Communication in Our Workplace

Communication is the process of transmitting and receiving ideas, information, and messages. The rapid transmission of information over long distances and the ready access to information have become conspicuous and important factors of human society, especially in the past 150 years"(D'Aprix p.96). The encyclopedia definition of communication encompasses the idea of exchanging a variety of messages with others. Communication in the business world is imperative for success.

This is especially true for interpersonal communication, communication between management and staff, and for practically every other contact a business has, both within its own establishment and the outside world. The process of communication is very complex and is a major factor in the success of a company. This paper will focus on the different types of communication, including verbal, word choice, and tone, as well as factors that influence successful communication. The implication of new technology will be taken into concern.

In order to have successful communication, one must understand verbal communication. Interpersonal skills start with the understanding of verbal communication. Verbal cues are dependent on language usage. "Sometimes the message they carry is incomplete or even entirely different from our intended meaning"(Adler p. 70). In society, we can look at different dialects as a barrier. A comparative example of this is the United States, Canada, and England where we all speak the English language but with several differences.

Even though all three countries speak the same language, deciphering the word meaning dialects can be problematic. Different use of words within countries can make it impossible to understand the original message. Adler states, "the most basic language problems involve misunderstandings"(Alder p. 70). For example, traveling to Europe our group experienced a verbal miscommunication when asking for a restroom. We were informed that they have no such thing.

A co-worker in our group who has been to Europe several times explained that they are referred to as "toilets." After that explanation we then understood that difference in words and were able to successfully find our restrooms. In the classroom we practiced an exercise in small groups that was called Active Listening. During the interaction of this exercise the group was given sentences to paraphrase. It was interesting to hear the different meanings to the same words. In the exercise we saw how verbal interaction was misconstrued.

It is these types of misunderstandings, which happen globally that, can take place in an organization and lead to unsuccessful communication. As far as technology is concerned, it seems that the introduction of technology has not changed workers' desires to experience face-to-face communication: "In a survey to discover the employee preferences of methods of receiving internal information, almost half of the employees at a Fortune 500 company voiced their desire to have written or face-to-face communication.

Only a few requested technologically motivated methods such as email and other high tech resources" http://cicero.com.alma.edu/communication 303 wi99/students/novak/anfp2.htm). Hence, it seems the best way to communicate in the work place is a combination of face-to-face interaction as well as technology, but the focus should still remain on the face-to-face interactions. Language can clearly upset people. "It can motivate, inspire and amuse audiences"(Alder p.76).

To avoid upsetting the audience, you should not use, "terms that seem to be objective but actually conceal an emotional bias"(Adler p.76). For instance, in the workplace, an employee pondering of a problem might cause a boss to say, "You do not look busy." Upon hearing this, the employee may interpret this to mean he/she is not working hard enough and get upset. This is a misconception of non-verbal messages.

As a result of this, people need to watch not only the words and phrases they use, but also the tone of their voice. An employee should consider the tone of their message, whether depending on who they are speaking to and when. Tone is present in all communication activities. Ultimately, the tone of a message is a reflection of the speaker and it does affect how the listener will perceive the message. Tone can sometimes be difficult to consider when it is presented over a technological medium.

Unarguably, however, tone can be presented via writing an e-mail message, over the phone, or through a video conference. It is still possible to express tone while using a form of technology. Alongside tone, word choice also indicates how a message will be translated.

In the working world, word choice has two objectives: Communicating clearly and completely the specific goal of the message Projecting the goodwill aspect of the speaker through the tone and phrasing of the chosen words Care in word choice helps us adapt the message to the listerner and reduces the chance of miscommunication. Imporper word choice will lead to the unfornate opposite result -- miscommunication and problems within the conversation, and probably within the company itself. Word choice can also come through when using technology.

Word choice also affects writing, as well as speaking. Diction, we call it when using the written word, comes through strongly depending on what words the author uses. Hence, technology can also be used in this accoung. (http://carerrs.usatoday.com/service/usa/national/conetent/exper/dailygrind/2002-03-18-ge). The way a.