Chapter 12 Flashcards
The Nature and Function of Communication (1 of 2) Communication?
Communication: the transfer and understanding of meaning.
Interpersonal communication: communication between two or more people.
Organizational communication: all the patterns, network, and systems of communications
within an organization.
Functions of Communication?
Control
Motivation
Emotional Expression
Information
Methods and Challenges of Interpersonal Communication (1 of 5)
Message: a purpose to be conveyed.
Encoding: converting a message into symbols.
Channel: the medium a message travels along.
Decoding: a receiver’s translation of a sender’s message.
Interpersonal Communication Process: the seven elements involved in transferring meaning
from one person to another.
Noise: disturbances that interfere with the transmission, receipt, or feedback of a message.
This is the feedback loop from from receiver of message to send of message with noise being in the middle of the rectangle and not in the loop
Methods and Challenges of Interpersonal Communication (2 of 5)
12 questions to help evaluate communication methods:
Channels for Interpersonal Communication Techniques
Feedback: How quickly can the receiver respond to the message?
Complexity capacity: Can the method effectively process complex messages?
Breadth potential: How many different messages can be transmitted using this method?
Confidentiality: Can communicators be reasonably sure their messages are received only by
those for whom they’re intended?
12 questions to help evaluate communication methods Pt. 2
Encoding ease: Can the sender easily and quickly use this channel?
Decoding ease: Can the receiver easily and quickly decode messages?
Time–space constraint: Do senders and receivers need to communicate at the same time and in
the same space?
Cost: How much does it cost to use this method?
12 questions to help evaluate communication methods Pt. 3
Interpersonal warmth: How well does this method convey interpersonal warmth?
To convey emotions, show sympathy, face-to-face is still the best here as well
Formality: Does this method have the needed amount of formality?
Scanability: Does this method allow the message to be easily browsed or scanned for relevant information?
Time of consumption: Does the sender or receiver exercise the most control over when the
message is dealt with?
Effective Interpersonal Communication (1 of 2) Barriers:
Cognitive: Managers should be familiar with two cognitive barriers to communication:
– Information overload: when information exceeds our processing capacity.
– Filtering: deliberate manipulation of information to make it appear more favorable to the receiver.
Emotions: disregarding rational and objective thinking processes and substituting emotional judgments when interpreting messages.
Jargon: Specialized terminology or technical language that members of a group use to communicate among themselves.
How can we succeed in Overcoming the Barriers?
Overcoming the Barriers:
Use Feedback: Many communication problems, directly attributable to misunderstanding and inaccuracies, are less likely to occur if the manager gets feedback, both verbal and nonverbal.
Simplify Language: Effective communication is achieved when a message is both received and understood.
Listen Actively: Active listening - listening for full meaning without making premature judgments or interpretations.
Constrain Emotions: calm down and get emotions under control before communicating.
Effective Organizational Communication (2 of 5) Direction of Communication Flow:
Downward: communications that flow from managers to employees to inform, direct, coordinate, and evaluate employees.
Town hall meeting: Informal public meetings whereby information can be relayed, issues can be discussed, or employees can gather to celebrate accomplishments.
Upward communication: Communication that flows upward from employees to managers.
Lateral communication: takes place among employees on the same organizational level.
Diagonal communication: cuts across both work areas and organizational level.
Communication in the Internet and Social Media Age (1 of 6): IT
Information technology (IT) now touches every aspect of almost every company’s business.
The 24/7 Work Environment:
* IT has made it possible to stay connected around the clock, seven days a week.
* IT has made it possible for people in organizations to be fully accessible, at any time, regardless of where they are.
Working from Anywhere:
* During the COVID-19 pandemic, the stigma of working from home was lifted.
* Employees don’t have to be at their desks to communicate with others in the organization.
* As wireless technology continues to improve, we’ll see more organizational members using it as a way to collaborate and share information
Communication in the Internet and Social Media Age (1 of 6): Social Media
Social Media:
- Social media: a double-edged sword for organizations.
Privacy Issues of Social Media:
* The widespread use of voice mail and email at
work has led to some ethical concerns as well.
* These forms of communication are not
necessarily private, because employers have
access to them.
Communication in the Internet and Social Media Age (1 of 6): Social Media Ethically
Ethical communication: communication that includes all relevant information, is true in every sense, and is not deceptive in any way.
* Guidelines for encouraging ethical communications:
* Has the situation been defined fairly and accurately?
* Why is the message being communicated?
* How will the people who will receive by the message be impacted?
Guidelines for encouraging ethical communications (cont.):
* Does the message help achieve the greatest possible good while minimizing possible harm?
* Will this decision that appears to be ethical now seem so in the future?
* How comfortable are you with your communication effort? What would a person you admire think of it?
