Effective Communication Skills in the Workplace

Communication skills can make or break a diverse workplace.  Organizations that hire persons with disabilities must recognize the fundamental need for improving communication skills, both on a macro and micro scale.  Organizational leaders must be attentive to the communication practices between coworkers as well as those that are broadcasted throughout the organization as a whole.

This month, Program Development Associates features the Communicating with Tact, Candor, and Credibility D.V.D. to help organizations improve communication skills among their members.  This digital resource explores the use of subtle mediation to effectively communicate with employees, members of interoffice teams, and upper level managers.

The point of difference in this training resource is the methodology it establishes to facilitate communication.  This methodology teaches viewers to identify the individual with whom they are communication in terms of four typical conversational roles:

The Escape Artist
The communicator who sidesteps interrogation and often has a finger to point.

The Judge
An intellectual, this communicator uses ethics and morality to frame the actions of her peers.

The Scientist
Intelligent by nature, this communicator likes facts, figures, and statistics, quickly ignoring qualitative data.

The Beggar
Compassionate and empathetic, this communicator means well but often asks for more than they contribute.

By identifying the conversational role of the person with whom they communicate, viewers are better able to understand the motivation and necessity behind messages.

Once viewers learn to correctly identify the communication styles of their coworkers, they are given guidelines to further effective employee communication efforts.  These guidelines include:  Rephrasing, tactfully constructing talking points, quick message construction, scripting, feathered speech, and reconstructing corporate jargon.

In addition to the Communicating with Tact, Candor, and Credibility D.V.D., Program Development Associates offers a range of resources to foster communication skills.  These resources include D.V.D.s, CD-ROMs, and other interactive materials exclusively designed with the diverse workplace in mind.