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Communication

Activities/Tips

Take a DISC or Meyers Briggs assessment for yourself and/or your staff. Contact the OD & T Department for help at 410-955-6747.
Develop a communication plan for either internal or external communication. Who will communicate? What will be communicated? When will it be communicated? Where will it be communicated? How will it be communicated?
Join Toastmasters… there is a Johns Hopkins chapter. Contact Jim Brasic for more information.
Have you and your employees complete the communications checklist.
Conduct a communications audit.
For one week, monitor how much time you spend talking, listening, probing, and problem solving in each of your conversations. Calculate the ratios/percentages. In most cases, effective communicators focus more on listening and probing.
Learn how to probe… ask good questions. Ask open-ended questions such as those that start with “what,” “how,” “describe,” etc.
Evaluate your listening skills.
Resolve a conflict between warring subordinates.
Develop a personal information survey for your employees (family information, hobbies, interests, etc.).
Actively solicit feedback about your own communication and communication within the organization. Ask staff questions like: When we talk, are you generally clear about what I am saying? Do you think we communicate well around here? Have you got any ideas about how we could communicate better? Consider including these questions (or similar ones) in your performance management process, or staff meetings.
Working with your staff, define how you should communicate in the organization. Develop consensus regarding:
-       How disagreements should be handled.
-       How horizontal communication should work (staff to staff).
-       How vertical communication should work (manager to staff, staff to manager).
-       Ask your employees what information they would like to receive regularly from you.
-       What information should be available and when.
-       Once consensus is reached, support the achievement of these goals through positive reinforcement and coaching.
Look at the impact of the structure of your organization and how it impacts on communication. Indirect communication (communication that is transferred from person to person) is notorious for causing problems. Look at increasing direct communication where the person with the message to send does it directly with the receiver.
Demonstrate active listening…eye contact, take notes, keep your mouth closed, don’t interrupt, paraphrase what you have heard, and nod to signal you understand what they are saying. This will set a tone and contribute to a positive communication climate.
Work on other non-verbal communication…check your posture, lean forward to show interest, smile, reduce distractions, etc.
Communicate the “why” behind the “what.”
List the key people in your organization that you need to be successful. Make a special effort to keep them informed.
Use multiple communication methods to send important organizational information.
In meetings, ensure you’re not the sole source of information. Ask others to give updates and provide information. Assign others to gather information for the next meeting.
Update your staff on recent developments within your organization.
Don’t “shoot the messenger” (that is, don't punish people who give you bad news).
Informally spend time with employees (water cooler chats) finding out how things are going.
When starting meetings, don’t wait for latecomers. That just sets the standard that future meetings will start late.
Circulate the minutes of meetings to update absent employees and to gain the consensus of the employees who were present regarding what was covered.