Spicy Tomato and Lemon Fish

1. Lay out a sheet of tinfoil and place the following ingredients on it (preferably in order).

• 3 fillets of your choice of fish.
• 1 Garlic, diced and then crushed. Place on the fish.
• 1 Tomato sliced and positioned around the fish.
• Sprinkle the tomato with black pepper.
• Squeeze half a lemon over the fish and place it on top to add flavour during the cooking.
• Add a dash of hot Peri Peri sauce.

2. Wrap tin foil around the ingredients to seal in the flavour.

3. Place in an oven dish and bake for 20 minutes at 200c.

4. Serve on a large plate, opening the tinfoil and wrapping it across the edges of the plate.

5. Enjoy with a glass of smooth red.

6. Finish with dark chocolate.

1. Firstly, it’s very important to toughen up your feet… so walk around barefoot for a week or two.
2. Once the soles of your feet are ready for the challenge… approach the tree carefully
3. On approaching the tree, wrap your arms around it.
4. While holding on, jump off the ground and put your feet (bare) on the tree… at this stage you should look sorta like you’re squatting
5. Now we’re on the tree, slide your arms up again and whilst on the tree jump and move your feet up
6. Repeat.

As a perfect example, please refer to below:

The Test

The test is composed of two parts. The first section has 15 multiple choice questions each with 4 choices. This section tests your knowledge on how to drive safely and of good driving practices (e.g. the 3 second rule).

The second part of the test is the same as the Green P’s test whereby you have to respond to “hazards” in a series of video clips of real traffic from the driver’s perspective. There are 10 of these video clips.

Flaws

- The test supposedly tests your knowledge of road rules and good driving practices. The RTA believe that knowing a bunch of statistics on crashes, times when people become most fatigued and the chances of killing a pedestrian at 70 km/h compared to 60km/h are supposed to reflect your driving ability. How is knowing these statistics meant to judge your ability to drive safely? It doesn’t. It’s just a memory game that disadvantages those who have trouble remembering numbers.

- The Hazard Perception section requires you to respond to hazards in the video clip. For those who haven’t done this test it’s a bit of a psychology game. In nearly all cases when you are asked to “turn right when it is safe” you do NOT have to touch the screen at all. Those who haven’t done it before naturally feel inclined that they are required to tap the screen even if they are not meant to. This is therefore a unfair assessment of one’s ability to drive safely.

- The clips only last about 30seconds at the most and as those who have done the tests before know, that by the time the hazard appears it’s already too late to respond. The time to respond to a hazard on the screen is less than what it would be in real-life because of the difficulty seeing into the distance in a video clip that only focuses 10-20m ahead.

- The touch screen is sometimes slow to respond to your touch

- The videos showing traffic scenarios are compressed ridiculously… the level of detail is very low… i could see better looking through a cracked window.

How to Pass

- Read the handbook… if you are short on time read the ‘Key Points Summary’ of each section. The test actually requires you to know parts of the handbook.

- Learn all the main statistics from the handbook as these are tested in part A. E.g. causes of crashes and fatigue and crashes. Create a summary of all the main stats and learn them. The statistics will be outlined in the ‘Key Points Summary’ section.

- Have a run through of the practice tests for part A and part B

- When you are asked to press the screen when it’s safe to slow down, you can pretty much press it immediately (give it no more than 1 or 2 seconds)

- If you are asked to “press the screen each time you need to slow down” – press the screen at each point where you see a vehicle coming towards you, or at the first appearance of a corner (look out for the sign). Do not hesitate to slow down.

- When you are asked to turn right etc, in most cases DO NOT touch the screen. If you cannot see anything moving whatsoever then it might be ok to touch the screen but be hesitant. This can be tested in the practice that they give before the test (the second image above is from the practice test). There are a series of cars passing and you want to turn right. There is one safe gap in the clip. If you don’t touch the screen at all you don’t fail but you simply “could do better”… so this practice video is a good example on judging the acceptable distance for a turn in the real video clips.

