ManagingCommunicationand Information

Dr. M. F. Hawela

Learning Outcomes

After this lecture, you will be able to:

• Describe and Discuss what managers need to know about communicating effectively.

Agenda

1- Definition

2- The Communication Process

3- Barriers to effective communication

4- How managers overcome barriers to communication

Effective Communication

Communication – A process or flow that transfers understanding and meaning from one person to another

Before communication can take place, a purpose expressed

as a message to be conveyed, is needed. The message is

converted to symbolic form (verbal or non-verbal) and is

passed by way of some channel of communication to the

receiver, who decodes the message.

The Communication Process

The seven parts of the communication process are:

1. The sender is the source of the communication.

2. Encoding means converting a message into a symbolic form.

3. The message is the actual physical product that convey a purpose. The spoken or written words are the message.

4. The channel is the medium by which a message travels. It can be formal or informal.

5. Decoding means translating a received message.

6. The receiver is the recipient of the communication.

7. Feedback is checking to see how successfully a message has been transferred.

2. The Communication Process

2.2 Encoding

Is the process of converting a message into a

symbolic form. It is a way of converting our

thoughts into a format that can be understood

by the receiver.

Factors Influencing Encoding

Four conditions affect the encoded message

1- Skills determines a person’s total communicative success and includes speaking, reading, listening, and reasoning skills.

2 Attitudes (cognitive and affective components) influence our behavior.

Skills, attitudes, knowledge and the social cultural system

We held predisposed ideas on numerous topics and our communications are affected by these attitudes.

3- Knowledge of the subject matters allows us to communicate more clearly or, if our knowledge is quite extensive, to confuse our receiver with overly complex information.

4- Finally, our position in our social cultural system—our beliefs and values—influences each of us as a communicative source.

Factors Influencing Encoding

Communication process

• Formal channels are established by the organization, transmit job-related messages, and traditionally follow the authority network within the organization.

• Personal or social messages follow the informal channels in the organization.

2.3 Channel

Written and Verbal Communication

1- Written communication: – Tangible and verifiable– Creates a more permanent record– Better thought out, logical, and clear– More time consuming– Lack of feedback

Formal communications channels

The Grapevine (Gossip)

Good information travels fast; bad information travels even faster!

The grapevine is the unofficial way that communications take place in an organization and it’s neither authorized nor supported by the organization.

Informal communications channels

• The biggest issue about grapevines is the accuracy of the information that is communicated.

• Research shows that in an organization characterized by openness, the grapevine may be extremely accurate.

• However, in an authoritative culture, the rumor mill may be inaccurate but still contain some element of truth.

• So while details may not be accurate, the reports that something is about to happen are probably on target.

The Grapevine (Cont.)

Factors Influencing Communication (cont.)

2.5 Decoded message is affected by receiver’s:

• Skills (reading , listening and reasoning)

• Attitudes

• Knowledge

• Social cultural system

7- Feedback

• Checks the success in transferring our message as originally intended.

• It determines whether understanding has been achieved.

• Feedback is salient especially with the culturally diverse workforce which we have at present.

Nonverbal Cues

• Some of the most meaningful communications are neither spoken nor written.

• These nonverbal communications—such as a loud siren, red flashing light, the size of a person’s office and desk, or someone’s clothing—convey messages to others.

• The best-known areas of nonverbal communication are body language and verbal intonation.

• Body language

refers to gestures, facial configurations, and

other movements of the body. Hand

motions, facial expressions and other

gestures can communicate emotions or

temperaments such as aggression, fear,

shyness, arrogance, joy, and anger.

In oral communication, the nonverbal component carries the greatest impact.

Research indicates that from 65 to 90 percent of the message of every face-to-face conversation is communicated through body language.

• Verbal intonation

refers to the emphasis someone gives to words or phrases, and can make a statement sound defensive or friendly. The adage “it’s not what you say but how you say it” is something managers should remember as they communicate.

