A report on the benefits of using the interpersonal skills of listening, questioning and feedback in the field of design to improve interactions with clients and deliver successful outcomes.
Report prepared for
Design Institute of Australia
Prepared by
Murray Richards
University of the Sunshine Coast
Queensland
September 2017
Tutors name: Michele Gilchrist
Word count: 1482
Referencing style: Harvard
Executive Summary
The purpose of this report is to provide one recommendation for incorporating interpersonal communication in the field of design. This report is limited to the skills of listening, questioning and feedback and examines the benefits of applying these skills specifically within the design process. Research was sourced from academic texts and peer reviewed journal articles in the fields of communication theory and design. This report has established that an empathetic, non-judgemental, active listening style is successful in creating design briefs which are accurate to the clients requirements. It also found that an open questioning style is preferred as it provides clients with the freedom to explore ideas and express feelings regarding a project. The research showed that feedback was essential to the design process and created engagement with clients. Employing high quality listening and questioning skills were essential in the feedback process and allowed for efficient project delivery. The unstructured nature of the open questioning style posed a challenge to the efficient facilitation of client-designer interactions in regarding to duration, structure and quality of the interactions. Given the importance of the developing an accurate client brief in the design process the following recommendation is made:
The Design Institute of Australia (DIA) create a standardised meeting structure based on a funnel sequence of questioning which incorporates a series of closed questions to encourage participation and gather necessary information, followed by a series of open questions which allow the client to freely discover and share information regarding the project. This interview structure should be made available via the DIA website for download and developed into an app which can be accessed by DIA members and used in client interactions.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary i
Introduction
1.1 Authorisation
1.2 Limitations
1.3 Scope
1.4 Methodology
2.0 A detailed explanation of the skill of listening relating to interpersonal communication theory and the benefits of applying this skill in the field of design when creating a client brief.
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Authorisation
This report is authorised by the Design Institute of Australia. The purpose of this report is provide one recommendation for incorporating interpersonal communication in the field of design.
1.2 Limitations
This report is limited to the three interpersonal communication skills of listening, questioning and feedback, and their application within the field of design.
1.3 Scope
This report explains the skills of listening, questioning and feedback according to interpersonal communication theory. It examines the benefits of the utilisation of these skills specifically within the field of design relating to the delivery of design projects. This report notes one potential challenge to the incorporation of the skill of questioning in the field of design and provides one recommendation from this analysis.
1.4 Methodology
To compile this report information been sourced from peer reviewed journal articles and academic texts in the fields of interpersonal communication theory and design.
2.0 A detailed explanation of the skill of listening relating to interpersonal communication theory and the benefits of applying this skill in the field of design when creating a client brief.
2.1 An explanation of the interpersonal communication skill of listening.
Research states that listening is the most practised form of interpersonal communication and that 45 per cent of time spent communicating is done so in the form of listening (Eunson 2012). Listening is the mental process of receiving both verbal and non-verbal information from a speaker and decoding this information into memories, evaluations and responses to be used by the listener (De Vito 2016). Listening requires training and conscious effort to perform, and so is distinguished from the involuntary and physiological process of hearing (Hargie 2011). Listening involves a number of stages; attending, interpreting, remembering, evaluating and responding (Solomon & Theiss, 2012). The skill of Active Listening is highly valued, incorporating the interpersonal communication skill of questioning to assist the listener in clarifying the speakers message and ensuring the correct information and feelings are received (Hargie 2011). This process is also known as paraphrasing (Verderber, MacGeorge & Verderber, 2013).
2.2 The benefits of employing the interpersonal communication skill of listening in understanding a clients requirements when constructing a design brief.
The client brief in the field of design is the first and most crucial stage in the design process (Shen et al 2003). Listening without judgement allows designers to objectively learn about the clients needs and ensure an accurate understanding of the clients requirements (Downs 2012). The application of an empathetic listening style promotes a relationship with the client whilst the use of clarification probes within the active listening style ensures the clients requirements are clear to both the designer and the client (Downs 2012).
3.0 An explanation of the skill of questioning relating to interpersonal communication theory and the benefits of applying this skill in the field of design in understanding a clients needs.
3.1 An explanation of the interpersonal communication skill of questioning.
Questioning is described as any verbal or non-verbal signal which requires the addressee to respond (Stewart & Cash 2008). The skill of questioning plays a crucial role in knowledge acquisition, decision making and problem solving (Mokros & Aarhus 2002). Questions are utilised to communicate a need for further information, however they may also be employed to regulate levels of participation within a group or provide control within a social interaction (Hargie 2011). There are various forms of questioning of which open and closed questioning are the most common (Goldwasser 2006). Open questions encourage respondents to provide more in depth information on a topic, and also allow for more freedom within a conversation (Stewart & Cash 2014). Closed questions require a brief response from a list of often predetermined and restricted options (Hargie 2011) and are commonly used in settings where the questioner is looking to establish facts or asses a respondent’s stance on a topic (Eunson 2012).
3.2 The benefits of employing the interpersonal communication skill of questioning in clarifying a clients needs and stimulating discussion.
Effective questioning ensures clarification regarding the needs of the client, the designer’s responsibilities, and the expected results at the completion of the project (Resnick 2003). The utilisation of an open questioning style provides greater scope for the client to express their feelings and ideas, whilst also allowing the designer to access new or unexpected information (Downs 2012). This research also suggests that the use of open questions provides an environment for discussion as it encourages clients move freely between topics and thoughts. The creation of a shared understanding and commitment between client and designer through questioning is key to a project’s effectiveness (Shen et al. 2003).
4.0 An explanation of the skill of feedback relating to interpersonal communication theory and the benefits of applying this skill in the field of design when creating a client brief.
4.1 An explanation of the interpersonal communication skill of feedback Feedback is a process whereby verbal, non verbal or written information is provided regarding an individuals performance against goals or expectations in a formal or informal setting (McIntosh et al. 2008; De Janasz, 2006). Effective feedback objectively addresses behaviours or tasks which are able to be modified by the individual (McIntosh et al. 2008). The information shared is specific and provided with appropriate timing to ensure feedback has a positive and constructive effect (Eunson 2012). Feedback is a dual channel process in which information is both given and received (McIntosh et al. 2008). The provider uses probing questions to encourage more information from the respondent whilst the respondent utilises questioning to clarify information (Hargie 2011). The receiver must listen effectively to both the information and tone of the feedback to accurately understand its meaning (McIntosh et al. 2008). Non verbal strategies such as nodding, eye-contact and voice inflection are utilised by both parties to signify engagement in the process (Eunson 2012).
4.2 The benefits of requesting feedback during the design process for efficient project delivery.
Feedback within the design process is central to a high quality result and is essential to highlight issues with the design, or reinforce successful elements (Misra, 2002). Focussing feedback on the global tone of a design proposal provides an incremental approach to securing a clients approval (Downs 2012). Asking feedback regarding the positive elements of a proposal creates engagement from the client (Downs 2012). Similarly asking a client to be specific when providing negative feedback allows the designer to restrain negative feeling to small elements of the design ensuring the larger project retains support (Downs 2012). By employing high quality listening and questioning skills during the feedback process the designer is able to assess the clients satisfaction of the design, implement changes or if needed refer back to the initial brief to ensure a productive and efficient project delivery (Misra, 2002).
5.0 Challenge of maintaining interaction structure when using an open questioning style.
Project duration, cost and quality of finished product are used as a measure of performance and success of the project (Shen et al. 2003). The use of open questions during client-designer interactions is essential for successfully understanding a client’s requirements, however the free nature of the questioning style may have detrimental effects on the duration, structure and subsequent quality of these interactions (Downs 2012). Without the necessary structure the objective of the meeting can be lost, and time spent in these formal interactions can be ineffective and at a high financial cost (Blyth 2010; Shen et al. 2003). A challenge for the design industry is to provide a questioning model which allows for the consistent accumulation of information whilst also maintaining control of the interaction (Downs 2012; Hargie 2011).
6.0 Conclusion
This report has defined the three interpersonal communication skills of listening, questioning and feedback and explained the benefits of applying these skills when interacting with clients on a design project. It was found that an empathetic, non-judgemental and active listening style was ideal for accurately understanding the clients requirements and feelings towards a project. Additionally, effective questioning was key to clarifying the clients needs and specifically an open questioning style provided an ideal environment for a client to articulate their thoughts and express feelings. Feedback played an essential role in the refinement of the design and the procurement of the client’s approval. Maintaining control of client interactions has been identified as a challenge for the industry.
7.0 Recommendation
Given the importance of the developing an accurate client brief in the design process the following recommendation is made:
The Design Institute of Australia create a standardised meeting structure based on a funnel sequence of questioning which incorporates a series of closed questions to encourage participation and gather necessary information, followed by a series of open questions which allow the client to freely access information regarding the project. This interview structure should be made available via the AID website for download and developed into an app which can be accessed by AID members and used in client interactions. List of References
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Eunson, B 2016, Communicating in the 21st century, 4th edn, John Wiley and Sons Australia, Milton.
Goldwasser, I 2006, Interactive communication: a guide to effective communication, Pearson Education Australia, Frenchs Forest.
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Resnick, E 2003, Design for communication : a conceptual approach to graphic design basics, Wiley & Sons, New York.
Shen, Q, Li, H, Chung, J & Hui, P 2004, ‘A framework for identification and representation of client requirements in the briefing process’, Construction Management and Economics, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 213-221, doi: 10.1080/0144619042000201411.
Solomon, D & Theiss, J 2013, Interpersonal communication : Putting theory into practice, Routledge, New York.
Stewart, C & Cash, W 2008, Interviewing: Principles and Practice, 14th edn, McGraw-Hill, Boston.
Verderber, KS, MacGeorge, EL & Verderber, RF, 2016, Inter-act : interpersonal communication concepts, skills, and contexts, 14th edn, Oxford University Press, New York.