As we learned, most simply put “communication is about the exchanges of information between individuals” (PSU, n.d.). Which seems very straightforward and can’t be difficult at all. Unfortunately, communicating is not that simple as it is more “complex and dynamic” (Moran et al, 2014, p 66). The purpose of communication with one another is to inform, express feeling, meet expectations, imagine and influence. Moran et al. (2014) provide “the most basic skill” global leaders need to be effective is “learning how to effectively communicate and listen cross-culturally” (p 66). Ways we can do this is through knowing your audience, create meaning, become a better listener, and prepare properly (Meinert, 2019).
With more globalization in the workplace, it is not uncommon to have a team working remotely throughout the world. This may make it more challenging to build those relationships. While some cultures, such as Asia, prefer a more “formal stamp” would benefit from their manager being part of a meeting or pre-meeting as it will make “member feel more comfortable sharing ideas” (Maurer, 2014). On the other hand, in cultures that avoid confrontation (i.e. Japan or Thailand) the more senior presence prevent members from openly disagreeing. Here it would be more beneficial for the member to not be present for every meeting (Maurer, 2014). Another way to build intrapersonal relationships is to “regularly set the first five minutes as time for a personal check-in before” getting to business (Maurer, 2014).
Meinert (2019) suggests most leaders put a lot of effort into creating presentations for the team full of data. But what does this mean to each team member? And does it mean the same to each individual? It is important as an effective leader to make messages relevant (Meinert, 2019). Sometimes, these messages mean providing negative feedback. While some cultures prefer blunter or candid feedback others view this as a negative and need more ease into the negative feedback (Maurer, 2014).
The heart of all successful communication is listening (Moran et al, 2014). Leaders may find it helpful to “ignore distractions”, “retain information through engaging in the conversation by note taking”, and “review what was heard” (Meinert, 2019). Most commonly in America we review what we heard by recapping in an email but that may come at large cost when we have cross-cultural teams. This action can be seen as the sender not trusting the receiver (Maurer, 2014). Instead, we should actively listen and summarizer to the speaker what was understood about what was said.
Lastly, being prepared for a meeting or presentation can help leaders communicate more effectively. Considering 80-90 percent of our communication is nonverbal, leaders should spend time rehearsing for a presentation or meeting (Moran et al, 2014). This will prevent any nonverbal miscommunication and leaders will get their messages across more clearly (Meinert, 2019).
Communication errors come at a cost to the organization; “causing wasted time and effort, low morale, reduced productivity, and a loss of trust and credibility” (Meinert, 2019). Considering we spend most of our time communicating at work or home in personal, by email, phone, or text messages we each have a lot of room for improvement. “Leaders often fail to devote as much time to developing their communication skills as they do to honing other business skills” but if leaders are more cognizant of the points mentioned above, it would be a great start (Meinert, 2019).
References:
Maurer, R. (2014, September). Navigate cultural differences to succeed across borders. Retrieved from: https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/global-hr/pages/navigate-cultural-differences-succeed-across-borders.aspx
Meinert, D. (2019, February). How to improve leaders’ communication skills. Retrieved from: https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/spring2019/pages/how-to-improve-leaders-communication-skills.aspx
Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing cultural differences (9th ed.). Oxford: Routledge.
Pennsylvania State University. (n.d.). Lesson 4: global communication. Retrieved from: https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2041071/modules/items/27977836
Timothy Molina says
Hello Sarah,
On the subject of nonverbal communication, if “80-90 percent of our communication is nonverbal” (Moran et al., 2014), does that mean that the main route of communication is technologically based? If so, that in itself demonstrates why there seems to be an issue with miscommunication within the workplace, especially in a company that has a presence in countries other than its home country.
What also caught my eye based on what you brought up, was the issue of cost of miscommunication. According to Buhler and Worden (2013), “David Grossman reported in “The Cost of Poor Communications” that a survey of 400 companies with 100,000 employees each cited an average loss per company of $62.4 million per year because of inadequate communication to and between employees.” Just to list an actual figure, we can see that the number seems quite high just for the reason of miscommunication, of which, I am glad you chose to address it considering how much of an issue it can be, especially nowadays with the emphasis of globalization.
References
Buhler, P. M., & Worden, J. D. (n.d.). The Cost of Poor Communications. Retrieved February 16, 2020, from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/behavioral-competencies/communication/pages/the-cost-of-poor-communications.aspx
Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing cultural differences (9th ed.). Oxford: Routledge.
Jessica Buck says
Hi Sarah!
I found your topic very interesting as communication is one of the most important parts of running a business. Most executive suite professionals need to present to the board or global teams, at a minimum, twice a year. The amount of prep that goes into the presentations is monumental, as these presentations need to be formatted so that every group understands all the details.
Ken Lopez of A2L Consulting states that you should “Prepare 30:1”, meaning that if you want to deliver a great presentation, you will need to invest 30 times the amount of time allocated for your presentation preparing for your presentation. For example, if you have a 20-minute board presentation coming up, you should invest 10 hours preparing for it. This prep is instrumental to ensuring that your messages can be broadly understood, but also are high level enough that you are not in the weeds about things that board members don’t care about.
In many previous roles I’ve had in executive support, before a board meeting or earnings call, executives spend quite a few hours doing dry runs of their presentation to their peers, as well as using an executive coach to help them communicate the messages from verbal and nonverbal cues. As you stated above, Considering 80-90 percent of our communication is nonverbal, leaders should spend time rehearsing for a presentation or meeting (Moran et al, 2014). If you were doing a presentation and folded your arms at the wrong time, or slumped over while giving bad news, this could be seen as a bigger deal than was originally intended.
Brazen.com states that preparing for questions is also a big part of preparing for a board meeting, as you will need to be able to confidently communicate answers to possibly tough questions. Brazen suggests that you should try to put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself every conceivable question and have an answer.
Referring back to the Communication Process from Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2013, the sender encodes a message, and delivers the message to the receiver. Being prepared and encoding the message in a way that the receiver can easily decode, is a great way to win over your board and ensure a great meeting.
Lopez, K. (2013, December 18). 14 Tips for Delivering a Great Board Meeting Presentation. Retrieved from https://www.a2lc.com/blog/bid/69147/14-tips-for-delivering-a-great-board-meeting-presentation
Matar, J. (2015, January 28). 10 Inside Tips for Nailing Your First Board Presentation. Retrieved from https://www.brazen.com/blog/archive/career-growth/10-inside-tips-for-nailing-your-first-board-presentation/
Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2013). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Los Angeles: Sage.