Managerial Communication

Managerial Communication

Semester IITerm III

Coverage

1. Introduction.

2. Oral communication skills.

3. Written Communication skills.

4. Interpersonal communication skills.

5. Technology-enable communication skills.

6. Strategies of communication.

Introduction

Managerial communication

• Who is a manager?

• What are the roles and skills of a manager?

• What do you mean by the term ‘managerial communication’

• How is managerial communication different from business

communication?

• Why do managers need to communicate and in what

‘language’?

• Valuable assets for a corporation: consumers and brands

Who is a manager?

• A manager is qualified and trained professionals in the field of

business management, who directs the activities of other

professionals in an organization, perform three managerial

roles, and possess three critical management skills that are crucial to

success in a managerial positions

• Managers work in organizations and direct team of professionals called

reportees

• Three types of managers in an organization

• First line managers

• Middle managers

• Top managers

• First line managers are supervisors (team leaders) responsible for

directing the day-to-day activities of operative employees

• Operatives are employees who work directly on a job or task

and have no responsibility for overseeing the work of other employees

• Clerical, cashier, administrative officer

• Middle managers represent levels of management between the first line

manager and top management

• Responsible for translating the goals set by top managers into SMART

tasks for lower level managers (Specific, Measurable, Achievable,

Realistic, and Time-bound)

• Middle managers function under titles such as unit head,

territory sales manager, project leader, department head

• Top managers are responsible for making decisions about the

direction of the organization and establishing policies for the

functioning of departments

• Top managers function under professional titles such as vice

president, managing director, chief operating officer, and chief

executive officer

• An organization is a systematic arrangement of professionally

trained employees brought together to accomplish specific

tasks and goals

• Three managerial roles

• Three critical skills of management

• Roles of a manager in an organization

1. Interpersonal relations.

2. The transfer of information.

3. Decision making.

• Interpersonal relations: a manager is responsible for motivation and

activation of reportees and for staffing of positions with appropriate

talent and training of reportees: desired levels of productivity and

results

• The transfer of information: seeks and receives a wide variety of

special information from reportees and other managers to develop a

thorough understanding of activities of reportees; informational

meetings

• Decision making

• Responsible to make decisions for the allocation of organizational

resources (budgeting); connecting with consumers; crafting the

marketing mix; wealth creation; quality of life; forecasting and

predictions with accuracy

• Critical skills of management crucial for success in a managerial role

• Four general skills and six specific skills related to success in

management

• Four general skills: 1. Conceptual skills. 2. Interpersonal skills.

3. Technical skills. 4. Political skills.

• Six specific skills: 1. Controlling the organization’s resources.

2. Organizing and coordinating. 3. Handling information.

4. Providing for growth and development.

5. Motivating employees and handling conflicts.

6. Strategic problem solving.

• General skills

1. Conceptual skills: mental ability of a manager to analyze and diagnose

complex situations.

2. Interpersonal skills: ability to work with, understand, mentor, and motivate

reportees = communicate, motivate, delegate task and goals

3. Technical skills: posses specialized knowledge and expertise

• Deep knowledge of the industry and strong talents in connecting with and

delighting consumers = Top managers

• Specialized knowledge of work areas: finance, human resources,

information technology, manufacturing, marketing and sales and

distribution, law, governance = middle- and lower-level managers

4. Political skills: ability of a manager to compete for and get better superior

resources for reporting teams and members from the organization

• Specific skills

1. Controlling the organization’s environment and resources: abilities to

be proactive and stay ahead of environmental changes and attracting

best resources for the team and department.

2. Organizing and coordinating tasks and targets: organize,

communicate, delegate, and monitor results of tasks and targets to

reportees.

3. Handling information: using information and communication channels

to problem identification in the marketplace, tracking competitor

activity, and making effective decisions.

1. Providing for growth and development: creating and sustaining

opportunities for continual learning and re-training self and

reportees.

