Effective Communication Paper

Effective Communication

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Effective Communication

Communication is the process of exchanging information from one individual, place or group to another through writing, speaking or use of body language. Thus, effective communication lengthens the concept to ensure that the conveyed message is received and well understood by the receiver in the manner in which it was planned (Kwiatkowski, 2017). Communicating to employees or a particular group of people in an organization is very crucial and therefore, each organization should lay out proper organizational models commonly known as organizational structures that meet the needs of the organization.

Organizational Model that Best Describes an Organization with which you are Familiar with

The organizational model that I am familiar with is the functional organizational model. In this kind of model, the organization is divided into sections based on its specified roles such as finance, IT, customer service or marketing (Kwiatkowski, 2017). This allows tasks to be carried out effectively since employees within a certain department share their skills and knowledge. I am conversant with this model because I once worked in an organization with this kind of structure having different departments and the operations of the organization were carried out efficiently.

Ways In which Organizations Currently Share Knowledge or Involve Employees In Formulating Solutions to Problems.

Sharing of knowledge and engaging employees in finding solutions to problems requires the management to first develop and build meaningful relationships between the employees to enhance knowledge sharing (Al Saifi, Dillon, & McQueen, 2016). The healthcare industry keeps pace with changes in technology and therefore, it is important for organizations to create relationships between employees so as allow sharing of information among each other. Moreover, the organization can as well share information from the top-level managers to the middle-level managers, who then deliver the message to their juniors through means such as emails, verbal communication, and meetings. The chain of command in each organization can be utilized when involving employees in formulating solutions to problems. Problems arising from the various departments can be solved by heads of departments such as conflicts between employees or poor job performance. Employees should be given an opportunity to communicate issues affecting them as well as their thoughts and possible solutions.

The Most Effective Communication Technique in Sharing of Information and Ideas

The most effective technique for sharing information and ideas is verbal communication. This is because talking face to face ensures that information being passed is understood well and interpreted in a manner in which it was intended. In addition, it aids in clarifying misunderstandings and give any missing information (Al Saifi, Dillon, & McQueen, 2016). It is important to carry out daily meetings to inform employees of their expectations for the day and resources they will use to complete their various tasks. These meetings also give an opportunity for employees to discuss with their supervisors or managers any problems they are facing

Communication Technique that Proved to be Ineffective

The use of emails as a communication technique does not work efficiently since there is no assurance that each employee will check their emails and read those (Kaushal & Kaddoum, 2017). In most cases, employees tend to say that they did not receive any job-related emails or skimming email communications for example when a colleague sends an email discussing different points concerning a particular proposal, the receiver may end up responding to only one point. The sender will have a perception that his/her email was not important enough since the whole message was not considered when responding back. Ineffective communication contributes to the goals of the organization not being met as planned.

How These Communication Techniques Might Be Applied or Modified In a Health Care Work Environment

Verbal communication can be used by health care professionals when communicating and interacting with patients seeking medical treatment. Active listening is essential to ensure that whatever the patient is conveying is well understood (Al Saifi, Dillon, & McQueen, 2016). Health care practitioners should also learn to use plain language and avoid medical jargon for effective verbal communication. For example, informing the patient they have ‘high blood pressure’ rather than using ‘hypertension’. Health care organization should consider modifying non-verbal communication techniques such as the use of emails for better understanding and interpretations. They can be accompanied with pictures or illustrations for patients or nurses to read through with much ease.

How Technology Affects the Communication Process

The relationship that exists between communication and technology in today’s organizations is important. Technology has made communication become instantaneous, unified, fast and more deliberate. Individuals can video chat, send emails or do video conferencing with their superiors through social interacting applications such as Skype (Kwiatkowski, 2017). Therefore, technology has improved the communication process as messages can be sent to a larger group of people with the use of emails. Video conferencing has enabled employees to keep in touch and provide each other with the latest updates without meeting physically at the office. On the other hand, technology as also slowed down the process of communication when the information technology websites shut is shut down or temporarily unavailable because of updating and maintenance issues. Messages to be sent from one party to another would be delayed or postponed affecting the flow of communication to the final sender (Kwiatkowski, 2017). Also, when technology gadgets fail to work due to technical problems such as cable malfunctioning would affect the communication process since there would be no medium of communication to be used. Organizations should consider having alternatives when such scenarios occur in order to avoid interrupting the normal operations of an organization and negatively affecting the process of effective communication.

References

Al Saifi, S. A., Dillon, S., & McQueen, R. (2016). The relationship between face to face social networks and knowledge sharing: an exploratory study of manufacturing firms. Journal of knowledge management, 20(2), 308-326.

Kaushal, H., & Kaddoum, G. (2017). Optical communication in space: challenges and mitigation techniques. IEEE communications surveys & tutorials, 19(1), 57-96.

Kwiatkowski, C. (2017). Effective communication as a major key to successful organizational change. Effective communication as a major key to successful organizational change, 7(2), 22-29.