Transcript Communicating in the Internet Age

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Chapter Objectives
 Identify each major link in the communication process.
 Explain the concept of media richness and the Lengel-Daft contingency model
of media selection.
 Identify the five communication strategies and specify guidelines for using
them.
 Discuss why it is important for managers to know about grapevine and
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nonverbal communication.
Explain at least four ways managers can encourage upward communication.
Explain how to deal with information overload and outline a workplace policy
for social networking sites.
List two practical tips for each of the three modern communication
technologies (e-mail, cell phones, and videoconferences) and summarize the
pros and cons of telecommuting.
Specify at least three practical tips for improving each of the following
communication skills: listening, writing, and running a meeting.
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The Communication Process
 Communication
 The interpersonal transfer of information and
understanding from one person to another
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Links in this social process include sender, encoding,
medium, decoding, receiver, and feedback
 The communication process is only as strong as its
weakest link
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Encoding
 Translating internal thought patterns into a language
or code the intended receiver of the message will likely
understand and/or pay attention to
 Choice of words, gestures, or other symbols for
encoding depends on the nature of the message.
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Technical or nontechnical
Emotional or factual
Visual or auditory
 Cultural diversity can create encoding challenges.
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Selecting a Medium
 Moving between low- and high-context cultures can
create appropriate media selection problems.
 In low-context cultures, the verbal content of the
message is more important than the medium through
which it is delivered.
 In high-context cultures, the context (setting) in which
the message is delivered is more important than the
literal words of the message.
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Decoding
 Successful decoding depends on the receiver having:
 A willingness to receive the message
 Knowledge of the jargon and terminology used in the
message
 An understanding of the sender’s purpose and
background situation
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Feedback
 Appropriate forms of feedback are determined by the
same factors that govern the sender’s encoding
decision.
 Feedback affects the form and content of follow-up
communication.
 Effective feedback is timely, relevant, and personal.
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Noise
 Noise is any interference with the normal flow of
communication.
 A speech impairment, garbled technical transmission,
negative attitudes, lies, misperception, illegible print or
pictures, telephone static, partial loss of hearing, and
poor eyesight all qualify as noise.
 Understanding decreases as noise increases.
 To deal with noise:
 Make messages more understandable.
 Minimize and neutralize sources of interference.
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Communication Strategies
 Spray & Pray
 Passive receivers are showered with information
 Tell & Sell
 A restricted set of messages with explanations for importance
and relevance
 Underscore & Explore
 Give-and-take strategy for communicating key issues
 Identify & Reply
 Responding to employee concerns about prior
communications
 Withhold & Uphold
 Telling employees only what they need to know when you
think they need to know it
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Communication Strategies
(cont’d)
 Seeking a Middle-Ground Communication Strategy
 Avoid Spray & Pray and Withhold & Uphold.
 Use Tell & Sell and Identify & Reply sparingly.
 Use Underscore & Explore as much as possible.
 Merging Communication Strategies and Media
Richness
 Managers need to select the richest medium possible
when employing Tell & Sell, Identify & Reply, and
Underscore & Explore strategies.
© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
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The Grapevine
 The grapevine is the unofficial and informal
communication system in an organization.
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Nonverbal Communication
 Body Language
 Nonverbal communication based on facial expressions,
posture, and appearance
 Types of Body Language
 Facial
 Gestural
 Postural
 Appearance
 Receiving Nonverbal Communication
 Awareness of nonverbal cues can give insight into
deep-seated emotions.
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Upward Communication
 Upward Communication
 The process of encouraging employees to share their
feelings and ideas with management.
 Options for improving upward communication:
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Formal grievance procedures
Employee attitude and opinion surveys
Suggestion systems
Open-door policy
Informal meetings
Social media
Exit interviews
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Communicating in the Digital Workplace
 Digital technology has been revolutionary for the
computer, telecommunications, consumer electronics,
publishing, defense, and entertainment industries
 Communication objectives:
 Effectively use the communication technologies at our
disposal
 Prepare for those technologies to come
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Table 11.2: Policy Guidelines for Using
Social Networking Sites at Work
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Table 11.3: How to Compose
a CLEAR E-Mail Message
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Table 11.4: Five Commandments
of Cell Phone Etiquette
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Summary
 Modern technology has made communicating easier and less costly, with the
unintended side effect of information overload.
 Media richness is determined by the amount of information conveyed and the
amount of learning promoted.
 Organizational communication is typically too haphazard.
 The unofficial and informal communication system that sometimes
complements and sometimes disrupts the formal communication system is the
grapevine.
 Upward communication can be stimulated by using formal grievance
procedures, employee attitude and opinion surveys, suggestion systems, an
open-door policy, informal meetings, Internet chat rooms, and exit interviews.
 Information overload is a by-product of the digital communication age.
 E-mail, supposedly a real time saver, has quickly become a major time waster.
 Listening, writing, and running a meeting are essential skills for managers.
© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
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Terms to Understand
 Communication
 Upward communication
 Media richness
 Exit interview
 Noise
 Videoconference
 Grapevine
 Teleworking
 Body language
© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
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