2. Motivating reportees and handling conflicts: enhance the

positives and strengths in a reportee to boost performance and

eliminate conflicts

3. Strategic problem solving: ability to take responsibility for own

decisions related to achieving targets and key result areas as well

as ensure that reportees effectively use decision making skills

• For example a sales manager at American Express is

responsible for the generation of new sales in local markets

• Acquisition large, strategic, global and local customers with

annual travel spend >$1.5m

• Candidate must have experience in selling complex business to

business solutions, knowledge of technology solutions; have

strong Travel and Expense industry reputation and knowledge,

and the ability to sell client-specific solutions

• Participate in key customer meetings & negotiations that will

yield top-line growth for Business Travel Sales, along with driving

the sales cycle

•The successful candidate will need to build and maintain strong

relationships with key internal stakeholders along with building

and developing senior level client contacts

• Ability to work and contribute in a team approach

• American Express requires its middle managers to be high on

technical skills; strategic problem solving skills; handling

information; and motivation

• Providing integrated solutions both online and offline to help corporations

manage and optimize their travel spend/investment through process

savings

• High on technical skills and strategic problem solving skills

• Sales and marketing managers at Cadbury India Limited are required to

posses critical management skills:

1. Influencing and networking skills

2. Strategic and breakthrough thinking

3. High energy and commercial orientation

4. Ability to effectively analyze data

• High on conceptual, technical, and political skills as well as and

strategic problem solving skills

What is managerial communication?

• Managerial communication is defined as the use of written, oral, and

interpersonal modes of communication by a manager to

successfully direct the activities of reportees and effectively

reinforce managerial roles and the practice of the critical

management skills

• Managerial communication enables managers to successfully

achieve complex business activities through clear communication

• 21th century corporation rely heavily on managerial communication

• Why do managers need to communicate?

• What ‘language’ do managers communicate in?

• Communication is the transfer of meaning from the sender to the

receiver

• Three roles of a manager and the six critical skills of management

practiced by a manager require and necessitate information to be

communicated: decisions, planning, leading, and directing

• Managerial communication, simply put, is the primary channel through

which a manager practices management in an organization

• The ‘language’ of managerial communication is formal and well-

defined

• Use of written, oral, and interpersonal communication techniques

to articulate on complex subjects in business and management

• The vocabulary is restricted to business, commercial, and technical

terms and concepts and their accurate usage

• Requires the mastery over complex writing skills and procedures

• Strong articulators and strong verbalizers

• Strong communicators can turn straw into gold!

• Managers define and practice formal communication flows in an

organization

• 21st century organizations are characterised by formal communication that

encourage regular and open information exchange between managers and

operatives

• Three directions of communication flow: upward, downward, horizontal

• Upward flow of communication: refers to the flow of information from

operatives to first-line managers, from first-line managers to middle

managers and from middle managers to top managers

• Flow of information from lower levels to higher levels within an

organization: information, reports, requests, proposals, and feedback

• Examples

• Downward communication: refers to the flow of information from

top managers to middle managers, from middle managers to first-

line managers, and from first-line managers to operatives

• flow of information from higher levels of management to lower

levels of management

• information, instructions, directions, orders

• Horizontal communication: flow of information from among rank

equivalent groups of managers or members requiring

coordination and joint planning of activities (across functional

area head or teams of managers)

• Circular or diagonal communication: flow of information to

managers in different levels with no direct reporting relationship

to facilitate achievement of organizational objectives ;

communication that cuts across functions and positions

(instructions, policies, directives from top managers; work

timings)

• Steps to ensure effective downward communication information

flow

1. Managers to ensure that each reportee receives a copy of the

Service Rules and Regulation and Employee Handbook.

2. Ensure that each reportee has a copy of the job description and the

organizational chart.

3. Hold full staff meeting twice a month to report on the state of the

organization, accomplishments, concerns, announcements

4. Hold one-to-one and one-to-many meetings with each reportee and

reportee team members once a week to supervise, monitor, and

assess team performance on targets and key result areas

• Steps to ensure effective upward communication flow of

information

1. Managers to ensure that all reportees submit regular status and

progress reports to their supervisors as well as actions plans

for achieving targets in the near future.

2. Use manager and reportee meeting once a week to solicit

feedback and concern areas via a round table approach that

focuses on interaction with each member of the team.

