the same products. That is no longer enough, especially to succeed in today’s business environment, in the current economic challenges. The use of traditional or conventional problem-solving tools is no longer adequate to produce results that would make a difference or much of an impact on the business.
What is needed now to arrive at innovative solutions is innovative problem solving tools – tools that can help us produce innovative ideas in the first place. This is what is lacking in most innovation process, which may be outlined in a most simplified form, from the phases of conception to development (or implementation) to commercialisation (or marketing). These phases cover requirement analysis, idea generation, idea evaluation, and project planning (conception); construction, prototype development, pilot application and testing (implementation); and production, market launch, and penetration (marketing/commercialisation).
Quite often, however, it is in the first phase of the innovation process itself – the idea generation task that proves to be the obstacle. Not enough or not innovative enough ideas are being generated or produced in the first place. This can be facilitated to occur by using specific idea-generating tools. One idea-generating tool that is available here locally in Malaysia is being taught specifically in a programme conducted by Focus Learning Consulting. The idea-generating tool is one of the seven tools under the Focus Learning Seven Innovation Tools programme. This Seven Innovation Tools Programme has been specifically designed and developed by Focus Learning Consulting to assist entrepreneurs develop and sharpen their thinking skills to facilitate the production of innovative ideas.
Other tools under this Programme are tools to direct the ideas generated, tools to ‘sponsor’ ideas such as ‘Idea Spray’ and ‘Mind Chart’, and further tools like ‘Smart Mirror’, ‘Clean Paper’, and ‘Pattern Break’ which help to generate further ideas. One begins the innovation thinking process with ‘Big Picture’, the tool that will ‘direct’ the generation of innovative ideas. ‘Big Picture’ aims to inculcate the practice that any improvement should be linked to the company’s strategies or objectives. Tools ‘sponsoring’ innovation focus on the quantity of ideas, and on triggering both left and right hemispheres of the brain in the generation of ideas. Generating innovation tools enable us to challenge deep-rooted processes or thinking, to find and modify creative ideas from other industries, and to begin thinking with totally new concepts, within a zero framework. Another final tool, the ‘Idea Web’ is a managing innovation tool that aids us to manage the ideas generated to identify innovative, meaningful connections among the seemingly fragmented ideas. The Programme, held as workshop sessions, enables participants to apply and practise these tools using their workplace concerns as examples to work on.
In addition to these tools, techniques are also taught during this Programme to facilitate the creation of an environment and an organisational climate that is conducive for innovativeness to be nurtured and developed within the organisation. These techniques are essential in building an innovative culture, thus participants during the Programme will practise using these techniques to help create the permissive environment later on in their workplace to encourage and promote innovativeness amongst employees at all levels in the organisation.
Innovations that occur can be broadly categorised as innovative new products (usually the outcome of new product development process) or new businesses (new business strategies or totally new industries, for example). These innovations are the results of some innovative ideas that were generated, most likely in environments and cultures that permit individuals to think differently, that value creativity, and that promote innovativeness among employees. One innovative business strategy that has emerged in recent years is the ‘Blue Ocean’ Strategy, a strategy aimed at creating ‘blue oceans’ i.e. to create ‘blue oceans of uncontested market space’ (Kim & Mauborgne, 2004). Under this strategy, companies create demand for their products or services, instead of fighting over demand within the confines of existing or overcrowded industries. One example given on a blue ocean that had been created is eBay whereby a completely new industry of online auctions was created.
Breakthrough innovations arise out of innovative ideas, some of which however could have appeared unappealing or nonsense at the first glance, especially to those who are comfortable with the norm and deep-rooted in the status quo. The challenge for entrepreneurs and business owners who are concerned to keep ahead in business is therefore facilitating the innovation to take place. Especially challenging are the creation of a permissive environment that would facilitate the generation of innovative ideas to occur and the development of the innovative thinking skills. It is essential to have the right tools and techniques in any effort to solve problems and produce better results. In the case of innovation, it is therefore essential to use the tools that facilitate the generating of innovative ideas, in addition to the process of problem solving which may merely result in identifying the root causes and ways to resolve only.