Communication:

A transfer of understanding and meaning from one person to another

Communication Process

1. Purpose, expressed as a message, is needed

2. The message is encoded (converted to a symbolic form)
3. The message is passed from the sender to a receiver (through channel)
4. The message is decoded (translated) by the receiver

Communication process:
1. The communication source or sender
2. Encoding
The sender initiates a message by encoding a thought. The conditions that affect the encoded
message:
● Skills
● Attitude
● Knowledge
● The social cultural system
3. Message
Actual physical product from the source that conveys some purpose. When we speak. The
words spoken are the message. It is affected by
● The code or group of symbols we use to transfer meaning
● The content of the message itself
● The decisions that we make in selecting and arranging both codes and content
4. The channel
The medium through which the message travels. It’s selected by the source, who must
determine whether to use a formal or an informal channel
Formal channels - established by the organization, job related activities, follow the
authority network
Informal channels - personal or social
5. Decoding
Translating a message into a form that can be understood by the receiver.
6. The receiver
The person to whom the message is directed. Receiver must be skillful in reading or listening.
A person’s knowledge, attitudes, and cultural background influence his or her ability to
receive.
7. Feedback
The check on how successful we’ve been in transferring our messages as originally intended.
It determines whether understanding has been achieved.

A person’s total communicative success includes

 1. Speaking 2. Reading 3. Listening 4. Reasoning

Written Communications

Written communications Include:

1. Memos
2. Letters
3. E-mail
4. Organizational periodicals
5. Bulletin boards, or any other device that transmits written words or symbols

Advantages:
1. Tangible
2. Verifiable
3. More permanent than oral communication
4. Both sender and receiver have a record of communication
5. A message can be stored for an indefinite period of time
6. If questions arise, it’s physically available
7. More likely to be well thought out, logical, and clear.

Disadvantages:
1. Great deal of time
2. Lack of feedback

Grapevine

Grapevine - an unofficial way that communication takes place in an organization. Information is

spread by word of mouth - and even electronic means.

Problem - The accuracy of rumors

According to the research

In an organization characterized by openness - grapevine may be extremely accurate

In an authoritative culture - the rumor mill may not be accurate, but it still contains some
element of truth.

Nonverbal Cues
Best known nonverbal communication are body language and verbal intonation

1. Body language
Refers to gestures, facial configurations, and other movements of the body
2. Verbal Intonation
Refers to the emphasis someone gives words or phrases.

Barriers to Effective Communication

1. Filtering
The deliberate manipulation of information to make it appear more favorable to the receiver
● As organizations become less dependent on strict hierarchical arrangements and
instead use more collaborative, cooperative work arrangements, information filtering
may become less of a problem. More vertical levels in an organization mean more
opportunities for filtering.
● In addition, the ever-increasing use of e-mail to communicate in organizations reduces
filtering because communication is more direct as intermediaries are bypassed.
● Finally, the organizational culture encourages or discourages filtering by the type of
behavior it rewards. The more that organizational rewards emphasize style and
appearance, the more managers will be motivated to filter communications in their
favor.
2. Selective perception
Receiving communications on the basis of what one selectively sees and hears depending on
his or her needs, motivation, experience, background, and other personal characteristics.
3. Information overload
When the amount of information one has to work with exceeds one’s processing capacity.
You’re likely to select out, ignore, pass over, or forget information. Or you may put off further
processing until the overload situation is over. In any case, the result is lost information and
less effective communication
4. Emotions
How the receiver feels when a message is received. And extreme emotions are most likely to
hinder effective communications.
EMOJIS and EMOTICONS lead to confusion and misinterpretation. For example, Lawyers
are increasingly finding that emojis and emoticons can lead to contention in legal disputes.
5. Language
Words have different meanings to different people. Receivers will use their definition of
words being communicated. Age, education, and cultural background are the three and more
obvious variables that influence the language a person uses.
Jargon - technical language specific to a discipline or industry

6. Gender
How males and females react to communication may be different, and they each have a
different communication style.
7. National culture
 Communication differences arising from the different languages that individuals use to
communicate and the national culture of which they are a part

Overcoming Communication Barriers

1. Use feedback
Check the accuracy of what has been communicated - or what you think you heard
A manager may
1. Ask questions
2. Or ask the receiver to restate the message in his or her own words
2. Simplify language
Use words that the intended audience understands
3. Listen actively
Listen for the full meaning of the message without making premature judgment or
interpretation - or think about what you are going to say in response.
Active listening - listening carefully for full meaning without making premature
judgements or interpretations.
4. Constrain emotions
Recognize when your emotions are running high. When they are, don’t communicate until
you have calmed down
5. Watch nonverbal cues
Be aware that your actions speak louder than your words. Keep the two consistent

IT has radically changes the way organizational members work and

communicate

1. Improves a manager’s ability to monitor individual and team performance

2. Allows employees to have more complete information to make faster decisions
3. Provides employees more opportunities to collaborate and share information
4. Allows employees to be fully accessible 24/7

IT developments with a significant effect on organizational and interpersonal

communication
1. Networked communication
● Organizational computers are linked through compatible hardware and software,
creating an integrated organizational network
● Employees communicate with each other via networked computers
2. Mobile communication
● Employees can be connected without being physically “plugged in” at work!
● People don’t have to be physically “at the office” in order to communicate, collaborate,
and share information with managers and colleagues.
 Networked and Mobile Communication Applications

1. E-mail - instantaneous transmission of messages on computers or mobile devices

2. Workplace instant messaging (IM) —interactive, real-time communication among
coworkers who are logged on at the same time
3. Voice mail—a system that digitizes a spoken message, transmits it, and stores it for a
receiver to retrieve later
4. Teleconference and videoconference meetings—confer simultaneously by phone, e-
mail, or video screens
5. Organizational intranet—an organizational communication network that’s accessible only
to organizational employees
6. Organizational extranet—an organizational communication network that allows
authorized organizational users to communicate with certain outsiders such as customers or
vendors.
7. Internet-based voice/video communication—Internet based communication services
(such as Skype, Viber, FaceTime, Vonage, Yahoo!).

Communication Issues Managers Face

● Managing communication in an Internet world

Two main challenges technology has created
1. Legal and security issues
2. Lack of personal interaction
● Managing the organization’s knowledge resources
1. Knowledge management
Cultivating a learning culture in which organizational members systematically gather
knowledge and share it with others
So, what’s involved with managing the organization’s knowledge resources?
1. One way organizations can do this is to build online information databases that
employees can access.
2. Create communities of practise
Groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic and
who deepen their knowledge and expertise in that area by interacting on an ongoing
basis.
● Communicating with customers
● Getting employee input
● Having civil conversations in the workplace
● Understanding the role of workplace design
● Communicating ethically.