Managing communication

Chapter 3
Managing Communication

Chapter Objectives
 The two-way communication process
 Barriers to communication
 Factors leading to effective
communication
 Downward and Upward communication
problems
 The roles of Questioning and Listening
 The impact of Electronic communication
 Organizational grapevines and rumors

 It is the transfer of information and
understanding from one person to another
 It is a process of exchange of facts, ideas,
opinions and a means that individuals or
organizations share the meaning and
understanding with one another.

Importance of Communication
 If there is no communication,
employees cannot know what their
co-workers are doing, management
cannot receive information inputs,
and supervisors and team leaders
cannot give instructions.

Two-Way Communication Process
“Transmission of a message from a sender to a receiver in
an understandable manner.”
S RABC

Communication Model
UseReceive Decode Accept
Develop
Idea
Encode Transmit
S
E
N
D
E
R
R
E
C
E
I
V
E
R
Barriers
Bridge of
Meaning

1st Step
DEVELOP AN
IDEA
the sender wishes to transmit

2nd Step
Encode
The process of conversion of
subject matter into symbols.

3rd Step
Transmit
Method used to exchange /
transmit the message

4th Step
Receive
The initiative transfers to the
receiver who tunes into the
received message.

5th Step
Decode

6th Step
Accept

7th Step
Use
The process wherein the
receiver will use the
information receive.

8th Step
Provide
Feedback
Receiver acknowledge the
message and responds to the
sender.

Potential Problems
Polarized
Defensive Reasoning
Cognitive Dissonance
Face Saving
Self Concept

Communication Barriers
Types of Barriers
Personal Barriers
Physical Barriers
Semantic Barriers

Types of Barriers
Are communication interferences
that arise from human emotions,
values, race sex, socioeconomic
status and other factors.

Types of Barriers
Psychological Distance
a feeling of being
emotionally separated between
people that is similar to actual
physical distance.

Types of Barriers
Physical Barriers
Are communication interferences
that occur in the environment in
which communication takes
place.

Types of Barriers
Arise from limitations in the
symbols with which we
communicate.

Types of Barriers
Jargon
the language used for a
particular activity or by a
particular group of people.

Types of Barriers
Inference
interpreting a symbol on
the basis of our assumptions
instead of facts.

Communication Symbols
Types of Communication Symbols
Words
are the main communication
symbols used.

Words
Social Cues
are positive or negative
bits of information that influence
how people react to
communication.

Words
Readability
the process of making
writing and speech more
understandable.

Pictures
Used to clarify word
communication.

Action
Also known as non verbal
communication.

Action
Body Language
important part of non
verbal communication by which
people communicate meaning to
others with their bodies in
interpersonal interaction.

Impact of Barriers on the
Communication Process
Personal Barriers Physical Barriers Semantic Barriers
Communication
Steps
Emotions Listening
Psychological
Distance
Noise
Geographical
Distance
Semantic Symbols
1 Develop x
2 Encode x x
3 Transmit x x x
4 Received x x x x
5 Decode x x x x
6 Accept x x x
7 Use x
8 Feedback x

Organizational communication
Vertical Communication
Horizontal Communication

 Vertical Communication
Communication that flows up and down the
organization, usually along formal reporting
lines.

Downward Communication
Occurs when information flows
down the hierarchy from
superiors to subordinates.

Prerequisites and Problems
Communication Overload
employees received
more communication inputs than
they can process or more than
they need.

Prerequisites and Problems
Acceptance of communication
Acknowledge ledge legitimacy of the sender to send a message
Perceived competence of the sender relative to the issue
Trust in the sender as a leader and as a person
Perceived credibility of the message received
Acceptance of the tasks and goals that the communication is
trying to accomplish
Power of the sender to enforce sanctions on the receiver either
directly or indirectly

 Communication Needs
 Job Instruction
 Performance Feedback
 News
 Social Support

Upward Communication
Consists of messages from
subordinates to superiors
and is more subject to
distortion.

Upward Communication
Delay
unnecessarily slow movement
of information up to higher levels.
Filtering
partial screening out of
information occurs because the
natural tendency for an employee
to tell a superior only what the
employee thinks the superior wants
to hear,
 Difficulties

Upward Communication Practices
Open Questions
introduce a broad topic and
give others an opportunity to
respond in many ways.
Closed Questions
focus on a narrower topic and
invite the receiver to provide a
specific response.
 Questioning

It requires the use of the ears and
the mind. It helps receivers
understand both the factual idea
and the emotional message the
sender intended.
 Listening

One useful method of building
upward communications is to meet
with small groups of employees. In
these meetings employees are
encouraged to talk about job
problems, needs, and management
practices that both help and
interfere with job performance.
 Employee Meetings

Is a statement that encourages
employee to come their supervisor
or higher management with any
matter that concerns the.
 An open door policy
Management by walking around
the managers takes the
initiative to systematically make
contact with large number of
employees.

Informal, casual recreational events
furnish support opportunities for
unplanned upward communication.
This spontaneous information
sharing reveals true conditions
better than most formal
communications.
 Participation in Social Groups

Lateral Communication
Other Forms of Communication
Communication across chains of
command.
 Boundary Spanners
employees who play a major role
in lateral communication.
 Networks
A group of people who develop and
maintain contact to exchange
information, informally, usually
about a shared interest.
 Ombudsperson
Device for aiding communication.

Electronic Communication
 Electronic Mail
Computer based communication
systems that allows you to send a
message to someone or to a
hundred people almost
instantaneously.
 Blogs
These are online diaries or journals
created and updated frequently by
individuals to express their
personal thoughts, musings and
commentaries on topics of interest
to them.

Electronic Communication
 Tellecommuting
Also called electronic cottage.
Telecommuters accomplish all or
part of their work at home, or at
satellite location, trough
computers links to their offices.
 Virtual Offices
Physical office space and individual
desk are being replaced with an
amazing array of portable
communication tools- electronic
mail, cellular phones, thinkpads,
voice mail systems etc.

Informal Communication
Informal communication
Formal communication

Grapevine
An informal communication
network that can permeate
an organization
The Cluster Chain
Many people tell a few
The Gossip Chain
One person tells many

Rumors
Is a grapevine information that is communicated without
secure standards of evidence being present.
Guidelines for Control of Rumor
 Remove its causes in order to
prevent it.
Apply efforts primarily to serious
rumors
 Refute rumor with facts.
 Deal with rumor as soon as
possible.
 Emphasize face to face supply
facts, confirmed in writing if
necessary.
Provide facts from reliable
sources.
Retrain from repeating rumor
while refuting it.
 Encourage assistance of
informal and union leaders if they
are cooperative.
 Listen to all rumors in order to
understand what they may mean.

Managing communication

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