Communications in All Fields

Alison Motluk’s article, “A Tool for the Real World”  points out the need for well-rounded communication skills across all fields.  Every organization has departments within it. You want to be able to have all personnel of the organization be able to communicate with each other clearly. When communication fails due to lack of understanding one another, it can slow down the organization and its projects or tasks. There should be a way to have everyone communicate with each other so that they can be clearly understood.

Motluk uses the examples of scientists. The main problem with scientists is that they spend too much time speaking to people like themselves (Motluck, 2011). It often makes working together more challenging when you are unable to communicate clearly with one another. It is very important to have strong communication skills in any type of organization. I believe that organizations should also coach their members on how to properly communicate effectively with one another. I work for a therapy facility that offers Applied Behavior Analysis therapy to children with Autism. Our Behavior Analysts supervise all the programs for our patients. When our Behavior Analysts start talking their jargon, we on the Operations side often just end up with blank looks on our faces. Jargon is a technical language that only understood by those with specialized occupational training (Kreps, 2011). In our weekly meetings, our COO often asks them to “dumb” it down for those of us who are not involved in treatment.   

Often times in the situation of speaking to someone of such a status as a scientist like in Motluck’s article, some people are a bit intimidated.  I remember when I first started at my work place; I was extremely intimidated by the Behavior Analysts. “Within organizations, a person’s role is likely to impact how she is perceived by others.” (Ananht, 2010). People communicate towards one another depending on how they perceive each other. If some people are intimidated by others, they often avoid communication or have very little communication. It is important to coach on strong communication so that everyone can communicate on the same level and clearly understand one another. 

No matter what organization you are a part of, without strong communication skills, very little will be accomplished. Even in simple transactions, effective communication is critical. A breakdown in communication will make it difficult to complete the transaction. (Kerps, 2011). There is a need for organizations to ensure their members to be able to communicate effectively with one another. Most organization’s members have interdependent relationships; they have to be able to communicate to be able to work together effectively. Without that, no organization can be successful. 

References

Anant, H. (2010). Interpersonal perception within organizations: an exploratory study. IUP Journal of Soft Skill, 4(4), 34-47. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Kreps, G. (2011). Communication in Organizations. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education.

Motluck, A. (2011, January 13). A tool kit for the real world. Retrieved from http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19969-a-tool-kit-for-the-real-world.html?full=true#.VSx_GPnF_ng