IT FOR EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION

1. Employee Communication: 5 Ways Leaders
Can Communicate Change
Guest articles > Employee Communication: 5 Ways Leaders Can Communicate Change
by: Marcia Xenitelis
I am often asked about the role of the CEO or leader of any organization in employee
communication. My opinion is that no matter what the issue is, even if it is just business as
usual, having a good communicator as a CEO is critical to impact the culture of an
organization in a positive way.
Lets start with looking at some scenarios. These can include a merger or acquisition, an
organizational crisis, announcement of annual financial results, corporate social
responsibility or even trying to create a culture of innovation.
My contention is that no matter what the issue, here are 5 ways that your CEO can
communicate with employees and achieve positive outcomes each time. Most of the
methods listed below involve face to face dialogue to ensure the greatest engagement.
1. Staff Forums – Otherwise known as “Town Halls” these are opportunities for the CEO
and Senior Management team to visit employees in all locations and address the real issues
and concerns of staff as well as communicating the big picture. Employee communication
tips include handing out cards to attendees so that the questions can be addressed after a
break in proceedings, tailoring the presentation in part to the unique situation in the
particular region the CEO is visiting and following up any issues that cannot be answered at
the time.
2. Site Visits – These are an excellent employee communication tool for the CEO to find
out specifically from the frontline exactly what the issues and concerns are of a particular
region or department. The key is not only to spend time with the leadership team but also
to sit with employees and find out what they are working on and inviting them to suggest
innovative ways of doing things differently. CEOs' rarely spend time communicating with
employees and this is one way to break down perceptions and encourage two way
communication.
3. Employee Achievement – Another way the CEO can communicate change is to support
and encourage employees personally for their achievements. These maybe directly related
to the issue at hand and by taking time out to recognize high achievers or change agents it
sends a strong message to all employees that the CEO will reward those who support and
are engaged in the change agenda.
4. Leaderships Forums – One of the smartest things an CEO can do during times of
change is to communicate with his / her leadership team. I have always found that
employee communication strategies need to be pitched at different levels and with different
strategies to suit the role and expectations of the employees. When we think of change it is
the leadership team that will drive it, from regional managers, state managers to frontline
supervisors it is important that the CEO communicates face to face with the leadership
team to be very clear about his or her expectation of them during times of change. One

2. employee communication tip here is that face to face one on one meetings be held with the
direct reports to the CEO and the next level down; it is a very powerful tool and has
maximum impact.
5. CEO Blog – Finally where would we be if we did not mention some form of technology
driven communication tool. A CEO blog is very effective if it is used to support and report
on the transformation process whilst the employee engagement strategy is underway. For
example the CEO has one on one meetings with the leadership team, he / she then reports
in the Blog on the key messages and expectations. The CEO begins visits to each region
and reports back on the Blog the key observations and achievements of employees and so
on. Employee communication tools to inform are always a back up and support to the real
communication taking place, the employee communication engagement strategies as listed
in points 1 – 4 above.
The methods suggested above also achieve another goal often neglected in employee
communication. As this is the opportunity for the CEO to find out what people at all levels
of the organization really think about a particular issue, it will cause the CEO to think
differently next time about the importance of employee communication and will ensure that
change communication is addressed at the planning phase of any major organizational
change.
About the author: Marcia Xenitelis is a recognized authority on the subject on employee
communication and business transformation and has spoken at conferences around the
world. For more information on the types of employee communication strategies you can
implement to engage employees visit www.employeecommunicationtips.com for a wealth of
free informative articles and resources.
Contributor: Marcia Xenitelis
Published here on: 2-Dec-07
Classification: Leadership, Communications
Website: www.employeecommunicationtips.com
MSWord: CommunicateChange.doc

