1. Leadership Communication
Chapter 9
Leadership Communication

2. Communication
A process by which information and understanding are transferred between a sender and a receiver
The evoking of a shared or common meaning in another person

3. Ex. 9.1 A Basic Model of the Communication Process
Potential noise and distortion
Leader encodes message
Receiver decodes message
Channel
Return message encoded and sent
Feedback Loop

4. Ex. 9.2 The Leader as Communication Champion
Purpose Directed
Direct attention to vision/values, desired outcomes; use persuasion
Leader
as Communication Champion
Strategic Conversation
Open climate
Listening
Discernment
Dialogue
Internal and external sources
Methods
Use rich channels
Stories and metaphors
Informal communication
Communication Champion: believes that communication is essential to
building trust and gaining commitment to vision

5. Ex. 9.3 Why Open the Communication Channels?
An open climate is essential for cascading vision, and
cascading is essential because:
Natural Law 1: You Get What You talk about
1b: You get what you pay attention to and reward
A vision must have ample ‘air time’ in an organization. A vision must be shared and practiced by leaders at every opportunity.
Natural Law 2: The Climate of an Organization is a
Reflection of the Leader
A leader who doesn’t embody the vision and values doesn’t have an organization that does.
Natural Law 3: You Can’t Walk Faster Than One Step at a
Time
A vision is neither understood nor accepted overnight. Communicating must be built into continuous, daily interaction so that over time followers will internalize it.

6. Ex. 9.4 Ten Keys to Effective Listening
Poor Listener
Good Listener
1. Listen actively
Is passive, laid back
Asks questions; paraphrases what is said
2. Find areas of interest
Tunes out dry subjects
Looks for opportunities, new learning
3. Resist distractions
Is easily distracted
Fights distractions; tolerates bad habits; knows how to concentrate
4. Capitalize on the fact that thought is faster than speech
Tends to daydream with slow speakers
Challenges, anticipates, summarizes; listens between lines to tone of voice
5. Be responsive
Is minimally involved
Nods; shows interest, positive feedback

7. Ex. 9.4 (contd.) Keys Poor Listener Good Listener
6. Judge content, not delivery (or style)
Tunes out if delivery is poor
Judges content; skips over delivery errors
7. Hold one’s fire
Has preconceptions; argues
Does not judge until comprehension is complete
8. Listen for ideas
Listens for facts
Listens to central themes
9. Work at listening
No energy output; faked attention
Works hard; exhibits active body state, eye contact
10. Exercise one’s mind
Resists difficult material in favor of light, recreational material
Uses heavier material as exercise for the mind

8. Discernment
Listening to detect unarticulated messages hidden below the surface of spoken interaction
Action memo: focus your total attention on what the other person is saying. Work hard to listen – use eye contact; ask questions and paraphrase the message; and offer positive feedback. Pay attention to body language, patterns of interaction, and other clues to discern what followers really think, feel, or want.

9. Ex. 9.5 Dialogue and Discussion: The Differences
Conversation
Lack of understanding, disagreement, divergent points of view, evaluate others
Dialogue
Discussion
Reveal feelings
Explore assumptions
Suspend convictions
Build common ground
State positions
Advocate convictions
Convince others
Build oppositions
ONLY way
to change
mental
models
Result
Result
Short-term resolution
Agreement by logic
Opposition beaten down
Mind-sets held onto
Long-term, innovative solutions
Unified group
Shared meaning
Transformed mind-sets

10. The leader as communication champion
Establish credibility
Build goals on common ground
Make your position compelling to others
Connect emotionally

11. Strong relationships are built on mutual understanding
Strong relationships are built on mutual understanding. Leadership is a dialogue, not a monologue
Dialogue requires listening to others and sharing of yourself
Personal credibility: DWYSYWD – do what you say you will do
Necessary but not sufficient. Even a despot can have this.
Leadership credibility: DWWSWWD – do what we say we will do

12. Credibility (cont.)
Forgetting the we has derailed many managers. Their actions may have been consistent only with their own wishes, not with those of the people they wanted to lead. When managers resort to the use of power and position, to compliance and command to get things done, they are not leading, they are dictating.

13. Credibility (cont.)
“The true test of moral legitimacy is grounded in conscious choice among real alternatives. One way to recognize moral leaders and to guard against immoral ones is to observe if they engage in learning the true needs and values of their constituents. If they are more intent on telling than on listening, it is likely that they are up to no good.” (James MacGregor Burns, 1978)

14. Ex. 9.6 A Continuum of Channel Richness
Electronic mail, IM, Web, intranet
Face-to-face verbal
Formal report
Disadvantages
Impersonal
One-way
Slow feedback
Advantages
Personal
Two-way
Fast feedback
High channel richness
Low channel richness
Disadvantages
No record
Spontaneous
Dissemination hard
Advantages
Provides record
Premeditated
Easily disseminated
Memos, letters
Telephone

15. Ex. 9.7 Dos and Don’ts of Electronic Mail (abridged)
Use to set up meetings, to recap spoken conversations, or to follow up on information already discussed face-to-face.
Keep messages short and to-the-point. Many people read on handheld devices, which have small screens.
Use to prepare a group of people for a meeting. For example, it is convenient to send the same documents to a number of people and ask them to review the materials before the meeting.
Use to transmit standard reports.
Act like a newspaper reporter. Use the subject line to quickly grab the reader’s attention.

16. Ex. 9.7 (contd.)
Don’t
Use to discuss something with a colleague who sits across the aisle or down the hall from you. Take the old-fashioned approach of speaking to each other.
Lambaste a friend or colleague via – and especially don’t copy others on the message.
Use to start or perpetuate a feud.
Write anything in an you wouldn’t want published in a newspaper. with sensitive or potentially embarrassing information has an uncanny way of leaking out.

17. Nonverbal Communication
Nonverbal Communication - all elements of communication that do not involve words
Four basic types
Proxemics - an individual’s perception & use of space
Kinesics - study of body movements, including posture
Facial & Eye Behavior - movements that add cues for the receiver
Paralanguage - variations in speech, such as pitch, loudness, tempo, tone, duration, laughing, & crying

18. Proxemics: Seating Dynamics
Seating Dynamics - seating people in certain positions according to the person’s purpose in communication
Cooperation
X O X
Communication O
Competition X O
Non-
Communication
O X O

19. Examples of Decoding Nonverbal Cues
He’s
unapproachable!
He’s angry! I’ll
stay out of his way!
Boss breathes heavily & waves arms
Boss fails to acknowledge employee’s greeting
My opinion
doesn’t count
I wonder what
he’s hiding?
No eye contact while communicating
Manager sighs deeply

20. Communicating concerns about performance
Why? The purpose is to improve performance of the employee. Watch your motives.
What? Behaviors. Find good ones first, then focus on behavior not meeting standards. Make sure they (and you) understand why their behavior does not meet standards and how to correct it.
How do you arrange the meeting? Sends a message before the actual counseling session. In person, , letter, secretary?

21. Communicating concerns about performance
Where? Your place or theirs? Power symbols (e.g. seating) depend on severity of problem and if punishment is involved.
When? As close to the discrepancy as possible. Time of day considerations?
How do you express your concerns? In person? Written? (memo, , letter, note). Consider speaking to them in person and follow-up in writing.
What next? Your behavior following counseling is key. Need to establish normal relations, follow-up but still be supportive. Build efficacy. Remember procedural justice – everyone is watching you.