Transcript Class 1 PPT slides File

Communication
in Public
Organizations
MPA 632C
Class 1
Dr. Diane Hollems
Instructor Introduction
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Dr. Diane Hollems—previous teaching experience
(undergraduate and graduate levels) at The University of
Louisiana and Louisiana State University as well as CSUN and
SBCC. Undergraduate degree in Mass CommunicationAdvertising; Master’s Degree in Organizational and Intercultural
Communication (qualitative thesis research in Guatemala); Ph.D.
in Communication Theory (quantitative dissertation focused on
reference group influence on communication).
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Our time together—
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Office hours—before and after class, by phone and by appointment
locally.
Arrive on time, have adequate breaks, leave on time.
Other housekeeping items.
Course and Self-Introductions
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Before having class intros, please complete the
handout. It will help me get to know you as well
as provide an opportunity for you to articulate a
communication challenge and your goal for the
class.
Course Overview
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Nature of the course
Expectations for the course
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Participation grade (15%)
Analysis paper grade (15%)
Group Presentation Grade (20%)
Final Paper (50%)
Formation of teams
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Team presentations will be approx. 45 minutes. There will be
two class periods devoted to presentations.
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Therefore, we can have no more than 6 groups with per
group.
MPA Program SLO’s
relating to MPA632C
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Program Learning Objective #1: “Gain the
ability to critically analyze, create or improve,
and implement, effective public policy in public
sector programs and services.”
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All 3 of your graded assignments should address
this Learning Objective. In a problem/solution
format, you will be analyzing communication
situations as well as recommending solutions
and implementation plans.
MPA Program SLO’s
relating to MPA632C
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MPA Program Learning Objective #2: “Acquire the
foundation knowledge needed to understand the
distinctive character and responsibilities of public
sector administration in a democratic society.”
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Your reading assignments will address this objective.
Readings will be reinforced with class discussion.
MPA Program SLO’s
relating to MPA632C
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MPA Program Learning Objective #3: “Acquire the
breadth and depth of knowledge about the
challenges and model practices of contemporary
public sector administration needed to be effective
in that context.”
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We will discuss communication and collaboration
challenges as they relate to your unit and how to
bridge the gaps between public sector units.
MPA Program SLO’s
relating to MPA632C
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MPA Program Learning Objective #4: “Acquire
an understanding of the special challenges and
opportunities of public sector administration in
a diverse urban context.”
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Your readings and our class discussions will
address this objective specifically, especially as it
relates to intercultural and intergenerational
communication.”
MPA Program SLO’s
relating to MPA632C
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MPA Program Learning Objective #9: “Develop
advanced communication skills needed for
leadership in the public sector: strong oral
communication skills in small groups and in larger
public contexts. Strong written communication and
skills appropriate for writing reports, explaining
issues and policies, persuasively presenting
initiatives, corresponding with colleagues and
clients, and media communications. “
Learning Objective #9
continued
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In this class, I do deduct points for grammar,
syntax and organization in written assignments.
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Each class member will be expected to present
for at least 5 minutes during the Group Project
presentation. The Group Project will also
involve other “Team” elements of good
communication and collaboration.
Case Study Paper
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You will do a short 4-5 page case study of your
own work communication environment.
The purpose of this short paper is to give you
feedback on your organizational, analytic and
writing skills.
Pay attention to the questions listed in the
syllabus, and
Use your two texts and/or Moodle articles to
enhance your anlaysis.
Term Paper Assignment
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Let’s discuss your term paper assignment.
Please come prepared next week with an idea for
your term paper. We’ll set aside some time in
class for me to visit with each of you about your
idea.
With only an 8-week term, you’ll need to begin
your research and writing early.
Class Introductions
Communication
“concern/challenge”
As you introduce yourselves, please tell us
what agency you work for and what you
do.
 Then, please share your communication
concern/challenge and what you would
like to get out of this course specifically.
 Also, write your challenge on a sticky note.
 We’ll group your challenges into themes.
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Team Formation
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First, let’s discuss themes the communication
concerns/challenges that the class has generated.
Now….please form your groups and begin discussing a
project idea. We’ll take about 10-15 minutes to get
things going.
Teams will draw randomly for choice of topic. The
same number will also determine the order of team
presentations.
Important….groups may not present on the same
topic.
MPA courses so far….
What have you taken?
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List the courses you’ve already taken
Looking Back
We’ll begin by briefly looking at the
descriptions of each of your previous
courses and discussing communication as it
relates to each.
 For example, in the last class, what were
communication-related things that came
up.
 Please work with those at your table before
we have general discussion.
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Communication, Leadership and Team
Building in Public Sector Organizations
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In this course, we will discuss leadership concepts as
they relate to communication. In fact, the Garcia text
focuses on Leadership Communication.
As you move up in your careers, you must develop as
leaders of people, not just leaders in policy, process,
budgeting, etc.
In order to develop as leaders, you must develop as
great communicators.
Team building, functioning well on a team, and
motivating others are essential in your career
development and for the overall health of your units.
Communication, Leadership and
Team Building
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Each week, we’ll discuss the Harvard Business Review
articles assigned. We’ll discuss these articles in addition
to other assigned readings.
I’ll expect you to begin USING some of these
concepts in: a) your daily work (and reporting out to
us); and b) in your group interactions and possibly your
presentation; and c) possibly in your written paper.
The Nature of
Organizational Communication
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First---how would you define “ good
communication”?
Good communication occurs when the
receiver of a message truly understands the
message the sender intended.
BEWARE OF ASSUMPTIONS!
Remember this definition as it will apply to
any communication situation—face-to-face,
e-mail, written, voice mail, etc.
