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Chapter Two
Improving Personal
and Organizational
Communications
Chapter Preview: Improving Personal &
Organizational Communication
• Impact of advanced technology
• Impersonal versus interpersonal
communication
• Communication process and filters that
affect it
• Ways to improve communication skills
• Communication flow in organizations
and methods for improvement
• Communicating effectively using
technology
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2-2
Advanced Technology's Impact on
Communication
• Information age is characterized by:
– rapid advances in technology-based
communication
– communication across language and
cultural barriers due to increase in global
business
– increase in volume and speed of
messages
– less face to face communication
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Advanced Technology's Impact on
Communication
• E-commerce:
– ability to instantly buy and sell products or
services via the World Wide Web
– requires efficient and effective
communication skills utilizing the latest
technology advances
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Advanced Technology's Impact on
Communication
• Need to balance technology with human
touch
• Technology can enhance and create a
barrier to effective communication
• Too much information can lead to
frustration and breakdown in
communication
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2-5
The Communication Process
• Basic communication process is always
the same
• Differences in:
– people
• cultures, countries, lifestyles
– methods
• technology, face to face
– individual interpretation
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The Communication Process
• All organizational communication is on a
continuum
Impersonal
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Interpersonal
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Impersonal Communication
• One-way information giving process
• Transmit or transfer of information
• Used to give basic information:
– company policies
– instructions
– facts
• Methods include:
– memos
– e-mail
– manuals
letters
voice mail
bulletin boards
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Impersonal Communication
• Advantage:
– Easy ways to get the word out
• Limitation:
– Limited feedback from receiver
– Understanding of message not know
– Timing of message not controlled
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Interpersonal Communication
• Two-way communication
• Verbal exchange of thoughts or information
between two or more people
• Descriptions include:
– share
discuss
argue
interact
• Formats include:
– meetings
– phone calls
interviews
classes
• Response from receiver necessary for
effectiveness
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Interpersonal Communication
• Advantages:
– Builds stronger, more personal
relationships
– Sender can be sure the message was
understood
• Limitations:
– Takes time
– Often not feasible
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Total Person Insight
Many skills are valuable at work, but one skill is
essential: the ability to communicate. Whether you
are presenting your ideas at a committee meeting,
dashing off fifteen
e-mails in a row, chatting with a
coworker at a copy machine, evaluating an
employee, or closing a deal over the phone, what you
are doing is communicating. These exchanges are
the backbone and the life blood of every organization
and every relationship.
Eric Maisel
Author, 20 Communication Tips @ Work
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Effective Communication
• Composed of three basic elements:
– A sender
– A receiver
– An understood message
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Figure 2.1
Diagram of Simple
Communication Process
Figure 2.1
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Complex Communication
• Most communications are more
complicated
• Messages travel through filters which
can alter the way your message is
understood
• Need to be aware of possible distortions
so miscommunication can be
interpreted
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Figure 2.2
Diagram of More Complex
Communication Process
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Communication Filters
•
•
•
•
•
•
Semantics
Emotions
Attitudes
Role expectations
Gender bias
Nonverbal messages
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Semantics
• Study of relationship between words
and their meaning(s)
• Words are not things, they are labels
• Assumptions about meaning can be
dangerous
• Abstract terms are subject to more
interpretations of meaning
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Language and Cultural Barriers
• Language
– English has been the dominant language
– Considerations when using English with
non-native speakers
• speak slowly, clearly
• avoid slang
– Multilingual transactions more common
with growth of transnational companies
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Language and Cultural Barriers
• Culture
– An accumulation of values, forms of
expression, beliefs, and language
– Shapes one's interpretations of what
events mean
– communication problems can be caused
by conflicting cultural assumptions
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Language and Cultural Barriers
• Cultures have different standards for
