Chapter 3

Managing Communications

 Communication Barriers
-Even when the receiver receives the message and makes a genuine effort to decode it,
a number of interferences may limit the receiver’s understanding. These obstacles act as
noise, or barriers to communication, and may emerge in either the physical
surroundings or within an individual’s emotions.

Three types of barriers

- Personal barriers
- Physical barriers
- Semantic Barriers

 Personal barriers
- are communication interferences that arise from human emotions, values, and poor
listening habits. They may also stem from differences in education, race, sex,
socioeconomic status, and other factors.
Psychological distance
- a feeling of being emotionally separated between people that is similar to actual
physical distance.
 Physical barriers
- are communication interferences that occur in the environment in which the
communication takes place. A typical physical barrier is a sudden distracting noise that
temporarily drowns out a voice message.
Proxemics
- it involves the exploration of different practices and feelings about interpersonal space
within and across cultures.
 intimate communications (e.g., 6 to 18 inches).
 Conversations with acquaintances 3- or 4-foot personal distance.
 Work-related discussions (4 to 12 feet)
 formal conversations in public occurring at even greater distances.
Semantic Barriers
- Semantics is the science of meaning, as contrasted with phonetics, the science of
sounds. Nearly all communication is symbolic; that is, it is achieved using symbols
(words, pictures, and actions) that suggest certain meanings. These symbols are
merely a map that describes a territory, but they are not the real territory itself; hence
they must be decoded and interpreted by the receiver.
- Semantic barriers arise from limitations in the symbols with which we communicate.
Symbols usually have a variety of meanings, and we have to choose one meaning from
many.
Jargon
- is the specialized language of a group.
 acronyms
  slang
 terms that are created by a professional or interest group

 Communication Symbols
- Words
- picture
- Action

 Words
- Words are the main communication symbol used on the job. Many employees spend
more than 50 percent of their time in some form of verbal communication.
 Context provides meaning - If words really have no single meaning, how can
managers make sense with them in communicating with employees? The answer
lies in context, which is the environment surrounding the use of a word.
 Social cues are positive or negative bits of information that influence how people
react to a communication.
 Readability - process of making writing and speech more understandable.

Guidelines for Readable Writing

 Pictures
- used to clarify word communication. Organizations make extensive use of pictures, such
as blueprints, progress charts, fishbone diagrams, causal maps, visual aids in training
programs, scale models of products, and similar devices. Pictures can provide powerful
visual images, as suggested by the proverb “A picture is worth a thousand words.” To be
most effective, however, pictures should be combined with well-chosen words and
actions to tell a complete story.

 Action (Nonverbal Communication)

- Often people forget that what they do is a means of communication to the extent that
such action is open to interpretation by others. For example, a handshake and a smile
have meaning. A raise in pay or being late for an appointment also has meaning.
- Two significant points about action are sometimes overlooked:
- One point is that failure to act is an important way of communicating.
- A second point is that actions speak louder than words.
- Credibility gaps cause problems - When there is a difference between what someone
says and does, a credibility gap exists. Communication credibility is based on three
factors: trustworthiness, expertise, and dynamism. These three factors suggest that
managers must act with integrity, speak from a strong base of knowledge, and deliver
their messages with confidence and enthusiasm.
- An important part of nonverbal communication is body language, by which people
communicate meaning to others with their bodies in interpersonal interaction. Body
language is an important supplement to verbal communication in most parts of the
world. Facial expressions are especially important sources of body language in work
situations.

 The Impact of Barriers on the communication Process

Primary Impact of Barriers on the Steps in Communication

 Downward Communication
- in an organization is the flow of information from higher to lower levels of authority. To
communicate downward, some executives rely on colorful booklets, flashy PowerPoint
presentations, and elaborately planned employee meetings. These approaches, while
attention getting, often fail to achieve employee understanding—one of the goals of
effective communication. The key to better communication lies not just in the use of
 color, action, and electronic aids but in the presentation of information by more
sensitive managers who prepare carefully and convey their messages with candor,
energy, and warmth. Managers who communicate successfully are sensitive to human
needs and open to true dialogue with their employees.

