Chapter 5 - Communicating SupportivelyChapter IntroductionThis is the first of four chapters on interpersonal skills and lays the foundation for subsequent chapters on gaining power and influence, motivation and conflict management. The skill most often considered essential to effective management, both in Australia and overseas, is competent interpersonal communication. In this chapter, this is called supportive communication because it conveys support to the person receiving the message. This is the key to empowering people. Communication helps alleviate fears in several ways. Communication and information are the lifeblood of an organization - when leading change processes, leadership is synonymous with communication: Supportive communication is treated differently in this text than in most books on organizational behavior or on management whose chapters almost always focus on the accuracy of message delivery and processes. to send, receive and interpret messages. Although important, these activities are generally not elements that promote or hinder effective management communication. Instead, specific aspects of supportive communication are most crucial to effectively managing (and empowering) people. Supportive communication is most useful in two types of situations: coaching situations, where one person must give advice or direction to another, and counseling situations, where a person must communicate understanding and help recognize the problems. Since effective demonstration of many other management skills relies heavily on supportive communication skill, this will be an important chapter to spend time on in the course. Competent supportive communication leads to stronger interlocutors...... middle of paper ....negotiation meeting.ii. A regular meeting with each subordinate.b. A PMI is a regular one-on-one meeting between a manager and his or her subordinates.c. PMI is an improvement meeting in which the manager and subordinate attempt to make improvements, share information, and hold each other accountable for progress (the characteristics of the PMI program are described in Table 5.4). Summary (p. 261)11. The most significant barriers to effective communication in organizations are interpersonal.12. Effective communicators adhere to the principles of supportive communication, ensuring greater clarity and understanding of messages while making people feel accepted, valued and supported. Behavioral Guidelines (p. 262)13. The text presents ten behavioral guidelines to facilitate skill practice (these are worth emphasizing to your students).).