- Take your time and be careful not to press the screen in quick succession as strange things may happen.

- Also refer to these tips

Personally, I think the Green P’s and the DQT are both revenue generators that do not accurately assess an applicant’s ability to drive safely.

Abstract

This paper will detail what effective communication is and present evidence supporting why it is a critical factor for the success of both individuals and organizations. Causes for lack of effective communication will be explained and aspects of effective communication including information distribution, information context and feedback and motivation will be presented. Case studies of businesses that have or have not incorporated effective communication will be examined.

Communication and Effective communication

“Communication is a basic human activity” and “enables us to connect with each other” (Pihulyk, 2003). Communication is the method of transporting information and ideas between two or more people (Cole, 2001). Communication is not simply just the flow on information between people but also a process of “creating, shaping and maintaining relationships and enacting shared values, common culture, agreed goals, and means for their achievement” (Clegg, 2005). Communication is critical in all aspects of life, in business and personal relations. Without communication “our whole way of life would crumble” (Pihulyk, 2003)

“The success of communication is measured not by how well the communicator speaks or writes but how well the listener has heard” (Lapin, 2004). This presents the concept of effective communication. According to Shetcliffe (2004), effective communication occurs when “the entire message is clearly understood and responded to completely within the timeframe requested”. Further, according to Cole (2001) effective communication takes place when the listener understands the complete message and the intent of the speaker. In an organization for effective communication to take place employees need to hear and respond to the business. Not only does the business need to provide information to employees, they need to ensure that there is an appropriate context to the information, that it is relevant and employees can provide feedback (Brandon, 1995)

Organizational and Individual Success

According to Princeton University (2006) success is defined as “an event that accomplishes its intended purpose”. In research conducted by Alan C Maltz from the Stevens Institute of Technology in 2001, organizational success should not be defined by traditional measures such as short term metrics like “last quarter’s profitability and revenue growth” but rather by a multidimensional framework that examines the success in five different areas of the business including “Financial, Market/Customer, Process, People Development, and Future.” The research shows that effective communication is vital to ensure that the business can achieve success in all areas of the business and not just in financial aspects.

Similarly, following the definition by Princeton University, Individual success is therefore the accomplishment of an individual’s goals or needs. In employment, an individual achieves success when they get from the business what they need, in turn motivating them to bring value to the business. For an individual to achieve success in an organization they need to be motivated. Motivation is situated in the esteem and self-actualization phases of Maslow’s ‘Hierarchy of Needs’. Motivation can be broken into either what is termed extrinsic motivation or intrinsic motivation (Clegg, 2005). Extrinsic motivators may include money or a company car, whereas intrinsic motivators may encompass job satisfaction, a family friendly work-place or flexible work hours. Effective communication in an organization contributes to individual success by satisfying the intrinsic needs of the individual.

Causes of failure in effective communication

In order to understand why effective communication is vital for Individual and organizational success it is important to examine the inhibitors of effective communication and subsequent results of this. Effective communication is indeed present if most of the following inhibitors are absent from the organization.

Lapin (2004) illustrates that mistrust is a serious problem in organizations and can “manifest itself in different symptoms and is caused by different issues”. Lapin shows that when mistrust exists between management and an employee there is a break down in communication and that it “will be ineffective and sometimes even a negative factor”. This is because the mistrust casts aspersions on the communicator’s motivation. When mistrust exists, employees do not hear or hear “a message different from the intended one” (Lapin, 2004). This means that effective communication does not take place.

Minfon, a management consulting company was hired to resolve issues of mistrust after “a group of investors from China acquired a US-based service company and hired a CEO without any bi-cultural background or experience working with local Chinese.” (Minfon inc, 2005). The case illustrated that because of the language barriers of the investors, poor communication between the Board and the staff existed. This in turn created mistrust between employees and management. The mistrust presented further communication problems and ultimately resulted in the company filing for bankruptcy in one year and the threat of a key executive leaving the company as well as an imminent lawsuit from a client.

