Course Objectives

2. Course Objectives • Understand communication differences in organizational settings • Learn why effective communication is essential • Review the seven principles of communication • Learn how perception impacts our understanding • Explore the differences between intent and action • Understand the communication process

3. "When the eyes say one thing, and the tongue another, a practiced man relies on the language of the first.” • – Ralph Waldo Emerson

4. Three Settings for Communication • Dyadic • Small group • Public

5. Organization Communication • Communication exists & thrives throughout agencies and departments • Vertical and horizontal communication • Organizations exist for specific purposes • Communication impacts effectiveness

6. Communication/Effectiveness Matrix High • High Communication • Low Effectiveness • High Communication • High Effectiveness 1 2 Organization Communication • Low Communication • Low Effectiveness • Low Communication • High Effectiveness 4 3 Low High Organization Effectiveness

7. “The data suggest that between 90 and 95 percent of the interaction that affects morale, employee relations, safety, quality, and productivity takes place between technical, staff or hourly employees and those first-line supervisors/managers/team leaders who direct their activities.”

8. A supervisor had just completed and was filing performance reviews for her team. Before she had time to lock the filing cabinet, an employee aggressively approached her and demanded to view his performance review. He was a very large man and very intimidating. In spite of her efforts, the employee was relentless. The performance reviews were snatched up, and the employee ran off. An upper level manager was notified immediately.

9. Principles of Communication • Part of our nature • Constant • Symbolic • Irreversible • Based on reward • Mostly nonverbal • Purposeful

10. Perception Defined: Perception is the viewpoint from which one mentally recognizes, grasps, or comprehends an idea or event. “We tend to see ourselves primarily in the light of our intentions, which are invisible to others, while we see others mainly in light of their actions, which are visible to us; we have a situation in which misunderstanding and injustice are the order of the day.”

11. Intent vs. Action • Joan and Jim each have intents and feelings about themselves and each other. • They each act, or behave in ways that are observable to others around them. • Who is the expert on Jim’s intentions? • Who sees Jim’s actions or behaviors better, Jim or Joan? • Joan is the expert on her intentions, and she, like Jim, doesn’t always see her behavior as clearly as others around her do. • Do differences in viewpoint explain why misunderstandings are so frequent and why we judge others by a different standard than we judge ourselves? Joan Jim

12. The Communication Process Four Elements Source Receiver Message Feedback Interpretation/Perception Interpretation/Perception Messages • Words • Voice Tone • Expressions • Body Language • Content Source/Receiver Source/Receiver FEEDBACK

13. Feedback

14. Summary • Communication differences exist in organizational settings • Good communication can improve organization effectiveness • There are seven principles of communication • Perception, intent, and action impact our understanding • The communication process has four elements