The Communication Process: An Introduction Chapter 1 The Communication Process: An Introduction Communicating for Results, 10th edition

The Communication Process Communication skills are important to success in business and professional settings Despite evidence communication skills are necessary for success in the workplace, individuals continue to have problems in this area Fortunately, communication is a skill that can be learned Communicating for Results, 10th edition

Communication Defined Latin root of communicate is communicare To impart, share, make common Communication is the process of people sharing thoughts, ideas, and feelings with each other in commonly understandable ways Communicating for Results, 10th edition

Models of Communication Key to success is being able to identify cause for misunderstandings and figure out how to keep them from occurring again This is where communication models prove helpful Allow us to pinpoint where in communication process misunderstandings occur so that we can correct them Models have evolved from early one-way models to more accurate transactional models Communicating for Results, 10th edition

One-Way Model Communication viewed as linear process going from Person A to Person B Shows communication occurs in presence of internal and external noise and message is carried by code traveling through a channel No response or feedback Communicating for Results, 10th edition

The Process of Communication A Linear View Communication is “done to” a receiver Figure 1.1

Circular Model Communication is viewed as circular or interactive process Sender communicates message to receiver who interprets it and sends reply back to sender Includes feedback Implies communication occurs in step-by-step process Rarely happens Addition of frame of reference Communicating for Results, 10th edition

Transaction Model Communication viewed as simultaneous, transactional process between senders and receivers Simultaneous Persons involved may be sending and receiving at same time Transactional Both persons responsible for creating meaning and both influence and are influenced by the other Addition of environment and stimulus/motivation Communicating for Results, 10th edition

The Process of Communication A Transactional View Communication as a uniquely human process Figure 1.2

Frame of Reference Communication breakdowns occur because we use our own background and experience to encode and decode An invisible window Unless backgrounds and experiences of both sender and receiver are identical, messages may not be accurately encoded or decoded Only when our frames of reference overlap can we expect real understanding Communicating for Results, 10th edition

No Identical Frame of Reference Managers and employees have different frames of reference Frame of reference differences play role in international business confusion Individualistic/collectivistic cultures Low context/high context cultures Communicating for Results, 10th edition

No Identical Frame of Reference Communicator needs to remember that message that counts is the one received As sender you need to be concerned with what your receiver thought you said Burden of communication lies with sender It is a good idea to check reception of your message by asking receivers to paraphrase what they think you meant Communicating for Results, 10th edition

Communication Code Vocal and Visual Code 69% Verbal Code 31% Language (verbal) – spoken or written words Paralanguage (vocal) – tone, pitch, volume Nonverbal (visual) eye contact, facial expressions, posture Vocal and Visual Code 69% Verbal Code 31% Copyright Cengage © 2011

Four Ethical Rules The utilitarian rule – greatest good for the greatest number of people The moral rights (Kant) rule – protecting fundamental inalienable rights The justice rule – equal treatment The practical rule – the typical person will find them acceptable Copyright Cengage © 2011

Communication and Ethics As an employee, watch for following ethics traps: Trap of necessity Trap of relative filth Trap of rationalization Trap of self-deception Trap of end justifying the means Communicating for Results, 10th edition

Communication and Ethics Practical reasons for being ethical: If people lose faith in you, or in your company, failure is inevitable Not only do people enjoy dealing with honest people, they also prefer working for ethical companies Unethical behavior weighs heavily on your conscious Communicating for Results, 10th edition

Texas Instruments Ethics Quiz Is the action legal? Does it comply with our values? If you do it, will you feel bad? How will it look in the newspaper? If you know it’s wrong don’t do it. If you’re not sure, ask. Keep asking until you get an answer. Copyright Cengage © 2011