 Prerequisites and Problems

- Part of management’s failure has been that it did not prepare for effective communication.

-A solid foundation has four cornerstones that act as prerequisites for an effective approach.

1. Develop a positive communication attitude.

2. Continually work to get informed.
3. Consciously plan for communication
4. Develop trust

Communication overload, in which employees receive more communication inputs than

they can process or more than they need. The keys to better communication are timing and
quality, not quantity. It is possible to have better understanding with less total
communication if it is of high quality and delivered at the appropriate moment.

Acceptance of a Communication, acceptance of a message by the receiver is critical;

without acceptance, communication breaks down. Several conditions encourage
acceptance of a communication:
• Acknowledged legitimacy of the sender to send a message
• Perceived competence of the sender relative to the issue
• Trust in the sender as a leader and as a person
• Perceived credibility of the message received
• Acceptance of the tasks and goals that the communication is trying to accomplish
• Power of the sender to enforce sanctions on the receiver either directly or indirectly

 Communication Needs
Job Instruction - One communication need of employees is proper instruction regarding their
work. Managers secure better results if they state their instructions in terms of the objective
requirements of the job as well as the opportunities and potential problem areas.

realistic job previews job candidates are given small samples of organizational reality.
The realistic preview minimizes the employee’s unmet expectations by providing both
positive and negative information about the potential work environment.

Performance Feedback
- Employees also need feedback about their performance. Feed- back helps them know
what to do and how well they are meeting their own goals. It shows that others are
interested in what they are doing. Assuming that performance is satisfactory, feedback
enhances employees’ self-image and feelings of competence.
News Downward messages should reach employees as fresh and timely news rather than
as a stale confirmation of what already has been learned from other sources.

Social Support
- Another communication need that employees have at work is social support, which is
the perception that they are cared for, esteemed, and valued. When interpersonal
warmth and trust are displayed by managers, there may be positive impacts on
psychological and physical health, as well as job satisfaction and performance.

 Upward Communication
- If the two-way flow of information is broken by poor upward communication,
management loses touch with employee needs and lacks sufficient information to make
sound decisions.
- This process requires initiative, positive action, sensitivity to weak signals, and
adaptability to different channels of employee information.
Difficulties
Delay
- which is the unnecessarily slow movement of information up to higher levels.

Filtering
- This partial screening out of information occurs because of the natural tendency for an
employee to tell a superior only what the employee thinks the superior wants to hear.
An extreme example of filtering is organizational silence. This is the conscious or
unconscious withholding of information about potential problems or issues on the part
of employees.

Need for a response

- Since employees initiate upward communication, they are now the senders, and they
have strong expectations that feedback will occur (and soon). If management provides a
quick response, further upward messages will be encouraged. Conversely, lack of
response suppresses future upward communications.
Distortion
- This is the willful modification of a message intended to achieve one’s personal
objectives.

Upward Communication Practices

A starting point for building better upward communications is to establish a general policy
stating what kinds of upward messages are desired. This could include areas where higher
management is accountable, controversial topics, matters requiring managerial advice, or
any corporate policy exceptions or changes being recommended.
Questioning Managers can encourage upward communications by asking good questions. This
practice shows employees that management takes an interest in their opinions, desires
additional information, and values their input.
Questions can take several forms, but the most common types are open and closed.

Active listening is more than hearing; it requires use of the ears and the
mind. Effective listening works on two levels—it helps receivers understand both the
factual idea and the emotional message the sender intended.

Employee Meetings One useful method of building upward communications is to meet

with small groups of employees. In these “town hall” meetings employees are encouraged
to talk about job problems, needs, and management practices that both help and interfere
with job performance.

An open-door policy is a statement that encourages employees

to come to their supervisor or higher management with any matter that concerns them.

Participation in Social Groups Informal, casual recreational events furnish superb

opportunities for unplanned upward communication. This spontaneous information sharing
reveals true conditions better than most formal communications.
Guidelines for Effective Listening