COMMUNICATION BLOCKSEdwin S. CosepPhD EL 604

COMMUNICATION & MANAGEMENT TYPES OF MANAGEMENT

Collegial Model Decisions are made democratically

Formal, Bureaucratic Model Decisions are made by those at the top of the

hierarchy

Micro-political Model Typified by power struggles within the

organization

BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS Hearing what we want to hear Ignoring conflicting information Being aware of our perceptions of the

communicator Recognizing that words mean different

things to different people and Acknowledging that there is often little

awareness and understanding about non-verbal communication

Armstrong, 1994

AIDING EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION CLARITY

Having a clear understanding of what you want to say – the message objective

Giving reasons which explain changes of practice or process

Incrementalizing the explanationRelating aims to purposes and

understanding the interaction

Adair, 1986

AIDING EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONPOSITIVE STEPS

Using more than one communication net or group

Encouraging two-way rather than one-way communications

Keeping as few links in the communication chain as possible

Handy, 1993

AIDING EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION PRIORITIZE

What they must knowWhat they should know

(desirable but not essential)What they could know

(relatively unimportant)

Adair, 1986

COMMUNICATION WITH INDIVIDUALS Listening and hearing

Listener is engaged with and concentrating on what is being said

Giving feedbackEither constructive or destructive

Receiving feedbackListen to the feedback rather than

immediately rejecting or arguing about it

BODY LANGUAGE Every gesture has a particular meaning but gestures are culturally specific

Facial expression

Distance or space

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATION Emails written quickly and without

due thought may not say what we really mean, may appear abrasive or be misinterpreted by the receiver

It is a good idea to review a message before it is sent, and to delay answering an email on a sensitive matter until you have had time to think carefully about it

REFLECTION What would most clearly indicate the

culture of your organization or department to a visitor?

Among your work colleagues, who do you consider to be a good listener and why? Are you a good listener?

Can you recall useful feedback that you have received?

PROBLEMS & ISSUES ON THE

ECOLOGY OF EDUCATIONAL

ADMINISTRATION

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