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Chapter 12
Interpersonal and
Organizational
Communication
PowerPoint Presentation by Charlie Cook
Copyright © 2005 South-Western.
All rights reserved.
Communication
• Communication defined
 The exchange of information (sharing of a common
meaning) between a sender (source) and a receiver
(audience).
• Communication as a process
 A process in which a message is encoded and
transmitted through some medium to a receiver who
decodes the message and then transmits some sort
of response back to the sender.
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12–2
Communication (cont’d)
The Communication Process
Exhibit 12 . 1
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12–3
Communication (cont’d)
• Components of communication
 Sender: a person, group, or organization that has a
message to share with another person or group of
persons.
 Message: an idea or experience that a sender wants
to communicate verbally and/or nonverbally.
 Encoding: converting the message into groups of
symbols that represent the ideas or concepts that will
be communicated.
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12–4
Communication (cont’d)
• Components of communication (cont’d)
 Medium of transmission: a means of carrying an
encoded message from the source to the receiver.
 Decoding: the process by which the receiver
interprets the symbols (coded message) sent by the
source by converting them into concepts and ideas.
 Noise: interference that affects any or all stages of the
communication process.
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12–5
Communication (cont’d)
• Components of communication (cont’d)
 Feedback: the receiver’s response to the sender’s
message that is directed back to the original source
(sender), who becomes a receiver.
 Channel capacity: a limitation imposed by the least
efficient part of the communication process which
restricts the volume of information that the
communication channel can handle effectively.
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12–6
Communication (cont’d)
• Communication medium
 A conduit or channel through which data and meaning
are conveyed.
• Media richness
 Media’s capacity to carry and convey data.
 Evaluated according to:
 Data-carrying
capacity.
 Capacity for timely feedback.
 Capacity for multiple uses.
 The extent to which the message can be personalized.
 The variety of language/expression that can be used.
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12–7
Communication (cont’d)
• Factors in selecting a communication medium
 The richness of the medium.
 The cost of the medium versus its speed of
transmission and its overall effectiveness.
 The purpose of the communication.
 The extent to which interaction between sender and
receiver is necessary.
 The receiver’s capabilities for receiving and retaining
the message.
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12–8
Communication (cont’d)
Alternative Communication Media
Oral
Written
Nonverbal
Face-to-face
Letters
Touch
Telephone
Computer printouts
Eye contact
Speeches
Electronic mail
Body language
Video conferencing
Memos
Time
Intercom
Bulletin boards
Space
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12–9
Communication (cont’d)
• The role of communication in organizations
 Communication is an essential part of all other
management functions and processes.
 Communication
pervades every aspect of the
organization—every individual, team, or department,
and each external relationship with customers,
suppliers, and competitors.
 Management is a profession that functions through
communicating with people—most good managers
are good communicators.
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12–10
Interpersonal Communication
• Interpersonal communication
 Communication between two people, usually face-toface.
• Types of interpersonal communications
 Oral communication: takes place when the spoken
word is used to transmit a message.
 Written communication: transmitting a message
through the written word.
 Nonverbal communication: all intentional or
unintentional messages (i.e., vocal cues and body
language) that are neither written nor spoken.
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12–11
Interpersonal Communication (cont’d)
• Empathic listening
 Listening with the intent to understand; requires that
the listener look at an issue from another person’s
point of view.
 Effective listeners focus on the message’s meaning,
postpone judgments until the communication is
complete, actively respond to the speaker, and avoid
focusing on emotionally charged words.
 Good listeners take notes, ask questions, and are
totally attentive to what is being said.
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12–12
Organizational Communication
• Formal channels of communication
 Downward communication—information that flows
down the organizational hierarchy from managers and
supervisors to subordinates.
 Upward communication—information that flows up
the organization from subordinates to supervisors and
managers.
 Horizontal communication—messages that flow
between persons at the same level of the
organization.
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12–13
Organizational Communication (cont’d)
• Informal channels of communication
 The grapevine
 Informal
communications that cut across formal
channels of communication and carry a variety of facts,
opinions, rumors, and other information.
 Managing the grapevine
 Helps
ensure that organizational communications are
main source of information.
 Helps managers get a feel for the morale of
organizations, understand the anxieties of the
workforce, and evaluate the effectiveness of formal
communications.
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12–14
Formal and Informal Channels of Communication
Formal channels ——
Informal channels -----
Exhibit 12 . 2
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12–15
Barriers to Organizational Communication
• Personal characteristics
 Attitudes and incompatible personalities.
 Source credibility: the receiver’s confidence and trust
in the source of a message.
 Disorganization.
 Poor listening skills.
 Personal biases due to age, gender, looks, or other
factors.
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12–16
Barriers to Communication (cont’d)
• Frame of reference
 Differences in the backgrounds and experiences of
individuals that prevents individuals from achieving a
common understanding, resulting in poor
organizational communications.
 Selective perception: when people screen out
information that is not consistent with their beliefs or
background.
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12–17
Barriers to Communication (cont’d)
• Resistance to change
 Change is a constant in today’s organizations.
 Change triggers rational and irrational emotional
reactions because it involves uncertainty.
 People resist change because:
 They
fear the loss of something they value.
 They mistrust management.
 They view the change differently from those initiating it.
 They have low tolerance for change.
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12–18
Facilitating Organizational Communication
• Managers can improve communications within
their organizations by:
 Developing communication skills.
 Minimizing resistance to change.
 Learning to communicate effectively with their diverse
workforce.
 Conducting communication audits.
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12–19
Facilitating Communication (cont’d)
Benefits of Communication Audits
• Improved productivity
• Positive impact on
programs
• Reduced communication
costs
• More efficient use of time
• Verification of facts
• Better use of
communication/
information technology
• Improved morale
• A more vibrant
organizational culture
• Discovery of hidden
information resources
• Communication changes
Management Highlight
Sources: C. W. Downs, Communication Audits (Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman, 1988); G. M. Goldhaber and D. P. Rogers,
Auditing Organizational Communication Systems. The ICA Communication Audit (Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt, 1979); and
S. Hamilton, A Communication Audit Handbook: Helping Organizations Communicate (New York: Longman, 1987).
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12–20