How to conduct effective horizontal communication

How to carry out effective horizontal communication

Solutions to horizontal communication obstacles

Communication along the horizontal lines of the structure in an organization is horizontal communication, including the same Cross-departmental communication between managers at different levels and oblique communication between managers and employees at different levels between different departments. Poor horizontal communication is mainly caused by the following obstacles: first, departmentalism and employees' short-sighted tendencies; second, "one leaf blinding the eye", prejudice against the company's organizational structure; third, personality conflicts; fourth, suspicion, threats, and fear.

The main causes of internal strife in Evergrande Company are the "individualism" of various departments and the short-sightedness of employees, as well as mutual suspicion among several departments. All departments from the production department, marketing department to the sales department blindly shirk their responsibilities, cannot find shortcomings within themselves, and do not trust the work of brother departments. In view of the problems and obstacles existing in horizontal communication, we can eliminate the problems faced by Evergrande Company by adjusting the communication ideas:

First, establish the concept of "internal customers". This concept believes that every step of the work is the customer of the job. We must serve internal customers with the same attitude, thoughts and enthusiasm as we treat external customers.

Second, listen instead of narrate and think from others’ perspective. In horizontal communication talks, participants from each department are best at describing the difficulties and troubles of their own department, while blaming other departments for being out of tune and uncoordinated, rarely taking the time to listen. When all parties involved in communication only focus on how to organize their speeches and explain the obstacles encountered by their own departments and positions, they will not listen when others speak.

Third, choose the correct form of communication and prescribe the right medicine. For decision-making meetings, the number of participants should be small but precise, while for consultative meetings, the number of participants should be brainstorming.

Fourth, establish communication officials to create pressure on line power. In view of the phenomena of mutual pushback and stagnant discussions that often occur in horizontal communication, special departments or officials must be established to convene and coordinate the communication functions of departments or employees.

Methods for effective horizontal communication: Seven principles of horizontal communication

Principle 1: Be prepared before communicating

Before you discuss things with colleagues , think through some basic issues first, and don’t go without preparation, otherwise you may not get what you want. The following questions should be thought through in advance:

What do you want the other person to do for you?

What do you think he will ask you to do?

If If the other party does not agree with the approach you proposed, are there any other options?

If both parties have no understanding, what consequences will you have? What consequences will the other party have?

Principle 2: Understand the language of other departments

Poor cross-department communication is often caused by "language barrier". For example, people in the marketing department usually speak "the same language" and they know their department's rules, goals, and expectations very well. Similarly, departments such as finance, production, and human resources also have their own languages ??and perspectives. Therefore, if you want to communicate smoothly, the prerequisite is to "understand the other party's language." An important method for principle 2 is to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and try to think from the other person’s point of view:

“Will doing this help the performance of the business department?”

“If If I were him, would I accept this approach?"

"Is this method really useful?"

The cross-department perspective-taking method can eliminate misunderstandings or mismatched communication frequencies. The probability is reduced to a minimum. In addition, frequent interactions help build familiarity with each other, making it easier to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Therefore, eating and chatting with colleagues from other departments from time to time is good or bad.

Principle 3: Openness and honesty is the best policy

You are facing colleagues who have to deal with things for a long time. Therefore, honesty is the best policy in everything, and deception and concealment are the most taboo. Facts destroy trust relationships. Once there is a lack of trust between departments, each other's defensiveness will be aggravated, and they will be reserved when communicating, or even hide some important information. On the contrary, mutual trust will allow both parties to open up their guard when communicating. They will clearly express their needs and considerations, and increase their willingness to cooperate and solve problems together. There are three elements of honest communication:

Don’t explain if you are wrong;

Be sure not to argue

Don’t interrupt the other party;

Smile again Smile;

Frequent interactions help build familiarity with each other, making it easier for you to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Therefore, eating and chatting with colleagues from other departments from time to time is good or bad.

Principle 4: Don’t be afraid of conflict

In cross-department meetings, each supervisor will inevitably have some friction in order to safeguard the interests of his own department. Some supervisors, especially novice supervisors, tend to become reticent in order to maintain superficial harmony for fear of making the atmosphere tense.

Catherine, professor of strategy and organization at Stanford University in the United States. In his book "Effective Communication," Eilinghardt points out, "If the management team has no conflict in discussing issues, the quality of decision-making will be low.

” Erinhardt reminds, don’t confuse “no conflict” with “unanimity”.

Sometimes, being too harmonious will not highlight the importance you attach to the issue, and the issue will not gain traction. Real solutions. So Ellinghardt advises managers to be soft but firm and “don’t give in too quickly or too easily. "Remember, you are the head of the department. Although you have to maintain good relations with other departments, it is your unshirkable mission to defend the rights and interests of the department and subordinates.

Principle 5: Present the facts and focus on the center Topic

The best way to focus communication is to present specific facts, guide people to quickly focus on the central issue, and reduce inappropriate speculation.

