Communication

Communication Important for: 1) vertical and horizontal information movement; 2) atmosphere of openness; 3) concern for the opinions of others A banking executive said most managers “cannot write a letter, make a compelling presentation, or put together a speech that doesn’t have half the audience looking at their watches.” It’s both oral and written!

I. Communication Process Model A. Sender needs skill and knowledge B. Encoding – some are more effective at using language symbols than others (e.g. syllabus) C. Message – may have more than 1 meaning D. Channel is medium – medium should match message. Face-to-face enables feedback, facial expression, and the intended message to be more accurately sent.

I. Communication Process Model (cont’d) E. Decoding – receiver “translates” message. What you attend to, encode, store, and retrieve influences how you perceive the message. Perception may not be reality! F. Feedback – comprehension check. Was the intended message communicated? G. Noise – interferes with the message

II. Choosing media A. Is it rich? Does the medium allow the intended message to be communicated? (face to face [2-way] is richest). Each medium has “information carrying capacity.” B. Which medium is right? The message complexity suggests a medium with a particular richness. Use medium contingent upon the message complexity.

Richness Of Communication Medium

Problem Complexity

III. Nonverbal Communication What does it look like? How much is communicated?

IV. Barriers to Effective Communication Filtering – information reduction by sender Selective perception – what you attend to Judging message Not listening with understanding (Covey) Information overload Etc.

V. Overcoming Barriers A. Solicit feedback – request information of message, restate in own words, performance appraisals, look for nonverbal cues B. Simplified language C. Active listening – including empathy

VI. Developing interpersonal skills Biggest reason for job failure is interpersonal skills. Study showed graduates are most deficient in leadership and interpersonal skills. – Active listening Listen intensely – eyes, head nods, avoid distractions, show interest, don’t interrupt Use empathy – adjust to your speaker’s world Acceptance – don’t formulate response in mid-speak Responsibility for completeness – paraphrase

VII. Feedback A. Must establish culture of trust and respect before constructive feedback is accepted – Effective feedback Focus on behavior Impersonal Goal oriented Timely – more than 1 time each year Controllable (Deming?)