1. Communications Why communicate?
The communications process and characteristics
Barriers to effective communications
Improving communications
Communications and gender

2. Why Communicate? To convey information To receive information
To determine what information needs to be sent or obtained
To gain acceptance for you or your ideas
To motivate other people
To maintain relationships with coworkers, clients, etc.
To establish trust
To keep people involved in a project
To produce action or change
To understand the wants and needs of your stakeholders
To express your emotions or feelings

3. The Communications Process
Sender
Noise
Barriers
Message
Barriers
Feedback
Receiver

4. Types of Communications
Forms of communication
Verbal
Written
Non-verbal
To Whom
Immediate coworkers
Supervisor / subordinates
Others within own organization
Customers and clients
Suppliers / vendors

5. Communications Channels
Face-to-face
Telephone
Grapevine
Memos, letters
Formal reports

6. Channel Richness Channel Richness
A channel’s ability to transmit information, including the ability to handle multiple cues simultaneously, encourage feedback, and focus personally on the receiver.
Why Is It Important?
More cues (i.e., words, tone of voice, and non-verbals) allow more information to be transmitted
Feedback ensures that listener has opportunity to obtain additional information or clarify any uncertainties
Personal focus permits customizing message and encourages listener attention

7. Channel Richness: Specific Channels
High
Channel
Richness
Phone
call
Face to
face
Memos,
Letters ,
voic
Formal
Report
Low
Channel
Richness

8. Non-Verbal Communications
Voice
Appearance
Face and eyes
Posture and movement
Personal space and distance
Time
Physical environment
Voice
Volume, pitch
Expressiveness
Pauses, stammering
Emphasis on words
Appearance
Clothing (style, quality, uniforms, logo clothing)
Weight, age
Face and eyes
Expressions
Eye contact (or lack thereof)
Posture and movement
Posture -- how you sit, stand
Gestures - shuffling papers, clipping nails, turning away from work
Personal space and distance
Personal space
Touching
Seating arrangement
Time
Arriving early, staying late (or the reverse)
Physical environment
Windows, office location, walls, furniture, accessories
Furniture / office arrangement

9. Rumors and the Grapevine
The informal network
About 75% accuracy
Purpose
Reduce anxiety
Make sense of ambiguity
Organizing coalitions
Signal status
Managing rumors, gossip and the grapevine
Communicate openly -- the good and the bad
Deliberate rumors ??
Purpose
Reduce anxiety
Make sense of ambiguity (especially when management isn’t communicating)
Organizing coalitions
Signal one’s status (“I have the inside scoop”)
Managing rumors, gossip and the grapevine
Communicate openly -- the good and the bad
Deliberate rumors -- Can management use rumors as a warning or as a trial balloon??

10. Barriers to Communications
Information overload
Noise
Language
Filtering
Selective perception
Defensiveness

11. Information Overload Multiple communications
Phone and voic
Pager
Cellphone
Reports and memos
What price peace and quiet ??

12. Noise Physical noise and distractions Environment (cold, heat, dust)
Preoccupations

13. Language Issues
Actual language
Accents, etc.
Volume and speed
Jargon

14. Filtering Sending on the news you think your audience wants to hear
Impression management
What happens to the messenger bringing bad news…...

15. Selective Perception Stereotypes Halo Effect Projection
Primacy and Recency Effects
Perceptual Readiness
Perceptual Defense
Attribution
Stereotypes
Women are fluffy, Asians good with math, etc.
Halo Effect
Generalizing from one aspect of the person to another; she’s sloppily dressed, therefore, she’s not too bright
Projection
Assuming one’s own motives apply to others; he’s not too honest, so he assumes others will not be, either.
Primacy and Recency Effects
Bad / good first impressions or most recent perceptions
Perceptual Readiness
We hear what we expect or want to hear or what we’re told to hear. For example, if you're told the professor is good, you’ll perceive her favorably.
Perceptual Defense
We ignore threatening information.
Attribution
I’m creative; you’re disorganized; he’s a slob. Also, external and internal attributions for success and failure (I failed because of circumstances; you failed because you didn't try).

16. Defensiveness A response to perceived threat or criticism What is it?
Personal attacks
Sarcasm
Questioning motives

17. Supportive and Defensive Climates
Evaluation
Control
Strategy
Neutrality
Superiority
Certainty
SUPPORTIVE
Description
Problem Orientation
Spontaneity
Empathy
Equality
Provisionalism

18. The Three Hardest Things to Say
I Was
Wrong
I Don’t
Know
I Need
Help

19. Improving Communications
Listening
Openness
Feedback
Trust

20. The Levels of Listening
“Did you hear that Chuck and Mary are getting a divorce?”
Unrelated Response
Level 2:
“Cars are a pain; my air is out.”
Tangential Response
Level 3:
“Were you on Nonconnah when it happened?”
Furthering Response
“I had a bad accident yesterday, but nobody was hurt”
Level 4:
“I know you must be relieved to be safe”
Feeling Response

21. Listening Guides for Display at the Workplace
Stop talking. You cannot listen if you are talking !
Put the talker at ease.
Show the talker that you want to listen.
Remove distractions.
Empathize. See the situation from the other person’s point of view.
Be patient.
Hold your temper.
Go easy with arguments and criticisms. When you argue, even if you win, you lose.
Ask questions to show interest and encourage response.
Stop Talking. This is both first and last, because all other guides depend on it.

22. How to Listen
Nature gave people two ears but only one tongue, which is a gentle guide that they should listen more than they talk.
Listening requires two ears, one for meaning and one for feeling.
Decision makers who do not listen have less information for making sound decisions.

23. Giving Effective Feedback
STRENGTHS
Descriptive
Feelings evoked
Specific
Controllable
Timely
Effect
Positive and negative
Help
WEAKNESSES
Evaluative
Do it indifferently
General
Uncontrollable
Late
Analyze
Negative only
Punish

24. Receiving Effective Feedback
STRENGTHS
Elicit
Listen
Check
Clarify
Ask others
WEAKNESSES
Wait
Wonder
Assume
Justify
Discount

25. The Three Elements of Trust
Benevolence
Integrity
Ability

26. What Encourages the Development of Trust?
Correspondence between word and deed
Demonstrations of concern for others’ well-being and needs
Willingness to see the other person’s point of view
Demonstrated skills and abilities - showing that you can be counted on to accomplish the job
Rewards for openness and disagreement
No reprisals for speaking your mind
Freely expressing your opinion - but with tact
Not being afraid to show your emotions
Honesty and fairness in business dealings

27. Communications and Gender
Are the differences genetic or learned? Does it matter?
Typical patterns: this doesn’t apply to all women or all men
Rapport vs. report
Women use language to create connections, establish goodwill, show support, and build community. Men talk to express information and facts, to claim attention, show status and take a position or stand.
Expressive vs. instrumental
Women express feelings; men talk to get things done.
Supportive vs. advising
Women offer support, understanding and sympathy to someone with a problem, while men offer advice.
Tentative vs. certain
Women express doubt: hedging, disclaimers, expressing ideas as questions (and, thus, creating an impression -- to men -- of incompetence or lack of authority). Men are assertive, direct, authoritative, and certain.
Initiate and maintain vs. control
Women get the conversation started, ask questions and liste; men interrupt