Darden School of Business in the United States. Business management professor Bourgeois III pointed out in an article in the Harvard Business Review that facts (such as current sales, market share, R&D funding, competitors' behavior, etc.) can minimize the "human" factor in the communication process. In the case of facts, personal motives may be suspect, but "facts are facts" and do not come from human fantasy or selfish desires. Therefore, raising facts "can create an atmosphere that emphasizes issues rather than personal attacks." " Bourgeois III said.

Principle 6: Mention multiple options and remain flexible

When you conduct cross-departmental negotiations, do not stick to a single approach, but develop multiple options, such as Propose 3 to 5 options at a time to give other managers more room for choice.

Experts analyze that multiple options can make choices no longer "black and white" and give managers greater flexibility. By adjusting your level of support, you can easily change your position without losing face, so you can reduce interpersonal conflicts during communication.

Principle 7: Create *** to work together with the goal

< p> It is undeniable that there must be both cooperation and competition between departments. If you want to have constructive communication between departments, you must emphasize their cooperative relationship. The less competitive the better, the key to cooperation is to have ***.

Therefore, try to create a common goal across all departments, and then work together, even if there are disputes, it doesn't matter, because, as Apple Computer founder Steve Jobs said. : “If everyone was going to San Francisco, it wouldn’t be a problem to spend a lot of time arguing about which way to go. But if someone is going to San Francisco and someone is going to San Diego, this argument is a waste of time. In cross-department communication, four questions need to be clarified to reach a consensus goal:

What are the common goals of both parties?

What hinders cooperation between the two parties?

What are the resources to create the same goal?

What is the value of cooperation?

How to do horizontal communication

(1) Make a list of communication situations and communication partners

This step is very simple. Close your eyes and think about the situations in which you communicate with people, such as school, family, work, parties, and various daily situations where you interact with people. Think again about the people you need to communicate with, such as friends, parents, classmates, spouse, relatives, leaders, neighbors, strangers, etc. The purpose of making a list is to make yourself clear about the scope and objects of your communication so as to comprehensively improve your communication skills.

(2) Evaluate your own communication status

In this step, ask yourself the following questions:

In which situations do you feel happy communicating?

In which communication situations do you feel psychological pressure?

Who are you most willing to communicate with?

Who do you least like to communicate with?

Do you often maintain pleasant communication with most people?

Do you often feel that what you mean is not stated clearly?

Do you often misunderstand others, only to realize you were wrong later?

Do you maintain regular contact with your friends?

Do you often feel too lazy to write or call people?

Answering the above questions objectively and seriously will help you understand in which situations and with whom your communication is ideal, and in which situations and with whom your communication needs to be improved.

(3) Evaluate your own communication style

In this step, mainly ask yourself the following three questions:

Normally, you take the initiative to communicate with others. Communicate with others or communicate passively?

When communicating with others, do you pay attention?

Is the information sufficient when expressing your intentions?

There are often significant differences in the communication status of active communicators and passive communicators. Research shows that active communicators are more likely to establish and maintain extensive interpersonal relationships with others and are more likely to achieve success in interpersonal communication.

Maintaining a high degree of attention during communication will help you understand the other party's psychological state and be able to better adjust your communication process based on feedback. No one likes the person they're talking to to be looking around and distracted.

When expressing your intentions, you must pay attention to making yourself fully understood.

If the information such as words and actions during communication is insufficient, you will not be able to express your meaning clearly; if there is too much information and redundancy, it will also cause discomfort to the recipient of the information. The most common example is that you accidentally stepped on someone else's foot, then "I'm sorry" is enough to express your apology. If you continue to say: "I really didn't mean to, someone squeezed me, I I can't stand still for some reason..." Such wordiness is offensive. Therefore, sufficient information without redundancy is the best way to communicate.

(4) Formulate and implement communication Plan

Through the first few steps, you will definitely be able to discover where you are deficient and determine where to focus on improvement. For example, if the communication scope is narrow, you need to expand the communication scope; you have neglected communication with friends. To keep in touch, you need to write letters and make phone calls; if you are not proactive enough in communication, you need to proactively communicate with others, etc. Make these into a step-by-step communication plan, and then put your plan into action to reflect your concrete life. Small things. For example, if you feel that your communication range is narrow and your initiative is not enough, you can set yourself to say hello to two strangers every week, such as asking for directions, telling you about the weather, etc. No need to be shy, no one will make fun of you. On the contrary, the other party may still appreciate your courage!

When formulating and executing plans, you should pay attention to the principle of small steps, that is, do not put forward too high demands on yourself, so as not to fail to achieve them! , but dampens your own enthusiasm. After small requirements are realized and consolidated, you can then set higher requirements for yourself.

(5) Supervise the plan.

This step is crucial. If you fail to supervise well, you may fall short. It is best to supervise yourself, such as using diaries and charts to record your development, and evaluate and analyze your feelings when you complete a certain task. Plan, such as saying hello to the opposite sex you have been afraid to talk to, you can reward yourself with a nice meal or a relaxing movie. This will help consolidate the staged results, and you will need to take some punitive measures. , such as doing push-ups or doing some physical work that you are too lazy to do. In short, the execution of the plan requires confidence and belief that you can succeed. Remember: what a person can do is better than what he has done. Believe that you are capable of so much more.