Competency 4 - Facilitate a flow of information pertinent to the guest experience.

Transcription

1 Cmmunicatin Mdule The tw wrds 'infrmatin' and 'cmmunicatin' are ften used interchangeably, but they signify quite different things. Infrmatin is giving ut; cmmunicatin is getting thrugh. - Sydney J. Harris Cmpetency 4 - Facilitate a flw f infrmatin pertinent t the guest experience. Assignment 1 Read Ephesians 4:29, D nt let any unwhlesme talk cme ut f yur muths, but nly what is helpful fr building thers up accrding t their needs, that it may benefit thse wh listen. Nw please respnd t the fllwing questins. Yu may want t write dwn yur respnses t help yu in yur grup discussin after cmpleting this mdule. What wrd r phrase sticks ut t yu the mst frm this verse? Why did the writer mentin unwhlesme talk? Why is gd cmmunicatin between peple very imprtant in sciety tday? Assignment 2 Internal Cmmunicatin Read Prmting Internal Cmmunicatin ( article is attached at the end f the mdule). Answer these questins. (Again, yu may want t jt dwn sme ntes.) Why shuld yu prmte internal cmmunicatin? What are 3 areas where we d well in internal cmmunicatin? What are 3 areas we need t wrk n in internal cmmunicatin? As a First Impressins Team Lead what d yu think yur rle is in internal cmmunicatin? Assignment 3 Upward Cmmunicatin Watch: Wh s n First? Answer these questins.

2 Give an example when yu felt like each f the characters in this cnversatin? What d yu think was the main reasn they culd nt understand what each ther was trying t say? Frm a First Impressins perspective, hw can we make sure we understand the needs/cncerns ur guests are trying t cmmunicate t us? Hw can we ensure we prperly cmmunicate thse guests needs/cncerns up the pipeline at The Ridge? What d we need t d as leaders t ensure that the guests get the infrmatin they are asking fr?

3 Selectin f: Prmting Internal Cmmunicatin By Phil Rabinwitz Cmmunity Tlbx Wrst-case scenari: It's 3:45 p.m., and yur rganizatin has scheduled a rally in favr f the new Yuth Center at 4:00. The press is there, the flks pushing the Yuth Center are there, the pliticians are there...where are all the peple frm yur rganizatin? In a panic, yu call the ffice t ask where the rest f the staff is. "Rally? What rally? Nbdy tld us abut it," they say. We re nt prepared fr any rally." Even-wrse-case scenari: Yu're the directr f a cmmunity health clinic, and yu're abut t pen n Mnday mrning. Suddenly, all the clinic's nurses are lined up in frnt f yu. "Wrking cnditins at this place are terrible. We've been abused and explited lng enugh! We're all handing in ur resignatins...right nw!" Yu stammer, "But yu never tld me yu were unhappy. Let's discuss it!" Then yu realize that yu're talking t the slamming dr. Each f these situatins results frm pr cmmunicatin within an rganizatin. They're particularly awful examples, it's true, but pr internal cmmunicatin has plagued many grass-rts and cmmunity-based rganizatins, and has been the dwnfall f quite a few. It's tremendusly imprtant that yur rganizatin fster an atmsphere f penness and create systems that will lead t the freest flw pssible f, nt nly infrmatin, but ideas, feelings, and a sense f shared purpse. WHAT IS INTERNAL COMMUNICATION? In its simplest terms, internal cmmunicatin is cmmunicatin within an rganizatin. It encmpasses bth "fficial" cmmunicatin -- mems, guidelines, plicies and prcedures, etc. -- and the unfficial cmmunicatin that ges n amng and between the staff members f all rganizatins and the cmmunicatin f custmers needs -- the exchange f ideas and pinins, the develpment f persnal relatinships, and the prverbial cnversatin arund the water cler. It ges in all directins amng line staff (thse wh d the specific wrk f the rganizatin and wrk directly with the target ppulatin), administratrs, supervisrs, clerical and supprt staff, vlunteers, and even custmers. Internal cmmunicatin is a lt mre than peple talking t ne anther, hwever. It's the life bld f any rganizatin, the way in which everyne gets the infrmatin they need. It means that anyne can easily get their questin answered, as well as that n ne gets left ut when there's imprtant infrmatin critical t the success f their rle. Gd internal cmmunicatin can: Prvide peple the infrmatin they need t d their jbs effectively Make sure they knw abut anything that cncerns them Prvide peple with clear standards and expectatins fr their rle Give peple feedback n their wn perfrmance Prvide them emtinal supprt fr difficult times

