Leadership and communication

1. Seminar 2
Understanding Communications:
A Key to Effective Leadership
Lori Sundal
Georgia Institute of Technology
A seminar sponsored by EDUCAUSE
EDUCAUSE Southeast Regional Conference
June 2, 2008
Jacksonville, Florida

2. Understanding Communications:
A Key to Effective Leadership
Copyright Lori Sundal, 2008. This work is the intellectual
property of the author. Permission is granted for this
material to be shared for non-commercial, educational
purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on
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the author.

3. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Agenda
•Introductions
•Communications – Definition
•Communication Channels and Types
•Effective Communications
•Communication Styles
•Active Listening
•Summary and Wrap-Up
Breaks each hour and from 10 – 10:15

4. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Introductions
Exercise:
Partner with your neighbor:
Tell your partner something about yourself – unusual,
hobby, goals, or just something you enjoy. Describe it fully.
Then switch and repeat.
Share with all participants.

5. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Introductions
Exercise:
Each table will come up with a their definition of
communication.
Then, we’ll take the elements from all tables and we will
develop our common definition as a group.

6. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communications Definition
The exchange of ideas, messages, or
information, as by speech, signals, or
writing.
Webster’s Dictionary
The art of passing information and ideas
from one person to another.
Successful Communication – Ken Lawson,
M.A., Ed.M.

7. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communications Definition
As leaders, we communicate to:
•Get things done
•Pass on information
•Obtain information
•Reach decisions
•Achieve understanding between individuals
•Develop relationships

8. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communications Definition
Sender

Receiver
Blah,
blah,
blah
Message >>>>> Method >>>>>>
<<<<<<<< Feedback <<<<<<<<<<<

9. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communication Definition
Role of the Sender
–Sender has clarity about the message and how it should be
communicated.
•Meaning is clear
•Understand your audience
•Message is believable
•Solicit feedback
Role of the Receiver
–Receiver is attentive and “truly listening”
•Hears the words
•Interprets what is said and not said
•Provides feedback for clarification

10. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communications Definition
It takes two to speak the truth, one to
speak, and the other to hear.
Henry David Thoreau

11. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communications Definition
KEY 1 –
“It Takes Two”
Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston
Understand your
role as a sender and
a receiver

12. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communications Definition
Jot down one thing you
learned in this section.
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________

13. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communication Types and Channels
Channel – medium chosen by the sender to deliver
a message
•Direct Channels: Obvious and easily recognized,
under direct control of the sender
–Verbal: words, spoken or written
–Non-verbal: body language, gestures, color,
sound

14. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communication Types and Channels
•Indirect Channels: usually recognized subliminally,
not under direct control of the sender
–Non-verbal: body language, gestures, facial
expressions, etc.
High risk of being misinterpreted!

15. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communication Types and Channels
Understanding the Meaning of Communication
7%
38%
55%
Words
Tone
Body Language

16. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communication Types and Channels
Verbal Communications
•Spoken word – speed and convenience, (face
to face - either 1 on 1 or group, phone,
interviews, meetings)
–Face to face is strongest means for building
relationships and trust with peers, employees,
customers and constituents

17. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communication Types and Channels
Verbal Communications
•Written word – more permanent and orderly,
(email, reports, letter, proposals, minutes, etc.)
Strive for 6 things:
•Accuracy
•Relevance
•Brevity
•Structure
•Clarity
•Audience

18. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communication Types and Channels
Type of Communication Example Usefulness
Written Word Letters, Memos, Reports, Permanence and
Proposals, Notes, Contracts, Accessibility
Agendas, Minutes, Plans, etc.
Spoken Word Conversations, Interviews, MeetingsImmediacy
Debates, Announcements, Speeches,
etc.
Symbolic Gestures Gestures, Facial Expressions, Actions,Unconsciously
Tone of Voice, Silence, Stance, Affect Others
Posture, Movement, etc.
Visual Images Pictures, Drawings, Illustrations, Powerful conscious
Charts, Videos, Logos, Graphics, etc.and unconscious
messages

19. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communication Types and Channels
Email
Get out of your Chair!

20. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communication Types and Channels
Non-Verbal
•Body Language – can enhance the spoken word
–Complementing
–Reinforcing
–Emphasizing
–Substituting

21. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communication Types and Channels
Non-Verbal
•Body Language / Gestures – can contradict
the spoken word
–Hands
–Body
–Head / Face

22. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communication Types and Channels
Exercise:
I need 3 volunteers from the audience.

23. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communications Definition
Do I contradict myself? Very well
then, I contradict myself, (I am large, I
contain multitudes.)
Walt Whitman, Song of Myself

24. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communication Types and Channels
Exercise:
Take 5 minutes to talk about how non-verbal communication can
enhance vs. contradict communication.
Share.

25. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communication Types and Channels
KEY 2 –
“Heard it through the
Grapevine”
Gladys Knight & the Pips
Use appropriate channels
for maximum
effectiveness

26. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communications Definition
Jot down one thing you
learned in this section.
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________

27. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Effective Communications
Goal – to achieve clarity
•Must be clear in your own mind
•Must have a succinct deliver
•Ensure the message has been clearly and correctly
understood

28. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Effective Communications
Benefits
•Improve our effectiveness and our job
satisfaction as leaders
–Relationships (employees, peers, superiors,
customers, etc.)
–Management
–Selling
–Counseling
–Coaching
–Mentoring
–Conflict Management

29. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Effective Communications
Business and Technical Communications
•Know your audience
•Talk less about technology and more about
how technology services affect those using
them
•Talk about how technology can enable the
delivery of business process and services
•Beware of technical jargon and acronyms!

30. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Effective Communications
Questions
Who, What, When, Why, How

31. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Effective Communications
Types of Questions
•Open
•Closed
•Fact Finding
•Follow Up
•Feedback

32. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Effective Communications
“Nothing in life is more important than
the ability to communicate
effectively.”
Gerald Ford

33. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Effective Communications
“ I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me alI I knew);
Their names were What and Why and
When and How and Where and Who”
Rudyard Kipling, Just So Stories

34. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Effective Communications
KEY 3 –
“Return to Sender”
Elvis Presley
Question and
provide feedback for
clarity

35. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Effective Communications
Jot down one thing you
learned in this section.
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________

36. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communication Styles

37. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communication Styles
Analyticals
•Quantitative – like facts, figures, numbers, details
•Perfectionists – see themselves as experts
•Critical thinkers – don’t like people to break rules
•Analyze – need time to process information and
make decisions, cautious, adverse to risk
•Inflexible – often resist change
•Reserved – want everything in writing and in detail

38. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communication Styles
Amiable
•Responsible – take it all on, hard for them to
delegate
•Reserved – don’t need the spot light
•Multi-taskers – can juggle multiple tasks
•Cooperative – great listeners and team players, but
get hurt feelings or can be offended easily
•Patient – generally nice people, value others and
friendships
•Persistent – want to be treated fairly

39. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communication Styles
Drivers
•Accomplish – get things done, action-oriented
•Poor listeners – brief, get to the point, afraid of
wasting their time
•Quick decisions – don’t want all the detail, will make
decisions on incomplete information
•Judgmental – always right, highly opinionated,
brusque and abrupt

40. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communication Styles
Expressives
•Talkers – love to talk and socialize, difficult to keep
on task, easily distracted
•Creative – never meet a stranger, abstract thinkers
•Enthusiastic – very articulate and able to influence
others
•Verbal centric – don’t like detail or paper
•People Centered – don’t like working alone
•Poor listeners – say the same thing in three different
ways because they are always thinking and revising

41. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communication Styles
So, what happens when different styles
communicate without understanding style
differences?
Analytical vs. Expressive
Driver vs. Amiable
Driver vs. Expressive

42. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communication Styles
What do you do?
•Understand the different styles and adjust your
communication to the needs of others
•Alter your behavior so that it fits better with
another person’s style; this is your leverage
•Don’t give up your point of view, opinions or
goals
•Remain flexible and understand
communication in another person’s comfort
zone

43. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communication Styles
Exercise:
Complete the communications style questionnaire
and plot your style on the style grid.
What did you learn about yourself?
Share.

44. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communication Styles
Communicating with Analyticals
Do Don’t
Be prepared Be disorganized or messy
Be accurate Be informal or loud
Be direct Rush a decision
Present pros and consFail to follow through
Be specific Waste time
Be persistent Leave things to chance
Present timelines/actionsThreaten or cajole
Use facts and evidenceUse opinions as evidence

45. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communication Styles
Communicating with Amiables
Do Don’t
Start with something personalRush into business
Show sincere interest in themMake their decision
Listen and be responsive Force a response
Be casual and non-threateningBe demanding
Ask “how” questions Debate facts
Provide assurances Be patronizing or
abrupt

46. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communication Styles
Communicating with Drivers
Do Don’t
Be specific and brief Small talk, waste time
Stick to business Be disorganized
Be prepared Leave things unclear
Present information clearlyAsk rhetorical
Ask “what” questions questions
Take issues with facts Speculate
Be directive or make
their decisions

47. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communication Styles
Communicating with Expressives
Do Don’t
Be fast and entertaining Legislate
Leave time for socializing Be cold or aloof
Talk about their goals Press for solutions
Deal with the “big” pictureDeal with details
Ask for their opinions and ideasBe dogmatic
Offer incentives or rewardsTalk down to them

48. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communication Styles
You can have brilliant ideas, but if
you can’t get them across, your
ideas won’t get you anywhere.
Lee Iacocca

49. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communication Styles
What we’ve got here is a failure to
communicate.
Frank. R. Pierson
The problem with communication is the
illusion that it has occurred.
George Bernard Shaw

50. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communications Styles
KEY 4 –
“Thank you for
lettin’ me be myself”
Sly and the Family Stone
Understand how to
communicate with styles
other than your own

51. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Communication Styles
Jot down one thing you
learned in this section.
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________

52. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Active Listening
Why do we listen?
•To obtain information
•To understand
•For enjoyment
•To learn
We remember 25-50% of what we hear!

53. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Active Listening
5 Elements of Active Listening
•Pay attention, not just to the words, but body
language as well
•Show you are listening, mirroring
•Provide feedback
•Defer judgment
•Respond appropriately

54. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Active Listening
Listening Modes
•Competitive or Combative
•Passive or Attentive
•Active or Reflective

55. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Active Listening
Using Listening Skills
•Empathizing – listening from the perspective of the
speaker
•Analyzing – using analytical questions to get at the
full meaning of the speaker’s message
•Reflecting – paraphrasing what has been said to
show the speaker you have heard and understand the
message.

56. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Active Listening
Exercise:
SOLER
Face the speaker Squarely
Adopt an Open posture
Lean
Maintain good Eye contact
Try to be Relaxed
Teams of 3 – Listener, Speaker, Observer

57. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Active Listening
Feedback
Effective feedback has to be:
•accepted by the person receiving it
•must be constructive
•must not be critical

58. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Active Listening
Speaker
•Factual, specific and about what has happened
•Addresses the behavior and the effect
•Take into account needs of receiver as well as you
•Make it well timed
Receiver
•Listen carefully to what is said
•Try not to be defensive; mentally note questions or
disagreements
•Paraphrase what you think you heard
•Ask questions for clarification

59. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Active Listening
Barriers
•Physical Barriers
•Perceptual Barriers
•Emotional Barriers
•Cultural Barriers
•Language Barriers
•Gender Barriers
•Interpersonal Barriers

60. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Active Listening
Exercise:
SOLER with Barriers
Teams of 3 – Listener, Speaker, Observer
Barriers will be provided to either the speaker or
receiver. Do not share your specific barrier with your
team.

61. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Active Listening
The most important thing in communication is to
hear what isn’t being said.
Peter Drucker
When people talk, listen completely. Most people
never listen.
Ernest Hemingway
We have two ears and one mouth so that we can
listen twice as much as we speak.
Epictetus

62. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Active Listening
KEY 5 –
“Listen to What the Man
Said”
Paul McCartney and Wings
Truly hear and see what’s
being communicated to
you

63. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Active Listening
Jot down one thing you
learned in this section.
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________

64. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Summary and Wrap-Up
Sender

Receiver
Blah,
blah,
blah
Message >>>>> Method >>>>>>
<<<<<<<< Feedback <<<<<<<<<<<

65. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Summary and Wrap-Up
Active listening Channels
Eye contact Written and
Spoken word
Watch body language Gestures
Pay attention Body Language
Mirror speaker
Turn toward person Clarity
>>>>>>>>> Feedback >>>>>>>>>>>
Message <<<<< Method <<<<<<
Sender
Receiver

66. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Summary and Wrap-Up
1 Understand your role as a sender
and a receiver
2 Use appropriate channels for maximum
effectiveness
3 Question and provide feedback for clarity
4 Understand how to communicate with
styles other than your own
5 Truly hear and see what’s being
communicated to you

67. Understanding Communications:A Key to Effective Leadership
Summary and Wrap-Up
The art of communication is the
language of leadership.
James Humes

68. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Summary and Wrap-Up
Development of effective
communication skills
is a life-long process. As a
leader, you must
practice and work at
improving these skills.
“The long and winding road”
The Beatles

69. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Thank you for your attendance!
Questions?

70. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Contact Information
Lori Sundal, Director – Enterprise
Information Systems
Office of Information Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology
404-894-5348
[email protected]

71. Understanding Communications: A Key to Effective Leadership
Reference Information
Heller, R. (1998). Communicate Clearly.
New York: DK Publishing, Inc.
Lawson, M.A., Ed.M., K. (2006) Successful Communication.
New York: Axis Publishing Limited
Taggart, B. M. (2006). Communication and Self-Discovery.
Boulder, Colorado: Educause Institute
Trubitt, L. and Muchane, M. (2008). In Plain English, Please: Effective
IT Communications. Educause Quarterly
Internet Resources:
http://www.jenniferwebb.com/communicate.htm
http://www.hodu.com/barriers.shtml