Similarly, there will not be effective communication in an organisation when fear exists. “Not only do people not speak their minds when there is fear, but they also do not listen to others” (Lapin, 2004). Fear inhibits effective communication and in doing so removes the chance of organizational success because the culture of the organization becomes overlayed with fear. Companies cannot achieve organizational success as their “values and visions are marginalized in the minds of employees by the ever-present feeling of apprehension” (Lapin, 2004)

Know Inc., a Toronto-based consultancy company, performed research into the effect of fear on organizational success. Know Inc., found that not only does fear inhibit effective communication but it also costs the business. “Research has shown that fear-based values can dramatically reduce the profitability of an organisation and in the worst cases, force the business into bankruptcy” (Clothier, 2006). Know Inc., surveyed 175 staff at a company experiencing problems. Know Inc., determined that there was a culture of fear and staff found that there were issues in communication. Employees had low morale and no motivation. The company made a loss of $0.7m in the year. Know Inc., calculated that the ineffective communication resulting from fear cost the business $18m. This example emphasises the importance of effective communication for organisational success

One-way communication is another inhibitor to effective communication. Listening is an important aspect to effective communication and is just as crucial as voicing the message well. Without active listening, communication is, in effect, one way – the message is not received. Lapin rightly points out that “people find it hard to listen with an open mind to communicators who do not listen themselves” (Lapin, 2004).

The last major inhibitor to effective communication in business today is the delegation of communication. Lapin (2004) points out that if a manager delegates communication, their message loses integrity and the receiver forms mistrust. Lapin shows that you can “delegate the communication of facts, but not of feelings”. Without direct communication, a manager cannot motivate employees, they cannot inspire them and the employees do not reach their individual success. “How a company communicates, how trusted its communications are, and its capacity to inspire people with its communications all contribute as much to its success as do any other of its strategies.” (Lapin, 2004)

Information Distribution

“An organization needs to regularly communicate to enable employees to feel engaged, to feel valued, to seek their input, to keep them aware and to enable them to manage their jobs” (Lowenthal cited by Grensing-Pophal, 2001). This statement illustrates the importance of effective communication. Not only does the business benefit from motivated and engaged employees but the employees can reach their individual success. Effective communication is the “key for organizational effectiveness and employee satisfaction” (Lowenthal cited by Grensing-Pophal, 2001) However, it is known that words are only 10% effective, body language 35% and verbal communications 65% effective (Delcarson, 2005). “When people mix words and tone with body language, they enrich communication and reduce the chance of misunderstanding dramatically” (Delcarson, 2005). This means that the way information is distributed within an organization is vital in order to enable effective communication and not create misunderstanding. Furthermore, it is critical that management distribute rather than withhold information from employees as “employees who understand the company’s direction and know how to do their jobs to support that direction are more engaged; they have higher job satisfaction and overall morale, and are more productive” (Droppers, 2006).

Delaware North is a food service, retail, recreation and hospitality management company that operates at sports venues, airports, state and national parks and major tourist attractions (Grensing-Pophal, 2001). The company operates in the United States, Canada and the Pacific and has employees in over 110 locations. The company believes that “effective communication is the key to the organization’s success” (Grensing-Pophal, 2001). Without methods of information distribution, communication between the different countries and the many locations would break down and the company would simply not function. To ensure that there is effective communication in the business the company formed a division to handle internal communications.

The division made certain that there was a standard level of communication across the company. The division ensured that employees had easy access to technologies for communicating, the opportunity to give ideas and suggestions, the sharing of financial information, ability for employees to have input into how work is done and that business strategy and goals are shared with employees. The success of the business is attributed to their ability to distribute information to their employees. By providing their employees with the information before mentioned they become engaged and it creates a relationship between the employees and management. This contributes to the individual’s success as well as the company’s.

The importance of information distribution is seen in the major franchising company New Horizons. The company believes that real business success can be gained by “creating a culture of open collaboration and idea exchange” (Delcarson, 2005) which emphasizes the importance of effective communication. To ensure that the company has effective communication across its 260 locations in 54 countries the business runs management training and professional development courses and teams are encouraged to focus on “improving communications and collaboration” (Delcarson, 2005).