The Nature of
Organizational Communication
On page 14 of your text….the author states:
“A second level of controversy relates to the
theoretical and ideological lenses through which
organizational communication should be viewed.
I lean toward positivist perspectives, searching
for measurable phenomena and for practical
recommendations for solving observable
problems.”
 This is the approach I would like us to take in
our class discussions.
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Graber text, chapter 1
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The special focus of the Graber text is on
information management in public
organizations, especially on administrative
communication (rather than political).
Communication in the public sector has been
largely ignored by researchers despite the fact
that public organizations have a tremendous
impact on the life of every American.
What are your thoughts about Chapter 1?
Graber, chapter 1
Page 1—NASA lost track of a $125 million
spacecraft. There were multiple communication
problems:
(1) failure to provide NASA scientists with detailed
information about the positioning of the
spacecraft;
(2) inconsistent cmcn training for project members;
(3) unduly informal cmcn channels & project
engineering groups;
(4) failure to check computer models sufficiently, and
(5) a number of misunderstandings among the teams
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Graber, chapter 1
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The carefully planned and controlled steps taken
to collect information and communicate
successfully constitutes information management.
How can managers ascertain that the
information received is accurate and complete
enough to manage the organization effectively?
Look at Box 1-1 on page 8: Attributes of Public
Organizations Compared with Those of Private
Organizations. Let’s discuss.
Graber, chapter 1
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Those administrators who are political appointees often
want to avoid the risk of potentially adverse publicity, so
adopt cautious conservative operating styles.
Graber leans towards positivist perspectives, searching for
measurable phenomena and for practical recommendations
for solving observable problems.
Pg. 15—The original meaning intended by the sender may
also become distorted when intermediaries at various levels
of hierarchies reframe the information in line with their
prejudices or when new information is combined with
what is stored in organizational memory.
Graber, chapter 1
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Pg. 15—The original meaning intended by the
sender may also become distorted when
intermediaries at various levels of hierarchies
reframe the information in line with their
prejudices or when new information is
combined with what is stored in organizational
memory.
Chaos theory is based on the supposition that
complex systems, like those found in modern
governments, often go astray because of
unforeseen, unpredictable happenings.
Garcia, chapter 1
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Garcia uses the publication: Warfighting: U.S. Marine
Corps Doctrinal Publication No. 1 as the premise for
his book. [see pages xxx – xxxiii]. He says:
“….changing just a few words in Warfighting led to
a much richer and deeper understanding of
effective public communication….” The book is
about clear thinking & effective execution.
See page 1– Steve Jobs [in the release of the iPod]
chose the phrase “iPod. 1,000 songs in your
pocket.” He targeted what the audience could
relate to and embrace.
Garcia, chapter 1
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One of Covey’s 7 Habits is: Begin with the end in
mind. Think about the goal of the communication and
work backward in crafting the message.
Effective communicators must adapt. Adapting to
change is not a sign of weakness or of indecision.
Rather it is a discipline.
John McCain’s blunder in sticking to a message that
was no longer relevant.
Pg 13- His ineffective adaptation of language—
attempting to justify his original language rather than
changing his language—made him seem disingenuous.
Garcia, chapter 1
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The power of communication is getting
audiences to listen—and to care.
Communication sets expectations—actions
deliver on or shatter those expectations (shatter
credibility).
This speaks to Ethos.
Garcia, chapter 2
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Bill Gates told the story of his house. Because of this, he
was perceived a likeable (ethos).
[Gates] was simultaneously operating on two levels:
While seemingly talking about his house, he was really
delivering an identity message about why the audience
would want to do business with him.
Pg 27—communication comes across on three basic
levels: (1) content: what you have to say (logos); (2)
identity: how you come across in saying it (ethos); and (3)
relationship: how you relate to those with whom you
communicate. (pathos)
Garcia, chapter 2
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Effective communicators begin with
stakeholders perspectives always in mind.
What are your thoughts on the Netflix debacle?
Remember— when you read about perspectives
of stockholders, you can translate it stakeholders.
What is your definition of stakeholder? Give
examples of types of situations in which you are
a stakeholder? In which others are…..
Garcia, chapter 2
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Pg 52—It is essential that we understand the
audience on its own terms,
[Many leaders] suffer from the curse of
knowledge—where they know so much about
their topic that they can’t conceive of people
not knowing what they’re talking about.
8 Ways Leaders Build
Collaborative Teams
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Teams do well when executives invest in
supporting social relationships, demonstrate
collaborative behavior themselves, and create a
“gift culture.”
The perceived behavior of senior executives
plays a significant role in determining how
cooperative teams are prepared to be.
The challenge is to make executives’ behavior
visible.
8 Ways….
Employees quickly learn that the best way to get
things done is through informal networks.
 Daily coaching integrated into everyday activities
is more likely to increase collaborative behavior.
 HR: 2 practices increase team performance:
(1) Training in skills related to collaborative
behavior, and (2) support for informal
community building.
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8 Ways….
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The most productive, innovative teams were
typically led by people who were both task and
relationship oriented.
In performance reviews….managers are asked to
describe their peer network and cite examples of
specific ways that network helped them succeed.
Collaboration improves when the roles of
individual team members are clearly defined and
understood—when individuals feel that they can
do a significant portion of their work
independently.
Team meeting
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We’ll try to take at least 15-20 minutes per class period
for you to meet with your teams.
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Be prepared by next week to discuss your group
presentation topics.
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Be sure to read Graber , chapter 2; Garcia chapters 3 &
4; and the HBR articles for next week.
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Have a great week!