1. Supervision: Managing to Achieve Results
Chapter 4
Effective Communication:
Improving Performance through
Listening and Providing
Feedback

2. Effective Communication
• Excellent interpersonal or human relations
skills are required if you hope to eventually
become a successful manager, or owner of a
business.
• In business, communication takes place in a
variety of formats.
• Informal communication—not formal
communication—is most important in
business.

3. Formal and Informal
• Information enables managers and supervisors to
make sound business decisions.
– Verbal communication provides a more personal interaction and
fosters feelings of trust and goodwill.
• Formal communication often addresses task-related
issues and tends to follow and span the
organization’s chain of command.
• Informal communication may move in any direction,
and it is as likely to satisfy social needs as it is to
facilitate the functions of business.
– Perhaps the least understood method of informal communication is
the employee grapevine and the rumors and gossip it provides.

4. Communication Types
• Downward communication is necessary to execute decisions
and to give employees information about the organization.
• Upward communication is initiated by employees who seek to
inform or influence those who are higher up in the
organization’s hierarchy.
– There is probably no area of communication that is more
in need of improvement than upward communication.
• Written communication is generally the method used if the
message is somewhat complex and official.
– Because e-mail messages are surprisingly permanent, a
good rule of thumb is to think before you press the Send
button.

5. Methods of Communication
• Writing well in business is more important than ever -
you need to write concisely and with impact.
• In your business writing, ensure that you follow the
seven suggestions and tips below
1. What’s the point?
2. Get organized
3. Write the same way you speak
4. Make it brief and concise
5. Keep it simple
6. Write then rewrite
7. Convey a positive attitude

6. Obstacles to Effective
Communication
• The messages that we
send are not always the
messages that are
received.
• When individuals have
different cultural
backgrounds, effective
communication can be
challenging.

7. Obstacles
• People sometimes struggle with the communication
process when they demonstrate
– Cultural differences
– Differences in background
– Prejudices and perceptions
– Assumptions and expectations
– Emotions (especially anger)
• When giving direction and instructions to your staff, it
is best to use language that is measurable, concrete,
and not open to interpretation.

8. Overcoming Communication
Barriers
• Think about what you are going to say
• Keep your emotions under control
• Be a good listener
• Actions speak louder than words
• Provide and ask for feedback

9. Listening
• Passive listening - you are not really processing the
entire message.
• Active listening - requires effort and concentration
because you want to fully understand what the
speaker is saying.
• There are generally four requirements for active
listening
– Listen with intensity
– Listen with empathy
– Listen with acceptance
– Take responsibility for the message

10. Seven Tips to Follow to Maintain
Focus on the Other Person
• Express your interest in what they have to say
• Maintain your focus
– People speak at a rate of approx. 150 words per minute
– People think at a rate of approx. 500 words per minute
– Don’t let your mind wander
• Ask questions
• Seek the key points
• Avoid interruptions
• Listen with more than your ears – pay attention to
non-verbal communication
• Take notes

11. Active Listening Exercise
• Pick a partner
• Read active listening handout
• Tell a story (should be @ 3 minutes and
should contain some detail)
• Ask your partner to repeat the essence
of the story
• Reverse the process

12. Positive Feedback
• Telling your employees that they
are doing a good job and then
pointing out specific examples is
providing positive feedback.
• Positive feedback is almost
always well received because it
reinforces what people want to
hear or what they already believe
to be true about themselves.

13. Negative Feedback
• Strolling out of the office and barking at the
employee who has done something wrong is not
negative feedback.
• The ultimate goal of negative feedback is to
change incorrect behavior or performance by
using hard numbers, data, and other specifics.
• For feedback to be effective, remember
– Be specific
– It’s not personal
– Be in the moment
– Keep the goal in mind

14. Summary
Effective managers need excellent
interpersonal or human relations skills to
communicate with employees and to provide
the kind of work environment where talented
employees can self-motivate. The
communication process - sending and
receiving information - contributes
significantly to one’s human relations skills.

15. Supervision: Managing to Achieve Results
Chapter 6
Building a Team: Hiring the Best

16. Hiring Process
• Finding and hiring the best candidates for a job has
never been easy.
• Hiring the right people is one of the most important tasks
that managers face.
• When you begin the hiring process, you have to
understand your goals.
• Companies generally divide employees into two groups
– Cost center is a department that provides services to
customers or other employees without adding directly to the
bottom line.
– Profit center is a department that generated revenue above and
beyond the costs of operation.
• Employees in either group are expected to help the
company secure its future.

17. Desirable Employee Characteristics
• The following list gives you an idea of the
general qualities that employers consider
most important when hiring new
employees.
– Hardworking.
– Good attitude.
– Experienced.
– Go-getter.
– Team player.
– Smart.
– Responsible.
– Stable.

18. Poor Hiring Decisions
• Bad hires can make working for an
organization an incredibly miserable
experience.
• The consequences of a poor hiring decision
include:
– Loss of investment.
– Lower employee morale.
– Loss of good employees.
– Low productivity.
– Low morale.