The company makes extensive use of technology to distribute information throughout the organization. The importance of distributing information to all employees is paramount as it improves the “interaction, confidence and ability” of employees leading to organizational and individual success (Delcarson, 2005). The company holds “interactive online ‘executive update’ sessions monthly” which allows “frequent communication…on strategic and tactical initiatives, as well as to stress high-priority areas.” (Delcarson, 2005). Further to this the sessions are recorded so that any employee can view at their discretion. This method of information distribution improves communication among the employees and management in the company. The company finds that having effective communication “facilitate[s] rapid results and [allows the company to] react quickly with the end client” (Delcarson, 2005).

Information Context

Not only does the business need to provide information to employees, they need to ensure that there is an appropriate context to the information, such that it is relevant to them (Brandon, 1995). Research has shown that management often makes the mistake of communicating to employees with the same level of complexity that they themselves are comfortable with (Droppers, 2006). This causes issues in communication because the employees see things from a different perspective than managers do. For effective communication to take place it is important for an organization to contextualize information for their employees.

It is essential to comprehend the Shannon and Weaver (1949) model of communication to understand the importance of context in effective communication with employees. The basic elements of the model include the source (the sender), encoder, message, channel, receiver, decoder and noise. The sender is the person with the purpose for communicating and encodes the idea into a message which travels in a medium known as a channel to a receiver and decoded. Noise interrupts the interpretation of the message. Often breakdowns in communication occur when “the receiver may decode the message inaccurately, misinterpret the sender’s intent and respond inappropriately” (Kelly, 2000). According to Quirke (1995) one of the “primary reason[s] for breakdowns in communication is that managers and supervisors are not receiver-oriented; they need to share the context of a message if a receiver is to successfully decode it”. Thus for effective communication to occur it is vital that the managers ensure that the “environment and events relating to your communication confirm what you say” and that the receiver is aware of the “significance or importance of the message” (Anonymous, 2000)

The importance of context as an aspect of effective communication was revealed in Shaw’s supermarket when the business acquired another company. Rumors of store closer and job loss became apparent. To satisfy the need of the employees to know information of the change, the company published a newsletter. The fact that the context of the newsletter matched the needs of the employees meant that employee’s morale was not lost and the business benefited from this. “They told us they looked forward to getting The Rumor Buster because it focused on the things they were worried about” (Grensing-Pophal, 2001). This case illustrates the importance of context in communication within an organization.

Feedback and Motivation

Examining Maslow’s hierarchy of needs reveals that communication is an intrinsic motivator as it meets self-actualization and belongingness. This means that effective communication is a vital motivator in an organization as self actualization and belongingness are primal elements of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

Research shows that organizations that have the capability to effectively communicate benefit from 20% lower turnover and 4.5 times greater engagement in work indicating that as the communication between management and employees becomes more effective, the motivation of employees also increases (Yates, 2006).

Employee motivation increases productivity which leads to organization success but also increases job satisfaction, which benefits the employees. Ruccio and Zorn (1998) illustrate that motivation is “central to employee performance and ultimately organizational performance and profits”.

How though is motivation achieved? For motivation to occur effective communication must be in place and crucial to this is feedback. Cole (2001) defines feedback as the method that “turns communication into a two-way process” and when both the sender and receiver try to “reach mutual understanding”. Croft and Cochrane (2005) illustrate that it is essential to “establish two way communications, encouraging your audience to interact”. This is the process of feedback and by enabling feedback employees become motivated which in turn increases job satisfaction and through increased production – organizational accomplishment.

