ATTITUDES CAUSING DIFFICULTIES IN
COMMUNICATION IN THE WORKPLACE?
By: Carly Scurry
November 4th, 2010
Professor Taylor

ATTITUDE TOPICS
 Attitude effects on
communication
 Different types of attitudes
 a. Words
 b. Tone of Voice
 c. Facial Expressions
 Data Results
 Solutions
2

HOW DO ATTITUDES CAUSE
DIFFICULTIES IN COMMUNICATION AT
THE WORKPLACE?
•Fighting
•Miscommunication
•Problems at work
•Losing a job

WHAT ATTITUDES AFFECT THE
WORKPLACE?
• Words
•Tone of Voice
•Facial Expressions

EMPLOYEE ATTITUDE SURVEY
2010 Employee
Attitude Survey
Strongly
Disagree
1 2
No
Opinion
3
Strongly
Agree
4
1. I generally feel
informed about
changes that
affect me within
the Company.
2. I usually know
in plenty of time
when important
things happen.
3. I can see the
link between
my work and
the Company
objectives.
4. Managers
communicate
clear objectives
for the
company to
achieve.
If the Company were to make improvements in the areas listed
above, which item do you think should be emphasized most
over the next two years in order to make us a more effective
organization. Improvement needed in number: _____ What is
your suggestion on how to improve this?

STUDIES
Results:
Company structure and operation  Controls were satisfactory.
 Controls needed to be ‘sold’ better to help induce commitment.
 Controls in their present form were having a stifling effect over time.
Company policies and procedures  Seen as too bureaucratic.
 Perceived as disjointed and uncoordinated.
 Role definitions required clarification.
Senior company management  More delegation and involvement by senior management were wanted.
 Prioritisation of focus was necessary.
 Cohesiveness and coordination were missing.
Communication  Internally, very poor.
 Relevant and clearer communications were wanted.
 A more ‘sharing’ and inclusive communication style would have been
valued.
Jobs and job roles  A major role definition exercise was perceived as necessary.
 Roles needed to be identified, agreed, and co-ordinated.
 Quality of working life was identified as more important than monetary
rewards.

RESEARCH ARTICLES
Root Causes
Attitude problems. “According to Fernandez, "The reasons for a person having an attitude
problem are so deep-rooted and complex that you don't want to solve any
problem that you encounter." Deal with attitude problems quickly and try to
avoid them as much as possible” .
Communication
problems
“Somewhere along the way to becoming a manager, it seems like most
people lose their ability to speak. Management-speak is filled with strange
phrases and euphemisms that most employees have no time for, don't
understand and resent” .
Disagreements “Most managers don't take the time to know the various personalities of
the people who report to them. They take a one-attitude approach to
everyone, and this doesn't always work with everyone and this leads to
arguments. Nothing side-tracks a project like arguing” .
The doers “These are the go-getters in any department or organization. These are the
people who get things done. As a manager, you should identify these people
as soon as possible” .

SOLUTIONS
Who? Solution: Actions:
All
Sender and Receivers
Onsite Training Session Most managers want the bad attitudes to just go away. “Unfortunately, bad attitudes and
negativity do not just go away on their own. The attitudes creating workplace negativity
can turn into major productivity issues if not handled appropriately” . In this training
session, all staff member will learn how to confront negative employee behavior head on
and turn it around. “Participants will discover how to focus on what is good and help
others, regardless of their position, make their workplace a better, more positive
environment. Everyone leaves with new skills to replace apathy, pessimism, and
negativity with positive enthusiasm and winning work attitudes” .
All
Sender and Receivers.
Be visible “Make yourself available in your office (or wherever people can find you easily) on a
regular basis. . This will enable people to find use easily, and will cause less stress and
attitudes.
All
Sender and Receivers.
Be approachable “Try to break down the barrier by participating in everyday chit-chat with staff over a cup
of coffee or soda” . This will create less attitudes because if you are approachable, then
people do not have to have their guard up around you”
All
Sender and Receivers.
Be a good listener “Listen carefully during conversations with staff members talking of interests,
expectations and personal goals. Pay particular attention to the feelings attached to these
statements. Effective listening involves gaining an accurate understanding of what
someone is saying. Active listening is a powerful communication skill, noticeably missing
in many conversations. Effective listeners ask themselves key questions to ensure they
understand what a person is saying. For example, they ask themselves, “What is this
person saying?” “What is this person feeling?” and “What does this person mean when
they say......?”
All
Sender and Receivers
Be attentive (non-
verbally)
“During conversation, carefully attend to the non-verbal behavior of others. Body
language may be more powerful and laden with meaning than actual words. Also be
aware of your own posture, eye contact and the message you may be conveying. There is
a saying, “Your actions speak so loud, and I cannot hear you!” Make sure your actions are
saying what you want them to”
All
Senders and Receivers
Be attentive (verbally) “Each statement uttered by a person contains a “feeling”. Listen carefully to the feelings
that individuals are attaching to topics of conversation. Check out the accuracy of your
perceptions with feedback comments such as, “It sounds like you feel proud of the work
you did on the third green,” or “You're really upset with the group that drove their carts
off the path, aren't you?” This type of dialog can serve to confirm your perceptions, and it
gives the person you are talking to a feeling of being understood”
All
Sender and Receivers
Be a “summarizer.” “During and toward the end of a conversation, attempt to accurately summarize key
points, along with thoughts and feelings of the conversation. Performing this task will
leave the person feeling that you listened and that you valued what they had to say”
All
Sender and Receivers
Learn to deal with angry
people
“This is one of the least favorite situations for almost any person. When people are angry,
they are so emotional that they may not think logically. Often, your first inclination is to
try to get people to think about what could have happened differently or what they should
do to correct the situation. Of course, correcting them when they are angry will only serve
to make them angrier — their emotions are so intense that they interfere with their ability
to think logically”

CONCLUSION

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