CHAPTER 12  - Activities - PowerPoint - Quiz

•What does this video make you think of? The Job

•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XGJq8wrw5I

 

3. INTERVIEW
Interview a person in a leadership position in a business or other organization.  Prepare a list of questions in advance.  Ask the leader about the importance of interpersonal communication in at work.

 

4. EXPERIENCE APPLICATION

Identify an experience you've had at your job, which could have been improved by more effective communication.  Based on what you learned in this chapter, what could you have done differently?

 

5. DIFFICULT COMMUNICATION

What is a situation at work where you find communication difficult?  Do you watch what you say with coworkers and supervisors?  Do you speak respectfully to people in subordinate positions?  Why do you find certain kinds of communication difficult, and what can you do to improve you communication in those situations?

 

6. INTERVIEW

Interview a supervisor at your place of work (or an administrator at your college).  Set up an appointment to talk to the person about effective communication in the workplace.  Prepare a list of five questions to guide you.  You may want to find out what effective communication strategies the supervisor uses, how the supervisor learned to communicate well, and how the supervisor ensures effective feedback within the organization's culture. 

 

Be sure to employ the principles of good interviewing discussed in the chapter, such as beginning with small talk and using communication flexibility. You'll want to send a formal "thank you" note to express appreciation for the supervisor's help with your assignment.

 

After the interview, prepare a written or oral report on your findings. 

 

7. YOUR NETWORK

As discussed in the chapter, an important application of conversation skills is professional networking.  People need to connect with others in their professional field in order to interact with them and to stay in touch with current trends and issues.  And networking is central to getting work, especially for independent contractors and consultants. Indeed, 28% of all external hires are based on employee referrals, reflecting the importance of being networked with others in the workplace. 

 

For this learning activity, create a diagram of your organizational communication network.  Include people at work and in other organizations to which you belong.

 

First, make a list of the people you know in organizations.

 

Second, draw a diagram of the communication network where you work or another organization to which you belong.  Your diagram might be a chart of circles and lines, for example, with you in the middle and spokes out to people you know well indicated close to you, and people they know linked farther away from the center.  The drawing should be self-explanatory, although your instructor may ask you to provide a written or oral explanation.   

 

8. EXEMPLARY COMMUNICATION

One important strategy in effective communication is using exemplary communication.

This learning activity has two suggested steps.

 

First, write out three specific strategies you can use to support your communication with people at work. Example strategies students have used include the following:

a.  Make an appointment with my supervisor to ask the question "How am I doing?"

b.  Pass along a compliment I heard about someone at work.

c.  Send a "thank you" email to someone in the organization once a week.

d.  Volunteer to help when asked, then follow-through on the job efficiently.

 

Second, write out or present the results of what happened when you actually tried your strategies.  Based on the activities, what additional communication strategies do you plan to use in the future?

 

9. TALK ABOUT IT

With a partner or small group, discuss key ideas about communication in organizations from this chapter.  Suggested discussion questions include the following:

 

How should you adapt your work communication in a global society?

How do you embracing a diverse workplace?

What are the communication effects of a flattened organizational structure?

What are the communication effects of competition in the work environment?

How can you communicate and build work relationships without seeming to be talking off-task or wasting time?

How can you be an effective communicator in your next job interview or job performance appraisal?

 

10. VIRTUAL INTERVIEW

Investigate the cyber-interview process through computer platforms such as Second Life. Based on your Internet search to see what options are available?  What are the advantages and disadvantages to this approach?  What advice do you have for people who use this format so that their communication is effective?

 

11, EFFECTIVE MEETINGS

Research suggests that many people spend considerable time in meetings, which are unproductive.  Make a list of strategies you can use—as a member and as a leader--to increase the effectiveness of meetings you do or will attend.  Create a strategies for each of the topic areas listed.

 

Communication Strategies for Effective Meetings	Member Strategies	Leader Strategies
Agenda
Member Relationships
Motivating Members
Reaching Consensus
Staying on Task
Additional

 

 

12. WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

This activity may be completed individually or in a group, as requested by your professor.  An organization is facing a financial crisis brought on by inadequate leadership, lack of accountability, and insufficient communication between departments.  As a way of generating new ideas for improvement, management ask a group of employees from all levels to come together to brainstorm for strategies they can suggest to management. 

 

Management asked you to lead your coworkers, who will come together to formulate a plan to use "transparent communication" turn the organization around.  Management believes that a climate of openness and effective communication between all departments and administrative levels will set the organization on a path for improvement. 

 

Based on what you learned in this chapter, what steps would you suggest for creating and maintaining an effective problem solving group?