In Pittsburg, the dilemma facing the motor carrier industry is driver retention (Ozment and Keller, 1999). Statistics indicate some companies experience a 200% yearly turnover rate. Research showed that there was a lack of feedback between dispatchers (supervisors) and drivers. This caused an unsatisfied workforce with low morale causing upset for drivers and large costs for the companies. When new processes were implemented in a particular organization encouraging a new communication framework between drivers and dispatchers, the driver turnover rate decreased dramatically. The feedback process allowed for more effective communication to occur and the motivation of the drivers increased. This meant that the organization could “enhance their competitive positioning by focusing on areas that may help them maintain a loyal satisfied workforce” retention (Ozment and Keller, 1999). This case illustrates the importance of feedback and motivation and how establishing effective communication is critical for leading to both individual and organization success

Conclusion

In summary, when effective communication is in place in an organization it is evident that both individuals and organizations can reap benefits. Aspects of communication such as information distribution, information context, feed back and motivation are important to employees and managers alike as they contribute to effective communication and ultimately the success of the organization and the individual.

References

Anonymous, 2000, The eight “Cs” of good communications, The Canadian Manager, Toronto, Vol. 25, Iss. 3; pg. 27, 1 pgs

Brandon, Michael C., 1995, Employee communication: From nice to necessity, Communication World, San Francisco, Vol. 12, Iss. 3, p.20

Clegg et al. 2005, Managing and Organizations. SAGE publications, London, pg. 315

Clothier, Phil, 2005, The Cost of Fear, Know Inc., <http://www.knowinc.com/pdf/costoffear.pdf>

Cole, Kris, 2001, Supervision: the theory and practice of first-line management 2nd ed., Pearson Education, NSW, pg.44

Croft, Lucy; Cochrane, Natasha, 2005, Communicating change effectively, Management Services, Enfield, Vol 49, Iss. 1; pg. 18, 1 pgs

Delcarson, Steven R, 2005, The 10, 55, 35 Rule of Communication, Franchising World, Washington, Vol 37, Iss. 11, pg. 65, 3 pgs

Droppers, Kristi, 2006, Engage Employees with Effective Communication, Rural Telecommunications, Washington, Vol. 25, Iss. 2; pg. 62, 2 pgs

Grensing-Pophal, Lin, 2001, Got the Message, HRMagazine, Alexandria, Vol 46, Iss 4; pg. 74, 6 pgs

Kelly, Dawn, 2000, Using Vision to improve organizational communication, Leadership and Organization Development Journal, Vol. 21, Iss. 1/2; pg. 92, 10 pgs

Lapin, David, 2004, It’s Communication, Stupid!, PM. Public Management, Washington, Vol. 86, Iss. 1; pg. 32

Maltz, Alan C., 2001, Defining and measuring organizational success: A multi-dimensional framework, STEVENS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, New Jersey, pg. 1499

Miller, George A. et al., 2006, Success – WordNet Search – 2.1, Princeton University, <http://wordnet.princeton.edu/>, New Jersey

Minfon, Inc, 2005, Case Study – China, Minfon Incorporated, <http://www.minfon.com/casestudychina.pdf>

Ozment, John; Keller, Scott, 1999, Exploring dispatcher communication effectiveness: Implications for retaining drivers in the trucking industry, Journal of Managerial Issues, Pittsburg, Vol. 11, Iss. 1; pg. 94, 16 pgs

Pihulyk, Audrey, 2003, Communicate with clarity, The Canadian Manager, Toronto, Vol 28, Iss. 2; pg. 12

Quirke, B, 1995, Communicating Change, McGraw-Hill, London

Shannon, C.E. and Weaver, W., 1949, The Mathematical Theory of Communication, University of Illinois Press, Champaign, IL.

Shetcliffe, John, 2004, Managing Regular Communication, Insurance Brokers’ Monthly and Insurance Advisor, Lye, Vol. 54, Iss. 4; pg. 18, 3 pgs

Yates, Kathryn, 2006, Effective Communication: A Leading Indicator of Financial Performance” 2005/2006 Communication ROI Study, Watson Wyatt Worldwide, Washington

Zorn, Theodore E., Jr.; Ruccio, Sarah E., 1998, The use of communication to motivate college sales teams, The Journal of Business Communication, Oct 1998 issue