Chapter Fifteen

Interpersonal & Organizational

Communication

Communication: is the transfer of information and understanding from one person to another.

The Communication Process Sender: is the person wanting to share information—called a message and the receiver is the

person for whom the message is intended. Encoding: is translating the message into understandable symbols or language. Decoding: is interpreting and trying to make sense of the message. Medium: the pathway by which a message travels. Feedback: the receiver expresses his or her reaction to the sender’s message. Noise: any disturbance that interferes with the transmission of a message.

Communication Barriers

1. Physical barrier: sound, time, space, & so on

2. Semantic barrier: when words matter

3. Personal barrier: individual attributes that hinder communication

Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal communication: consists of messages sent outside the written or spoken word.

Body language Setting Time

Noise!

Noise!

The Communication Process

Did you finishyour

assignment?

What assignment do

you mean?

Sender Receiver

The Selecting the Right Media

Face-to-face presence

Video-conferencing

Telephone Personal written media (e-mail, memos, letters)

Impersonal written media (newsletters, fliers, general reports)

High Media Richness (Best for nonroutine, ambiguous situations)

Low Media Richness (Best for routine, clear situations)

Toward Better Nonverbal Communication:

Do: Maintain eye contact Lean toward the speaker Speak at a moderate rate Speak in a quiet, reassuring tone Smile and show animation Occasionally nod head in agreement.

Don’t: Look away from the speaker Turn away form the speaker Speak too quickly or slowly Speak in an unpleasant tone Yawn excessively Close your eyes

Linguistic Characteristic Men Women

Taking Credit Greater use of “I” statements; more likely to boast about their achievements

Greater use of “we” statements; less likely to boast about their achievements

Displaying confidence Less likely to indicate that they are uncertain about an issue

More likely to indicate a lack of certainty about an issue

Asking questions Less likely to ask questions More likely to ask questions

Conversation rituals Avoid making apologies because it puts them in a one-down position

More frequently say “I’m Sorry”

Giving compliments Stingy with praise Pay more compliments

Indirectness Indirect when it comes to admitting faults or when they don’t know something

Indirect when telling others what to do

Communication Differences

Formal Communication

Formal communication channels: follow the chain of command and are recognized as official. Three Types:

Vertical communication Horizontal communication External communication

Informal Communication

Informal communication channels: develop outside the formal structure and do not follow the chain of command. Two Types:

Grapevine Management by wandering around

Communications Tools of Information Technology1.Internet: a global network of independently operating, but interconnected computers, linking

hundreds of thousands of smaller networks around the world.2.Intranet: nothing more than an organization’s private Internet.3.Extranet: an extended intranet in that it connects internal employees with selected customers,

suppliers, and other strategic partners.

4. E-mail: for electronic mail, uses the Internet to send computer-generated text and documents between people.

Benefits Reduced cost of distributing information Increased teamwork Reduced paper costs Increased flexibilityDrawbacks Wasted time Information overload Neglect of other media

5.Videoconferencing: uses video and audio links along with computers to enable people located at different locations to see, hear, and talk with one another.

6.Collaborative Computing: entails using state-of-the-art computer software and hardware to help people work better together.

7.Telecommuting: involves doing work that is generally performed in the office away from the office, using a variety of information technologies.

Information Overload Information Overload: occurs when the amount of information received exceeds a person’s

ability to handle or process it.

Effective Listening Concentrate on the content of the message Judge content, not delivery Ask questions, summarize remarks Listen for ideas Resist distractions, show interest Give a fair hearing

McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Effective Reading

Realize that speed doesn’t work Be savvy about periodicals and books Transfer your reading load Make internal memos and e-mail more efficient Do Top-Down Reading—SQ3R

Effective Writing Don’t show your ignorance Understand your strategy before you write Most important to least important Negative to positive Start with your purpose Write simply, concisely, & directly Telegraph your writing with a powerful layout

Effective Speaking Tell them what you’re going to say Say it Tell them what you said