Ch. 8: Communication

UNDERSTANDING COMMUNICATION

8.2 Learning Objectives: 1) Define communication 2) Understand the communication process

COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

8.3 Learning Objectives: 1) Understand different ways that the communication process can be sidetracked 2) Understand the role poor listening plays in communication problems 3) Understand what active listening is 4) Learn strategies to become a more effective learner

DIFFERENT TYPES OF COMMUNICATION

8.4 Learning Objectives: 1) Understand different types of communication 2) Understand how communication channels affect communication 3) Recognize different communication directions within organizations

Emotional disconnects

occur when the sender or the receiver is upset, whether about the subject at hand or about some unrelated incident that may have happened earlier ◦a receiver who is emotionally upset tends to ignore or distort what the sender is saying ◦a sender who is emotionally upset may be unable to present ideas or feeling effectively ◦effective communication requires senders and receivers to understand and have empathy for the emotional impact of the message content or how it is sent

8.3 Key Takeaway

Many barriers to effective communication exist. Examples include filtering, selective perception, information overload, emotional disconnects, lack of source credibility, workplace gossip, gender differences, semantics, biased language, and poor listening skills, among others.

Storytelling

a narrative account of an event or events ◦effective form of verbal communication ◦serves an important organization function by helping construct common meanings for individuals within the organization ◦stories can help clarify key values and can help demonstrate how things are done

Jargon

a specific set of acronyms or words unique to a specific group or profession ◦shortcuts ◦ways to communicate things in code ◦common shorthand among experts and if used sensibly, can be a quick and efficient way of communicating ◦most consists of unfamiliar terms, abstract words, nonexistent words, acronym, and abbreviations, with occasional euphemisms

Receiver

the person whom a message is intended to reach

Communication

the process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior

Decode

the process of assigning meaning to a received message

Low information richness

◦Formal written documents ◦Spreadsheets

Nonverbal communication

observing a person to infer their meaning ◦what you do not say can be equally or even more important than what you do say ◦nonverbal cues include facial expressions, body stance, and tone of voice ◦it is important to consider how we appear in business as well as what we say ◦we can sent silent messages without saying a word ◦to be effective communicators, body language, appearance, and tone need to be aligned with the words one is trying to communicate

Multitasking

performing more than one activity at the same time ◦paying attention to multiple communication media at the same time, may be characterized as "the illusion of multitasking" ◦trying to communicate through multiple media usually does not result in positive outcomes, because the individual is switching attention from one task to another in quick succession ◦your brain has to constantly refocus on a different activity, so the effectiveness of communication suffers

Ads

places external business messages before target receivers through media buys ◦a media buy is a fee that is paid to a television network, website, magazine, and so on by an advertiser to insert an advertisement ◦the fee is based on the perceived value of the audience who watches, reads, listens to, or frequents the space where the ad will appear

External Communications

deliver specific business messages to individuals outside an organization; may announce changes of staff or strategy, earnings, and more; goal is to create a specific message that the receiver will understand and share with others

Crucial conversations

discussions in which the stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions run strong ◦high-stakes communications require more planning, reflection, and skill than normal day-to-day interactions at work Ex) asking for a raise, presenting a business plan to a venture capitalist ◦be aware of your communication style and practice flexibility

Effective listening

effective listening has a behavioral and emotional component: ◦behavioral: paraphrasing (repeating) what was heard, asking probing questions to clarify a point, and answering questions when asked ◦emotional: showing that you care about the speaker, trying to actively understand the speaker, trying to relate to the speaker, and showing concern about what is being said and what is being left unsaid

Information overload

what occurs when the information processing demands on an individual's time to perform interactions and internal calculations exceed the supply or capacity of time available for such processing ◦societal, professional, and personal messages reach us in countless ways every day ◦this is a symptom of the high-tech age, which is too much information for one human being to absorb in an expanding world of people and technology

The grapevine

workplace gossip; a lifeline for many employees seeking information about their company ◦an inevitable part of organizational life, with 70% of all organization communication occurring at the grapevine level ◦employees trust their peers as a source of messages, but the informal structure can be a barrier to effective communication from the managerial POV ◦the grassroots structure gives it greater credibility in the minds of employees than information delivered through official channels, even if that info is false ◦managers who understand the grapevine's power can use it to send and receive messages of their own; they also decrease the grapevine's power by sending official messages quickly and accurately, should big news arise

