Leadership Competency #1 - Getting and Giving Information
Leadership Mastery for Professional and Personal Development
February 2003
Each month we are going to examine a competency associated with effective leadership. Whether that leadership is required in an "at work" function, or a community or sports program, basic skills apply.
This is adapted from the work of Bela Banathy, a former chairman of the Leadership Training Committe of the Monterey Bay area council. His theory was "Leadership Development by Design".
Each month we will also include a recommendation for an appropriate ALD resource for you or others to further develop the competency.
The First Competency—
Getting and Giving Information
Getting and Giving Information is probably the #1 competency required of leaders. If you cannot communicate effectively, then no other leadership skill will compensate for this lack. First and foremost, you must be able to exchange information effectively and accurately.
This competency enables one to:
- Develop an understanding of the types of communication--verbal, written and nonverbal.
- Identify Getting and Giving Information as one of the major techniques of establishing a group.
- Acquire knowledge of receiving, retrieving, and giving information and the problems of interpreting.
- Gain experience at communicating within the group to accomplish a task.
- Develop an attitude of evaluating the ability of the group in terms of getting and giving information to both accomplish a task and maintain the group.
There are three distinct aspects to communication, or getting and getting information: Getting it, retrieving it and giving it.
A. Getting Information
When getting or receiving information, you may be watching for a variety of clues to gather meaning: not only verbal or written information, but nonverbal behavior as well. If you are not careful, facts will be forgotten or distorted. This is because both the individual sending and the person receiving the information may unintentionally obscure the message.
There are multiple ways you can insure that the information you receive will not be forgotten or distorted:
Avoiding Forgetfulness and Distortion
There are two ways you can insure that the information you receive will not be forgotten or distorted:
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Take notes. Always write down the information received.
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Always carry a notebook and pen. This is a must for you as a leader.
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Write or print clearly so you can read it and make sense of it later on.
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Abbreviate and use key words. Don't try to write everything down.
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Draw a sketch, map, or diagram when appropriate.
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Repeat back what you think you heard the person say.
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Read back from you notes to make sure that you have correctly written the information you were given.
Even when you can't take notes, at least report back to the individual giving you the information. This reduces the chances you will distort the meaning of what you heard and helps you remember the information as you repeat it back, out loud, to someone else.
Repeat information back any time you receive the information. While you may think you understand what you think you heard, you may in fact have gotten it totally wrong. Clarify and verify!
While you may think you understand what you think you heard, you may in fact have gotten it totally wrong. Clarify and verify! In a communication exchange, the sender controls what and how is said, or the content of the message. The recipient controls what is heard and the feedback given.
To encourage good communication, you need to encourage others to speak freely.
- Show interest by leaning forward, paying attention, nodding in agreement, taking notes, and so forth.
- Greet new ideas with interest.
- Give the individual your undivided attention.
- Maintain eye contact.
- Use the individual's name.
- Smile, relax, and be friendly.
Who Controls What
The sender controls:
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What is said: The content of the message.
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How it is said: This refers to the verbal and nonverbal cues to the content, including the tone, method, body language, and so forth.
The recipient controls:
- What is heard: The actual message received may be affected the verbal and nonverbal cues, and the recipients ability to understand the cues. These may or may not be what the sender intended.
- The feedback given: The message, reflected in some fashion, verbally or non-verbally, back to the sender
B. Retrieving Information
Information received may have to be recalled at a later time. There are many different ways to store and retrieve information. Today, we naturally think of computers as a means for storing and retrieving information. The medium is not as important as what your write and how you store the information. You can employ a variety of methods to help you remember details, including note taking, repeating back, memorization and mnemonic devices.
Note-taking
This is the most effective retrieval system.
Overcomes the problems of trying to remember a lot of things--a permanent record. However--it can be on no value if not done in a way that's useful to you.
Here are a few ideas.
- Write down key words, such as those on this flip chart; don't attempt to write down everything, unless specific instructions are involved.
- Operations, competencies, hurdles, evaluation, and so forth
- Draw diagrams, pictures: quite often they are easier and more understandable than words.
- Try to answer the questions of who, what, where, when, why and how
Repeat
By repeating the information received, you check your understanding and attentiveness. You are actively listening, which may help you retrieve. But it still has the weaknesses of remembering a lot of information over a long period of time.
Memorizing
How many have done this? (Show of hands.) Does it work? (Probably.) What are some of the problems with this method?
- Too much to remember.
- Time lag; a couple of days later some of the details are forgotten.
Mnemonic devices
What are these? ("Ways to remember.") Use an abbreviation to summarize the details.
· Setting SMART performance objectives
o S = Specific
o M = Measurable
o A = Attainable
o R = Relevant
o T = Trackable
C. Giving Information
When giving information, use all five senses whenever possible. In addition,
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Speak clearly.
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Use language that everyone understands.
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Vary your tone and pace.
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Move from the general to the specific.
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Use visuals—charts, maps. and diagrams.
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Eyeball the listener.
Encourage two-way flow—ask questions and get them asking questions of you. Don't pass judgment on the question or the questioner. Use feedback and reflective listening to keep your verbal and non-verbal communication in sync. Take notes of the main ideas and review your note: soon afterwards to make sure they continue to make sense.