– how fast you should talk
– how much you should talk
– how long you should pause between ideas
– how long you should wait after someone
finishes talking before you say something
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Language and Cultural Barriers
• Culture is getting more attention
because of
– globalization
– rapid increases in immigrant groups
– growing support for cultural diversity by
employers
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Language and Cultural Barriers
• Remember:
– Your words and gestures may influence
how the other person is interpreting your
message
– Avoid making judgments about others'
messages if they are coming from a culture
different from your own
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Emotions
• Powerful communication filter
• Receivers may think with their emotions
• Strong emotions can prevent reception,
or distort the strength of a message
• May shift attention from the message
content to feelings
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Attitudes
• Can be a barrier to effective
communication like emotions
• Negative and positive attitudes can
create resistance or bias to a message
• Attitude may be based on:
– voice
accent
– dress
delivery
– speaker’s topic
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gesture
mannerisms
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Role Expectations
• Influences how people expect
themselves, and others, to act
• Two ways they can distort
communication
– People may identify others too closely with
their roles
– People use their roles to alter the way they
relate to others or “position power”
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Gender-Specific Focus
• Learned gender roles can influence the
way men and women communicate
• Genders conditioned to approach
communication in different ways
– Boys: take charge
– Girls: facilitative and cooperative
• Most recent research contents genders
more alike than different
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Nonverbal Messages
• Messages without words or silent
messages
• Not spoken or written
• Include:
– posture
– voice tone
– appearances
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facial expressions
gestures
eye contact
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Nonverbal Messages
• More impact than verbal message
• Being more conscious of nonverbal
messages improves communication
• Make sure verbal and nonverbal
messages are consistent:
– message clarity
– builds trust
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The Impact of Nonverbal
Messages
Figure 2.3
Source: Silent Messages by Albert Mehrabian (Wadsworth: 1981).
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Eye Contact
• Transmit more information than any
other part of the body
• Western standard in business setting:
– meet other person’s eyes 60 - 70%
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Facial Expressions
• Identifies inner feelings and emotions of
person
• Most observations are accurate
• “Wearing your emotions on your sleeve”
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Gestures
• Messages indicating reaction to
situation
• Should command respect
• Meanings vary across cultures
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Personal Space
• Used to define relationships
• Edward Hall identified “zones” of
comfortable distances
• Distances vary across cultures
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Comfort Zones
Intimate Distance
Touching to 18 inches
Personal Distance
From 18 inches to 4 feet
Social Distance
From 4 feet to 12 feet
Public Distance
From 12 feet to 15 feet
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Responsibility for Effective Communication
• Senders and the receivers share equal
responsibility
– Senders for sending a clear and concise
message
– Receivers for receiving the message that
the sender intended
– Use of feedback to ensure accurate
message
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Steps to Improve Communication
1. Send clear messages
2. Develop active listening skills
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Send Clear Messages
•
•
•
•
Use simple, clear and concise words
Use repetition
Use appropriate timing
Consider the receiver’s preferences
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Develop Listening Skills
• Listening is a learned behavior
• Studies show poor listening habits
– People listen at a 25 percent efficiency rate
– About 75 percent of the messages are
missed
• Listening should be “active or generous”
not passive
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Active or Generous Listening
• Intense involvement and concentration
on what one is hearing
• Opportunity to:
– Gain stronger relationships
– Learn new information
– Make fewer mistakes
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Develop Active Listening Skills
1.
2.
3.
4.
Develop a listening attitude
Give the speaker your full attention
Clarify by asking questions
Feed back your understanding of the
speaker’s message
– Add depth and dimension with critical and
empathic listening skills
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Total Person Insight
Listening well is at the heart of intimacy
and connection. When we are able to
listen to another person with attention
and care, that person feels validated
and enhanced.