4 Suggest new ideas abut bth their wrk and their lives Allw them t take the pulse f the guests and understand their verall experience Help them maintain a shared visin and a sense f wnership in the rganizatin In many ways, internal cmmunicatin is the glue that hlds an rganizatin tgether. Withut it, yu're just a cllectin f discnnected individuals each wrking individually at her wn jb. With it, yu're a unit with pwer far beynd the sum f yur parts. S gd internal cmmunicatin is a gd thing. But there's s much t d. Why spend a lt f time n this stuff? Can't the rganizatin d just fine by leaving peple alne t d their jbs and let internal cmmunicatin take care f itself? The shrt answer t that last questin is "N." Unless yu're a ne-persn rganizatin, cmmunicatin is ne f the mst imprtant aspects f managing what yu d. What can internal cmmunicatin d fr yu? Here's a shrt list: It can imprve the effectiveness f the rganizatin. The mre infrmatin peple have, the mre quickly they get it, and the better cnnectins they have with thers in the rganizatin, the better the wrk f the rganizatin gets dne, and the better jbs individuals d. The better jbs they d, the better they feel abut their jbs and abut the rganizatin. The ultimate beneficiaries f all this are the target ppulatin, the cmmunity, and the rganizatin, which finds itself with cmmitted and efficient staff members, satisfied participants, and cmmunity respect. It keeps everyne infrmed f what's ging n in the rganizatin. N ne gets any unpleasant surprises, and everyne has the chance t deal with changes, gd news, and bad news tgether. It allws the rganizatin t respnd quickly and efficiently t change, emergencies, etc. It makes prblem-slving easier by prviding a channel fr everyne's ideas and pinins. Slutins can cme frm unexpected directins, but nly if there's the pssibility that they'll be heard. It creates a climate f penness within the rganizatin. If everyne feels he has access t whatever infrmatin he needs r wants, and can talk t anyne in the rganizatin abut anything, it encurages gd relatins amng peple, prmtes trust, and frestalls jealusy and turf issues. It prmtes an atmsphere f cllegiality, and makes the rganizatin a pleasant place t wrk. Gd internal cmmunicatin means that prblems amng peple get reslved and the wrkplace is generally a pleasant place t be. This, in turn, leads t jb satisfactin and rganizatinal stability (peple will be less likely t leave their jbs if they're happy in their wrk and wrking cnditins). It gives peple mre f a sense f wnership f the rganizatin, and mre f a feeling that everyne is wrking tgether tward the same gal. The cmbinatin f penness and the easy flw f cmmunicatin t everyne

5 cmbine t make peple feel like part f a cherent whle, and t feel that their ideas and pinins are listened t and valued. It shws respect fr everyne in the rganizatin, by assuming that everyne's ideas and infrmatin are valuable. It gets prblems and ptential prblems ut in the pen, rather than letting them fester and turn int smething far harder t deal with. Yu can't deal with a prblem if yu dn't knw it's there; expsing it is the first -- and ften the hardest -- step tward reslving it. It frestalls the spread f rumrs by making sure that accurate infrmatin is cnstantly being cmmunicated t everyne. It imprves the wrk f the rganizatin by increasing the likelihd that ineffective practices, prblems, etc. Can be identified by thse clsest t them, and replaced r reslved by things that wrk better. HOW DO YOU PROMOTE INTERNAL COMMUNICATION? T fster internal cmmunicatin, the first and mst imprtant step is t establish a climate f penness that encurages the free flw f cmmunicatin and infrmatin in all directins. This means that the rganizatinal culture has t embrace internal cmmunicatin, and that individuals -- particularly key individuals, wh might be the directr and ther administratrs, r wh might simply be the peple that thers respect and listen t -- have t feel cmfrtable with, and mdel cmmunicating regularly and clearly with, anyne and everyne else in the rganizatin. Creating a climate that fsters internal cmmunicatin includes: Practice what yu preach, i.e. listen t thers, and act quickly and apprpriately n their questins, cmplaints, suggestins, issues, etc. This is prbably the mst imprtant aspect f develping an atmsphere f penness. Treat everyne similarly, regardless f what jb they have in the rganizatin, r f hw yu feel abut them persnally. Be sensitive t yur -- and thers' -- style f cmmunicatin. Ideally, the peple n bth ends f a cmmunicatin are partners. Being pen and ffensive r cndescending is prbably wrse than nt being pen at all. Many peple are apparently brn expert cmmunicatrs; thers need t be trained t cmmunicate apprpriately (see the descriptin f "Staff training" belw); and still thers simply need t be infrmed that -- ften because f differences in age r gender -- their style f cmmunicatin is bthering thers. Again, leaders need t set a clear example here, but part f gd internal cmmunicatin is the willingness f peple t speak ut when they feel uncmfrtable r ffended. Often, that can be enugh t slve the prblem. Be culturally sensitive. This encmpasses a large area, and runs bth ways. The peple n bth sides f a cultural divide -- whether it's a divide f race, ethnicity, religin, r smething else -- need t be sensitive t the assumptins and needs f the ther. Smething as simple as hw far apart they stand can create tensin, and the use f sme terms that seem inncent n the part f ne

