HND – 7. Communication

1. HND – 7. Communication Lim SeiKee @ cK

2. Communication • The transference and understanding of meaning. • Communication Functions: • Control member behavior • Foster motivation for what is to be done • Provide a release for emotional expression • Provide information needed to make decisions

3. Communication process • The steps between a source and a receiver that result in the transference and understanding of meaning. • Key parts – • The sender • Encoding • The message • The channel • Decoding the receiver • Noise • Feedback

4. The Communication Process

5. Communication Channels • Channel • The medium selected by the sender through which the message travels to the receiver • Types of Channels • Formal Channels • Are established by the organization and transmit messages that are related to the professional activities of members • Informal Channels • Used to transmit personal or social messages in the organization. These informal channels are spontaneous and emerge as a response to individual choices

6. Direction of communication • Downward – flows from one level of a group or organization to a lower level • Upward – flows to a higher level in the group or organization • Lateral – takes place among members of the same work group, among members of work groups at the same level, among managers at the same level

7. Direction of Communication UPWARD DOWNWARD LATERAL

8. Interpersonal communication • Oral Communication • Written communication • Nonverbal communication

9. Oral communication • Speeches, formal one-on-one and group discussion, informal rumor, grapevine • Advantages - • Speed & feedback • Response received in a minimal amount of time • If unsure, rapid feedback allows for early detection by sender • encouraging morale among organizational employees. • best used to transfer private and confidential information/matter

10. Disadvantages - oral communication • Relying only on oral communication may not be sufficient • Oral communication is less authentic than written communication as they are informal • Oral communication is time-saving, but in case of meetings, long speeches consume lot of time and are unproductive at times. • Oral communications are not easy to maintain and thus they are unsteady. • There may be misunderstandings as the information is not complete and may lack essentials.

11. Written communication • Memos, letters, fax, email, instant messaging, notices, bulletin • Advantages • Tangible and verifiable • Record of communication • Available for future references • For lengthy and complex communication • Well thought, logical and clear • There is a lesser chance for the message to be misunderstood

12. Disadvantages of written communication- • Time consuming • People may not always read them • No immediate feedback

13. Nonverbal communication • A glance, a stare, a smile, a frown – body movement, the intonations, facial expressions and the physical distance between sender and receiver • Advantages: • Supports other communications and provides observable expression of emotions and feelings. • Disadvantage: • Misperception of body language or gestures can influence receiver’s interpretation of message

14. Interpersonal Communication • Oral Communication • Advantages: Speed and feedback • Disadvantage: Distortion of the message • Written Communication • Advantages: Tangible and verifiable • Disadvantages: Time-consuming and lacks feedback • Nonverbal Communication • Advantages: Supports other communications and provides observable expression of emotions and feelings • Disadvantage: Misperception of body language or gestures can influence receiver’s interpretation of message

15. Organizational communication • Formal small-group networks • Grapevine • Computer-Aided communication

16. Formal small-group networks • Chain – rigidly follows the formal chain of command • Wheel – relies on a central figure to act as the conduit for all the group’s communication • All-channel – permits all group members to actively communicate with each other

17. Small-group networks and effectiveness criteria

18. Common Formal Small-Group Networks

19. Grapevine • The organization’s informal communication network • Grapevine Characteristics • Informal, not controlled by management. • Perceived by most employees as being more believable and reliable than formal communications. • Largely used to serve the self-interests of those who use it.

20. Advantages- • creates a social bond • The grapevine fills in a gap that is left when official information is missing • Disadvantages- • information that gets spread through the grapevine is not verified • used to spread more than rumors; it's used to spread gossip • people's reputations, careers, and lives can get destroyed

21. Computer-aided communication • E-Mail • Advantages: quickly written, sent, and stored; low cost for distribution. • Disadvantages: information overload, lack of emotional content, cold and impersonal. • Instant messaging • Advantage: “real time” e-mail transmitted straight to the receiver’s desktop. • Disadvantage: can be intrusive and distracting.

22. Emoticons: Showing Emotion in E-Mail

23. Intranet • A private organization-wide information network. • Extranet • An information network connecting employees with external suppliers, customers, and strategic partners. • Videoconferencing • An extension of an intranet or extranet that permits face-to-face virtual meetings via video links.

24. Channel richness • The amount of information that can be transmitted during a communication episode

25. Choosing the Best Communication Channel: Media Richness The channel’s data-carrying capacity needs to be aligned with the communication activity High richness when channel: • conveys multiple cues • allows timely feedback • allows customized message • permits complex symbols

26. Barriers to effective communication • Filtering - A sender’s manipulation of information so that it will be seen more favorably by the receiver • Selective perception - People selectively interpret what they see on the basis of their interests, background, experience, and attitudes • Information overload - A condition in which information inflow exceeds an individual’s processing capacity

27. Barriers to effective communication • Emotions - How a receiver feels at the time a message is received will influence how the message is interpreted • Language - Words have different meanings to different people • Communication Apprehension - Undue tension and anxiety about oral communication, written communication, or both

28. Barriers to effective communication • Gender Differences • Men tend to talk to emphasize status while women talk to create connections • “Politically Correct” • So concerned with being inoffensive that meaning and simplicity are lost • Free expression is in a weak position • CNN: “foreigner” is not allowed – “international” • Little people prefer “little people” instead of midgets

29. Cross-Cultural Communication • Cultural Barriers • Barriers caused by semantics • Barriers caused by word connotations • Barriers caused by tone differences • Barriers caused by differences among perceptions

30. Cross-Cultural Communication • Cultural Guide • Assume differences until similarity is proven. • Emphasize description rather than interpretation or evaluation. • Practice empathy. • Treat your interpretations as a working hypothesis.