1. Copyright © 2016 Pearson Canada Inc.
CHAPTER 7
Communication
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2. Communication – everywhere & continuous
People spend nearly 70 percent of their waking hours communicating—writing, reading, speaking, listening.
Communication is a foundation for many things that happen among groups and within the workplace – from motivating, to providing information, to controlling behaviour, to expressing emotion.
Good communication skills are very important to your career success.
LO1; This material is found under “The Communication Process.”
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3. The process of communication
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4. Communication Channels
Formal channels
Traditionally follow the authority chain within the organization
Transmit messages related to the professional activities of members
Informal channels
Personal or social messages which are spontaneous and emerge as a response to individual choices
LO1; This material is found under “The Communication Process.”
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5. Communication Terms Encoding Converting a message to symbolic form.
Decoding
Interpreting a sender’s message.
Message
What is communicated.
Channel
The medium through which a message travels.
Noise
Communication barriers that distort the clarity of the message.
Feedback
Checks how successful we have been in transferring our messages as originally intended.
Has an understanding been achieved?
LO1; This material is found under “The Communication Process.” 5

6. Choosing Channels
Channel: The medium through which a message travels, such as a phone call, face-to-face, or text message. Channels differ in their capacity to convey information.
Communication apprehension: Undue tension and anxiety about oral communication, written communication, or both.
Rich channels have the ability to:
Handle multiple cues simultaneously.
Facilitate rapid feedback.
Be very personal.
LO2; This material is found under “The Communication Process.”
Some people suffer from communication apprehension, which is undue tension and anxiety in oral or written communication or both. For these 5 to 20% of the population, the choice of communication channel reflects their anxiety.
For others, however, a model of media richness has been developed to explain channel selection among managers. Some are rich in that they have the ability to handle multiple cues simultaneously, facilitate rapid feedback, and be very personal. Others are lean in that they score low on these three factors. An instructor might ask students where voice mail and television fit along these dimensions. 6

7. Barriers to Effective Communication
Filtering The sender manipulates information so that it will be seen more favourably by the receiver.
Information Overload Occurs when the information we have to work with exceeds our processing capacity. With s, phone calls, faxes, meetings, and the need to keep current in one’s field, more employees are suffering from too much information.
Silence Defined as an absence of speech or noise. Not necessarily inaction—can convey: Thinking or contemplating a response to a question. Anxiety about speaking. Agreement, dissent, frustration, or anger. Individuals should be aware of what silence might mean in any communication. Silence can be problematic and is common in the workplace. Employees who are silent about important issues may also experience psychological stress. Silence is less likely where minority opinions are treated with respect.
Language Words mean different things to different people. Age and context are the two biggest factors that influence such differences
Emotions Individuals may interpret the same message differently when you are angry or distraught than when you are happy Depression will most likely hinder effective communication
Selective Perception The receivers selectively sees and hears based on their needs, motivations, experience, background, and other personal characteristics.
Lying: outright misrepresentation of information. Deliberately withholding information. People are more comfortable lying over the phone than face-to-face. Most people are not very good at detecting deception in others.
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8. Nonverbal Communication
Nonverbal Communication Includes body movements, facial expressions, and the physical distance between sender and receiver. Two important messages body language conveys: 1) The extent to which an individual likes another and is interested in his or her views and, 2) Relative perceived status between a sender and receiver (i.e. how emotionally close they are to each other)
Proxemics The study of physical space in interpersonal relationships.
LO3; This material is found under “Barriers to Effective Communication.” 8