3. Act on feedback and monitor progress regularly.

Barriers to effective managerial communication

• The message carrying information decoded by the receiver is often

different from that which the sender intended

• This is known as a barrier to effective managerial communication

• Four barriers to effective communication among managers

1. Filtering. 2. Selective perception. 3. Information overload.

4. Language.

• Filtering: the process by which the sender manipulates information so that

the message is received more favourably by the receiver

• Lower ranking managers condense and synthesize information before

transferring the message to top managers

• The communications are condensed and filtered by the sender who uses

personal interests and perceptions to complete the process

• Selective perception: the second barrier is selective perception where

receivers of communication messages selectively see and hear the

information based on needs, motivation, experience, background, and

personal characteristics

• Recruiters to the campus placement can sometimes activate this barrier

Non-verbal communication and effective listening

• Research on communication studies indicates that 90 per cent of the

message carrying information from the sender to the receiver of every

face-to-face conversation is interpreted through non-verbal

communication

• non-verbal communication is communication that is neither

communicated through the oral channel or the written channel

• two types: body language and verbal intonation

• body language is the transfer of meaning from the sender to the

receiver of the message through non-verbal communication cues

such as gestures, facial configurations, and other movements of the

body

• verbal intonation refers to the emphasis given to spoken words or

phrases by the sender of the message that convey meaning

• ‘It’s not what you but how you say it’ is something that managers should

remember as they communicate

• managers need to practice a complete agreement between the oral

communication and the body language that accompanies it to effectively

convey the meaning of a message

• Non-verbal cues reinforce the transfer of meaning of a message

communicated orally

• Active listening or effective listening

• Listening is an active search for meaning, whereas hearing is passive

• Active listening is listening to a message for the full meaning without

premature judgement or interpretation

• Why are managers poor listeners?

• The average person speaks at the rate of 150 words a minute whereas we have

the capacity to hear and process information at the rate of 1,000 words per

minute

• When we do not receive the stimulus at this rate we ‘switch-off’ and

concentration breaks off

• Active listening is strong reinforcement for oral communication and helps the

receiver to understand the full meaning of the message

Active listening: the key to excellent interpersonal skills

• Would it surprise you to know that more managers in corporations world-

wide are fired because of poor interpersonal skills than for a lack of

technical ability?

• A recent survey of top managers at Fortune 500 companies found that

interpersonal skills are the most important competency in hiring senior

level managers

• Why?

• Managers at all levels in an organization direct the activities of other

managers or operatives primarily through interpersonal skills of listening,

teaching, guiding, and motivation

The career journey of Vineet Nair

From a 23-year-old management trainee to its chief executive officer (CEO), the

career journey of Vineet Nayar of HCL Technologies Ltd., is a test case of how a

manager has successfully practiced the roles of a manager and worked

consistently towards teaching, guiding, and encouraging reportees to acquire

the

general and specific skills of management. Vineet communication techniques

have been described by Fortune magazine and the London Business School as

the “The World’s Most Modern Management” and as “the leader of

communication and organization innovation”.

After completing his engineering and management education, Vineet

joined HCL Technologies as an operative employee. His career

progression at HCL was saw him take up various roles and

responsibilities as a first-line manager, a middle manager, and a top

manager over 25 years of service: engineer, product manager, sales

and marketing head, General Manager of Strategic Initiatives, founder

of HCL Comnet, President of HCL Technologies, and finally,

its CEO.

Vineet is a firm believer in the concept of shared accountability based

on clear, open, and regular information flows and has been credited

with pioneering a one-of-its-kind process of managerial communication in

management called the ‘Employee First’ initiative.

Vineet defines a global corporation as one that inverts the pyramid of the

organizational structure.

Vineet advocates communication flow that result in ‘reverse accountability’:

where middle and top managers do not monitor, manage or direct other

employees but instead allow for open communication to achieve goals.

Vineet Nayar provides a good example of a successful manager who uses

the tools of managerial communication to lead, reward, and benefit the

organization.

Acquiring proficiency in oral communication skills

Business Presentations and Public Speaking

• What is the two key learning of Chapter 4?

1. Business presentation skills are critical for career success

as a manager.

2. Presentations are the most important technique of oral

articulation and verbalization of subject-matter expertise for

a management student.

• A presentation is a formal talk by a presenter delivered to one or

more persons, which presents ideas or information on a common

or similar topic of interest and relevance in a clear and structured

manner

• Public speaking is addressing in a formal manner a group of

listeners on a topic of similar or common interest or relevance

• Four important steps to prepare and deliver a presentation

1. Planning.

2. Structuring.

3. Organizing.

4. Delivery.

Planning

• Purpose : inform, persuade, retain, remember

• Sources of reference materials : records,

publications, statistics, surveys, interviews:

