Perception and Communication

Perception and CommunicationCory Harms, Iowa State University

Is it moving?

Set up person coming in and see if anyone noticed them and can describe them1

Perception and CommunicationPerception the active process of assessing information in your surroundings1

Communication the act or process of using words, sounds, signs, or behaviors to express or exchange information or to express your ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc., to someone else2

1. Dr. Lee MCGaan2. MerriamWebster.com

1. How we see or experience things

2. How we express ourselves

So we want people to perceive our communication exactly as we do2Perception and CommunicationFactors that can affect perception

PhysiologyPast experiences/biasesCultureTraining/BackgroundPresent FeelingsAnything else?

Physiology how could that affect your perception? headache, sick, tired, Past Experiences -? Bad impression, bad experience, had a disagreement before, trust (Sam Tell example)Culture ? Training/Background U of I bid example -how do I perceive their systemPresent Feelings mad, happy, frustratedAnything else?

3Perception Test

Lets take a look at this video the video will give the instructions- if you have done this before please dont give away the answer

Why show this one because it is hilariousTwo- how do some of us not perceive the gorilla? too focused on one thing that we eliminate others?

If we are primed or expecting to see on thing we may miss another result bids where a dept. wants one particular vendor or we are expecting one vendor to be the best fit.

4Perception and CommunicationWhy is this relevant to Purchasing?How we are perceived on campus or by vendors can make a big difference.Good communication with vendors/clients is becoming more important and affects their perception of us.Miscommunication and misperception can have unwanted results.Communication has moved to less personal forms (emails, Facebook, Twitter, Text) that can be misinterpreted (perceived incorrectly).How do we get through all of the perception factors to get our ideas across!

Old school we dont need to talk to people just send me a req!

What do people think about Purchasing? How do we work t change that perception

How do we reach out to clients training, websites, meetings, departmental report cards?

What happens when we are not clear

Has email become the default form of communication? (E and I example)

How do we get our ideas across eliminate as many barriers as we can, clear concise, professional

5Perception and CommunicationAreas of DiscussionHow do we change the perception of Purchasing on campusHow do we affect how we are perceived by vendorsHow do we more effectively communicate with clients and vendors What forms of communication should we be using and whenImportance of staff communication

How do we change the perception of Purchasing on campusIts all in a name (maybe)Buyer versus agent versus contracting officer?Purchasing versus Procurement versus Business Services?Purchasing Manager versus Director versus Chief Procurement OfficerWe need to be aware of how we present ourselvesJeans versus business casual versus business wear?What technology tools are we using?How do we connect with campus

Moving from what they believe about us today to what we want them to believe about us

Is name important., does it make a difference? Why are we all not called Buyers

Would you feel underdressed meeting the president, Provost, CIO?Do we present like we want to present

Laptops, tablets, smartphones, website, e-pro, other systems COI, req, p-card7Which me do you take more seriously?

How do we change the perception of Purchasing on campusWe should strive for recognition AEP award, NAEP awards, NIGP awards, campus awards, etc.We should have a brand Strive to be service of choiceSeen as strategic versus transactionalWe should be faculty and department friendlyBuild relationships with departments and facultyFaculty meetings, orientations, etc.We should be consistent in communication, decisions, serviceDoes it help to be recognized?Is the process god to go through?

What is branding and does Purchasing need one? If we have one do we live to that brand

Service of choice - e-pro, good contracts that cover a lot of needsOur service is our brand, make it known how you want to be viewed.

Faculty liaison that meets with new faculty to go over their needs, grants, purchasing processes

Make sure you are consistent in decisions, weekly meetings with agents/staff meettings

9How do we affect how we are perceived by vendors

Names and titles again?How we present ourselves is still importantProfessional documents/meetingsWebsiteProcesses

Names can have an impact on what level Purchasing is perceived at

Hate to beat it again but it does change perception

Just reiterating that consistency and professionalism win out see sample

What is helpful to have on the website for vendors? Website registration, bids, other vendor information, awarded bids, insurance requirements, terms? Tax exempt forms? Can they find your website?

Are processes seen as fair? For public entities do you have gift laws? Do you enforce?10Need a Volunteer

Look at the chart below and say the COLOR of the word, not the word itself.

Hard to change our mind from seeing what it wants to see12How do we more effectively communicate with clients and vendors

Departmental WebsiteEmails Bids, Contracts, AmendmentsPhoneMeetings, VisitsTraining/OrientationFocus GroupsSurveysOthers?

In what ways do we communicate with our clients and vendors website, email, bids, contracts, phone, meetings, pre-bids

Is the website user friendly, up to date, does it give people what they need? Purchasing must have control of the content editorFocus groups on what people need

Emails are we clear, consistent, professional? Do we coach people on proper communications? What inspired emoticons? Not generally acceptable in business communications

Are our documents consistent, professional, clear, organized?Must have a consistent bid, amendment and contract format

Do we call people versus email, do we respond immediately

Meetings- are we organized, effective, professional

Do you do departmental visits? Scorecards? Starting point for conversations spend, contract spend, vendors used, high dollar users

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Which way is she spinning (raise hands)

What way is she spinning squint and look at just the legs and imagine it going the other way.