9. Organizational Communication – Direction of Communication
Downward
Communication that flows from one level of a group to a lower level.
Managers to employees
Upward
Communication that flows to a higher level of a group.
Employees to manager
Becoming increasingly difficult
Lateral
Communication among members of the same work group, or individuals at the same level.
LO4; This material is found under “Organizational Communication.”
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Small- Group Networks
Connections by which information flow.
Formal Networks
Task-related communications that follow the authority chain, and are typically vertical
The Grapevine – Informal Networks
Communications that flow along social and relational lines
LO5; This material is found under “Organizational Communication.”
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11. Copyright © 2016 Pearson Canada Inc.
The Grapevine
75 percent of employees hear about matters first through rumours (the grapevine).
The grapevine has three main characteristics:
Not controlled by management.
Most employees perceive it as being more believable and reliable than formal communication.
Largely used to serve the self-interests of those people within it.
LO5; This material is found under “Organizational Communication.”
The grapevine has three main characteristics: it is not controlled by management, it is perceived by most employees as being more believable and reliable than formal communiqués issued by top management, and it is largely used to serve the self-interests of those people within it. Research shows that about 10 percent of the people in an organization are liaisons for the grapevine, and that about 75 percent of the information carried on the grapevine is accurate.
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12. Electronic Communications
Instant Messaging and Text Messaging
Social Networks
LO5; This material is found under “Organizational Communication.”
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13. Instant Messaging (IM) & Text Messaging (TM)
Usually done via computer
Synchronous technology – you have to be there to receive the message and respond
Text Messaging (TM)
Usually done via cell phone
Also synchronous technology, although the text message will be stored (like ) until read
LO5; This material is found under “Organizational Communication.”
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Social Media
Nowhere has communication been more transformed than in social networking.
Social media platforms
Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter
Pinterest
LO5; This material is found under “Organizational Communication.”
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Blogs
(We)blog
Website about a single person or company that is usually updated daily.
Most blogs are written by individuals, but many organizations and organizational leaders have blogs that speak for the organization
Twitter is a hybrid social networking service for users to post “micro-blog” entries
LO5; This material is found under “Organizational Communication.”
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16. Cultural Barriers to Communication
Sources of barriers:
Semantics
Word connotations
Tone differences
Differences in tolerance for conflict and methods for resolving conflicts
LO6; This material is found under “Cultural Barriers to Communication.”
Barriers caused by semantics: Words mean different things to different people.
Barriers caused by word connotations: Words imply different things in different languages.
Barriers caused by tonal differences: Formal and informal styles have different tones. Need to use appropriate style.
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17. Cultural Barriers to Communication
Cultural Context: Cultures differ in the importance of the context in influencing the meaning that individuals take from what is actually said or written vs. who the other person is.
High-context cultures
Cultures that rely heavily on nonverbal and subtle situational cues in communication.
Low-context cultures
Cultures that rely heavily on words to convey meaning in communication.
LO6; This material is found under “Cultural Barriers to Communication.”
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18. Exhibit 7-5 High- vs. Low-Context Cultures
LO6; This material is found under “Cultural Barriers to Communication.”
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A Cultural Guide
Know yourself
Foster a climate of mutual respect, fairness, and democracy
Learn the cultural context of each person
When in doubt, listen
State facts, not your interpretation
Consider the other person’s viewpoint
Proactively maintain the identity of the group
LO6; This material is found under “Cultural Barriers to Communication.”
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20. Copyright © 2016 Pearson Canada Inc.
Summary
Just because something is said, it does not mean that it was heard.
Communication is rarely “objective”. Both the sender’s and receiver’s reality affects the framing and understanding of the message.
Information overload is a serious problem for most individuals.
Material pertinent to this discussion is found at the end of the chapter.
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21. OB at Work: For Review
1. What are the key parts of the communication process, and how do you distinguish formal from informal communication?
2. How does channel richness underlie the choice of communication channel?
3. What are some common barriers to effective communication?
What are the differences among downward, upward, and lateral communication?
What are the differences between formal small-group networks and the grapevine?
6. What potential problems underlie cross-cultural communication? How can they be overcome?
Material pertinent to this discussion is found at the end of the chapter. 21

22. OB at Work: For Managers
■ Remember that your communication mode will partly determine your communication effectiveness.
■ Obtain feedback from your employees to make certain your messages—however they are communicated—are understood.
■ Remember that written communication creates more misunderstandings than oral communication; communicate with employees through inperson meetings when possible. “
Material pertinent to this discussion is found at the end of the chapter.
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23. OB at Work: For Managers
■ Make sure you use communication strategies appropriate to your audience and the type of message you are sending.
■ Keep in mind that culture can be a communication barrier.
Material pertinent to this discussion is found at the end of the chapter.
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24. Copyright © 2016 Pearson Canada Inc.
Effective Listening
If you want to improve your listening skills, look to these behaviours as guides
Make eye contact.
Exhibit affirmative head nods and appropriate facial expressions.
Avoid distracting actions or gestures.
Ask questions.
Paraphrase.
Avoid interrupting the speaker.
Don’t over-talk.
Make smooth transitions between the roles of speaker and listener.
Material pertinent to this discussion is found at the end of the chapter.
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