6 -- "yu peple" is a prime example -- can cause anger and lasting bad feelings n the part f the ther. Make sure infrmatin flws in all directins. The rganizatin shuld ensure that peple learn immediately abut things that interest r affect them, and shuld set up systems t make sure that happens, as well as mechanisms t make sure that less timely infrmatin gets passed arund (see "Systems" belw). Infrmatin flw might include -- in larger rganizatins -- an internal newsletter r bulletin that cntains interesting r imprtant infrmatin (this culd be circulated as either print r ). CLEAR DEFINITIONS OF WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMUNICATED AND BY WHOM Much f the infrmatin an individual gets is directly related nly t him r his jb. He bviusly can't relay all f it t everyne else. What des need t be cmmunicated t thers, and wh is respnsible fr ding it? The answers t thse questins will vary frm rganizatin t rganizatin, but here are sme brad guidelines: Any infrmatin that anyne needs t d his jb r t better understand the cntext f the wrk shuld be cmmunicated t him immediately by whever has the infrmatin. Sme pssibilities here include infrmatin frm anther staff member abut a participant that bth are wrking with; infrmatin frm anther staff member abut a situatin that he is abut t encunter as part f his jb; r new rules, regulatins, guidelines, etc. that affect his wrk (frm the directr r his supervisr if they are internal; frm whever learned abut them if they are external, e.g. federal laws). Any prblem r issue with smene's jb perfrmance shuld be cmmunicated t him as sn as it becmes apparent. The assumptin shuld be that the situatin will imprve, but if it gets wrse, neither the seriusness f it nr the cnsequences shuld cme as a surprise. Any prblems that arise between r amng staff members shuld be addressed immediately. As discussed abve, the ideal is that all parties wuld be capable f simply dealing with the issue face t face. If they can't r aren't willing t, there shuld be an rganizatinal prcedure by which the situatin can be mediated by smene trusted by everyne invlved. In either case, it's vital that the situatin be identified by at least ne f the parties invlved as quickly as pssible, s that it can be addressed and reslved befre it affects the wrk f the rganizatin. Any infrmatin imprtant t the wrking f the rganizatin as a whle -- Psitive infrmatin, praise, etc. shuld be cmmunicated as ften as pssible by anyne wh has it t give, but especially by directrs r supervisrs. Peple in grass-rts and cmmunity-based rganizatins t ften deal with bad news. They need t hear gd news and get credit fr what they d. In situatins where an individual is being praised fr a jb well dne, he shuld be praised twice: nce privately by his supervisr r the directr, and then again

7 publicly (at a staff meeting r awards presentatin). And every pprtunity shuld be taken t pass arund that kind f praise. IN SUMMARY Prmting internal cmmunicatin is ne f the mst imprtant things yu can d t make sure that yur rganizatin runs smthly and effectively. Gd internal cmmunicatin will flurish if yu can create an rganizatinal climate f penness that is cnducive t the free flw f cmmunicatin and infrmatin in all directins; adjust yur rganizatin's systems r develp new nes t encurage, rather than discurage, internal cmmunicatin; and create clear definitins f what needs t be cmmunicated and by whm.