Communication

1. Communication Nejatisafa Associate Professor of Psychiatry TUMS

2. Communication and Management • Communication - Definition • The sharing of information between two or more individuals or groups to reach a common understanding. • Importance of Good Communication • Increased efficiency in new technologies and skills • Learning, Implementing, Training • Expands workers skills

3. Communication and Management • Importance of Good Communication • Improved quality of products and services Meaning and importance of quality How to attain quality • Subordinates communicate problems and solutions for increasing quality to superiors

4. Communication and Management • Importance of Good Communication • Increased responsiveness to customers • Empowered workers lower response time to satisfy customer wants and needs

5. Communication and Management • Importance of Good Communication • More innovation through communication • Cross-functional teams communicating effectively produce higher quality products more efficiently

6. The Communication Process • Phases of the Communication Process: • Transmission phase in which information is shared by two or more people. • Feedback phase in which a common understanding is assured.

7. The Communication Process • Phases of the Communication Process: • Transmission phase in which information is shared by two or more people. • The process starts with a sender (an individual or group) who wants to share information. • Senders must decide what information to share and puts the message into symbols or language (encoding). • Noise: anything harming the communication process • Once encoded the message is sent through a medium to a receiver

8. The Communication Process • Phases of the Communication Process: • The receiver interprets or decodes the message

9. The Communication Process • Phases of the Communication Process: • Feedback phase in which a common understanding is assured. • The receiver decides what the message means and communicates it back to the sender. • The original sender decodes the message and makes sure that a common understanding has been reached.

10. The Communication Process

11. Communication Issues • Verbal Communication • The encoding of messages into words, either written or spoken • Nonverbal • The encoding of messages by means of facial expressions, body language, and styles of dress.

12. The Role of Perception in Communication • Senders and receivers communicate based on their subjective perceptions. • Subjective perception can lead to biases and stereotypes that can interfere with effective communication. • Effective managers avoid communications based on biases and stereotypes.

13. The Role of Perception in Communication • Communication relates to senders and receivers personality, perceptions, and motivations. • Example: A recently promoted manager communicates with a rival for the same promotion. The rival feels that the assignment is beneath them and was given as a power play by the newly promoted manager. The newly promoted manager feels that the rival is the only one capable of carrying out the project.

14. The Dangers of Ineffective Communication • Managers and their subordinates can become effective communicators by: • Selecting an appropriate medium for each message—there is no one “best” medium. • Considering information richness (the amount of information a medium can carry). • A medium with high richness can carry much more information to aid understanding. • Is there a need for a paper path or electronic trail to provide documentation of the communication?

15. Information Richness of Communication Media

16. Communication Media • Face-to-Face • Has highest information richness. • Can take advantage of verbal and nonverbal signals. • Provides for instant feedback. • Management by wandering around takes advantage of this with informal talks to workers. • Video conferences provide much of this richness and reduce travel costs and meeting times.

17. Communication Media (cont’d) • Spoken Communication Electronically Transmitted • Has the second highest information richness. • Telephone conversations are information rich with tone of voice, sender’s emphasis, and quick feedback, but provide no visual nonverbal cues.

18. Communication Media (cont’d) • Personally Addressed Written Communication • Has a lower richness than the verbal forms of communication, but still is directed at a given person. • Personal addressing helps ensure receiver actually reads the message—personal letters and e-mail are common forms. • Does not provide instant feedback to the sender although sender may get feedback later. • Excellent media for complex messages requesting follow-up actions by receiver.

19. E-Mail Dos and Don’ts • E-mail allows telecommuting employees to work from home and keep in contact. • The use of e-mail is growing rapidly and e-mail etiquette is expected: • Typing messages in all CAPITALS is seen as “screaming” at the receiver. • Punctuate your messages for easy reading and don’t ramble on. • Pay attention to spelling and treat the message like a written letter.

20. Communication Media (cont’d) • Impersonal Written Communication • Has the lowest information richness. • Good for messages to many receivers where little or feedback is expected (e.g., newsletters, reports)

21. Ten Commandments of Email • Don’t use your inbox as a catcall for everything you need to work on. Read items once, answer them immediately, delete them if possible or move them to another folder. • Set up a five weeks folder that deletes automatically. • Use common acronyms to identify important items • Send group mail only when it is important to all recipients

22. Communication Networks • Communication Networks • The pathways along which information flows in groups and teams and throughout the organization. • Choice of communication network depends on: • The nature of the group’s tasks • The extent to which group members need to communicate with each other to achieve group goals.