elaboration and reinforcement

Structuring

• Introduction : to introduce the topic and create interest

• Main body : to present the matter under various topics

and sub topics

• Conclusion : to end, recapitulate

Introduction

• Attention getter: question / quotation / anecdote /

shocking statistics / unusual statement

• Credibility and authenticity

Main Body

• present verified and authentic facts

• primary facts form bulleted talking points

justify your statements

• one central idea and 5-10 related concepts

Conclusion

• Summary

• Signal the end : use phrases, tonal variations

• Reemphasize to reinforce audience recall

Organizing

The body of a presentation can be organized in three

structures

• Chronological: history, growth, product, process

• Topical: dividing the topic into logical themes

• Cause-effect / problem-solution

Effective Delivery

• verbal elements: impact words, smooth flow,

supporting materials

• non-verbal elements: facial expression, posture,

gestures, eye contact

• vocal elements: voice modulation, appropriate tone,

pitch, rate, volume, articulation, pronunciation,

pauses

• visual elements: slides, pictures, graphs, maps,

charts

Chapter 5Conversations

Agenda

• Purposes

• Types

• Characteristics

• Stages

• How do BFSI corporations converse?

Purposes• Conversation is a dialogue between the sender and

receiver of a message that communicates a constant

flow of information based on reciprocity

• Making decisions

• Solving problems

• Collecting / disseminating information

• Understanding the problem

• Sharing views

• Coordinating team activities

Stages

• Encourage: allow others to express

• Acknowledge ideas: show you are paying attention

• Question : to clarify meaning, seek more information

• Inform : state facts, concerns

• Direct : give instructions, delegate

• Appraise : give feedback / redirect / improve

• Prospective employees: Careers page

• Investors: Investor Relations/ FAQs

• Consumers: FAQs

Chapter 6Instructions

Agenda

Definition

Written instructions

Format

Product instructions

How do BFSI corporations instruct?

Definition

The step-by-step explanation of directed activities

Written instructions

• Present the steps in numbered / bulleted list

Number or label the sub steps clearly

Restrict each step / sub step to an individual piece of

information

Make liberal use of headings / sub headings

List alternative steps

Include a troubleshooting guide

Instructions to Consumers: ICICI Consumer

Education

Instructions to Investors

Product instructions

An integral part of a company’s marketing strategy

Accurate, can be easily understood and used, suited

to the environments

Required whenever the design of a product alone is

inadequate

Gives users the information they need (when and

where)

Product instructions - characteristics

Logical sequences of actions, discriminations, and

judgments leading to successful outcomes

Concise, understandable, and direct, and therefore,

appropriate for users

Hazards identified and emphasized

Formatted for the way people use them

Physically attractive to encourage use

Product instructions - analysis

Good product instructions rely upon good analysis

Users are identified and characterized

Task logic is developed and tested

Needed behavioral skills and abilities are delineated

Working conditions are investigated and described

Hazards are identified and strategies developed

Product instructions - form

Instruction Sheets, Control Labels, Stickers, Tags

Warnings, Cautions and Notices

Embedded help

Non-visual stimuli

Chapter 7

Interviews

• interviewing is a critical skill of employability and is a key skill

of oral communication

• an interview is a formal meeting in which the interviewer

questions, consults, or evaluates the interviewee

• an interview reveals the views, ideas, and attitude of the

interviewee

• an interview requires in-depth preparation by the interviewee

• preparation can make a difference between converting an

opportunity into an offer of employment or getting rejected

• Placement interview: personal interview

Preparation

Self Assessment

Re-assessment and updating one’s resume

Research on the targeted company/organization and position

Practice of typical and targeted interview questions

Follow-up

• Three key skills of oral communication1. Business presentations.2. Conversations.3. Interviews• Two types of interviews that will test of your skills of communicating

subject-matter expertise in Finance1. Employment interview (5 types).2. Media interview.• Employment interviews1. Screening.2. Selection.3. Group.4. Panel.

5. Stress. • How to achieve sure-shot success in an employment interview

• Screening: checking for requisite academic qualifications and work experience for

an employment position by the human resource department

• Selection: next step after screening for suitability; several rounds; the employers

assesses skills to performs the roles and tasks required for the position

• Group: group discussion round at placements; several prospective employees are

interviewed at once; interviewers separates out the leaders from the follower; critical

thinker, self-starter, initiator

• Panel: a job candidate is interviewed by several interviewers at once; broadens the

spectrum of views of the panel and facilitates an unbiased and objective assessment

of the candidate

• Stress: used to weed out applicants who cannot handle hostile, negative, and

adverse working conditions; common for sales positions; volley of questions are

asked by the interviewer; assessed on quickness and speed of responses

• How to achieve sure-shot success in an employment interview?