3. Employee Communication: 5 Tips To Engage
Employees
Guest articles > Employee Communication: 5 Tips To Engage Employees
by: Marcia Xenitelis
When we think of employee communication most organizations focus on information tools.
These include intranet sites, staff magazines, CEO blog, Town Hall meetings and so on.
Whilst all these employee communication methods are to be applauded, they inform
employees about what is going on. To truly engage employees in the process of change, for
instance, a merger or acquisition, a re-organization, financial results or corporate social
responsibility, employee communication methods need to be designed to actively engage
employees.
Employee engagement should always result in some positive change of behaviour which will
then lead to the achievement of organizational goals. Just distributing information by any of
the above methods will not achieve the change in employee behaviour and organizational
outcomes you are looking for.
Here are 5 tips that will ensure that your employee communication methods do achieve
those outcomes.
1. The first tip is to establish whether the tools and methods you are currently using to
communicate with employees are engagement strategies or information tools. So
gather all the tools used and identify all the methods used, their frequency, intended
audience, whether they are one way or two way communication vehicles and review
the key messages.
2. The second tip is important because your ultimate aim in employee communication
has to be to create the “Aha Moment”. The “Aha Moment” is based on information
that challenges the employee’s belief about an aspect of the business. The
information that suddenly helps employees say, “Now it makes sense”, “Now I
understand”, “Now I can do something about it”. Once you know what the “Aha
Moment” is this will form your key message and the basis of your design of your
employee communication strategy.
3. This third tip explains the best type of research to find out what the “Aha Moment”
is, and the best type for this purpose is focus group research. Focus group research
allows you to ask employees about your business and their thoughts on competitors,
to identify the largest gap between what customers think and what staff think
customers think, and to identify what would create a paradigm shift in employee’s
thinking. It also helps you identify how you will measure the impact of the change in
employees thinking and to determine how significant it is to achieving the business
objectives.
Focus groups are a good format as they allow you to explore issues further and
sometimes you will discover issues or ideas you hadn’t considered prior to the
session. Focus groups generally are held for one and a half hours duration and in
groups of 8 – 10 participants. As the facilitator, your role is to lead the discussion but
leave the actual dialogue to the participants, bringing them back to the main issue if
they have gone off on a tangent or to ensure that all the topics that you wanted to
cover within the allocated timeframe are covered. A well facilitated focus group will

4. identify the key messages for your employee communication strategies as they
relate to a particular business issue.
4. The fourth tip is that once you have your focus group outcomes, you can then begin
designing employee communication strategies that engage employees. You should
have a clear understanding about what employees know and what the facts are, and
the gap between the business facts and staff perceptions. This forms your key
message to create the “Aha Moment”.
5. The fifth tip is that you take the key information from the focus groups, identify a
business issue that you feel sure your employee communication strategies can
impact on. By using that information and work together with that area of the
business you then implement an employee communication strategy that can be
measured by business outcomes.
Once you have gathered all this information you then need to design employee
communication strategies that engage employees around the one central message. Many of
these employee communication strategies will actively involve employees in some aspect of
change by designing communication methods that will require employees to participate.
These engagement strategies are then supplemented by employee communication
information tools.
About the author: Marcia Xenitelis is a recognized authority on the subject on employee
communication and has spoken at conferences around the world. For more information on
the types of employee communication strategies you can implement to engage employees
visit her website www.employeecommunicationtips.com for a wealth of informative articles
and resources.
Contributor: Marcia Xenitelis
Published here on:
Classification: Communications
Website: www.employeecommunicationtips.com
MSWord: EmployeeComm5T.doc

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Effectiveness Unit no FG4D
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Communication skills
Barriers to effective communication
BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
No matter how good the communication system in an organisation is, unfortunately
barriers can and do often occur. This may be caused by a number of factors which can
usually be summarised as being due to physical barriers, system design faults or
additional barriers.
Physical barriers are often due
to the nature of the environment.
Thus, for example, the natural barrier
which exists, if staff are located in
different buildings or on different sites.
Likewise, poor or outdated equipment,
particularly the failure of management
to introduce new technology, may also
cause problems.
Staff shortages are another factor
which frequently causes
communication difficulties for an
organisation.
Whilst distractions like background
noise, poor lighting or an environment
which is too hot or cold can all affect
people's morale and concentration,

6. which in turn interfere with effective
communication.
System design faults refer to
problems with the structures or
systems in place in an organisation.
Examples might include an
organisational structure which is
unclear and therefore makes it
confusing to know who to
communicate with.
Other examples could be inefficient or
inappropriate information systems, a
lack of supervision or training, and a
lack of clarity in roles and
responsibilities which can lead to staff
being uncertain about what is
expected of them.
Attitudinal barriers come
about as a result of problems with staff
in an organisation.
These may be brought about, for
example, by such factors as poor
management, lack of consultation with
employees, personality conflicts which
can result in people delaying or
refusing to communicate, the personal
attitudes of individual employees
which may be due to lack of
motivation or dissatisfaction at work,
brought about by insufficient training
to enable them to carry out particular
tasks, or just resistance to change due
to entrenched attitudes and ideas.
OTHER COMMON BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
INCLUDE:

