Communication

Communication Terms Communication Sender Receiver The transfer and understanding of a message between two or more people. Sender Establishes a message, encodes the message, and chooses the channel to send it. Receiver Decodes the message and provides feedback to the sender. © Pearsons Education Canada

Basic Communication Orientations: Harris/Harris Source: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z16vlVdh7KI/TJh0LL8qEHI/AAAAAAAAABo/sQKIi6Z5BDw/s1600/OK%2BCorral.jpg&imgrefurl

Communication Terms Encoding Decoding Message Channel Converting a message to symbolic form. Decoding Interpreting a sender’s message. Message What is communicated. Channel The medium through which a message travels. © Pearsons Education Canada

The Communication Process Model Encodes the message Chooses the channel Chooses a message Provides feedback Decodes the Sender Receiver Considers the receiver Considers the sender © Pearsons Education Canada

The Communication Situation: Schultz v. Thun Source: http://www.schulz-von-thun.de/mod-sitmod.html

Schultz’s von Thun Four “Tongues and Ears” Self-revelation Topic-content Relationship Plea

High vs. Low Communication Richness Rich channels have the ability to: Handle multiple cues simultaneously. Facilitate rapid feedback. Be very personal. © Pearsons Education Canada

Channel Information Richness Source: Based on R. H. Lengel and R. L. Daft, “The Selection of Communication Media as an Executive Skill,” Academy of Management Executive, August 1988, pp. 225-232; and R. L. Daft and R. H. Lengel, “Organizational Information Requirements, Media Richness, and Structural Design,” Managerial Science, May 1996, pp. 554-572. Reproduced from R. L. Daft and R. A. Noe, Organizational Behavior (Forth Worth, TX: Harcourt, 2001), p. 311. © Pearsons Education Canada

Barriers to Effective Communication Filtering Refers to a sender manipulating information so that it will be seen more favourably by the receiver. Selective Perception Receivers in the communication process selectively see and hear based on their needs, motivations, experience, background, and other personal characteristics. © Pearsons Education Canada

Barriers to Effective Communication Defensiveness When individuals interpret another’s message as threatening, they often respond in ways that retard effective communication. Information Overload When the information we have to work with exceeds our processing capacity. Language Words mean different things to different people. © Pearsons Education Canada

Effective Listening If you want to improve your listening skills, look to these behaviours as guides Make eye contact. Exhibit affirmative head nods and appropriate facial expressions. Avoid distracting actions or gestures. Ask questions. Paraphrase. Avoid interrupting the speaker. Don’t overtalk. Make smooth transitions between the roles of speaker and listener. © Pearsons Education Canada

Networks Connections by which information flow. Formal Networks. Task-related communications that follow the authority chain The Grapevine – Informal Networks. Communications that flow along social and relational lines © Pearsons Education Canada

Networks and Their Effectiveness All-Channel Wheel Chain Moderate High Speed Accuracy Emergence of a leader Member satisfaction Fast Low None © Pearsons Education Canada

Grapevine Patterns © Pearsons Education Canada Single Strand Each tells one another A B C D Y Gossip One tells all E F K J H I G Probability Each randomly tells others X Cluster Some tell selected others Source: K. Davis and J. W. Newstrom, Human Behavior at Work: Organizational Behavior, 7th ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1985), p. 317. Reprinted by permission. © Pearsons Education Canada

Communication: Women and Men Men use talk to emphasize status, women use it to create connection. Women and men tend to approach points of conflict differently. © Pearsons Education Canada

High- vs. Low-Context Cultures Source: Based on the work of E. T. Hall. From R. E. Duleck, J. S. Fielden, and J. S. Hill, “International Communication: An Executive Primer,” Business Horizons, January-February 1991, p. 21. © Pearsons Education Canada

Cross-Cultural Communications Assume differences until similarity is proven. Emphasize description rather than interpretation or evaluation. Practise empathy. Treat your interpretations as a working hypothesis. Engage in effective listening and paraphrasing.