Analysing Effective Communication Skills and Workplace Behaviour

This report delves into the significance of effective communication skills in the workplace and their influence on employee behavior. It explores the practical application of conflict management strategies, including the Thomas Kilmann Model, to resolve workplace disputes. The report further examines various coaching techniques designed to enhance individual performance and productivity, such as fostering transparency, building trust, and providing constructive feedback. Through a case study, the report illustrates the application of these concepts in a real-world scenario, highlighting the importance of clear communication and cultural understanding. The conclusion emphasizes the role of effective communication in mitigating conflicts and improving overall workplace dynamics, making the report a valuable resource for understanding and improving communication and leadership skills.

Effective communication
skills and how it can affect
workplace behaviour

Table of Content
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY ..................................................................................................................................1
1. Use a knowledge and understanding of conflict management to resolve a situation of
conflict.........................................................................................................................................1
2. Presenting the appropriate coaching techniques in order to improve the working
performance of an individual.......................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Effective communication skills, refers to those skills that an individual must have to
communicate effectively with superiors, seniors, colleagues and staff members at the workplace.
In this digital age, workers must know about how to convey message effectively and receiving of
messages. Good communication skills assist employees and team members for performing
effective work. This report aim as demonstrating an understanding of effective communication
skills and how it can influence workplace behaviour. It will also show knowledge of effective
negotiation and influencing skills has been applied in order to attain a pre-determined objective.
Further, the report will use the knowledge and understanding of conflict management to resolve
a situation and also demonstrate various coaching techniques in order to improve the
performance of an individual.
MAIN BODY
1. Use a knowledge and understanding of conflict management to resolve a situation of conflict.
Conflict resolution is the process of resolving a dispute or fight by meeting and
discussing it at least once and that discussion requires addressing each side’s needs and interests.
Further, it sometimes requires both a power and interest-based approach such as use of legal
power or effective communication skills. Moreover, there are various conflicts that arise daily in
people’s working life. Some of them are; leadership conflict, work style dispute, cultural conflict
and so on (Chan, Sit and Lau, 2014).
I and Susan were working in payroll. She is devout Christian who always votes
Republican and has religious figurines in her cubicle. But I used to feel that extremely religious
people are less intelligent, due to my professed unbeliever and liberalness. We both used to avoid
discussing about politics or religion, but they both knew each other’s feelings on present event
and at times there was intense tension. One day in office, Susan came, and she was wearing a t-
shirt that was showing a message that support for a Republican candidate for political office, and
I decided that now it is enough of being so much religious. I felt this action as distancing and
aggressive. I threaten her to not only quit, but to sue the company for allowing a hostile
environment. This action of Susan made me very irritated and so we both had a conflict in our
organisation.
1

Many times it has been observed that these types of conflicts can be resolved pre-
emptively by having clear norms and boundaries in the employee manual. I understood later that
we both were probably breaking rules and not being hold answerable for it. I realised that both of
us must given some alone time and the chance to solve our grievances as this was my first step to
solve our dispute. I made myself understand clearly that, if both keep their personal belief to
themselves, then we will be safe from recrimination and hostility. During this whole situation I
realised that while dealing with interpersonal problems in company, ignoring a looming issue can
cause it to become extremely tough to manage.
In this case, cultural conflict arose due to misunderstanding which I had as I interpreted
Susan’s behaviour, values, and belief through her own culture. According to Thomas Kilmann
Model there are 5 basic way of communicating and neglecting a conflict which I used at that
time.
• Competing:- it is the first mode of this model to resolve conflict. In this a person
pursues his own concerns at the other person’s expense. This is a power-oriented
mode in which I could have used whatever power seen appropriate to win this
argument. Therefore, competing means standing up for own rights.
• Accommodating:- in this mode, an individual ignores his/her own concerns to satisfy
the concern of another person, hence, there is a sense of self-sacrifice in this mode. In
other words, a person obeys another person’s order when he/she prefer not to follow
is good way of resolving a conflict, postponing a dispute until a better time, or simply
withdrawing from a threatening situation.
• Avoiding:- in this case the person neither pursues his own concerns nor those of the
other individuals. Thus, a person does not deal with the conflict, and neglecting might
take the form of diplomatically sidestepping an issue (Rahim, 2017).
• Collaborating:- this mode of resolving conflict involve an attempt to work with others
to identify some solution that entirely satisfies their concerns. Further, collaborating
between two persons might take the kind of exploring a disagreement to learn from
each other’s insight. This win-win method sees dispute resolution as an opportunity to
come to a mutually beneficial result. Here a commitment is required from both the
sides to a mutual acceptable solution (Reio Jr, and Trudel, 2017).
2

• Compromising:- the purpose of this mode of resolving conflict is to identify some
expedient, mutually acceptable solution that partially satisfies both sides. It has been
discovered that compromising gives more than competing but less than
accommodating. Similarly, it addresses a problem more directly than avoiding.
Each of us at workplace are capable to use all five conflict handling modes. But I used
collaborating mode of resolving conflict. In this, I decided to resolve our conflict by participating
in a discussion and tried to find out solution which truly satisfies the need of each. This style I an
outstanding way to merge insights from people with different perspectives on a problem. As
clear communication is necessary for effective functioning, it was also necessary for me to
understand what she desires to express through her action described in the case. I resolved the
conflict, and misunderstanding, between us by taking responsibility for bridging the cultural gaps
between us. I assured her that I will respect her culture, values and belief and will understand
various cultural factors contributing to cultural differences. At last we both decided that instead
of focusing on the differences, we could look for common ground between us and build it on.
2. Presenting the appropriate coaching techniques in order to improve the working performance
of an individual
This is quite necessary to improve the working condition of their employees and there are
some steps of coaching technique that help to improve the working performance which are as
mentioned below:
 Showing confidence is the best technique in order to raise the employee's ability and to
solve their problem. In addition to this, the trainer should always solve the problem of an
individual and also improve the performance so that it will be helpful for them to attain
all defined goals or aim (Neenan, 2018). By asking them to join in a team is quite helpful
and making them to contribute their portion too.
 Another coaching technique is such that describing the performance of an individual. It is
quite necessary to focus on the problem not on a person because it will be helpful for
them that there is a concern and other people do care for them. After it, identify the issues
which are exist that creates obstacles in the path of a a success and then uses different
tools that are actually used in order to overcome those barriers. At that time a trainer of a
leader of a company plays an effective role.
3