19. Hiring Process
There are twelve basic steps in the hiring process.
1. Define the need
2. Get approval
3. Write the job description
4. Place an ad and ask for referrals
5. Read the résumés and cover letters and call the candidates
who look the most promising
6. Either interview the candidates over the phone first or ask
the candidates to come in
7. Ask the candidates to fill out the application and take any
necessary tests
8. Conduct a first interview with a promising candidate
9. Conduct a second interview with the candidate
10. If necessary, conduct a third interview
11. Check the candidate’s references
12. Make the job offer

20. Define the Job Before You Start
Defining the job includes:
• Drafting a job description that fully describes all the
tasks and responsibilities of the position and the
minimum necessary qualifications and experience.
• Defining exactly what standards you’re going to use
to measure your candidates.
• Using the job description to outline the most
important qualities that you are seeking in your new
employee.

21. Recruiting Talent
• You will find that your best experience comes
when you do a broad search for the new hire,
and involve other employees in the process.
• The following list presents some of the best
ways to find candidates for your positions.
– Within the organization.
– Personal referrals.
– Temporary agencies.
– Professional associations.
– Employment agencies.
– Internet.
– Want ads.

22. Creating a Recruitment Plan
(Practice)
• Divide into teams
• You are the manager of a small marketing group
and you are hiring an entry-level marketing
associate. You are also on the search
committee to find a new vice president of
marketing. As a team, write a sample
recruitment plan for each position, listing the
sources you would use to reach candidates.

23. Reviewing Applications
• If the prospective employees résumé and cover
letter closely match the job description, then they
may be asked to fill out a job application.
• A cover letter should always accompany the
résumé and should have a professional tone and
presentation.
• Most companies will want prospective employees
to fill out some standard forms.
• Consider all this information in developing your gut
feeling that either this applicant is a good fit and will
do a good job, or that you should keep looking.

24. Interviewing
• The secret to becoming a great interviewer is to spend
some serious time preparing for your interviews.
• The heart of the interview process is the questions that you
ask and the answers that you receive in response.
• You get the best answers when you ask the best questions.
• Every interview consists of five key steps.
– Welcome the applicant
– Summarize the position
– Ask your questions (then listen)
– Probe experience and find out the candidate’s strengths and
weaknesses
– Conclude the interview

25. Interview Preparation
• You should prepare for your interviews by:
– Reviewing the résumé of each interviewee the
morning before interviews start.
– Becoming intimately familiar with the job description.
– Drafting your questions before the interview.
– Selecting a comfortable environment for both of you.
– Avoid playing power trips during the course of the
interview.
– Take lots of notes.

26. Interview Don’ts
• Certain questions can land you in major hot water if you make the
mistake of asking them.
• Some interviewing don’ts are merely good business practice.
• Interviewing is one area of particular concern in the hiring process as
it pertains to the possibility of discrimination.
• Ask questions that directly relate to the candidates’ ability to perform
the tasks required – not the discriminatory topics which include
– Sexual orientation
– Marital Status
– Religion (or lack thereof)
– Arrest and conviction record
– Height and weight
– Debts
– Age
– Disability

27. Further Evaluation
• Before you make your final selection, you need a little bit
more information.
• The twin goals of checking references are to verify the
information that your candidates have provided and to
gain some candid insight into who your candidates really
are and how they really behave in the workplace.
– Check academic references.
– Call current and former supervisors.
– Check your network of associates
– Do some web surfing.
• When you contact a candidate’s references, limit your
questions to those that are related to the work to be
done.

28. Further Evaluation continued
• Review your notes from the interviews and organize
your candidate packages into three categories –
winners, potential winners and losers.
• Depending on your organization’s policies or culture,
or because you’re undecided as to the best
candidate, you may want to bring in candidates for
several rounds of interviews.
• The ultimate decision on how many rounds and
levels of interviews to conduct depends on the nature
of the job itself, the size of your company, and your
policies and procedures.

29. Hiring the Best
• The first step is to rank your candidates within the groups of
winners and potential winners.
• The next step is to get on the phone and offer your first
choice the job.
• Be objective and consider the job to be done and the skills
and qualifications that being successful requires.
• Trust your gut feel when choosing between two equally
qualified candidates.
• If you’re forced to go to your group of almost winners, and no
candidate seems up to the task, then don’t hire someone
simply to fill the position.

30. Summary
Finding good employees can take many hours
of effort and a substantial financial investment.
However, the investment of time and money
can pay off when the right decision is made.
The payoff is a productive, happy employee
who can do the job well and add to the success
of the company.

31. Begin Coaching Early -
Employee Orientation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vAq-_R-EiI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCFbAIL8ftQ

32. Supervision: Managing to Achieve Results
Chapter 7
Training a Team: Organizing
Teams and Coaching Employees

33. Teams
• There’s a revolution in business today and
it’s called teams.
• Teams offer an easy way to tap the
knowledge and resources of all employees
- not just supervisors and managers - to
solve the organization’s problems.
• The best managers of teams are coaches
- individuals who guide, discuss, and
encourage others on their journey.

