Page 10 - Communication in Organizations Basic Skills and Conversation Models

Preface

Graduates from higher vocational and university education often reach positions in which
they have to take the lead. They have to motivate people, delegate tasks, lead meetings
and retain an overview. One of the most important requirements is that they are able to
communicate effectively. The idea that some people are natural leaders and that others
will never learn to give good leadership is nowadays outdated. It has been replaced by the
conviction that leadership and communication skills can be learnt. Skilled Interpersonal
Communication is part of many curricula in higher education.
This book consists of three parts. In Part I basic communication skills are dealt with. A
distinction is made between regulating skills, listening skills and sender skills. Part II
concerns a number of different dialogues: the interview used to gather information, the
selection interview, the job application interview, the performance evaluation interview,
the personal problems interview, handling complaints, breaking bad news and the sales
interview. Part III is dedicated to conversations in more complex group situations. The
subjects discussed include decision making, leading meetings, conflict management,
negotiations and giving presentations. Many practical examples and concrete
conversations are used in order to give students a clear perspective on future (leading)
positions in an organization.
The book is an adaptation of the Dutch book Gesprekken in Organisaties by Yvonne
H.Gramsbergen-Hoogland and Henk T.Van der Molen (2003, 3rd ed., Groningen:
Wolters-Noordhoff). Yvonne H.Gramsbergen-Hoogland has been a teacher in the
Department of Business Economics of the Hanzehogeschool Groningen. Henk T.Van der
Molen is professor of psychology at Erasmus University Rotterdam and at the Open
University of the Netherlands.
The content of the original book has been adapted to the hospitality industry. The
adaptation consisted of changing the original example organization—a building
company—into a catering organization and by adding a chapter on handling complaints.
In The Netherlands the book is widely used in the communication skills training
programmes of many institutions in higher vocational and uni-versity education. After
selling 60,000 copies we decided that it might be worthwhile to have it published for the
English-speaking market. We hope that this book will prove its importance outside The
Netherlands and would be grateful to receive feedback on it.
Henk T.Van der Molen, Rotterdam
Yvonne H.Gramsbergen-Hoogland, Onnen
June 2005