Transcript Educating the Worker for the Global Marketplace

Educating the Worker for the
Global Marketplace
UI100: First-Year Seminar
Communicating in the Workplace
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Today’s workplace is much more
diverse than in the past
Think about what we talked about
before:
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Employers want job candidates who
have good communication &
interpersonal skills and are team
players.
Communicating in the Workplace
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Will those skills continue to be
important in a culturally diverse
workplace?
Communicating in the Workplace
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These skills are increasingly important as
the American workforce expands to
include a wide variety of cultures.
What is Culture?
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Culture is a set of learned attitudes,
behaviors, and the other things that
comprise a way of life.
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It is unlikely that you will share your
personal culture with your coworkers,
but…
you will be sharing your work culture
with your coworkers.
Challenges to today’s employer
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Ensure that its work force’s diversity is a
source of strength, not one of conflict.
All employees share in this responsibility.
Communication Styles
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Miscommunication is a major source
of discomfort and conflict.
What types of communication are
there?
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Verbal
Non-verbal
Written
Communicating in the Workplace
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Communication goes beyond what’s said,
written, or expressed.
 It’s how it’s said
 When it’s said
 Why it’s said
Communicating in the Workplace
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Miscommunication can (and often
does) result when an individual’s
style of communicating differs from
that of another person.
In today’s workplace, you can bet
that you will work with someone
whose communication styles differs
from yours.
What is your communication style?
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Are you a linear communicator?
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Do you move in a straight line to your
point? Engage in little small talk?
Are you a spiral communicator?
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Do you circle around your subject in
tighter and tighter loops until you get
to your point?
What is your communication style?
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Neither style is right or wrong.
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The spiral communicator may perceive
the linear communicator as abrupt or
rude.
The linear communicator might think
the spiral communicator is deceptive or
indecisive.
Communicating in the Workplace
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Keep in mind that when you’re unfamiliar
with another culture, it’s easy to jump to
the wrong conclusions or create a conflict
through misunderstanding.
Communicating in the Workplace
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How do you strengthen your ability to
understand and to be understood?
 Respect for differences
 Tolerance for ambiguity
 Flexibility
 Suspension of assumptions and
judgments
 Willingness to see another person’s point
of view
 Time and practice
In-Class Writing
Tell me, briefly, about an experience
you have had with someone who is
different from you.
What did you learn from it?