Feedback
Feedback is a way of helping another person or group consider changing behavior. It is communication that gives information about how others are affected. Feedback helps people keep behavior "on target" and more in line with current goals.
Some criteria for useful feedback:
It is descriptive rather than evaluative.
By describing one's reaction, it leaves the individual free to use it as he sees fit. By avoiding evaluation language, it reduces the need for people to react defensively.
It is specific rather than general.
To be told that one is "dominating" will probably not be as useful as to be told that "just now when we were deciding the issue you did not listen to what others said and I felt forced to accept your arguments or be attacked by you."
It takes into account the needs of both the receiver and giver of feedback.
Feedback can be destructive when it serves only our own needs and fails to consider the needs of the person on the receiving end.
It is directed towards behavior that the receiver can do something about.
Frustration is only increase when a person is reminded of some shortcoming over which he has no control (a lisp, for example).
It is solicited, rather than imposed.
Feedback is most useful at the earliest opportunity after the given behavior, depending, of course, on the person's readiness to hear it, support available from others, and so forth
It is checked to insure clear communication.
One way of doing this is to have the receiver repeat back what was said to see if it corresponds to what the sender had in mind.
It is checked for accuracy.
When feedback is given within a training group, both giver and receiver have an opportunity to check with others in the group the accuracy of the feedback. Is this one person's impression or an impression shared by others?
Feedback then, is a way of giving help; it is a corrective mechanism for people who want to match behavior to intentions; and it is a means for establishing one's identity.
Using Reflective Listening
A reflective response lets the individual know that you accurately heard what they said.
Reflecting Feelings Back
Reflecting feelings means the listener reflects the speaker's statements about the speaker's condition or being. Reflecting helps people understand their thoughts and emotions, assisting them in moving towards a solution for their own problem. You're checking with the sender for confirmation of your understanding. To be effective, reflecting is:
Concise
You restate and summarize what you heard the person say. You use the individual's language as much as possible. If you hear emotion in their voice, you may reflect that back too by describing the nature of the emotion. Now the individual knows that you both have an objective perception of what he is saying and feeling.
Nonjudgmental
Your feedback does not evaluate the individual's statements or emotions. This simply lets him know that he has been heard and helps build his trust that he won't feel wrong for how he feels.
Accurate
It's correctly reflects the content of what the speaker's said.
When we respond to the speaker's meaning--the feelings that hinder or motivate, and the content with which the feelings are associated--our listening is most effective.
Attending Behavior
Pay attention to the individual giving you information to encourage him or her to continue speaking feelings. Guidelines for attending behavior include:
- Establish eye contact through looking at the sender when he talks.
- Maintain a natural relaxed posture, usually leaning to the sender.
- Use natural gestures that communicate your intended messages.
- Use verbal statements that relate to his statements without interruptions, questions or new topics. The receiver doesn't ask questions, taking the topic in a new direction nor add to the senders meaning.
Interpreting What Was Said
There are probably many reasons for interpretation, or people's "filtering system."
Motivation
The importance of the communication. Do both giver and receiver consider it important? If one of them doesn't, then either the giver does a sloppy job or the receiver isn't listening.
Conflict
Two messages that conflict. How can a leader talk about professionalism if he doesn't do the same?
Experience
Likes and dislikes between people. Associations which are agreeable or disagreeable will affect the flow of information. If you dislike someone, you may screen out most of what is said.
Distractions
The receiver isn't listening because other things are on his or her mind, such as, physical discomfort, personal problems, or more immediate ideas which seem to be more relevant than long-range ideas which may not seem important at the moment.
Get the Main Ideas
Don't try to take down all that the speaker says. You cannot keep up. Fill in only as much detail as you can without losing what the speaker is saying.
The speaker will usually tip you off by announcing main points. "There are three major reasons why.... The first is..."
Don't hesitate to ask a speaker to repeat. "Ms. Jones, I am not sure I caught the last point. Would you please state it again?"
Use Outline Style
I. Let the outline show the relation of ideas. Here is a standard outline pattern:
A. Capital letters are subheads under Roman numerals.
1. Arabic numerals are subheads under capitals.
a. Small letters are subheads under Arabic numerals.
Abbreviate
Use key words and partial sentences. Don't try to write statements in full. On the other hand, don't be so sketchy that it doesn't mean anything later. Brief, accurate, notes are better than lengthy, confused ones.
Use a Notebook
Random notes scribbled on loose scraps of paper are seldom satisfactory. They are usually too sketchy and soon lost. Keep good notes, in a good notebook, and keep them.
Review Your Notes
Before those notes get too cold, probably within 24 hours, take time to look them over and make sure you understand them. Then you won't be wondering several months from now what you meant by some of these abbreviations. Spend a few profitable minutes fixing the main points of a discussion in your mind and perhaps jotting down what you intend to do about it. These discussions are wasted time unless they result in action on your part. You won't do much about a discussion unless you can remember what the speaker said. You may not remember what he said unless you keep notes.
Wish you were a better listener? We know we need to be in top form in this skill. Assess yourself with the Personal Listening Profile
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