2. Public Administration: Basic
Concepts
“ Public Administration consists of getting the work of government done by
coordinating the efforts of the people so that they can work together to
accomplish their set tasks.” – Pliffner
“Public Administration as the art and science of management as applied to the
affairs of state.” – Dwight Waldo
3. Public Administration Defined:
1. Cooperative group effort in a PUBLIC SETTING.
2. Covers all 3 branches of the government (executive, legislative, & judiciary)
and their interrelationships.
3. Has an important role in the formulation of PUBLIC POLICIES.
4. COMMUNICATING WITH
PUBLIC: Public Communication
– Public Communication refers to public speeches that we deliver in front of
audiences.
– Public Communication serves 3 main purposes:
– To entertain
– To persuade
– To inform
5. COMMUNICATING WITH
PUBLIC: Public Communication
– Public Communication is different from other forms of interaction in that it requires
greater levels of planning and preparation on the part of the speaker and involves
less direct interaction.
– Audience members still interact with the speaker via mostly nonverbal symbols, but
there is a lesser degree of give and take that is used to communicate with mass
audiences.
– Mass communication is responsible for giving us views of events, issues and people
from cultures that differ from ours.
– Mass communication enables us to learn what is going on in distant places in the
world and let us learn the viewpoints of people and cultures with whom we do not
have direct contract.
6.
7. Types of Communicating with
Publics: VERBAL COMMUNICATION
1. VERBAL COMMUNICATION
• Transmitted verbally
• Done by word of mouth and a piece of writing
• Objective is to have people understand what we are trying to convey.
• You must put yourself on the other side of the table and think from your receiver’s
point of view.
• And always REMEMBER …
8.
9. Types of Communicating with
Publics: VERBAL COMMUNICATION
A. ORAL COMMUNICATION
• Spoken words
• Includes face-to-face conversations, speech, telephonic conversation, video, radio,
television, voice over internet
• Influence by pitch, volume, speed, and clarity of speaking.
10. Types of Communicating with
Publics: VERBAL COMMUNICATION
B. WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
• Written signs or symbols
• May be printed or written
• Transmitted via email, letter, report, and memo
• Influenced by the vocabulary and grammar used, writing style, precision, and clarity
of the language used
11. Types of Communicating with Publics:
NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION
– Sending or receiving of wordless messages
– All about body language of speaker
– Helps the receiver in interpreting the message received
– Nonverbal signals reflects the situation more accurately than verbal messages
o Gesture
o Body language
o Posture
o Facial expression
o Tone of voice
12. Effective Communication
– Occurs when a desired effect is the result of intentional or unintentional
information sharing, which is interpreted between multiple entities and acted
on in a desired way this effect also ensures the message is not distorted during
the communication.
– Should generate the desired effect and maintain the effect of the message.
– Serves the purpose for which it was planned and designed.
13. Barriers to Effective Human
Communication
– Can retard or distort the message and intention of the message conveyed which may result in
failure of the communication process or an effect that is undesirable. Includes:
o Filtering
o Selective perception
o Information overload
o Emotions m
o Language
o Silence
o Communication apprehension
o Gender differences
o Political correctness
14. Barriers to Effective Human
Communication
– Also includes a lack of expressing “knowledge-appropriate” communication,
which occurs when a person uses ambiguous or complex legal words, medical
jargon, or descriptions of situation or environment that is not understood by
the recipient.
15. Barriers to Effective Human
Communication: PHYSICAL
– Often due to the nature of the environment:
o Poor or outdated equipment
o Failure to introduce new technology
o Staff shortage
o Background noise
o Poor lighting
o Environment which is too hot or cold
16. Barriers to Effective Human
Communication: SYSTEM DESIGN
– Problems with the structures or systems in place in an organization.
o Organizational structures which is unclear and therefore makes it confusing to know
who to communicate with
o Inefficient or inappropriate information systems
o Lack of supervision or training
o Lack of clarity in roles and responsibility
17. Barriers to Effective Human
Communication: ATTITUDINAL
– Poor management
– Lack of consultation with employees
– Personality conflicts which can result in people delaying or refusing to
communicate
– Personal attitudes
18. Barriers to Effective Human Communication:
AMBIGUITY OF WORDS/PHRASE
– Words sounding the same but having different meaning can convey a different
meaning altogether.
19. Barriers to Effective Human Communication:
INDIVIDUAL LINGUISTIC ABILITY
– The use of jargon, difficult or inappropriate words in communication can
prevent the recipients from understanding the message.
– Poorly explained or misunderstood messages can also result in confusion.
– Research in communication has shown that the confusion can lend legitimacy to
research when persuasion fails.
20. Barriers to Effective Human
Communication: PHYSIOLOGICAL
– May result from individuals’ personal discomfort.
o Poor eye sight
o Hearing difficulties
21. Barriers to Effective Human
Communication: PRESENTATION OF
INFORMATION
– Important to aid understanding
– Communicators must consider the audience before making the presentation
itself and in cases where it is not possible the presenter can at least try to
simplify his/her vocabulary so that the majority can understand.
