Chapter 3 Communication

Objectives Effective communication Inhibitors of communication Communication networks Communicating by listening Nonverbal communication Feedback Improve communication

Communication Defined Communication is the transfer of information that is received and fully understood from one source to another. A message can be sent by one person and received by another, but until the message is fully understood, there is no communication. This applies to spoken, written, and nonverbal messages.

Communication Versus Effective Communication When information conveyed is received and understood, there is communication. However understanding by itself does not necessarily mean effective communication. Effective communication occurs when the information that is received and understood is acted on in the desired manner (fig.3.1, page 24). This means effective communication will require persuasion, motivation, monitoring, and leadership.

Communication as a Process Communication is a process that requires several components. These components are sender, receiver, the medium, and the message itself. The message is the information to be conveyed, understood, accepted, and acted on. There are three categories of mediums: verbal, nonverbal, and written.

Inhibitors of Communication Supervisors should be familiar with the inhibitors of communication in order to be able to avoid or overcome them. The most common inhibitors are: Differences in meaning. Insufficient trust. Information overload. Interference. Condescending tones. Listening problems. Premature judgments. Inaccurate assumptions. Technological glitches.

Communication Networks A network is a group of senders linked by some means with a group of receivers. A formal network may consist of all supervisors in a company linked electronically to each other and to higher management. Formal networks are used for communicating official company messages. An informal network would be the gossip circle, water cooler crowd, or grape vine. Informal networks are used to convey unofficial and often inaccurate messages (fig 3-3, page 28).

Communication by Listening Listening is receiving the message, correctly decoding it, and accurately perceiving what it meant.

Inhibitors to Effective Listening Listening breaks down when the receiver does not accurately perceive the message. Several inhibitors can cause this to happen: Lack of concentration Preconceived ideas Thinking ahead Interruptions Tuning out

Communicating Nonverbally Often non verbal messages are more honest and telling than verbal messages provided the receiver is attentive and able to read nonverbal clues. It has become popular to call nonverbal communication body language. There are actually 3 components: Body factors Voice Factors Proximity Factors

Congruence One of the keys to understanding nonverbal cues lies in the concept of congruence. Are the spoken message and non verbal message congruent? They should be. An effective way to deal with incongruence is to gently but frankly confront it. A simple statement such as “ Cindy, your words agree with me, but your eyes disagree” can help draw an employee out so the supervisor gets the real message.

Communicating Corrective Feedback In dealing with employees, it is important for supervisors to give corrective feedback. This is information that will help them improve their performance. However, to be effective, corrective feedback must be communicated properly. Be positive: Feedback is more likely to be accepted and acted on by the employee if it is delivered in a positive manner. Be prepared: Focus on facts. Give specific examples of the behavior you would like to see corrected. Be realistic: Give the employee the necessary corrective feedback, but don’t focus on the negative.

Electronic Communication Electronic communication is doing for written communication what the telephone did for verbal communication. Advantages: Messages can be transmitted rapidly. Messages can be transmitted simultaneously to more than one person Messages can be printed if a hard copy is needed Messages can be stored for future reference Messages can be acknowledged electronically and recipients can be prompted. Disadvantages: Inability to transmit body language Inability to transmit voice tone Inability to transmit facial language Inability to make eye contact

Terms Summary Communication Congruence Corrective Feedback Effective Communication Electronic Communication Grapevine Listening Network Nonverbal Communication Verbal Communication Written Communication

Home Work Answer questions 2, 4, 7, 9 and 10 on pages 39 and 40 of your text book. 2. Distinguish between communication and effective communication. 4. List 5 communication inhibitors. 7. List 5 inhibitors of effective listening. 9. Explain the concept of congruence. 10. Explain how to be more effective in communicating corrective feedback.