• Your first customer is your recruiter organization at campus placements

• Placement interview is an employment interview that provides a recruiting

organization a valid reason to assess and select the prospective employee

• Campus placements are the primary input for building upon a human resource base

of qualified and readily employable management graduates who hold out the

promise

of serving as value creators in organizations

• The personal interview tests subject-matter expertise and relevant applications in

the

real world of finance

• The success in an interview depends on your mastery over answering a behavioural

interview session

• Recruiters use the behavioural interview technique to evaluate a graduating student’s experiences and behaviour as a determinant of the applicant’s potential for success

• Recruiters look for evidence and demonstration of five critical skills of employability in a student

1. Technical and subject-matter expertise: simple applications of technical knowledge

2. Ability to learn: assimilating and applying domain knowledge for effectiveness (Internship)

3. Communication: oral, written, and inter-personal skills; active listening; grooming and etiquette ( non-verbal)

4. Consumer service orientation: skill at listening and understanding the consumers, anticipating needs, ensuring consumer satisfaction

5. Motivation and passion for your domain area: business awareness, news and analysis, thought leadership, mastery over concepts, term glossary, and key formulae

DON’T’S

• Never ask the salary package, scales of pay, increment policy,

and locational preferences

2. Never show your disappointment with the offer

3. Never interrupt your interviewer

4. Never bad mouth the institution, faculty, or a course

5. Never ask for the names and contacts of alumni

6. Never argue, confront, or be aggressive

7. Never appear poorly groomed for the interview

DO’s1. Appear for a company whose profile matches your skill sets

and interests.2. Prepare comprehensively.3. Understand the ethos and work culture.4. Prepare a career path.5. Greet the interviewer and show enthusiasm for the profile and

company.6. Maintain good eye contact.7. Stress on your achievements.

FAQ’s1. Tell us about yourself.

2. How would you describe yourself to our company?3.What are your achievements?

4. What are the chances that you will not leave our company?5. How long will you stay with our company?

6. What was your contribution to the company that you interned in during your industry internship?

7. Tell me about your strengths? 8. What facts and figures do you know about our company?

9. What is the main line of business of our company?10. Describe the product range of our company?

11. List the retail prices of some of our best selling products?12. Are you aware of the expansion plans of our company?

13. How did our company fare in the last quarter?14. Are you aware of some of the challenges that our company has faced in recent

times?15. How can you bring us business?

16. Why do you consider yourself to be the ideal candidate for this position?17. How serious are you about this job?

18. Do you have a location preference? Why?

Chapter 8Business Writing

Written Communication

Writing is crucial to modern organizations

Reports, proposals, manuals, plans, memos, letters,

e-mails, notices, circulars, websites

Inform, persuade, record

Key learnings of Chapter 8

• The number skill of employability that employers are looking for in an employee

is superior communication skills in Financial Communication: the domain of your

specialization

• You will all enter a technology-driven workplace in the next 18 months (May-

June 2012)

• Manager compose and edit their own e-mails, memos, letters, and reports

• You will be required to master the skill of business writing very quickly; your

writing is the first skill that your client will observe; essential to get it right the

first time

• Business writing skills can be easily acquired by you with training and practice

• Business message

• Messages written and communicate by managers to consumers, investors,

creditors, and employees in the form of letters, memos, reports, proposals,

and newsletters to achieve four informational goals: positive, neutral,

negative, and persuasive

• A manager has four informational roles in a company

• Convey positively-worded, neutrally-worded, negatively-worded, and

persuasively-worded business messages to stakeholder publics

• Follow a five-step approach to writing business messages

1. Pre-writing. 2. Drafting. 3. Revising. 4. Formatting. 5. Proof reading.

• Organizations rely excessively on written communication only

• Permanent record, enable sender to develop an organized,

structured, professionally-worded message

• Sharp business writing skills offer accelerated growth in a

managerial career

• Positively-worded messages deliver information that is appreciative, gratitude,

or congratulatory

• Negatively-worded messages convey refusal and rejection

• Neutrally-worded or routine messages respond, reply, acknowledge, and comply

• Persuasive messages influence the receiver to accept, change, modify, request,

recommend

1. Prewriting: purpose of e-mail, letter, and memo (reporting information,

requesting payment, promotional)

2. Drafting: sentence length and reader comprehension

• Count words, impose a word limit

3. Revising: the writing process of modifying a document to increase the

effectiveness of the business message to enhance the readability of the

message

4. Formatting: design elements used to enhance readability (line spacing, font,

typeface

5. Proofreading: rewriting; checking for typographical, grammar, and structure

errors and correction