Interpersonal Communication

Interpersonal Communication

Interpersonal communication at workplace

Interpersonal communication involves the exchange of information, ideas and feeling between two or more workers in an organization through verbal and non-verbal means.  Interpersonal communication is important at the workplace because it helps in employee motivation, satisfaction and business productivity. For communication to be operative, workers’ verbal and written communications must match the non-verbal indications are consciously or unconsciously given otherwise miscommunication is inevitable. This type of communication involves exchanging information face to face among workers in the form of facial expression, a form of voice, body language and gestures.  In an organization, interpersonal skills help workers to gain allies and simultaneously demonstrate to the supervisors that they are capable of bringing out the best in others. The commonly used interpersonal communication in an organization is the internal employee communication, employee performance, client meeting, performance review and project discussion. This paper explains the problems experienced in interpersonal communication and also present ways of enhancing interpersonal communication.

Importance of interpersonal communication at the workplace

Interpersonal communication plays an important role in the productivity of the organization. They are crucial in an organization because they allow workers to freely discuss their problems and way on the advantages and disadvantages of all the alternatives presented before coming up with a well-defined solution that is important to the organization. For instance, brainstorming exercises are situations in which interpersonal communication plays a vital role because it makes every member of the organization feel respected and free to present their views and ideas, that ensure the growth of the organization. Have poor communication between the management and the workers can destroy the business in various ways. When the employers fail to communicate the roles and tasks to the employees, there is frustration and disconnection between the employees and the business goals. Having a clear communication allows workers to have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibility and how to achieve the goals of the organization. Managers need to provide their employees with the right internal communication tools to align every employee with the business strategy and goals.

Having the right interpersonal communication at the workplace helps t improve trust between the managers and the employees. A research conducted by …… shows that a quarter of workers in the USA lack truth in their managers and that only fifty per cent of them believe that their managers are open with them. Lack of trust and transparency causes poor communication among workers and employers in the workplace. Interpersonal communication skills are important because they help to improve trust and communication in the workplace. Change management is important, in an organization. Operative worker communication enables workers to properly understand the alteration, bring into line with it and collaboratively work to executing the change successfully. Good interpersonal communication facilitates the growth of the company culture. When employees have the right company interpersonal communication skills, the culture of the origination becomes more synergic and positive. Lack of proper interpersonal skills leads to confusion, negativity and conflicts in the organization. Employees become recognized because, by giving their view and ideas that are important to the organization, the managers can easily identify their good work and reward them. Meaningful personal relationships are improved. Good interpersonal relationships help to build healthy relationships between workers and the management and also promote teamwork in the organization. Good interpersonal communication skills are also used by managers to assist their workers to perform their roles and responsibilities successfully. Leaders in the organization should pass the required skills to workers to enable them to accomplish their responsibilities and attain the organizational goals.

Interpersonal communication problems in the workplace

Workplace interpersonal communication helps to build and maintain relationships and also facilitate innovation in an organization. When workers feel comfortable about communicating with each other and their managers they can present ideas that facilitate the productivity of the organization. Without interpersonal communication in the workplace, there will be a lack of standards because of a lack of consistency in how and when workers communicate.  It’s a good idea for the management to develop a communication policy to standardize the approaches applied when communicating with colleagues and consumers. The organization should avoid deep depending too profoundly on a single type of communication. Communication barriers are also a major problem experienced during interpersonal communication, because of the differences in background and common ground. Cultural differences may also lead to difficulties in communication leading to miscommunication and confusion. Some workers tend to blend private lives into the place of work communications. Personal communications diminish from competence in the office, which causes gossip in the workplace, causing reduced confidence or even allegations of aggravation. Sometimes information may be interpreted incorrectly. Workers may make assumptions based on the information they hear or read, whether or not they hear or read it correctly. Nonverbal cues also push workers to make assumptions that can obstruct communication. For instance, an employee who evades eye contact may cause others to assume she is walloping important information when she may simply feel inferior or shy.

Ways of enhancing interpersonal communication skills at the workplace

Both the workers and the management need to cultivate a positive outlook at the workplace. Each worker and leader in the organization can remind him or herself the good things about their life and their role and responsibility at the workplace. It there is any problem at the workplace that is likely to generate stress, the workers should look for a positive situation around them and try to build on it. It is also good for every individual to control their emotion while at the workplace. Both workers and managers need to express themselves calmly and patiently. When they feel irritated or depressed severely, they need to take a deep breath and relax to help reduce stress. It is also good to acknowledge other workers and expertise of the organization. It is good for the workers to let their colleagues know that they appreciate their expertise, and also ask for their assistance on projects and give credit when it is required. Showing a real interest in fellow workers is also an effective way of promoting good interpersonal communication skills in an organization. By working with the other workers helps to every worker learn new ideas and concepts about how to perform their role and about their loves. Making an effort to learn what is crucial about co-workers helps to solidify the relationship with them.

Identifying one good trait in every co-worker is also a good way of enhancing good interpersonal communication skills among workers. Good and active listening is also an essential trait that facilitates good interpersonal communication among workers in an organization.  This can be achieved by maintaining good eye conduct with the speaker, nodding the head and repeating what they say in your own words. By doing this, the speaker will feel respected and allow allows both parties to recall the conversation more easily in future. Assertiveness is also an important trait that can help enhance good interpersonal communication in an organization. Being assertive enable workers and managers to be confident in their abilities and opinions, and also allows them not to be afraid to express their view and ideas. Practising empathy by putting yourself in other workers’ shoes will enable every member of the organization to develop empathy for others, thus allowing easy identification of solutions to any arising organization problem. Developing a good connection with college friends and former colleagues on social media or through email is also a way of enhancing good interpersonal communication. The management can organize face-to-face meetings now and then with the workers to show that they value the relationship and that can go a long way in helping you advance their career.

Conclusion

Interpersonal communication plays an important role in the productivity of an organization.  It involves the exchange of information, ideas and feeling between two or more workers in an organization through verbal and non-verbal means.  Interpersonal communication is important at the workplace because it helps in employee motivation, satisfaction and business productivity. This paper has presented the importance of interpersonal communication, the problems in interpersonal communication and how to enhance interpersonal communication in an organization. This paper is important to business managers, to the workers in a workplace and even other researchers. It enables the managers and employees to learn the importance of applying this type of communication in the organization. Researchers get to learn additional information and identify areas where they can conduct further research.