 After determining the issues of conflicts, another step comes is to provide proper solution
against a problem and the improvements actions need to taken. Providing them different
ideas will further help to solve the problem and prevent an individual to commit the same
mistake again.
 After providing a proper solution to a problem, an action plan should be taken to
determine the exact working performance of an individual. In addition to this, if an
individual is identify their goals then it will be helpful for a team or an organization to
complete the needs as per prescribed time (Kagoma and et.al., 2018).
 The last step comes is to set a time and date in order to overcome the issues which creates
obstacles. It can be determine by taking feedback from them and even if there is no
improvement in their performance then another deadline is to be assigned through
coaches in order to improve the working performance of every individuals. Moreover,
through motivation and encouragement, an individual can automatically enhances their
own working performance.
There are various strategies which needs to be used in order to overcome the problem and
also help to drive a person towards a success (Mone and London, 2018). Every person has some
strength as well as weakness but to overcome those weaknesses in proper time is the right
strategy which every individual needs to be adopt and here, there are some coaching strategies
which are helpful to make a person effective and by applying those strategy into the working
area will be helpful to attain all defined goals of a company. The strategies are as mentioned
below:
 Know the employees: For those individuals who actually wants to improve the working
condition of their own and at that time, managers of a company want to establish a goal
of the company. Similarly, in the case of an individual using self- evaluation method the
person also makes their work more effective.
 Foster transparency: another coaching strategy is to inform the people and be
transparent towards their own work (Palmer and Whybrow, 2018). Hence being
transparency will help to complete the work in fast and effective way and on the other
side, it will also help to encourage the team if a person become a good leader in future.
 Collaboration: To be competitive in this world is quite necessary for an individual.
Therefore, through good collaboration and also to recognize the work will be helpful for
4

an individual to do work in more effective way. In addition to this, to do the work in well
manner will help to improve many skills among a person and as a result, it further assist a
person to achieve all defined goals and objectives.
 Create the exact objectives: If an individual is clear related to their work then it is also
help to overcome the weaknesses. The strategic planning should be clear and well defined
because this coaching strategy is also focus in an individual to accomplish a culture and
inspire a person to do work in more effective way and as a result, it will help to improve
the performance of a person.
 Build the trust: another coaching strategy is to build a trust between their team members
and a trainer. Because having mutual understanding and trust will be helpful for a person
to raise their working efficiency and also support other peoples so that it further help each
other to keep increasing their efficiency. Being friendly towards a work and judging
others will be another strategy for an individual as it assist them to improve the class as
well as status of an individual (Jones, Woods and Guillaume, 2016).
 Accepting the feedback: it is another coaching technique which is actually helpful for an
individual such that if their colleagues or peers tells them to improve such trait of skills
and then a person try to improve such then it will be helpful for them to attain all their
goals as well objectives. In addition to this, if the employees of a company further accept
the feedback and improve their current role, so it will be helpful to improve their existing
performance in well as efficient manners.
CONCLUSION
From above report, it has been concluded that an effective communication is helpful to
decreases the chances of create conflicts and on the other side, if there is a miss- communication
then it will lead to big problem. Hence, to overcome such problem, report concluded some
coaching techniques which helps an individual to improve their working performance. Moreover,
this coaching technique consist of some steps as well as strategies which should be used by the
person in order to overcome the problem and help them to attain all defined goals for their future
improvements.
5

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Chan, J. C., Sit, E. N. and Lau, W. M., 2014. Conflict management styles, emotional intelligence
and implicit theories of personality of nursing students: A cross-sectional study. Nurse
education today.34(6). pp.934-939.
Jones, R. J., Woods, S. A. and Guillaume, Y. R., 2016. The effectiveness of workplace coaching:
A meta‐analysis of learning and performance outcomes from coaching. Journal of
Occupational and Organizational Psychology. 89(2). pp.249-277.
Kagoma, Y. K. and et.al., 2018. Improving and maintaining radiologic technologist skill using a
medical director partnership and technologist coaching model. American Journal of
Roentgenology, pp.986-992.
Mone, E. M. and London, M., 2018. Employee engagement through effective performance
management: A practical guide for managers. Routledge.
Neenan, M., 2018. Cognitive Behavioural Coaching: Distinctive Features. Routledge.
Palmer, S. and Whybrow, A. eds., 2018. Handbook of coaching psychology: A guide for
practitioners. Routledge.
Rahim, M.A., 2017. Managing conflict in organizations. Routledge.
Reio Jr, T. G. and Trudel, J., 2017. Workplace Incivility and Conflict Management Styles:
Predicting Job Performance, Organizational Commitment, and Turnover Intent. In Adult
Education and Vocational Training in the Digital Age (pp. 217-240). IGI Global.
Online
Conflict in the workplace: It’s personal, even when it’s cultural. 2018. [Online]. Available on:
<https://www.londonschool.com/lsic/resources/blog/conflict-workplace-its-personal-even-
when-its-cultural/>>
6