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Chapter 8
Nelson & Quick
Communication
Communication
Communication - the evoking of a shared or common
meaning in another person
Interpersonal Communication - communication
between two or more people in an organization
Communicator - the person originating the message
Receiver - the person receiving a message
Perceptual Screen - a window through which we
interact with people that influences the quality,
accuracy, and clarity of the communication
16.2
The Communication Process
Receiver provides
verbal and nonverbal
responses to sender
Sender
has idea
Sender
encodes
idea into
message
Sender's response
to feedback may
trigger additional
feedback to receiver
Message
channels
and
Noise
Receiver
perceives
&
decodes
message
Adapted from Figure 16.1
16.6
Information Richness of
Information
Information
Channels
Channel
Richness
Face-to-face
discussion
Telephone
conversations
Written letters/memos
(individually addressed)
Formal written documents
(unaddressed bulletins or
e-mail)
Formal numeric
documents (printouts,
budget reports)
Highest
High
Moderate
Low
Lowest
Adapted from Figure 16.4
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
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
 Emphasizes receiver’s role
 Helps the receiver & communicator clearly &
fully understand the message sent
 Useful in problem solving
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
Reflective Listening:
4 Levels of Verbal Response
Affirm contact
Paraphrase the expressed
Clarify the implicit
Reflect “core” feelings
One-way vs. Two-way
Communications
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
Five Keys to Effective
Supervisory Communication
 Expressive speaking
 Empathetic listening
 Persuasive leadership
 Sensitivity to feelings
 Informative management
Barriers to Communication
Communication
Barriers factors that block
or significantly
distort successful
communication

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Physical separation
Status differences
Gender differences
Cultural diversity
Language
Defensive Communication
Defensive Communication - communication that
can be aggressive, attacking & angry, or passive
& withdrawing
Leads to
 injured feelings
 communication breakdowns
 alienation
 retaliatory behaviors
 nonproductive efforts
 problem solving failures
Nondefensive Communication
Nondefensive Communication communication that is assertive, direct,
& powerful
Provides
 basis for defense when attacked
 restores order, balance, and
effectiveness
Two Defensiveness Patterns
Subordinate Defensiveness characterized by passive,
submissive, withdrawing
behavior
Dominant Defensiveness characterized by active,
aggressive, attacking behavior
Defensive Tactics
Defensive Tactic Speaker
Power Play
Boss
Put-Down
Boss
Labeling
Boss
Raising Doubts
Boss
Example
“Finish this report by month’s
end or lose your promotion.”
“A capable manager would
already be done with this report.”
“You must be a slow learner.
Your report is still not done?”
“How can I trust you, Chris, if
you can’t finish an easy report?”
Defensive Tactics
Defensive Tactic Speaker
Example
Misleading
Employee “Morgan has not gone over with
Information
me the information I need for
the report.” [Morgan left Chris
with a copy of the report.]
Scapegoating
Employee “Morgan did not give me input
until just today.”
Hostile Jokes
Employee “You can’t be serious! The
report isn’t that important.”
Deception
Employee “I gave it to the secretary. Did
she lose it?”
Nondefensive Communication:
A Powerful Tool
 Speaker seen as centered, assertive, controlled,
informative, realistic, and honest
 Speaker exhibits self-control & self possession
 Listener feels accepted rather than rejected
 Catherine Crier’s rules to nondefensive
communication
1.
Define the situation
2.
Clarify the person’s position
3.
Acknowledge the person’s feelings
4.
Bring the focus back to the facts
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
Proxemics: Territorial Space
Territorial Space - bands of space extending
outward from the body; territorial space differs
from culture to culture
a = intimate <1.5’
b = personal 1.5-4’
c = social 4-12’
d = public >12’
a
b
c
d
Proxemics: Seating Dynamics
Seating Dynamics - seating people in certain
positions according to the person’s purpose in
communication
X O
Cooperation
X
O Communication
X
O X O
Competition
NonCommunication
O
Examples of
Decoding Nonverbal Cues
He’s
unapproachable!
Boss fails to acknowledge
employee’s greeting
I wonder what
he’s hiding?
No eye contact
while
communicating
He’s angry! I’ll
stay out of
his way!
Boss breathes
heavily &
waves arms
My opinion
doesn’t count
Manager sighs deeply
SOURCE: Adapted from “Steps to Better Listening” by C. Hamilton and B. H. Kleiner. Copyright © February 1987. Reprinted with permission, Personnel Journal, all rights reserved.
New Technologies
for Communication
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Informational databases
Electronic mail systems
Voice mail systems
Fax machine systems
Cellular phone systems
How Do New Technologies
Affect Behavior?
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Fast, immediate access to information
Immediate access to people in power
Instant information exchange across distance
Makes schedules & office hours irrelevant
May equalize group power
May equalize group participation
How Do New Technologies
Affect Behavior?
 Communication can become more impersonal-interaction with a machine
 Interpersonal skills may diminish--less tact, less
graciousness
 Non-verbal cues lacking
 Alters social context
 Easy to become overwhelmed with information
 Encourages polyphasic activity