Transcript Communication

Week (2)

Understanding managerial
communication
• Informal and Formal.
• Define communication.
• Differentiate between organisational
and interpersonal communication.
• Discuss the types of communication.
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Most managers spend 75-90% of their time in one of
the four communication modes (writing, reading,
speaking, listening).
Communicating is central to managing:
• To explain how goals are to be achieved and work is
to be done.
• To gather good information – listening, questioning
and observing to uncover people’s feelings,
thoughts, motivations, ideas and opinions.
 Poor
communication causes more problems
in groups, teams and organisations than any
other issue.
 First-line
managers set the scene for the
type of communication that will take place
in their department and with other
departments. This directly influences
quality, output and morale.
Communication is defined as the
transferring and understanding of
meaning.
Communication Functions
1. Control employee behaviour.
2. Foster motivation for what is to be done.
3. Provide a release for emotional expression.
4. Provide information needed to make
decisions.
 Effective
communication is an essential
part of any successful team.
 As
the leader you are responsible for
ensuring that all relevant information is
distributed to team members.
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Without effective communication there
can be no leadership.
 As
the leader of a team, some of the roles
that you play are:
 coach
 mentor
 counsellor
 As
a leader, the way that you communicate
with your team will determine the
effectiveness of your roles. The ability to
send and receive clear messages is the key
to effective communication.
 Effectively
communicating to others is a
complex process.
 If
it was simply a matter of delivering
OUR message and the other person
automatically understanding and
agreeing, there would be few if any
conflicts or misunderstandings around
us.
There are many facets to effective
communication. It is a complex process that
involves a:
 Sender: the person creating the message
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Receiver: the person that gets the message
Channel: the medium used to transmit the
message
 Message: the information that is to be shared
 Feedback: the receiver's response to the
message
 Noise: any interference that could distort the
message or feedback.
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 In
addition to the elements of the
communication process, you must also
consider each person's:
 Self-concept
 Family and/or cultural background
 Language skills and physical abilities
 Attitudes and values
 Status or relationship to the other people
in the communication
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Any or all of these elements have the potential to
influence the effectiveness of the communication.
For example, if the receiver perceived that the
communication is just another attempt to blame them
for something that went wrong, they are not likely to
become actively involved in the communication
unless it is to defend themself.
Each party to the communication has a responsibility
to ensure that a "shared or common meaning is
achieved". Consider the following communication
model:
Types of Organisational
Communication
Some of the many ways we can communicate with others (and ourselves)
at work are summarised below:
Organisational communication can be
• formal
• Informal
Communication can flow:
downward
upward
laterally diagonally
1.
Formal communication refers to communication that
follows the official chain of command or is part of the
communication required to do one’s job.
2.
Informal communication is organisational
communication that is not defined by the
organisation’s structural hierarchy.
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a. Informal communication systems permit
employees to satisfy their needs for social interaction.
b. Informal communication systems can improve an
organisation’s performance by creating alternative, and
frequently faster and more efficient, channels of
communication.
 Oral Communication
• Advantages: Speed and feedback.
• Disadvantage: Distortion of the message.
 Written Communication
• Advantages: Tangible and verifiable.
•
Disadvantages: Time consuming and lacks feedback.
 Nonverbal Communication
• Advantages: Supports other communications and provides
observable expression of emotions and feelings.
• Disadvantage: Misperception of body language or gestures
can influence receiver’s interpretation of message.
 E-mail
• Advantages: quickly written, sent, and stored; low
cost for distribution.
• Disadvantages: information overload, lack of
emotional content, cold and impersonal.
 Intranet
• A private organisation-wide information network.
 Extranet
• An information network connecting employees with
external suppliers, customers, and strategic partners.
 Videoconferencing
• An extension of an intranet or extranet that permits
face-to-face virtual meetings via video links.
 Grapevine Characteristics
• Not controlled by management.
• Perceived by most employees as being more
believable and reliable than formal
communications.
• Largely used to serve the self-interests of those
who use it.
• Results from:
 Desire for information about important situations
 Uncertain conditions
 Conditions that cause anxiety
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Message
Medium
Encoding
Receiver
Decoding
Noise
Sender
Message
Feedback
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These include:
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Face to face
Telephone
Group meetings
Formal presentations
Memos
Postal mail
Fax
Employee publications
Bulletin boards
Audio + videotapes
Hot lines
Electronic mail
Computer
conferencing
 Voice mail
 Teleconferencing
 Videoconferencing
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Managers have a wide variety of
communication methods from which to choose.
Evaluating the following areas will help decide:
Feedback
Breadth potential
Encoding ease
Time-space constraint
Interpersonal warmth
Scanability
Complexity capacity
Confidentiality
Decoding ease
Cost
Formality
Time of consumption
© Copyright 2003 Pearson Education Australia
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Transmission without words
Body language- gestures, facial expressions and other
body movements that convey meaning
Verbal intonation- emphasis someone gives to words
or phrases that convey meaning
 Every oral communication is accompanied by a
nonverbal message
 Nonverbal component usually carries the
greatest impact
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How we say something is usually more important than
the words themselves.
Our tone of voice, gestures, movements, the way we
stand and our facial expression all add to (or detract
from) our words.
If your non-verbal communication does not agree with
the verbal part of your message , most people will
believe the body language over the words.
Your verbal and non-verbal communication needs to
be congruent (ie. say the same thing).
Barriers to effective communication
Filtering
Information overload
Selective perception
Emotions
Nonverbal cues
Defensiveness
Language
National culture
filtering
A sender’s manipulation of
information so that it will
be seen more favourably by
the receiver.
 Ask
for feedback
 Offer feedback
 Think it through first
 Repeat, repeat, repeat
 Use empathy
 Select the location
The six C’s of
communication
Is it clear?
Is it complete?
Is it concise?
Is it concrete?
Is it correct?
Is it courteous?
Solutions
Use feedback
Simplify language
Listen actively
Constrain emotions
Watch nonverbals
Make eye contact
Exhibit affirmation
Avoid distracting actions
Ask questions
Paraphrase
Avoid interrupting
Don’t over talk
Smooth transitions
All help
develop
effective
active
listening
skills
Impersonal
Specific
Goal-oriented
Developing
effective feedback skills
Well-timed
Control
Understanding
S – The way we Sit, Stand or use Space
O – Open up
C – Centre your attention
L – Lean slightly forward
E – Make Eye contact
A – Reflect the other’s language, body,
posture, voice
R - Reflect the other’s language, body
posture, voice