So how do we see this in two different ways14What forms of communication should we be using and when

Face to Face93% non-verbal (55% body, 38% tone, 7% words) or 60% facial/40% vocal1Telephone/TeleconferenceEmail60 billion emails per day in the world299% of written communication now2Companies like Intel have instituted no email Fridays2Webinars/Web MeetingsFocus Groups1 Psychology Today 9/30/20112 Organizational Behavior, v. 1.0 by Talya Bauer and Berrin Erdogan

What is good for face to faceManage Strong Emotions in PersonGive Bad News in PersonThank You, Good News and PraiseYou think they might not tell the truth

We can read cues we cant get other times, - if someone falls and says they are fine but they are grimacing and have tears in their eyes?

Volunteer Thank you for considering Bank of the East Coast. We appreciate this opportunity and would love to explore ways that we can work together to help your business grow, she says with a friendly smile. At the second bank, the bank officers tie is stained. He looks over your head and down at his desk as he speaks. He shifts in his seat and fidgets with his hands. His words say, Thank you for considering Bank of the West Coast. We appreciate this opportunity and would love to explore ways that we can work together to help you business grow, but he mumbles his words, and his voice conveys no enthusiasm or warmth. Which bank would you choose? The speakers body language must match his or her words. If a senders words and body language dont matchif a sender smiles while telling a sad tale, for examplethe mismatch between verbal and nonverbal cues can cause a receiver to actively dislike the sender.

Telephone? Who hates the email that is three or four paragraphs and asks fifteen questions?

more emotion needed, longer message, many questions, sensitive issuebriefer than face to facemay not want in writing

email?documentation, information sharing (no emotion),

Webinar/webex? demos, more personal than teleconference if you c an see faces

Focus Groups?Systems review, website, policy changes?

15Communication Exercise

Ongoing Telephone row by row or table by table

I took my dog for a walk today and then I gave him some food

What does this show maybe our messages dont get to departments I the way we want it to16I took my dog for a walk today and then I gave him some foodVerbal versus Written ExampleI did not tell John you were late

I did not tell John you were late.I did not tell John you were late.I did not tell John you were late.I did not tell John you were lateI did not tell John you were late.I did not tell John you were late.I did not tell John you were late.Someone else told himThis absolutely did not happenI may have implied itI told Denise and LadonnaI told them Fred was late and you were with FredI told him you are late every dayI told him you were unreliable

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Is it moving (squint)19How can we improve our verbal communicationBe preparedThink before you speakBe receptive to new ideasAsk QuestionsListen more than you speakUse eye contactRepeat what you heard to clarify

What forms of communication should we be using and when

Be prepared- agendas, research, data,

Think before you speak I am guilty of this take time to reflect careful silence can be powerful.

Even when you think the idea is bad Tell me more can be a useful way of moving forward and hearing them out

Ask questions to show interest and allow time for thought

Listen allow yourself the freedom to listen

Eye contact shows you are engaged (non-verbal's)

Repeat to show clarity and understanding20Communications Exercise

Split the group into teams of 3-4 people.Ask each group to discuss a specific topic such as What is the future of Procurement for 5 minutes. This can. Open questions are ideal so the conversation can go on indefinitely.

After 5 minutes, stop the teams and explain that from now on if anyone wants to make a comment on the topic, they must first repeat a summary of what was just said by the last person in their team on the subject. Once the last person to contribute is happy with the summary, the other person can make his or her point.This process continues during the conversation for another 5 minutes.

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Importance of staff communicationStaff MeetingsTrainingOne on onesDont hide good or bad newsDont keep things secret

Keep regular staff meetings to provide information and hear what everyone is up to

Utilize staff meetings to impart training from around campus, webinars, purchasing personnelLegal, trademark, HR, FPM, risk mgmt.

Look at having one on one sessions for staff and mgmt. monthly or quarterly dont wait for annual reviewsreview goals and projects, persons interests, progress

Be open with good and bad news

Anything that seems to be secret can cause stress

Encourage an open environment where people feel comfortable enough to share doubts and concerns with the rest of the team. Open-door policy is more than just not closing the door. It is about ensuring that people feel that they really have access to your time and that their concerns will be met seriously.Take the time to appreciate the efforts of others. It is said that the only way to get someone to do something is to make them want to do it too. One way to do that is by creating loyalty and people return loyalty when they feel respected and appreciated. Did someone do a great job? Tell them!Make sure rules and expectations are understood and clear. When workers understand what the regulations for the workplace are and what is expected of them, its easier for them to play by the book and perform duties according to managements expectations. Keeping channels of communication open, in case there is any doubt, also ensures effective communication in the workplace.

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How many colors are on this cube seven ? No six orange and brown are the same color23SummaryPerception can be affected by many factorsPerception of Purchasing is importantWe need to effectively communicate with clients and vendors Staff communication should be consistent and ongoing

Be aware of perception filters and control as much of the environment as you can meeting at 5:00 on Friday, first thing Monday after a staff luncheon?

Perception of the Purchasing Department is important for Communication are we on level with other critical departmentsDo vendors see us as professional, are our websites, documents, etc. good? We can affect how we are perceived titles, appearance, recognition, outreach

We have to choose the right tools to communicate with email, phone, face to face and be effective

Communicate openly with staff develop and train

24Questions?