34. Transformation
• Until recently, most organizations were vertical: they
had many layers of managers and supervisors
between top management and frontline workers.
• The hierarchical model has one fundamental flaw:
Many supervisors and managers made little direct
contribution to the production of a company’s products
or services.
• The transformation from vertical to horizontal
businesses has had a fundamental impact on financial
and organizational elements:
– Quantifiable benefits to the bottom line by
eliminating overhead.
– Movement of authority and power downward in the
organization.

35. Organizational Cooperation
• Businesses worldwide are rewarding employees for
cooperating with each other instead of competing.
• Organizations are no longer measuring employees by their
individual contributions but also by how effective they are
as contributing members of a team.
• Benefits from promoting cooperation include:
– Reducing unproductive competition
– Sharing knowledge
– Fostering communication
– Achieving common goals

36. Empowerment
• The transfer of power, responsibility, and authority
from higher-level to lower-level employees is called
empowerment.
• By empowering workers, managers place the
responsibility for decision making with the
employees who are in the best position to make the
decision.
– Quality circles – groups of employees who meet regularly
to suggest organizational improvements - are examples of
participative decision making
• Empowerment is also a great morale booster in an
organization.

37. Team Advantages
• Teams not only have the
potential to make better
decisions, but they can also
make faster decisions.
• Teams can also lead to
increased innovation.
• Teams are also more
adaptive to the external
environment as it quickly or
constantly changes.

38. Setting Up Teams
Three major kinds of teams exist: formal, informal,
and self-managed.
– A formal team is chartered by an organization’s management and
tasked to achieve specific goals.
• Task forces - assembled on a temporary basis to address specific
problems or issues
• Committees – long-term or permanent, created to perform an ongoing,
specific organizational task
• Command teams – manager or supervisor and all his/her employees
– Informal teams are casual associations of employees that
spontaneously develop within an organization’s formal structure.
– Self-managed teams combine the attributes of both formal and
informal teams and are generally chartered by management.
• Made up of people from different parts of the organization
• Small
• Self-managing and empowered to act
• Multifunctional

39. Empowerment
• Although many managers talk a good story about
how they empower their employees, few actually do
it - real empowerment is still rare.
• You can encourage empowerment by allowing
teams to
– Make most of the decisions that influence team success
– Choose their leaders
– Add or remove team members
– Set their goals and commitments
– Define and perform much of their own training
– Receive rewards as a team

40. Meetings
• Meetings are the primary
forum in which team members
conduct business and
communicate with one
another.
• Successful companies
conduct meetings effectively.
• Unfortunately, most meetings
are a waste of time.
– Too many meetings
– Attendees unprepared
– Certain individuals dominate
– Too long
– No focus

41. Successful Meetings
Take the following steps to make the
most of the meetings:
– Be prepared.
– Have an agenda.
– Start on time and end on time (or sooner).
– Have fewer but better meetings.
– Think inclusion, not exclusion.
– Maintain the focus.
– Capture action items.
– Get feedback.

42. Becoming a Coach
• A coach is a colleague, counselor, and cheerleader, all rolled into one.
• Coaching a team of individuals isn’t easy, and certain characteristics
make some coaches better than others.
• You can always find room for improvement, and good coaches are the
first to admit it.
• There are several important characteristics of coaching.
– Set goals
– Support and encourage
– Emphasize team success over individual success
– Can quickly assess the talents and shortfalls of team members
– Inspire their team members
– Create environments that allow individuals to be successful
– Provide feedback

43. Coaching Methods
• Coaches teach their employees how to achieve an
organization’s goals.
• Coaches lead their workers step by step through work
processes or procedures.
• After the workers discover how to perform a task, the
coach delegates full authority and responsibility for its
performance to them.
• For the transfer of specific skills, you can find no better
way of teaching, and no better way of learning, than the
show-and-tell method.
– You do, you say
– They do, you say
– They do, they say

44. Coach’s Tools
• Coaches focus daily on spending time with employees to help them
succeed.
• Follow the guidelines that can help you be a successful coach.
– Meet with your employee
– Listen!
– Reinforce the positive
– Highlight areas for improvement
– Follow through
• Although every coach has his or her own style, the best coaches
employ certain techniques to elicit the greatest performance from their
team members.
– Make time for team members
– Provide context and vision
– Transfer knowledge and perspective
– Be a sounding board
– Obtain needed resources
– Offer a helping hand

45. Discussion
• You work at a manufacturing company and you
learn that the managers are not spending time
with their employees or guiding their careers.
You decide to choose a few of them and help
them become coaches. What specific types of
things do you suggest that they do to become
successful coaches?

46. Summary
There’s a revolution in business today and it’s
called teams. The best managers of teams are
coaches - individuals who guide, discuss, and
encourage others on their journey. Although every
coach has his or her own style, the best coaches
employ certain techniques to elicit the greatest
performance from their team members.