2. What Is Communication? The transfer and understanding of meaning.
Transfer means the message is transmitted in a form that can be interpreted* by the receiver.
Understanding is “getting the picture”; it is not the same as simply receiving or agreeing with the message.
*Interpretation = A mental representation of the meaning.
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3. Interpersonal Communication Organizational Communication
What Is Communication?
Interpersonal Communication
Communication between two or more people
Organizational Communication
All the patterns, networks, and systems of communication within an organization
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4. Interpersonal Communication Process
The seven elements of the communication process:
Source
Message
Encoding
Channel
Decoding
Receiver
Feedback
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5. Interpersonal Communication Process
Source
The sender who initiates the message.
Message
The intended meaning or purpose to be conveyed.
Encoding
The message converted into symbolic form. In written/printed, verbal or nonverbal actions.
Channel
The medium used to transmit the message. (face-to-face, , telephone, etc…)
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6. Interpersonal Communication Process
Decoding
The receiver’s retranslation of the symbols (visual and/or auditive) into a form that he/she can understand.
Receiver
The individual to whom the message is directed.
Feedback
The response from the receiver to the sender that provides knowledge on whether understanding has been achieved.
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7. Interpersonal Communication Process
The entire process is likely to be affected by
Noise:
Anything that distorts the message and interferes with understanding. E.g.….
Illegible print
Inattention by the receiver
Background sounds
Limited writing, oral, or listening skills
Attitudes
Sociocultural differences
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8. The Interpersonal Communication Process
Exhibit 10.1
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9. Interpersonal Communication Methods
Face-to-face
Telephone
Group meetings
Formal presentations
Memos
Traditional Mail
Fax machines
Employee publications
Bulletin boards
Audio- and videotapes
Hotlines
Computer conferencing
Voice mail
Teleconferences
Videoconferences
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10. Interpersonal Communication
Nonverbal Communication:
Communication that is transmitted without words.
Body language: Gestures, facial expressions, and other body movements that convey meaning.
Situational behaviors that convey meaning
Clothing and physical surroundings that imply status
Images that control or encourage behaviors
Verbal intonation: Emphasis that a speaker gives to certain words or phrases that conveys meaning.
It is not “what” you say, but “how” you say it!
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11. Barriers to Effective Interpersonal Communication
Filtering
The deliberate manipulation of information to make it appear more favorable to the receiver.
Emotions
Interpreting messages differently, depending on whether we’re happy or distressed.
Information Overload
The quantity of information we have to work with exceeds our capacity to process it.
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12. Barriers to Effective Interpersonal Communication
Defensiveness
When feeling threatened, people react in ways that reduce their ability to achieve mutual understanding.
Language
Words mean different things to different people. Senders tend to assume that words they use mean the same to the receiver as they do to them.
National Culture
Culture influences the form and patterns of communication and affect the ways managers communicate.
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13. Interpersonal Communication Barriers
Filtering
National Culture
Emotions
Language
Interpersonal Communication
Information Overload
Defensiveness

14. Overcoming the Barriers to Effective Interpersonal Communications
Use Feedback
Simplify Language
Constrain Emotions
Watch Nonverbal Cues
Listen Actively
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15. Overcoming the Barriers to Effective Interpersonal Communications
Use Feedback
Feedback can be verbal or nonverbal
Ask questions
Look for general comments
Simplify Language
Choose words, and structure messages to make them understandable to the receiver
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16. Overcoming the Barriers to Effective Interpersonal Communications
Constrain Emotions
When upset, refrain from communicating until you have regained calmness
Watch Nonverbal Cues
Watch your actions and gestures (cues) to make sure they convey the desired message
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17. Overcoming the Barriers to Effective Interpersonal Communications
Listen Actively
Place yourself in the sender’s position to improve understanding of the message content
Listen to full meaning without making premature (too soon) interpretations (a mental representation of the meaning).
The average person speaks at a rate of 125 to 200 words per minute. The average listener can comprehend up to 400 words per minute. That leaves a lot of time for the mind to be distracted.
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18. Active Listening Behaviors
Source: Based on P.L. Hunsaker, Training in Management Skills (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2001).