7. Psychological factors such as people's
state of mind. We all tend to feel happier and
more receptive to information when the sun
shines.
Equally, if someone has personal problems like
worries about their health or marriage, then this
will probably affect them.
Different languages and cultures
represent a national barrier which is particularly
important for organisations involved in overseas
business.
Individual linguistic ability is also
important. The use of difficult or inappropriate
words in communication can prevent people from
understanding the message.
Poorly explained or misunderstood messages can
also result in confusion. We can all think of
situations where we have listened to something
explained which we just could not grasp.
Physiological barriers may result from
individuals' personal discomfort, caused, for
example, by ill health, poor eye sight or hearing
difficulties.
Presentation of information is also
important to aid understanding.

8. Most people would agree that communication between two individuals should be simple. It’s important to remember
that there are differences between talking and communicating. When you communicate, you are successful in getting
your point across to the person
you’re talking to. When we talk, we tend to erect barriers that hinder our ability to communicate. There are seven of
these types of barriers to effective communication.
Physical barriers are easy to spot – doors that are closed, walls that are erected, and distance between people all
work against the goal of effective communication. While most agree that people need their own personal areas in the
workplace, setting up an office to remove physical barriers is the first step towards opening communication. Many
professionals who work in industries that thrive on collaborative communication, such as architecture, purposefully
design their workspaces around an “open office” plan. This layout eschews cubicles in favor of desks grouped around
a central meeting space. While each individual has their own dedicated work space, there are no visible barriers to
prevent collaboration with their co-workers. This encourages greater openness and frequently creates closer working
bonds.
Perceptual barriers, in contrast, are internal. If you go into a situation thinking that the person you are talking to isn’t
going to understand or be interested in what you have to say, you may end up subconsciously sabotaging your effort
to make your point. You will employ language that is sarcastic, dismissive, or even obtuse, thereby alienating your
conversational partner. Think of movie scenarios in which someone yells clipped phrases at a person they believe is
deaf. The person yelling ends up looking ridiculous while failing to communicate anything of substance.
Emotional barriers can be tough to overcome, but are important to put aside to engage in conversations. We are
often taught to fear the words coming out of our own mouths, as in the phrase “anything you say can and will be used
against you.” Overcoming this fear is difficult, but necessary. The trick is to have full confidence in what you are
saying and your qualifications in saying it. People often pick up on insecurity. By believing in yourself and what you
have to say, you will be able to communicate clearly without becoming overly involved in your emotions.
Cultural barriers are a result of living in an ever shrinking world. Different cultures, whether they be a societal culture
of a race or simply the work culture of a company, can hinder developed communication if two different cultures
clash. In these cases, it is important to find a common ground to work from. In work situations, identifying a problem
and coming up with a highly efficient way to solve it can quickly topple any cultural or institutional barriers. Quite
simply, people like results.
Language barriers seem pretty self-inherent, but there are often hidden language barriers that we aren’t always
aware of. If you work in an industry that is heavy in jargon or technical language, care should be taken to avoid these
words when speaking with someone from outside the industry. Without being patronizing, imagine explaining a
situation in your industry to a child. How would you convey these concepts without relying on jargon? A clear, direct

9. narrative is preferable to an incomprehensible slew of
specialty terms.
Gender barriers have become less of an issue in recent years, but there is still the possibility for a man to
misconstrue the words of a woman, or vice versa. Men and women tend to form their thoughts differently, and this
must be taken into account when communicating. This difference has to do with how the brain of each sex is formed
during gestation. In general, men are better at spatial visualization and abstract concepts such as math, while women
excel at language-based thinking and emotional identification. However, successful professionals in highly
competitive fields tend to have similar thought processes regardless of their gender.
Interpersonal barriers are what ultimately keep us from reaching out to each other and opening ourselves up, not just
to be heard, but to hear others. Oddly enough, this can be the most difficult area to change. Some people spend their
entire lives attempting to overcome a poor self-image or a series of deeply rooted prejudices about their place in the
world. They are unable to form genuine connections with people because they have too many false perceptions
blocking the way. Luckily, the cure for this is more communication. By engaging with others, we learn what our actual
strengths and weaknesses are. This allows us to put forth our ideas in a clear, straightforward manner.
Communication is not a one-way street. To have others open up to you, you must be open yourself. By overcoming
these barriers to communication, you can ensure that the statement you are making is not just heard, but also
understood, by the person you are speaking with. In this way, you can be confident that your point has been
expressed.
Have you had difficulty communicating an idea in the past? Were you able to solve the problem? Is so,

