Communication

Communication Terms

• Communication– The transfer and understanding of a message between two

or more people.

• Sender – Establishes a message, encodes the message, and chooses

the channel to send it.

• Receiver – Decodes the message and provides feedback to the sender.

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Basic Communication Orientations: Harris/Harris

Source: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z16vlVdh7KI/TJh0LL8qEHI/AAAAAAAAABo/sQKIi6Z5BDw/s1600/OK%2BCorral.jpg&imgrefurl

Communication Terms

• Encoding– Converting a message to symbolic form.

• Decoding– Interpreting a sender’s message.

• Message– What is communicated.

• Channel– The medium through which a message travels.

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The Communication Process Model

Encodes the

message

Chooses the

channel

Chooses

a message

Provides

feedback

Decodes the

message

Sender Receiver

Considers the receiver

Considers the sender

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The Communication Situation: Schultz v. Thun

Source: http://www.schulz-von-thun.de/mod-sitmod.html

Schultz’s von Thun Four “Tongues and Ears”

Self-revelation

Topic-content

Relationship

Plea

High vs. Low Communication Richness

• Rich channels have the ability to:

– Handle multiple cues simultaneously.– Facilitate rapid feedback.– Be very personal.

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Channel Information Richness

Source: Based on R. H. Lengel and R. L. Daft, “The Selection of Communication Media as an Executive Skill,” Academy of Management Executive, August 1988, pp. 225-232; and R. L. Daft and R. H. Lengel, “Organizational Information Requirements, Media Richness, and Structural Design,” Managerial Science, May 1996, pp. 554-572. Reproduced from R. L. Daft and R. A. Noe, Organizational Behavior (Forth Worth, TX: Harcourt, 2001), p. 311.

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Barriers to Effective Communication

• Filtering– Refers to a sender manipulating information

so that it will be seen more favourably by the receiver.

• Selective Perception– Receivers in the communication process

selectively see and hear based on their needs, motivations, experience, background, and other personal characteristics.

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Barriers to Effective Communication

• Defensiveness– When individuals interpret another’s message as

threatening, they often respond in ways that retard effective communication.

• Information Overload– When the information we have to work with exceeds our

processing capacity.

• Language– Words mean different things to different people.

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Effective ListeningIf you want to improve your listening skills, look to these behaviours as guides

1. Make eye contact.2. Exhibit affirmative head nods and appropriate facial

expressions.3. Avoid distracting actions or gestures.4. Ask questions.5. Paraphrase.6. Avoid interrupting the speaker.7. Don’t overtalk.8. Make smooth transitions between the roles of speaker and

listener.

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Networks

• Connections by which information flow.

– Formal Networks.• Task-related communications that follow the authority

chain

– The Grapevine – Informal Networks.• Communications that flow along social and relational

lines

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Networks and Their Effectiveness

All-ChannelWheelChain

ModerateHighModerateModerate

SpeedAccuracy

Emergence of a leaderMember satisfaction

FastHighHighLow

FastModerateNoneHigh

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Grapevine Patterns

Single StrandEach tells

one another

A

B

C

D

Y

GossipOne tells all

B

CD

E

F

A

KJ

H

I

G

ProbabilityEach randomly

tells others

A

J

DB

F

GK

E C

H

I

X

ClusterSome tell

selected others

A

C

DF

IB

J

Source: K. Davis and J. W. Newstrom, Human Behavior at Work: Organizational Behavior, 7th ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1985), p. 317. Reprinted by permission.

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Communication: Women and Men

• Men use talk to emphasize status, women use it to create connection.

• Women and men tend to approach points of conflict differently.

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High- vs. Low-Context Cultures

Source: Based on the work of E. T. Hall. From R. E. Duleck, J. S. Fielden, and J. S. Hill, “International Communication: An Executive Primer,” Business Horizons, January-February 1991, p. 21.

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Cross-Cultural Communications

• Assume differences until similarity is proven.• Emphasize description rather than

interpretation or evaluation.• Practise empathy.• Treat your interpretations as a working

hypothesis.• Engage in effective listening and paraphrasing.