23. Communication Networks • Communication Networks Pathways • Vertical • Manager to upper level managers • Manager to subordinates (direct reports) • Lateral • Manager to other managers

24. Communication Networks in Groups and Teams

25. Communication Networks in Groups and Teams Figure 15.3

26. Organization Communication Networks • Organization Chart • A pictorial representation of formal reporting channels in an organization. • Communication in an organization flows through formal and informal pathways • Vertical communications flow up and down the corporate hierarchy. • Horizontal communications flow between employees of the same level. • Informal communications can span levels and departments—the grapevine is an informal network carrying unofficial information throughout the firm.

27. Formal and Informal Communication Networks in An Organization Figure 0.4

28. 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

29. a = intimate <1.5’ b = personal 1.5-4’ a c = social 4-12’ b c d = public >12’ d Proxemics: Territorial Space Territorial Space - bands of space extending outward from the body; territorial space differs from culture to culture

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

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

32. New Technologies for Communication • Informational databases • Electronic mail systems • Voice mail systems • Fax machine systems • Cellular phone systems

33. Communication Skills for Managers • Barriers to Effective Communication • Perceptual and attribution biases • Conflicting assumptions • Inadequate information • Semantics • Emotional Blocks • Nonverbal communication barriers • Cultural barriers • Inadequate communication media • Technological barriers

34. Communication Skills for Managers • Barriers to Effective Communication • Perceptual and attribution biases Experience is different and causes wrong interpretation – Common experiences gives common meaning • Conflicting assumptions Sender assumes receiver will use the same code to decode as intended Receiver decodes based on wrong assumptions due to inadequate background information and creates a misunderstanding

35. Communication Skills for Managers • Barriers to Effective Communication • Codes of past experience • Facts • Knowledge • Beliefs • Attitudes • Social Roles • Values • Language • Memories All blended with feelings and emotions How many of these should overlap to decode the message

36. Communication Skills for Managers • Barriers to Effective Communication • Inadequate information • Managers do not provide enough info to decode

37. Communication Skills for Managers • Barriers to Effective Communication • Semantics – Word usage • You charge someone a fee for service. • You charge something you purchase to pay later. • You charge a battery. • You charge an official with duties to perform. • You charge a horse into battle. • You get a charge out of something funny. • You charge a criminal for crimes committed. • The navy uses a depth charge.

38. Communication Skills for Managers • Barriers to Effective Communication Emotional Blocks • Experiences have an emotional / feeling component. • A concert • Wedding Day • Movie

39. Communication Barriers - factors that block or significantly distort successful communication Barriers to Communication • Physical separation • Status differences • Gender differences • Cultural diversity • Language

40. Communication Skills for Managers • Barriers to Effective Communication • Messages that are unclear, incomplete, difficult to understand • Messages sent over the an inappropriate medium • Messages with no provision for feedback • Messages that are received but ignored • Messages that are misunderstood • Messages delivered through automated systems that lack the human element

41. Communication Skills for Managers • Managers as Senders • Send clear and complete messages. • Encode messages in symbols the receiver understands. • Select a medium appropriate for the message and, importantly, one that is monitored by the receiver. • Avoid filtering (holding back information) and distortion as the message passes through other workers. • Ensure a feedback mechanism is included in the message. • Provide accurate information to avoid rumors.

42. Communication Skills For Managers • Managers as Receivers • Pay attention to what is sent as a message. • Be a good listener: don’t interrupt. • Ask questions to clarify your understanding. • Be empathetic: try to understand what the sender feels. • Understand linguistic styles: different people speak differently. • Speed, tone, pausing all impact communication. • This is particularly true across cultures and managers should expect and plan for this.

43. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / Perceptual screens Perceptual screens Influence message quality, accuracy, clarityInclude age, gender, values, beliefs, culture, experiences, needs Basic Interpersonal Communication Model Event X Communicator Receiver • Message • Context • Affect

44. This complex process needs to be divided to be understood What I heard you say was we will understand the process better if we break it into steps Reflective Listening Reflective Listening - the skill of listening carefully to another person and repeating back to the speaker the heard message to correct any inaccuracies or misunderstandings

45. Reflective Listening • Emphasizes receiver’s role • Helps the receiver & communicator clearly & fully understand the message sent • Useful in problem solving

46. Reflective Listening Reflective listening emphasizes • the personal elements of the communication process • the feelings communicated in the message • responding to the communicator, not leading the communicator • the role or receiver or audience • understanding people by reducing perceptual distortions and interpersonal barriers

47. Affirm contact Paraphrase the expressed Clarify the implicit Reflect “core” feelings Reflective Listening: 4 Levels of Verbal Response

48. One-Way Communication - a person sends a message to another person and no questions, feedback, or interaction follow • Good for giving simple directions • Fast but often less accurate than 2-way communication Two-Way Communication - the communicator & receiver interact • Good for problem solving One-way vs. Two-way Communications

49. Five Keys to Effective Supervisory Communication • Expressive speaking • Empathetic listening • Persuasive leadership • Sensitivity to feelings • Informative management

50. End