Harriet Lerner
Author, The Dance of Connection
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Critical Listening
• Organized cognitive process to carefully
examine the thinking of others
• Attempt to see topic from speakers
point of view
• Especially important when emotions are
involved
• Important during impersonal and
interpersonal communication
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Empathic Listening
• Listening with the intent to understand
how the person feels
• One often has need to talk without
expectation of advice or guidance
• Listening with “ears, eyes and heart”
• Rare in Western culture
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Develop Empathic Listening Skills
• Adopt three practices:
– Avoid being judgmental
– Accept what is said
– Be patient
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Communication Channels in Organizations
• Organizations depend on teamwork
• Good communication builds teamwork
by
– permitting two-way communication
– unifying group behavior
• Use both formal and information
channels
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Formal Channels
• Formal channels used for official
information
• Two types
– Vertical
– Horizontal
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Formal Channels
• Vertical channels
– between top and lowest levels
– often via impersonal methods
– less opportunity for feedback
• Horizontal channels
– people on the same level
– often via interpersonal methods
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Informal Channels
• Also known as the “grapevine”
• Exists in all organizations
• Can be both positive and negative
– Information passes quickly
– Can clarify message from formal channels
– Provides for employees’ social needs
– Messages can be distorted, abbreviated,
exaggerated, or completely inaccurate
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Improving Organizational Communication
• Develop an effective listening
environment
• Encourage upward communication
– employees sharing feelings and ideas with
management
• Remove barriers that prevent open
communication
– builds trust among all employees,
regardless of position
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Communicating via Technology
• Traditional
–
–
–
–
memos
letters
phone calls
face-to-face
conversations
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• High-tech
– virtual office
telecommuting
– e-mail
– cellular phone
– fax modem
– electronic documents
– voice mail
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Communicating via Technology
• Advantages
– Time efficiency
– Cost effectiveness
• Disadvantages
– Receiver’s impressions
– Frustration and stress
• Must be used with care to avoid
miscommunication
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Voice Mail
• Voice mail tag
– exchange of several voice mails without
successful transmission of the message
• Avoid counterproductive exercise in
frustration
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Voice Mail
• For incoming calls:
– Keep your recorded message updated
daily
– Practice your greeting before recording it
– Include your first and last names, and the
date
– Include when you will be retrieving your
messages
– Explain how to reach ‘live’ person for
urgent calls
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Voice Mail
• When retrieving your voice mail:
– Keep a notepad beside your phone
– Write down the essential information you
need for calls you want to return; then
delete them
– Return calls promptly
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Voice Mail
• When leaving a voice mail message:
– Be courteous
– Speak clearly and slowly
– Keep message short and simple
– Establish why you are calling
– Give name and contact number
– Let receiver know when you will be
available or set a time when you will call
again
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E-Mail
• Advantages
– Fast
– Alternative if not comfortable with face to
face
– Great equalizer
– Can eliminate gender or racial biases
• Disadvantages
– Can take longer than other methods
– Careful planning and writing skills required
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Guidelines for E-Mail
• Know your company’s e-mail policy
• Create an appropriate e-mail address
and signature
• Use the Subject: line
• Watch your language
• Avoid forwarding junk mail
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E-mail Tips
• Do not send when angry or exhausted
• Do not substitute for face-to-face
meetings
• Scan subject lines
• Always try to have error-free messages
• Do not use to share rumors, innuendos,
or sensitive information
• Avoid unprofessional abbreviations
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Summary
• Age of information has generated rapid
advances in communications
technology
• But technology needs people to make it
work
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Summary
• No longer a need to communicate more;
instead, learn to communicate more
effectively
• Need to understand the communication
process
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Summary
• Two types of communication
– Impersonal
• one-way method used to share basic facts,
policies, and instructions that require no
feedback from a receiver
– Interpersonal
• two-way exchange in which the receiver
understands the message in the same way as
the sender intended it
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2-62
Summary
• Communication is often filtered through
– semantics
– emotions
– attitudes
– role expectations
– gender bias
– nonverbal messages
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Summary
• Nonverbal body language conveys
thoughts and feelings through
– eye contact
– facial expressions
– gestures
– use of personal space
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Summary
• Individuals can improve communication
by:
– making their messages clearer
– using repetition and good timing
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Summary
• Organizational communication
– builds team work
– unifies group behavior
• Two channels
– Formal
• vertical or horizontal
– Informal
• grapevine
• Improve by creating channels for
upward communication
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Summary
• Communications superhighway has
created tremendous opportunities
• Global marketplace has prompted
companies to train employees in crosscultural communication
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