STRATEGIES TO DEVELOP COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT STUDENTS

INTRODUCTION

When more than one person is involved in an activity some type of communication will take place. Good communication is critical in the success of the activity. Usually when problems arise during an activity they are a result of bad communications between the parties involved. Typically the more parties involved the greater the chance of communication problems. The construction industry is a conglomeration of activities with many parties involved. A great deal of communication is essential to the success of a project.

Several elements are critical for successful communication in the construction industry. These elements include the fundamentals of basic communication, a well established line of communication, and efficient team organization and management ("Developing Clear, " Fall 1987). The attempt to use these elements of communication with students in the construction programs means the possibility of better communication in the industry. Improvement in the communications area is critical to the industry due to the fact that, "most major construction disasters in the last several years were partly or wholly caused by communication failure" ("Developing Clear, " Fall1987, p. 1).

The intent of this paper is to describe basic communication problems and how programs in construction management can begin to expose students to skills in writing, speaking, and listening which may help to alleviate some of the communication problems faced in the construction industry.

COMMUNICATION EDUCATION IN CONSTRUCTION

During our background search for this project, we found an article in the September 1987 issue of Management Today called "How to Screw Up." If you were to write an article by that title for your construction management students' use, what would you focus on? What would be a sure way to "screw up" as a project manager?

Our different responses would more than likely have one common characteristic:

they would probably be various examples of poor communication: weak oral communication, bad listening habits, ineffective written communication, poor teamwork, lack of concern about the other guy's welfare--in whatever form it's found, poor communication screws up construction projects.

Our jobs, then, are complex. In addition to helping students develop top-quality, up-to-date technical and managerial skills, we must also find ways to strengthen their communication skills. In his workshop, Management Skills for the Technical Professional, B.G. impson asserts that "managers who are usually poor communicators are usually poor managers as well." From your experience in construction management, would you agree?

We've made some positive assumptions in this study. First, that you recognize the need for communication training in construction management. And second, that you are interested in finding useful strategies that build your students' communication skills. Our purpose here is to identify a basic set of communication skills our students will- need and to describe some approaches to develop those skills.

Developing_ and Implementinq Writinq Skills

In a survey we mailed to 80 members of general contracting construction companies in our area, we asked if more time is spent in oral or written communication. Most responded that they spend more time communicating orally. We also asked, "What one thing would you do to improve communication in your organization?" Common responses were "put more in writing"; "make sure that that follow-up memo gets done."

As a first step then, we should give our students opportunities to see what they will write as part of their jobs. Bring in examples of change orders, speakers with examples of required forms, job logs, or take the class to observe the office manager at work. Design individual and team-writing assignments that call for students to give instructions, describe progress made on projects, report problems encountered and offer workable solutions, or detail observations.

Such assignments should help prepare students for the kinds of writing tasks they will face in construction management, but they may need additional guidance to develop the skills to accomplish those tasks. Murphy and Cherry (1984) describe three categories of business writers' problems and suggest activities through which students learn to overcome them.

The first difficulty is "finding an appropriate style . . . one that is strictly informational, not formal or pompous" (Murphy and Cherry, 1984, p. 100). This is the same problem that Fielden (1987) addresses in his article "What Do You Mean--You Don't Like My Style?                       Students must see for themselves that "what you say is partly how you say it" and that "how you say it may determine that the reader does about the message" (Fielden, 1987, p. 35).

Some suggestions to open students' eyes to the effect of style:

The second category of writing difficulties Murphy and Cherry describe as "the fundamental difficulty of writing" (1984, p. 100). Like many of us, students find writing to be difficult. But they tend to think that they are alone in this feeling--that writing for most other people is effortless. One of the most useful things we can do for our students, then, is to help them realize that writing is difficult for many people but that there are ways to make the task easier.

Here are some ways to do that:

A third category of business writing difficulties lies in organization information (Murphy and Cherry, 1984, 100). How does a writer determine the best order or arrangement of information to meet the reader's needs? To help students develop organizational skills, you might consider these practices:

Developing and Implementing Speaking Skills

An Internal Revenue Service spokesperson was interviewed on the January 6, 1988, Today program about the agency's preparation for the tax season in light of the changes in tax laws. The spokesperson reported that the IRS has a competent pool of tax assistants ready to answer questions. The spokesperson added that the IRS will be monitoring the "accuracy, courtesy, and completeness" of the tax assistants" responses to telephone calls.

That criteria--accuracy, courtesy, and completeness--is valid for construction management professionals as well. They speak regularly with vendors, clients, work crews, and other professionals whose needs vary greatly. Yet the need for accurate, complete, and courteous relay of information is constant.

Here are some ideas that might help your students progress toward that goal:

Developing and Implementing Listeninq Skills

F. J. Roethlisberger writes:

"The biggest block to personal communication is man's inability to listen intelligently, understandingly, and skillfully to another person. This 'deficiency in the modern world is widespread, and appalling. In our universities as well as elsewhere, too little is being done about it" (Rogers & Roethlisberger, 1951,,p. 7).

Our survey results support this point. Problems occur in construction management because someone does not listen to instructions, to clientt needs, to vendor proposals, etc. But what are "should-be" listeners doing, if not listening?

Carl Rogers explains that "the major barrier to interpersonal communication is our very natural tendency to judge, to evaluate, to approve (or disapprove) the statement of the other person or the other group" (Rogers & Roethlisberger, 1951, p. 1). So instead of really hearing what the speaker is saying, we are more than likely forming judgments of what (we think) we are hearing. We are deciding if we like the idea (or the speaker) instead of focusing on what the speaker is actually saying.

In their study of listening needs in organizations, Hunt and Cusella (1980) surveyed 250 Fortune 500 company training directors. One question asked was, "What specific aspects of listening behavior need to be part of a training effort within the organization?" These were the most frequent responses:

These are active_ listening skills; in other words, the emphasis here is on the listener becoming involved in the communication process instead of passively taking notes from a speaker. We should give construction management frequent opportunities to develop these skills. Activities such as the following encourage students to recognize the value of asking questions, of listening for detail, and of working as a team to meet goals:

CONCLUSION

Communication problems are similar in many professions. The construction industry is not an exception. There is a great need to develop the writing,

speaking, and listening skills of our future leaders in construction management.

Communication skill development should occur throughout the students' program of study. Commitment by faculty is of vital importance to successful communication training.

Select those exercises that will be effective in your particular classroom situation. Adapt them for your individual program.

The important point is to foster the development of communication skills. The payoff of effective communication skills is more efficient management of construction projects.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

We would like to thank the general contractors in North Carolina who participated in our communication survey. The compiled information supported the need for development of strategies for teaching communication skills to future management in the construction industry.

REFERENCES