Management

1. Management Chapter 10: Communication

2. Communication • The process of sharing information and meaning knowingly and unknowingly • Importance of effective communication cannot be overstated • Problems can arise in the process • The person wishing to send a message is the sender, he or she encodes the message • The receiver decodes the message and responds with feedback • Anything that interferes is called noise

3. The Process • Encoding is the process of translating communication into an understandable message • The message is the result of the encoding process • The channel is the connecting device between the sender and the receiver • The receiver is the person or object to which the message is directed • Decoding is the process by which the receiver interprets the message • Feedback is the receiver’s response to the message • Noise is any occurrence that inhibits effective communication

4. Selecting the Right Channel • Channel richness is the amount of information that can be shared during a communication episode • Clarity refers to the degree in which messages and meanings are sent in a clear, precise, and understandable format with a record of what is being transmitted • Feedback is the immediate response of the receiver • See to it that the needs for clarity and feedback are balanced for the situation

5. Importance of Communication • Vital to any organization’s success • Influences task performance, must be transmitted and shared whether the process involves open or implicit receipt and sharing • Serves as a link between plans and actions, cannot act effectively if expectations are not understood • It is the integrative device for accomplishing all managerial functions or activities; key for planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling

6. Formal communication occurs within official organizational channels and is officially sanctioned Covers an ever-widening distance as organizations grow The organizational chart represents the official chain of command The gangplank principle Informal communication occurs outside the formal structure and bypasses the hierarchy, the “grapevine” It fills the gap left when information is not explained It usually focuses on organizational issues, generally accurate Formal/Informal Communication • Management by Walking/Wandering Around

7. Interpersonal Communication • Written communication is common; examples include memos, reports, manuals, forms, and letters • Verbal (oral) communication is the most common • It occurs everywhere, formal and informal • Face-to-face communication allows the sender and receiver to use symbols and nonverbal too, telephone must rely on voice messages • Indirect use of nonverbal communication can alter the impact and meaning of the words

8. Nonverbal Communication • Process of sharing information without the use of words, transmitted by behaviors and actions • If words and body movements are in conflict, the nonverbal message gets much more attention than the verbal • Forms of nonverbal communication include • Body language such as gestures, eye contact, facial expressions, and posture • Proxemics or the amount of personal space • Object language such as physical items • Paralanguage like tone, pitch, pace, loudness, and accents

9. Barriers to Effective Communication • Organizational barriers relate to the complexity of the organization and the environment; might include the hierarchy, managerial authority, specialization, distance, time or information overload • Interpersonal barriers relate to the interactions between individuals like stereotyping, status, noise, listening, language/culture, semantics, and choice of channel • Personal barriers relate to the psychosocial and perceptual differences between individuals

10. Being Prepared to Present • Being as prepared as possible is the most important thing for any speaker • Outline what is to be said and do your research • Who will be in the audience? What is the level of knowledge in the subject? • When with the presentation take place? How long will it be? • What needs to be covered? What else? • Why is the presentation being delivered? • Where will it take place? What does the space include?

11. Using Visual Aids • Computer generated images (like a PowerPoint slide show) should be kept simple and focus on the topic, dim the lights • Overhead transparencies can be created using software, a copy machine, or pens; be sure to keep them in order • Videos should be previewed for appropriateness • Handouts should be kept simple and easy to read, include title and date

12. Making the Presentation • Hold the audience’s attention and make key points • Face the audience, not notes or visuals; build rapport with the audience • Avoid distracters to the presentation • External distractions can include noise, phones, and people moving • Speaker’s distractions can include speech patterns, pacing, clicking a pen or twirling a pointer • Speak clearly and distinctly, use familiar language at a comfortable pace

13. Business Etiquette • Work behavior includes all aspects of doing work on time • Clothing should be very conservative at a first meeting • Introduce the lower ranking person to the higher-ranking, if equal introduce older one first; extend right hand for shaking • Women should not be treated differently when approaching a door or riding in an elevator • Electronic etiquette is critical for e-mail, faxes, conference calls, cell phones, and other devices • Dining etiquette is important for good impressions, cultural differences should be valued • Business correspondence should be error free and well-formatted

14. Cultural Differences • Culture is a shared system of symbols, beliefs, attitudes, values, expectations, and norms for behavior • Subcultures exist within each culture • Recognize intercultural differences like contextual, legal and ethical, social, and nonverbal expression to improve communication • Improve communication across cultures by overcoming ethnocentrism, studying other cultures, and overcoming language barriers

15. Legal Issues • Confidentiality related to proprietary information, non-disclosure, property of the company, and noncompete clauses • E-mail use for personal business is one companies are trying to control including a privacy act and access to deleted messages • Employee privacy rights include notification before monitoring, non-discriminatory monitoring, protection of personal information, training regarding what is appropriate, designated monitor, and use of software for monitoring