9-2 Communication: How to Get Messages Across-Online and Off Copyright © 2008 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

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Communication: How to Get Messages Across-Online and

Off

Copyright © 2008 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill/IrwinOrganizational Behavior, Core Concepts

9Organizational Behavior

core concepts

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Learning Objectives

• Describe the elements and steps of the communication process

• Identify situations that can distort communication between managers and employees

• Contrast assertive, aggressive, and nonassertive communication styles

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Learning Objectives

• Discuss the skills of nonverbal communication and effective listening

• Summarize how information technology has affected communication in organizations

• Give examples of barriers to effective communication and ways to overcome them

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Dimensions of the Communication Process

• Communication – interpersonal exchange of information and

understanding

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A Perceptual Model of Communication

Figure 9-1

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Question?

What part of the communication process is the output of encoding?

A. Sender

B. Feedback

C. Endless loop

D. Message

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A Perceptual Process Model of Communication

• Sender – individual, group, or organization that

desires or attempts to communicate with a particular receiver

• Encoding – translates mental thoughts into code or

language that can be understood by others

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A Perceptual Model of Communication

• Message – output of encoding– May contain hidden agendas as well as

trigger affective or emotional reactions– Need to match the medium used to transmit

them

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A Perceptual Model of Communication

• Selecting a Medium – depends on the nature of the message, its

intended purpose, type of audience, proximity to the audience, time horizon for disseminating the message, personal preferences, and the complexity of the problem/situation at hand

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A Perceptual Model of Communication

Potential Media:

• Face-to-face conversations

• Telephone calls

• E-mail

• Written memos or letters

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A Perceptual Model of Communication

• Decoding – consists of translating verbal, oral, or visual

aspects of a message into a form that can be interpreted

• Creating meaning – receiver creates the meaning of a message

in his head

• Feedback – receives encodes a response and then

transmits it to the original sender

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A Perceptual Model of Communication

• Noise – interference with the transmission and

understanding of a message

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Communication Distortion between Managers and Employees

• Communication distortion – purposely modifying the content of a

message, thus reducing the accuracy of communication between managers and employees

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Interpersonal Communication

• Communication competence – ability to effectively

use communication behaviors in a given context

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Criteria Shaping Communication Competence

Figure 9-2

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Assertiveness, Aggressiveness, and Nonassertiveness• Assertive style

– expressive and self-enhancing, but does not take advantage of others.

• Aggressive style – expressive and self-enhancing, but takes

advantage of others

• Nonassertive style – timid and self-denying behavior.

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Communication Styles

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Sources of Nonverbal Communication• Nonverbal Communication

– messages sent outside of the written and spoken word

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Sources of Nonverbal Communication• Body movement and gestures

• Touch

• Facial expression

• Eye contact

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Improving Nonverbal Communication SkillsPositive nonverbal actions include the

following:– Maintain eye contact– Nod to show interest and agreement– Lean forward to show the speaker you are

interested– Use a tone of voice that matches your

message

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Improving Nonverbal Communication SkillsNegative nonverbal actions include the

following:– Avoiding eye contact and looking away from

the speaker– Closing your eyes or tensing your facial

muscles– Licking your lips– Biting your nails

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Active Listening

• Listening – actively decoding and interpreting verbal

messages.

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Question?

Which listening style integrates information by focusing on relationships among ideas?

A. Appreciative

B. Empathetic

C. Comprehensive

D. Discerning

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Listening Styles

• Appreciative – listens for pleasure, entertainment, or

inspiration

• Empathetic – interprets messages by focusing on

emotions and body language

• Comprehensive – organizes specific thoughts and actions and

integrates this information by focusing on relationships among ideas

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Listening Styles

• Discerning – attempt to understand the main message

and determine important points

• Evaluative – listen analytically and continually formulate

arguments and challenges to what is being said

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The Keys to Effective Listening

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Communication Styles of Women and Men

• Linguistic style – person’s characteristic speaking pattern

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Reasons for Different Linguistic Styles

1. Some researchers believe interpersonal differences between men and women arise from inherited biological differences

2. Social role theory emphasizes that females and males learn ways of speaking as children growing up

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Internet/Intranet/Extranet

• Internet – a global network of computer networks.

• Intranet – an organization’s private internet.

• Extranet – connects internal employees with selected

customers, suppliers, and strategic partners

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Electronic Mail

• Electronic Mail (e-mail) – uses the Internet or intranet connections for

sending and receiving messages

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Benefits of E-mail

• Reduces the cost of distributing information to a large number of employees

• Tool for increasing teamwork

• Reduces the costs and time associated with print duplication and paper distribution

• Fosters flexibility

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Drawbacks to E-mail

• Can lead to a lot of wasted time and effort

• People overestimate their ability to effectively communicate via e-mail

• Information overload

• People are using e-mail to communicate when they should be using other media

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Additional Issues with E-mail

• E-mail only works when the party you desire to communicate with also gets it

• Speed of getting a response is dependent on how frequently the receiver examines his messages

• Because of misuse and potential legal liability, many companies now have policies for using email

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Blogs

• Blog – online journal in which people comment on

any topic

Read an example of BusinessWeek’s Blog

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Videoconferencing

• Videoconferencing – uses video and audio links along with

computers to enable people in different locations to see, hear, and talk with one another

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Group Support Systems

• Group support systems – using computer software and hardware to

help people work better together

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Telecommuting

• Telecommuting– a work practice in which an employee does

part of his job in a remote location using a variety of information technologies

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Barriers to Effective Communication• Sender barrier

• Encoding barrier

• Message barrier

• Medium barrier

• Decoding barrier

• Receiver barrier

• Feedback barrier

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Personal Barriers

• Ability to effectively communicate

• Way people process and interpret information

• Level of interpersonal trust between people

• Stereotypes and prejudices

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Personal Barriers

• Egos

• Poor listening skills

• Natural tendency to evaluate or judge the sender’s message

• Inability to listen with understanding

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Cultural Barriers: High- and Low-Context Cultures

• High-context cultures – primary meaning derived from nonverbal

situational cues

• Low-context cultures – primary meaning derived from written and

spoken words

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Physical Barriers

• Distance between employees

• Time zone differences

• Work and office noise

• Quality of telephone lines

• Crashed computers

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Semantic Barriers

• Semantics – study of words

• Semantic barriers – encoding and decoding errors that involve

transmitting and receiving– fueled by the use of jargon and acronyms