Posted by Another competency that can be measured using competency profiles is communicativeness. From our training and consulting experience, we know that this topic is very popular in training inquiries and generally causes a lot of problems with work in organizations. We have this observation that in all the competencies we learn from childhood, we are quite poor and rarely can speak well, run, listen, play an instrument, cook and so on. Communication is one such competence that we constantly need to improve.
Typical communication between people or between cells in a company always follows the same pattern. Someone who wants to convey information is called a sender. He encodes his thoughts into a message, which follows the information channel – verbally, by email, in the form of a piece of paper on a bulletin board – to the listener, or recipient. This one receives the message understanding it in its own way.
If you take a good look at all the elements of the communication process, you will find that the transmission of a simple message is subject to great interference. The sender, such as a superior, may not formulate his thoughts very precisely. If the conversation takes place over the phone, the lack of direct contact will distort the message and the message will no longer mean the same thing. After all, the listener catches only part of the message and, on top of that, understands it in a push from his past experiences and experiences. Although “deaf phone” is a game for children, the same effect can arise in a company if the communication goes wrong.
In our competency profiles, we define communicativeness effective communication by conveying one’s thoughts in a way that can be understood by the audience, as well as actively listening to what others say.
To operationalize this competency, we have defined 5 indicators, which we examine using a 5-point behavioral scale. These indicators are as follows:
The art of speaking and arguing
Matching the message to the audience
Active listening
Constructive participation in discussion
Giving and receiving feedback
For example, we assess the “Art of Speaking and Arguing” indicator with a scale:
- His statements are often chaotic, he does not present arguments to support his theses.
- He presents too little thoughtful, poorly understood by others arguments to support his theses.
- He uses concise, thoughtful, factual arguments using data, conclusions and opinions available to him.
- He helps others prepare arguments for discussion based on relevant data – depending on the characteristics of people and situations.
- His arguments are usually unassailable; they convince even fierce opponents.
We can also assess communicativeness with a knowledge test.
How it works in practice, check and measure your competence with the tools available here: