COMMUNICATION

Key Lessons
The less employees are uncertain, the greater their satisfaction
• Good communication reduces uncertainty

Communication is improved by
• Choosing the correct channel
• Being a good listener
• Using feedback
Potential for misunderstanding in electronic communication
• Is higher than for traditional modes

There are many barriers to international communication

• That must be overcome
Main Topics
Functions of Communication

Communication Process

Communication Channels

Electronic Communication

Barriers to Effective Communication

Functions of Communication
 Control Motivation

Functions of
Communication

Emotional Expression Information

Control
Organizations have authority
Informal communication
hierarchies
• Formal guidelines • When work groups tease or
• Employees are required to harass a member who
follow produces too much
• They are informally
communicating with, and
controlling, the member’s
behavior
Motivation
Clarifies to employees
• What is to be done
• How well they are doing
• What can be done to improve
performance
Stimulating motivation through
require communication
• The formation of specific goals
• Feedback on progress toward the
goals
• Reinforcement of desired behavior
Emotional Expression

• Their work group is a primary

For many source for social interaction
employees

Communication • For the emotional expression

provides a of feelings
release • For fulfillment of social needs
Information

Communication
• Decision-making
facilitates

Provides • By transmitting the data to identify

information and evaluate optional choices
Communication Process
Downward Communication

Downward
Flows communication has a Purpose
one-way nature
• From one level to a • Must explain the • Assign goals
lower level reasons why a • Provide instructions
decision was made • Communicate
policies and
procedures
• Provide feedback
Upward Communication
Provide feedback to To engage in effective
Flows
higher-ups upward communication
• To a higher level • Inform them of • Try to reduce
progress distractions
• Relay current • Communicate in
problems headlines, not
paragraphs
• Prepare an agenda to
make sure you use
your boss’s attention
well
Lateral Communication

Horizontal communications are

When communication takes
often necessary to save time and
place
facilitate coordination

• Among members of the same work

group
• Among members of work groups at the
same level
• Among managers at the same level
• Among any horizontally equivalent
personnel
Processing of Persuasive Messages
Automatic processing
• A relatively superficial consideration of
evidence and information
• It takes little time and low effort
• Disadvantage
• It lets us be easily fooled by a variety of
tricks, like a cute jingle or glamorous
photo
Controlled processing
• You do independent research among
experts who know something about the
subject
• Gather information about prices from a
variety of sources
• Consider the costs and benefits of
renting versus buying
• Controlled processing requires effort and
energy
• But it’s harder to fool someone who has
taken the time and effort to engage in it
Communication Channels
Oral Communication

The chief means of

Advantages Disadvantage
conveying messages
• Speeches • Speed • When the
• Formal one-on- • Feedback message must be
one and group passed through a
discussions number of people
• Informal rumor producing
mill or grapevine distortion
Written Communication

Various forms Advantages Drawbacks

• Memos • Tangible and • Time-

• Letters verifiable consuming
• Electronic mail • Lack of
• Faxes feedback
• Periodicals • No guarantee
of receipt
• Bulletin boards
Nonverbal Communication

We cannot NOT communicate A body position or movement can

nonverbally communicate something of the
• Body movements emotion behind a message
• The intonations or emphasis we give to words • But when it is linked with spoken language, it
• Facial expressions gives fuller meaning to a sender’s message
• The physical distance between the sender and • We’re more likely to position ourselves closer to
receiver people we like and touch them more often
• There is no record of nonverbal communication
Body Language

Every body movement has

meaning
• No movement is accidental
• We act out our state of
being with body language
Most important messages
• The extent to which we like
another and are interested
in his or her views
• The perceived status
between a sender and
receiver
Physical Distance

What is considered proper

Distance may indicate
spacing between people
aggressiveness or sexual
largely depends on cultural
interest
norms
• A businesslike distance in • It may signal disinterest or
some European countries displeasure with what is
feels intimate in many being said
parts of North America
The Grapevine

Grapevine or word-of-
75 percent of employees mouth information from
hear about matters first peers about a company has
through rumors on the important effects on
grapevine whether job applicants join
an organization
Electronic Communication
Electronic Communication

In about 71 E-mail

Includes
Indispensable

percent of cases, Text messaging

the primary
medium of Networking
communication software
Blogs
Video conferencing
E-mail and documents

Advantages to e-mail usage

Drawbacks to e-mail usage

Transmits and receives text

Growth has been Quickly written, Misinterpreting the

significant edited, and stored message
Distributed to one Communicating
person or negative messages
thousands Time-consuming
Recipients can read nature of e-mail
them at their own Limited expression
convenience of emotions
Cost is a fraction of Privacy concerns
other methods
Instant Messaging and Text Messaging

The growth of TM
Like e-mail Unlike e-mail
has been spectacular
• Despite their • Instant messaging • IM occurs in real
advantages, IM and (IM) and text time
TM aren’t going to messaging (TM) • TM uses portable
replace e-mail use electronic communication
media devices
Social Networking
Nowhere has
communication been more
transformed than in
networking
• More than 600 million users have
created accounts at Facebook
The research and advisory
firm Gartner Inc. estimates
• Social networking will soon replace
e-mail as the primary form of
business communication for 20
percent or more of business users
Blogs

A blog (Web log) is a Twitter is a hybrid social

Web site networking service
• About a single person • Allows users to post
or company “microblog” entries to
their subscribers
• About any topic,
including work
Video Conferencing

Video conferencing permits Video conferencing

employees in an technology, in effect, allows
organization to have employees to conduct
meetings interactive meetings
• With people at different • Without the necessity of
locations being physically in the
same location
Barriers to Effective Communication
Communication Barriers

Selective Information
Filtering Emotions
perception overload

Communication
Language Silence Lying
apprehension
Cultural Barriers
Caused by semantics Caused by word
• Words mean different connotations
things to different people • Words imply different
• Some words do not things in different
translate between cultures languages

Caused by differences
Caused by tone in tolerance for
differences conflict and methods
for resolving conflicts
A Cultural Guide
Assume
differences Until similarity is proven
Emphasize
description Rather than interpretation or evaluation
Practice
empathy Put yourself in the recipient’s shoes
Treat your
interpretations As a working hypothesis