Exhibit 10.4
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19. Types of Organizational Communication
Formal Communication
Communication that follows the official chain of command or is part of the communication required to do one’s job.
Informal Communication
Communication that is not defined by the organization’s hierarchy.
Permits employees to satisfy their need for social interaction.
Can improve an organization’s performance by creating faster and more effective channels of communication.
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20. Direction of Communication Flow
Downward Communication
Communication that flow from managers to employees.
To inform, direct, coordinate, and evaluate employees.
Upward Communication
Communication that flow from employees to managers.
It keeps managers aware of employees’ needs, how they feel about their jobs and how things can be improved.
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21. Direction of Communication Flow
Lateral (Horizontal) Communication
Communication that takes place among any employees on the same organizational level.
It saves time and facilitates coordination.
Cross-functional teams rely on this form of communication.
Diagonal Communication
Communication that cuts across both work areas and organizational levels.
It improves efficiency and speed.
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22. Communication Flows
Diagonal
Upwa r d
Downwa r d
Lateral

23. Types of Communication Networks
Chain Network
Communication flows according to the formal chain of command, both downward and upward.
Wheel Network
Communication flows to and from a leader to others in a work team.
All-Channel Network
Communication flows freely among all members of a work team.
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24. Three Common Organizational Communication Networks and How They Rate on Effectiveness Criteria
Exhibit 10.5
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25. The Grapevine
An informal network of communication that is active in almost every organization.
It helps managers identify issues that concern employees.
Managers can in turn use the grapevine to disseminate information they consider important
Managers can minimize the negative consequences of rumors by communicating openly and honestly with employees in situations where they may not like managerial actions.
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26. Current Communication Issues
Gripe Sites:
A gripe site or “complaint” site is a website devoted to criticisms and complaints of an organization.
Managers should view them as a source of information.
They can uncover employee important issues.
They provide a way to judge the mood of the workforce.
They can be viewed as a means of upward communication.
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27. Current Communication Issues
Gripe Sites
Managers might respond by posting messages on the gripe site to clarify misinformation.
Managers might take actions to correct problems that have been written about.
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28. Current Communication Issues
Managing the Organization’s Knowledge Resources
Making it easy for employees to communicate and share their knowledge so they can learn from each other ways to do their jobs more effectively and efficiently.
Build online information databases that employees can access.
Create “communities of practice”.
Groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems or interest about a topic and who interact with each other regularly to improve their knowledge and expertise in that area. Strong interaction can be maintained through web sites, and video-conferencing.
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29. Communication and Customer Service
Communication has a significant impact on a customer’s satisfaction with the service.
Managers need to make sure that employees who interact with customers are communicating effectively with those customers.
Train employees to listen actively and respond to the customer.
Make sure information needed to deal with customers issues is readily available.
Managers need to develop a strong service culture focused on the personalization of service to each customer.
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30. “Politically Correct” Communication
Certain words can stereotype, intimidate and insult individuals. How to communicate with someone who isn’t like us?
We must be sensitive to how certain words might offend others
However, choose words carefully to maintain as much clarity as possible in communicating.
Sears tells its employees that when talking with a customer in a wheelchair, employees place themselves at the customer’s eye level by sitting down to make it more comfortable for everyone.
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31. C H A P T E R R E V I E W 1/3
Understanding Communications (slides 2, 3)
What are the two important parts of the definition of communication?
Differentiate between interpersonal and organizational communication.
The Process of Interpersonal Communications (slides 5, 6, 9~12, 14)
Describe the seven elements of the communication process.
List the communication methods managers might use.
Describe nonverbal communication an how it takes place.
Explain the barriers to effective interpersonal communication and how to overcome them.
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32. Organizational Communication (slides 19~21, 23, 25)
C H A P T E R R E V I E W 2/3
Organizational Communication (slides 19~21, 23, 25)
Contrast formal and informal communication.
Explain how communication can flow in an organization.
Describe the three common communication networks.
Discuss how managers should handle the grapevine.
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33. C H A P T E R R E V I E W 3/3
Communication Issues in Today’s Organization (slides 26~30)
Discuss how Internet employee gripe sites affect communication.
Explain how organizations can manage knowledge.
Explain why communicating with customers is an important managerial issue.
Describe how political correctness is affecting communication.
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