Times to use verbal communication

◦Conveying emotions and feelings ◦The message does not need to be permanent ◦There is time urgency ◦You need immediate feedback ◦The ideas are simple or can be made simple with explanations

Times to use written communication

◦Conveying facts ◦The message needs to become part of a permanent file ◦There is little time urgency ◦You do not need immediate feedback ◦The ideas are complicated

Medium information richness

◦Emails ◦Handheld devices ◦Blogs ◦Written letters and memos

High information richness

◦Face-to-face conversations ◦Video conferencing ◦Telephone conversation

Learning Objectives

1) Understand the communication process 2) Compare and contrast different types of communication 3) Compare and contrast different communication channels 4) Understand and learn to overcome barrier to effective communication 5) Understand the role listening plays in communication 6) Learn how ethics can play a role in how messages are communicated as well as how they are perceived 7) Learn how verbal and nonverbal communication can carry different meanings among cultures

Three types of communication

1) Verbal communication 2) Written communication 3) Nonverbal communication

The Communication Process

Communication fulfills 3 main functions within an organization: coordination, transmission of information, and sharing emotions and feelings Effective communication helps people grasp issues, build rapport with coworkers, and achieve consensus Process: ◦Sender originates the message with a thought ◦The sender encodes the message, translating ideas into words ◦The medium of this encoded message may be spoken words, written, words, or signs ◦Receiver receives the message ◦The receiver decodes the message by assigning meaning to the words ◦Noise are factors that may blur the meaning the meaning that the sender intended the receiver to receive

8.2 Key Takeaway

Communication is vital to organizations. Poor communication is prevalent between senders and receivers. Communication fulfills three functions within organizations, including coordination, the transmission of information, and sharing emotions and feelings. Noise can disrupt or distort communication.

8.4 Key Takeaway

Types of communication include verbal, written, and nonverbal. Surprisingly, 55% of face-to-face communication comes from nonverbal cues such as tone or body language. Different communication channels are more or less effective at transmitting different kinds of information. In addition, communication flows in different directions within organizations.

Web pages

a web page's external communication can combine elements of public relations, advertising, and editorial content, reaching receivers on multiple levels and in multiple ways ◦banner ads, blogs, and advertiser-driven "click-through" areas are just a few of the elements that allow a business to deliver a message to a receiver online ◦the perceived flexibility of online communications can impart a less formal quality to an external communication

Noise

anything that interferes with or distorts the message being transformed ◦can be external in the environment (such as distractions) or it can be within the receiver ◦can even occur within the sender

Lack of source familiarity or credibility

can derail communications, especially when humor is involved ◦sarcasm and irony are subtle, and have a high potential to be misunderstood ◦lack of familiarity with the source of a joke can lead to misinterpreting humor, especially in less-rich information channels such as email if the send lack credibility or is untrustworthy, the message will not get through ◦readers may be suspicious of the sender's motivations ◦if the sender has communicated erroneous info in the past or has created false emergencies, his current message may be filtered It is important to recognize that WHO communicates the message is often as important as what is being communicated! feedback coming from a trustworthy source will have more value compared to feedback coming from someone who is not trusted

Biased language

can offend or stereotype others on the basis of their personal group affiliation; words and actions that stereotype others on the basis of personal or group affiliation are examples of bias ◦effective communication is clear, factual, goal, oriented, and RESPECTFUL ◦referring to a person by one adjective (a brain, a diabetic) reduces the person to that one characteristics ◦language that inflames or stereotypes a person poisons the communication process ◦the effort to create a neutral set of terms has resulted in a debate over the nature of "political correctness"

Active listening

giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as needed, and not interrupting at inappropriate times ◦creates a real-time relationship between the sender and receiver by acknowledging the content and receipt of a message Cicero once said, "Silence is one of the great arts of conversation" ◦we should not be in a conversation just waiting to convey our portion, and not really listening ◦"rehearsing" is this behavior, suggesting that the receiver has not intention of considering the sender's message and is actually preparing to respond to an earlier point instead

Customer communications

include letters, catalogs, direct mail, e-mails, text messages, and telemarketing messages ◦key is convey a business message in a personally compelling way--dramatic news, a money-saving coupon, and so forth

Direction of Communication within Organizations

information can move: ◦horizontally, from a sender to a receiver ◦vertically, down from top management, or up from the front line ◦diagonally, between and among levels of an organization, such as a message from the CFO sent down to all department heads

