Four Functions of Communication

• Knowledge management

• Decision making

• Coordinating work activities

• Fulfils relatedness needs

Receiver

DecodeDecodemessagemessage

EncodeEncodefeedbackfeedback

FormFormfeedbackfeedback

Sender

FormFormmessagemessage

EncodeEncodemessagemessage

DecodeDecodefeedbackfeedback

TransmitMessage

TransmitFeedback

ReceiveReceiveencodedencodedmessagemessage

ReceiveReceivefeedbackfeedback

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Communication Process Model

Communication Barriers

• Perceptions• Filtering• Language

– Jargon– Ambiguity

• Information Overload

9-14

The HURIER Model:Components of Effective Listening

Hearing(paying careful

attention to whatis being said)

Understanding(comprehending

the messagesbeing sent)

Remembering(being able to

recall the messagebeing sent)

Effective Listening

Responding(replying to thesender, letting

him or her knowyou are paying

attention)

Evaluating(not immediatelypassing judgment

on the messagebeing sent)

Interpreting(not reading anythinginto the message the

sender is communicating)

Episodes of information overload

Employee’s information processing

capacity

Time

Information Load

Information Overload

Overload: Problem Solved

Gatekeeper Message C

Overload(too many messagesreaching a person

at once)

Use gatekeepers tocontrol the number

of incomingmessages received

Use queuing to present messages

in order

Problem:

Solutions:

Message C

Message B

Message A

Person

Message C

Message B

Message A

Message A Message B Message C

Person

Person

9-5Oral vs. Written Communication: Preference for Media Depends on the

MessageM

ean

Per

cen

tage

of

Man

ager

s P

refe

rrin

g M

edia

Extremelyambiguousmessages

Extremelyclear

messages

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Oral Media

Written Media

Oral media arepreferred for

sending ambiguousmessages.

Written media arepreferred for sending

clear messages.

(88.3)

(11.3)

(32.1)

(67.9)

Communicating Through E-mail

Advantages of E-mail–Messages quickly formed, edited, sent, and

stored–Needs little coordination–Random information access–Fewer social status barriers

Problems with E-mail–Information overload–Flaming–Interpreting emotions–Lacks empathy or social support

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Guessing E-Mail EmoticonsHappy

Smirk

Dumb question

OOPS!

Tongue in cheek

Hug

Nonverbal Communication

• Actions, gestures, facial expressions, etc.

• Transmits most info in face-to-face meetings

• Influences meaning of verbal and written symbols

• Less rule bound than verbal communication

• Important part of emotional labour

Face-to-face

Telephone

E-mail

NewslettersOversimplified

Zone

OverloadedZone

Routine/Clear

Nonroutine/Ambiguous

Rich

Lean

MediaRichness

Situation

Hierarchy of Media Richness

Communicating in Hierarchies

• Workspace design

• Employee surveys

• Newsletters and e-zines

• Management by walking around

Grapevine Characteristics

• Transmits information very rapidly in all directions

• Relatively accurate, but deletes details and exaggerates key points

• More active in homogeneous groups who easy communication access

• Most active when employees are anxious• Usually follows a cluster chain pattern

Personal Communication Style

The Senator(sometimes Noble andsometimes Reflective)

The Candidate(blend between

Socratic and Reflective)

The Magistrate(blend between

Noble and Socratic)

The Reflective(someone who wouldrather say nothing

than to hurt someoneelse’s feelings)

The Socratic(someone who likes to

argue his or herpoints fully)

The Nobel(someone who says

what’s on his orher mind)

Internal vs. External Communications:

Is There a Difference?More

Statements

FewerStatements

Rel

ativ

e P

rop

orti

on o

f St

atem

ents

Threats were used morethan opportunities when

communicating internally.

Opportunities were usedmore than threats when

communicating externally.

Threats OpportunitiesFocus of Statements

Internalstatements

Externalstatements

14

A MEMO THAT LEAVES YOU SCRATCHING YOUR HEAD:WHAT DID HE SAY?

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:

“As per your subject memo; we are researching the history of Price Promotion #18B to establish why the new price sheets were not received by the sales force in advance ofthe effective date of the promotion. It is unclear from your memo how widespread theproblem was or if it was just isolated in certain geographies. Therefore, we will needadditional facts on where you think the problem occurred. As you know, we have gotten complaints from sales people in the past that they did not receive the promotionsonly to find out later that they had lost them due to their own disorganization.”

TRANSLATION:

“We screwed up but are not going to admit it.”

IMPROVED MESSAGE:

“Thanks for bringing the problem with this promotion to my attention. It looks likewe screwed up at this end in getting the proofs to the printer on schedule. My staffand I feel badly about this and will take steps to provide better service.”

Cross-Cultural Communication

• Verbal differences– Language

• Nonverbal differences– Voice intonation– Interpreting nonverbal meaning– Importance of verbal versus nonverbal– Silence and conversational overlaps

Men Women

Gender Communication Differences

Gives advice quickly and directly

Gives advice indirectly and

reluctantly

Report talk Rapport talk

Avoids asking for information

Frequently asks for information

Less sensitive to nonverbal cues

More sensitive to nonverbal cues

Gender Issues in Leadership

• Male and female leaders have similar task- and people-oriented leadership.

• Participative leadership is used more often by female leaders.

• Women rated less favourably than equivalent male leaders due to stereotyping.

Getting Your Message Across

• Empathize

• Repeat the message

• Use timing effectively

• Be descriptive

Active Listening Process and Strategies

ACTIVELISTENING

SENSING•Postpone evaluation• Avoid interruptions• Maintain interest

EVALUATING

• Empathize• Organize information

RESPONDING

• Show interest• Clarify the message

AudienceCharacteristics

• Self-esteem• Inoculated

CommunicatorCharacteristics

• Expert• Credibility• Attractive

MessageContent

• Present all sides• Few arguments• Emotional appeals• Inoculation effect

Communication Medium

Persuasive Communication