Chapter 9

1. Chapter 9 Leadership Communication

2. Chapter Objectives • Act as a communication champion rather than just as an information processor. • Use key elements of effective listening and understand why listening is important to leadership communication. • Recognize and apply the difference between dialogue and discussion. • Select an appropriate communication channel for your leadership message. • Use communication to influence and persuade others. • Effectively communicate during times of stress or crisis.

3. Communication A process by which information and understanding are transferred between a sender and a receiver

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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 • 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.

7. Ex. 9.4 Ten Keys to Effective Listening

8. Ex. 9.4 (contd.)

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 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. 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

11. Ex. 9.7 Dos and Don’ts of Electronic Mail (abridged) Do • Use e-mail to set up meetings, to recap spoken conversations, or to follow up on information already discussed face-to-face. • Keep e-mail messages short and to-the-point. Many people read e-mail on handheld devices, which have small screens. • Use e-mail 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 e-mail to transmit standard reports. • Act like a newspaper reporter. Use the subject line to quickly grab the reader’s attention.

12. Ex. 9.7 (contd.) Don’t • Use e-mail 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 e-mail – and especially don’t copy others on the message. • Use e-mail to start or perpetuate a feud. • Write anything in an e-mail you wouldn’t want published in a newspaper. E-mail with sensitive or potentially embarrassing information has an uncanny way of leaking out.