4. Barriers to Effective Communication

A number of interpersonal and intrapersonal barriers

affect why the message decoded by a receiver is

often different from what the sender intended. Some

of the more prominent barriers to effective

communication are:

Barriers to Effective Communication

1- Filtering

2- Selective perception

3- Information overload

4- Emotions

5- Language

6- Gender

7- National Culture

1- Filtering refers to the way that a sender

manipulates information so that it will be seen more

favorably by the receiver. For example, when a

manager tells his boss what he feels the boss wants

to hear, he is filtering information. Also, as information

is passed up to senior executives, it is condensed and

synthesized by subordinates whose personal

interests and perceptions of what’s important shape

the communication.

The second barrier is 2- selective perception.

Receivers in the communication process selectively

see and hear based on their needs, motivations,

experience, background, and other personal

characteristics. Receivers also project their interests

and expectations onto communications as they

decode them.

“we don’t see reality; rather, we interpret what we see

and call it reality”.

3- Information overload is the third barrier

to effective communication. Individuals have a

finite capacity for processing data and the

demands of keeping up with email, phone calls,

faxes, meetings, and professional reading creates

an onslaught of data that is nearly impossible to

process and assimilate. The result is lost

information and less effective communication.

4- Emotions

• How a receiver feels when a message is received influences how he or she interprets it.

• Extreme emotions are most likely to hinder effective communications.

• When we are emotional we disregard our rational and objective thinking processes and substitute emotional judgements .

• It’s best to avoid reacting to a message when you’re upset because you’re not likely to be thinking clearly.

5- LanguageWords mean different things to different people.

• Age, education, and cultural background are three obvious variables that influence the language a person uses and the definitions he or she applies to words.

• Additionally, specialists in specific fields of work or departments develop their own jargon (or technical language) as do employees spread across different geographic locations.

We need to have a deep understanding of the usage of the language to overcome this barrier to communication.

6- Both genders have distinct communication

styles, so individuals must acknowledge these

differences and strive for acceptance, understanding,

and a commitment to communicate adaptively with

each other.

7- National Culture

• Finally, the style of communication also differs for

countries that are highly individualistic (like the United

States) and those that are collectivist (such as Japan).

• US managers rely heavily on memoranda, announcements, position papers, and other formal forms of communication to state their positions, whereas the Japanese use face-to-face meetings at which discussion is followed by consensus, at which point a formal document is written.

• Supervisors in the US may also hoard information

to make themselves look good (filtering) and as a

way of persuading their employees to accept

decisions and plans; lower-level employees may

do so to protect themselves.

• In collectivist countries, such as Japan, there’s more

interaction and a more informal manner of

interpersonal contact

In contrast to US manager, the Japanese manager

engage in extensive verbal consultation with

employees over an issue first and draw up a formal

document later to outline the agreement that was

made.

• The Japanese value decisions by consensus, and open communication.

• Culture differences can affect the way manager choose to communicate.

• Culture differences need to be recognized and taken into consideration as a barrier to communication

Overcoming Communication Barriers

1- Use feedback

2- Simplify language

3- Listen actively

4- Constrain emotions

5- Watch Nonverbal Cues

1- Use feedback

Because many communication problems are directly

attributed to misunderstandings and inaccuracies, a

manager can ask questions to determine if the

message was understood, can ask the receiver to

restate the message in his or her own words, and

can be alert to nonverbal cues.

A manager should also simplify communication so it’s

clear, easily understood, and in language customized to

the specific employee or group being addressed.

2- Simplify language

3- Listen actively

• When someone talks, we hear. But, too often we don’t listen

• Listening is an active search for meaning, whereas hearing is passive.

Managers must also practice active listening,

which is listening for full meaning without

making premature judgments or interpretations.

• Active listening demands total concentration, and

is enhanced by developing empathy with the

sender.

• Active listeners use eye contact, affirmative nods,

and appropriate facial expressions; appear

attentive and ask questions; avoid interrupting the

speaker; and make smooth transitions between

being a speaker and a listener.

4- Constrain emotions

When they are upset managers should control

their emotions. Strong emotions make it

easier to misconstrue incoming messages and

more difficult to communicate outgoing

messages clearly and accurately.

Thanks Any

Questions