10. Barrier
Explanation
Language
The communication message might not use vocabulary that is understood by the receiver – e.g.
too much use of technical or financial jargon
Noise
Various things stop a message from getting through or being heard – e.g. poor connection,
background noise, distractions, too many people speaking
Overload
Too much information can cause problems e.g. slow down decision making
Emotion
The relationship between the sender and receiver of communication might adversely affect the
message – which could be ignored or misinterpreted
Gaps
Too many intermediaries (e.g. too many layers in hierarchy through which message has to be
passed) might prevent or distort the message
Inconsistency
If people receive conflicting or inconsistent messages, then they may ignore or block them

11. Communication is a process by which you convey your message to someone or a group of people. And
if the message is conveyed clearly and unambiguously, then it is known as effective communication.
In effective communication, the message you had sent would reach the receiver with very little
distortion. However, a communication becomes successful only if the receiver understands what the
sender is trying to convey. When your message is not clearly understood, there is every likelihood that
you are facing a barrier in communicating effectively. Barriers to effective communication could cause
a roadblock in your professional and personal life and it could be one of the major hurdles in achieving
your professional goals.
An effective communication barrier is one of the problems faced by many organizations. Many social
psychologists opine that there is 50% to 70% loss of meaning while conveying the messages from a
sender to a receiver. They estimate there are four basic places where communication could be
interpreted wrongly. A few barriers of effective communication in an organization are given below.
Physical Barriers - One of the major barriers of communication in a workplace is the physical
barrier. Physical barriers in an organization includes large working areas that are physically separated
from others. Other distractions that could cause a physical barrier in an organization are
environmental factors such as background noise. Check out more information on physical barriers to
effective communication.
Language - Inability to converse in a language that is known by both the sender and receiver is the
greatest barrier to effective communication. When a person uses inappropriate words while conversing
or writing, it could lead to misunderstanding between the sender and a receiver. It is not only the
difference in language that causes a barrier to effective communication. People speaking the same
language can sometimes find it difficult to comprehend what is being said. For example, a lorry is a
'truck', and an elevator is a 'lift'. This difference in vocabulary can pose a barrier to effective
communication.
Emotions - Your emotions could be a barrier to communication if you are engrossed in them for some
reason. In such cases, you tend to have trouble listening to others or understanding the message
conveyed to you. A few of the emotional interferences include hostility, anger, resentfulness and fear.
People who suffer from ailments such as anxiety and depression, tend to misconstrue what is being
said about them. Also, as they are battling something in their head, they may or may not be able to
pay full attention to the speaker, which may make them appear disinterested and spaced-out.
Lack of Subject Knowledge - If a person who sends a message lacks subject knowledge then he
may not be able to convey his message clearly. The receiver could misunderstand his message and
this could lead to a barrier to effective communication. This is visible in cases where people may try to
cover-up their ignorance with some unverified facts. When I was working for a customer care
organization, I saw many employees say irrelevant and unverified things to customers, just to avoid
being labeled as ignorant. This creates confusion in the mind of the listener and creates a barrier to
communication.
Overdose of Information - Have you been to a meeting where the presenter talks about relevant
things but goes on with it in such a quick manner that you have no clue as to what was mentioned
earlier. If you have experienced this issue, then you might know how it creates confusion and
ambiguity. When too much of information is conveyed in a short span of time, there is every likelihood
that the receiver would not be able to comprehend the information fully.
The above-mentioned barriers to effective communication are considered as filters of communications.
You can overcome the barriers to communication through effective and active listening.

12. By Maya Pillai
Last Updated: 12/14/2011
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