Transcript Danger #1
Chapter 1: Establishing a Framework for Business Communication BCOM 3e Lehman/Dufrene What is Communication? Communication is the process of exchanging information and meaning between or among individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, and behavior. Purposes of Group Communication • Achievement or task purpose To serve on a decision-making or problemsolving group To get the job done • Maintenance or social purpose Feel better about yourself and each other To develop group morale Communication Process Model Encoding & Decoding • Encoding ▫ The process of selecting and organizing the message • Factors that influence encoding: ▫ ▫ ▫ ▫ Receiver’s education level Experience Viewpoints Power status/relationship to sender • Decoding ▫ The process of interpreting the message Feedback • Receiver responds to sender’s message • Verbal or nonverbal • May prompt sender to modify or adjust original message Interference • aka “noise” • Sources: Contradicting nonverbal signals Differences in education & culture Words not present in receiver’s vocabulary Ambiguous, nonspecific ideas Distractions (mannerisms, inappropriate dress, hunger, stress, deadlines, intimidation) Noisy environment/interruptions Receiver unreceptive to new ideas Receiver pre-judges topic as boring/difficult Complications caused by the communication channel Linguistics • What do these phrases mean to you? ▫ ▫ ▫ ▫ ▫ Bless his/her heart. How much do you lack? Cut the lights out. I’m fixin’ to … That dog won’t hunt. • Which term or phrase do you use? ▫ Do mash a button or press a button? ▫ Shopping cart or buggy? Communication Channels Two-Way, Face-to-Face • Examples: ▫ informal conversations, interviews, oral presentations, speeches, videoconferences • Advantages: ▫ Instant feedback, nonverbal signals, personal connection • Disadvantages: ▫ Expensive to convene groups spread across great distances, difficult to coordinate schedules • Best channel for conveying sensitive or unpleasant news Two-Way, NOT Face-to-Face • Examples: ▫ Telephone conversations, online chats, instant messaging, texting • Advantages: ▫ Instant feedback, real-time connection • Lacks nonverbal elements, so verbal message must be especially clear One-Way, NOT Face-to-Face • Examples: Letters, memos, reports, e-mail, fax, voice mail, web pages, newsletters • Advantages: Message considered more permanent and official • Lacks both nonverbal elements and instant feedback • Confusion must be anticipated and prevented Flow of Information Within an Organization What direction of communication is this an example of? Your boss tells you “that’s not the way we do things here” and then shows you the correct procedure for completing a task. ▫ Upward communication ▫ Downward communication ▫ Horizontal communication What direction of communication is this an example of? Your co-worker provides constructive criticism on a draft of a letter you’re writing. ▫ Upward communication ▫ Downward communication ▫ Horizontal communication What direction of communication is this an example of? You tell your boss that you think you deserve a raise. ▫ Upward communication ▫ Downward communication ▫ Horizontal communication Organizational Communication • Formal channels Rules procedure Created by management to control individual and group behavior • Informal channels Emerge as people interact within a formal system to create a satisfying environment Grapevine: An Informal Communication Channel 1. Grapevine is ___ no _____ more or _____ less accurate than other communication channels 2. Message distribution is networked rather than linear in __________ nature Workplace Gossip • 28% of employees say gossip is their first source of information • (among those who work in offices without a consistent method of communicating news, like staff meetings) • Two forms: ▫ Company (mergers, layoffs, promotions, staffing changes) ▫ Personal (affairs, conflicts, health issues) At the water cooler? • Not anymore: • (36%) office break room • (33%) at a co-worker's desk, workstation or office • (10%) e-mail or instant messaging. • (1%) water cooler Who gossips more? • Men? Or Women? • It’s actually about the same. • Purpose differs: ▫ Women gossip to network, stay connected with friends. ▫ Men use gossip in a more competitive way (who’s earning what, who’s dating whom) ▫ Women are more interested in discussing other women, men are more interested in discussing other men. Is Gossip Harmless? • Human nature • Helps build office friendships • Helps us figure each other out (who can we trust? Who should we avoid?) • Helps us let others know who we are • Forms a sense of connection in work teams • Releases hormones that reduce anxiety and stress • Helps new hires learn about the corporate culture (what’s not in the employee handbook) Or Dangerous? Danger #1: Lawsuits • Gossip spread in e-mail can be used to support a defamation case • If an employee spreads malicious gossip via email and the target of the gossip finds out, he or she could make a case for harassment or a hostile work environment claim. Dangers of Workplace Gossip Danger #2: Career damage • Employees known as gossips can be valued by managers who see them as a way of getting a read on workplace morale, but they can also be viewed as not trustworthy Danger #3: Productivity drain • Time spent gossiping takes time away from your real job http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3199650 Levels of Communication • Intrapersonal Communicating with yourself Not true communication? Example: Reminding yourself of your to do list • Interpersonal Communication between two people Goals: accomplish task, maintenance function • Group Communication among two or more Goal: achieving output greater than individual efforts could produce Levels of Communication, cont. • Organizational ▫ Groups working together to achieve large tasks • Public ▫ The organization communicating externally to its constituents ▫ Examples: advertisements, corporate website Contextual Forces Causes of Illegal and Unethical Behavior • • • • • • • profits Excessive emphasis on ______ Misplaced corporate loyalty _________ personal Obsession with _______ advancement caught Expectation of not getting ______ tone set by top Unethical ____ management Confusion about whether an action _________ is wrong stand Unwillingness to take a _____ Four Dimensions of Business Behavior Barriers to Intercultural Communication • Ethnocentrism ▫ Assume your way is the right way • Stereotypes ▫ Preformed ideas • Interpretation of time • Personal space • Body language • Translation limitations