Effective Communications In The Workplace

by Patrick J. Donadio

The more informed shop owners are, the better they feel about themselves and their businesses. We get information through communication, which is a two-way street. We need to communicate information to our employees and customers, such as what's expected of them (a job description) or the mission of our organization. We also need to solicit information from them so we can better meet their needs.

Did you know we spend about 80 percent of our waking day in some form of communication? Of this, half is spent listening to others. Communication is a necessary part of every aspect of a manager's job. Without effective communication skills, managers could not delegate, interview, solve problems or make decisions. Yet, many managers have never been trained on how to be effective communicators.

For example, one shop owner was on the phone discussing a repair with a customer, when another customer came into the shop. Thinking the customer on the phone was the first priority, the shop owner finished his conversation before helping the new customer. Unfortunately, he choose the wrong way to deal with the situation and lost a customer as a result. The right way would have been to briefly interrupt the phone conversation, make eye contact with the customer that just walked in and tell them, "I'll be with you promptly." People don't always mind waiting if you know they're there.

There are three components to communicating. The first is thinking -- every effective message begins with a clear idea. The clearer the idea, the clearer the message. The second is articulating. This is the manner in which the message is communicated. It can be communicated either through speech or in writing. The third area is listening.

Of these three components, listening is the most important. Listening is a skill that can be learned and improved. There are two types of listening: active and passive. Passive listeners are not really listening, they're merely hearing. They are not engaged in the process. They are thinking about something else, daydreaming, jumping to conclusions or trying to do other activities while attempting to listen. Active listening requires listening to not only what is being said, but also how it is being said.

A study by UCLA professor Albert Mehrabian found that more than 90 percent of a message is conveyed not by words, but by the manner (voice and non-verbal behavior) in which it is said. There is more to the message than meets the ears. Or as Peter Drucker said, "The most important thing in communicating is to hear what isn't being said."

To be an active listener, you must engage your whole self into the process. Not only by focusing on the words, but also on the person's facial expressions, posture, voice, eyes and gestures. The following techniques will help you get actively involved in the process:

Here's one example of how to incorporate some of these suggestions into real-life situations:

A customer comes into your business extremely upset and frustrated because his recently repaired car is not working right. As a shop owner or manager, there are two ways to approach the situation. You can look at it as a negative ("This person is here to ruin my day!") or a positive ("This is a way to win a customer for life.")

The right way, of course, is to win the customer for life. You can do this by diffusing the customer's anger. Here is an example of this four-step process:

Next time you begin "communicating in the workplace" -- and odds are that the next time is only minutes away -- try using the techniques discussed here. Who knows, you might be able to save time, money and even increase the quality of your service with these easy concepts.

Patrick J. Donadio, M.B.A., is an Automotive Service Association Management Institute (ASAMI) instructor, as well as a professional speaker, trainer, consultant and author. Based in Columbus, Ohio, he specializes in business communications, presentation skills and empowerment. If you would like Donadio to visit your organization, he may be reached at (614) 263-3421.

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AutoInc. Magazine ®, Vol. XLIV No. 12, December 1996