Question

Being a skilled communicator is essential to being a good manager and team leader. To understand why communication efforts sometimes break down and to find ways to improve your communication skills, it helps to identify the elements of the communication process. In this activity, you will have the opportunity to watch a manager interact with a subordinate and deliver some tough news. You will be able to consider different aspects of the communication process and watch different communication strengths and weaknesses in action, as you spend a few minutes with Pilar and Miguel.

As we know from personal experience, the sender's intended message does not always get across to the receiver. You are operating under an illusion if you think there is a perfect correlation between what you say and what people hear. Errors can occur in all stages of the communication process. More generally, people's perceptual and filtering processes create misinterpretations. Perception is the process of receiving and interpreting information. As you know, such processes are not perfectly objective. They are subjective, as people's self-interested motives and attitudes toward the sender and toward the message create biased interpretations. People often assume that others share their views, and naturally pay more attention to their own views than to those of others. But perceptual differences get in the way of shared consensus. To remedy this situation, it helps to remember that others' viewpoints are legitimate and to incorporate others' perspectives into your interpretation of issues. Generally, adopting another person's viewpoint is fundamental to working collaboratively. And your ability to take others' perspectives—for instance, to really understand the viewpoints of customers or suppliers—can result in higher assessments of your performance.

4. As Miguel reacts to Pilar's statement of the client "freaking out about the $11,000 over budget," we can see that he feels strongly about his talent and about the quality of what the client received. Which of the following keys to effective listening addresses managing a response when emotions are running as high as Miguel's?

A. exercise your mind

B. be flexible

C. capitalize on thought speed

D. keep your mind open

E. listen for ideas

5. Miguel leaves the meeting saying "Sure, sure. Whatever. I got it." He is showing disrespect to Pilar based on which of the following?

A. tone

B. his coat

C. arm motions

D. being distracted

E. multitasking

6. As Miguel sits down, Pilar's nonverbal signals show

A. concern.

B. warmth.

C. respect.

D. a feeling of equality.

E. a coolness.

7. Miguel is communicating much more effectively in this meeting than in the first one. Based on the communication model in the text, what technique is Miguel using to improve communication?

A. filtering

B. perceiving

C. encoding

D. offering feedback

E. using a channel

Answer 1