Verbal communication

listening to a person to understand their meaning ◦can take place over the phone, in person, via video conferencing ◦medium of exchange is oral ◦people enjoy this form of communication and it is effective in helping build relationships at work ◦normally occurs in real time ◦better at conveying FEELINGS

Press releases

public relations professionals create external communications about a client's product, services, or practices for specific receivers ◦it is hoped that these receivers wills hare the message with others ◦in time, as the message is passed along, it should appear to be independent of the sender, creating the illusion of an independently generated consumer trend, public opinion, and so on ◦message may be b2b (business to business), b2c (business to consumer), or media related

Written communication

reading to understand a person's meaning ◦printed messages, many of which take place online today ◦include email, text messages, online chat platforms ◦other written documents may include handbooks, procedures, policies, and websites ◦often asynchronous ◦can be read by many people; a "one-to-many" communication as opposed to a one-to-one convo ◦can be constructed over a longer period of time ◦can be collaborative ◦"half the words can have twice the impact" ◦writing more will NOT make us sound more important ◦leaders who communicate simply and clearly project a stronger image than those who write a lot but say nothing ◦be succinct! ◦better at conveying FACTS

Body language

simplicity, directness, and warmth conveys sincerity; sincerity is vital for effective communication

Barriers to Effective Communication

◦Filtering ◦Selective perception ◦Information overload ◦Emotion disconnects ◦Lack of source familiarity or credibility ◦Semantics ◦Differences in meaning between the sender and the receiver ◦Poor listening ◦Biased language

Filtering

the distortion or withholding of information to manage a person's reactions Ex) a manager keeping a division's negative sales figures from the V.P.; a gatekeeper (the V.P.'s assistant) who doesn't pass along a complete message ◦prevents members of an organization from getting a complete picture of reality ◦one way to defuse the tendency to filter is to reward employees who clearly convey information, regardless of whether the news is good or bad

Facial expressions

the human face can produce thousands of expressions, which have been decoded by experts as corresponding to hundreds of different emotional states ◦our face conveys basic information to the outside world ◦the impact of facial expressions in a conversation is instantaneous ◦we can send a silent message with our faces without saying a word

Touch

the meaning of a simple touch differs between individuals, genders, and cultures ◦Americans place great value in a firm handshakes, but one that is too strong is also a problem

Semantics

the meaning of a word or phrase; words and phrasing meaning different things to different people, or not meaning anything to another person Ex) company jargon that is clear to the company, but that outsiders cannot understand

Communication Channels

the medium used to communicate ◦the medium used affects how accurately the message will be received ◦channels vary in their "information richness" ◦information-rich channels convey more nonverbal info; effective managers tend to use more information-rich channels ◦key to effective communication is to match the communication channel with the goal of the message

Sender

the person initiating the communication ◦a manager, coworker, or customer originates the message with a thought

Selective perception

the personal filtering of what we see and hear/information to suit our own needs ◦process is often unconscious ◦a necessary tool that provides efficiencies in complex culture, but it can also lead to mistakes ◦we have a tendency to hear what we want to hear, or see what we want to see

Posture

the position of our body relative to a chair or another person is a powerful silent messenger that conveys interest, aloofness, professionalism, or lack thereof ◦head up, back straight, implies an upright character ◦in interviews, experts advise mirroring an interviewer's tendency to lean in and settle back in a seat ◦subtle repetition of the other person's posture conveys that we are listening and responding

Eye contact

the style an duration of eye contact varies greatly across cultures ◦in the United States, looking someone in the eye (for about a second) is considered a sign of trustworthiness ◦establishing and maintaining eye contact is often the first step in building a connection with someone else ◦at the same time, uninterrupted eye contact for an extended period of time will be intimidating

Space

the term proxemics denotes the different kinds of distance that occur between people; these distances vary among cultures ◦standing too far away from a colleague (public speaking distance) or too close to a colleague (intimate distance for embracing) can thwart an effective verbal communication

Encode

the translation of ideas into words

Medium

the way that a sender's message is conveyed ◦may be spoken words, written words, or signs ◦Phone, e-mail, in person, instant message, etc.

Gender differences in communication

there seems to be communication style differences between men and women, but we need to be aware of them without exaggerating these differences ◦there is more overlap than differences! ◦women may be speaking less in high-stakes communication events such as meetings because there may be a backlash against women who are perceived to speak more than others, which does not exist for men who dominate conversations ◦women tend to withhold their opinions more in meetings, and what they perceive as "passion" in these conversation is often perceived as "too much emotion" by men