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stereotyped groups and individuals in the past. Critics of political correctness see its
vocabulary as stilted and needlessly cautious.
Many companies offer new employees written guides on standards of speech
and conduct. These guides, augmented by common sense and courtesy, are solid

starting points for effective, respectful workplace communication. Tips for
appropriate workplace speech include but are not limited to
• Alternating the use of “he” and “she” when referring to people in
general.
• Relying on human resources–generated guidelines.
• Remembering that terms that feel respectful or comfortable to us may
not be comfortable or respectful to others.
Poor Listening and Active Listening
Former Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca lamented, “I only wish I could find an
institute that teaches people how to listen. After all, a good manager needs to listen at
least as much as he needs to talk.” [13] Research shows that listening skills are related
to promotions. [14] A Sender may strive to deliver a Message clearly. But the
Receiver’s ability to listen effectively is equally vital to effective communication.
The average worker spends 55% of her workdays listening. Managers listen up to
70% each day. But listening doesn’t lead to understanding in every case. Listening
takes practice, skill, and concentration.
According to University of San Diego professor Phillip Hunsaker, “The
consequences of poor listening are lower employee productivity, missed sales,
unhappy customers, and billions of dollars of increased cost and lost profits. Poor
listening is a factor in low employee morale and increased turnover because
employees do not feel their managers listen to their needs, suggestions, or
complaints.” [15] Clearly, if you hope to have a successful career in management, it
behooves you to learn to be a good listener.
Alan Gulick, a Starbucks spokesperson, puts better listening to work in pursuit
of better profits. If every Starbucks employee misheard one $10 order each day, he
calculates, their errors would cost the company a billion dollars annually. To teach its
employees to listen, Starbucks created a code that helps employees taking orders hear
the size, flavor, and use of milk or decaf coffee. The person making the drink echoes
the order aloud.
How can you improve your listening skills? The Roman philosopher Cicero
said, “Silence is one of the great arts of conversation.” How often have we been in
conversation with someone else where we are not really listening but itching to
convey our portion? This behavior is known as “rehearsing.” It suggests the Receiver
has no intention of considering the Sender’s Message and intends to respond to an
earlier point instead. Clearly, rehearsing is an impediment to the communication
process. Effective communication relies on another kind of listening: active listening.
Active listening can be defined as giving full attention to what other people are
saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as
appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times. [16] Active listening creates a
real-time relationship between the Sender and the Receiver by acknowledging the
content and receipt of a Message. As we’ve seen in the Starbucks example, repeating

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