Managing Communication

Definition

• Communication is defined as the process by which

information is exchanged between individuals

• The process includes the use of written messages, spoken

words and gestures

• Communication is essential for achieving managerial and

organizational effectiveness
 Functions of Communication

• Control

• Motivation

• Emotional expression

• Information
 Communication Process

• Developing an idea by sender

• Encoding the Message by sender
• Transmitting the Message
• Reception of the Message by receiver
• Decoding the Message by receiver
• Acceptance or Rejection of the Message by receiver
• Using the information given in the Message by receiver
• Giving feedback to the sender
• Noise
Communication Process
 Barriers to Effective Communication
• Filtering: Manipulation of information by the sender so as to
obtain a favorable opinion from receiver

• Selective Perception: Perception of information on the basis of

needs, values, experience and background influencing the
personal interests and expectations

• Defensiveness: An Intentional attempt to block communication

when a threat to self image and prestige is felt by making
sarcastic comments, passing judgments on others or
questioning the motives of the other party

• Language: Age, education and background influence the use of

language by people and the meanings they associate with words
 Dealing with Communication Barriers

• Know your subject/content

• Focus on the purpose

• Know your audience

• Be organized
 Basic Forms of Communication

• Non-verbal Communication- Kinesics and Paralanguage

• Verbal Communication- Speaking (Oral) and Listening

• Written Communication- Writing the messages/information

 Oral Communication

Speeches, formal one to one and group discussions and

informal rumor mill or grapevine are popular forma of Oral
Communication. The modes are:

 Meetings

 Videoconferencing

 Telephone
 Written Communication

It includes:
• Letters

• Power-point

• E-mail

• Instant messaging

• Text messaging

• Social Media

• Blogs

• Others( Google+, Youtube,etc)

 Non-verbal Communication
• Non-verbal communication is the process of
communicating without the use of words(Silent
Language)

• It is defined as the non-word human responses like facial

expressions and gestures and the perceived
characteristics of the environment through which the
human verbal and non-verbal messages are transmitted

• It consists of usage of cues, gestures, vocal qualities,

attitude towards time, spatial relationship, etc that allows
to communicate without words to convey a message
 Kinesics- Body Language
• Kinesics is the study of body movements and facial
expressions

• While speaking, people tend to use some body movements,

without even knowing that they are doing so

• Body movements including gestures, facial expressions and

other physical movements convey a certain meaning

• Body language coupled with verbal communication gives

more meaning to a message
 Postures, Facial expressions and Oculesics
• Posture means the way people sit or stand that can reveal a lot about
their attitudes and emotions
 Postures portray confidence, anxiety, fear, aggressiveness and a host of
other emotions
 When a person is presenting his/her ideas, his/her posture forms an
important part of the presentation
 Ex- Leaning over table, biting nails, looking down, wraping arms over
chair, stretch out legs in front, etc
• Facial expressions: The movements of brow, eyes, root of the nose,
lips, jaws and lower face convey various attitudes and emotions like
surprise, fear, disgust, anger, happiness and sadness
• Oculesics: It deals with eye movement
 Eyes are considered the most revealing facial expressions that may
indicate honesty, confidence, openness and interest
 People who avoid eye contact are usually embarrassed or nervous
 One should make eye contact with people in a ‘Z’ pattern
Standing Postures
Sitting Postures
Facial Expressions
Eye Movements
 Gestures
Gestures include the movement of hands, arms and head. The types are:
• Emblems: Emblems are gestures that have a meaning that is understood
by the public at large
Ex- Forming “O” with index and thumb

• Adaptors: These are learned behavior patterns that we usually pick up in

childhood
Ex- Using spoons or hands while eating

• Illustrators: These gestures go with what we are saying verbally and tend
to depict what is being said
Ex- “Come, sit in this chair” is accompanied by a nod or wave of hand

• Regulators: These are gestures that control the communication exchange

Ex- Patting on the back, Shuffling through papers while talking, etc
Hand Gestures
 Proxemics, Chronemics and Mode of Dress

• Proxemics: It is the study of how people use physical space

around them and what this use says about them

• Chronemics: It is related to effective usage of time. How time

is used also gives others clues about what kind of a person you
are and what can be expected from you in terms of
dependability

• Mode of dress: Physical appearance determines the success a

person will attain at every stage of his/her life and often
creates a first impression
Personal Feature Space Categories
 Haptics , Artifacts and Olfactics

• Haptics is any form of interaction/communication involving touch.

Haptic communication refers to the ways in which people
communicate and interact via the sense of touch
Ex- Handshake, pat on the back,etc

• Artifacts are physical objects, such as clothing, homes, and cars,

that indicate/communicate a person's personal and social beliefs
and habits to others
Ex- Usage of Goggle, Expensive Smart phones, gadgets,etc

• Olfactics: It is the sense of smell

Ex- Usage of Deodrant, body odor, etc
 Paralanguage
Paralanguage is the study of the way you say and what you say. The
components are:
• Voice Qualifiers: Temporary variations in pitch, volume and rate of speech
Ex- Loudness, Low tone, etc

• Vocal Characteristics: The sounds like sighing, laughing, crying, clearing

the throat, whistling and groaning, which serve to communicate some
meaning are called as Vocal Characteristics
Ex- Coughing, sneezing, etc

• Vocal Segregates: Meaningless words or sounds like Er…,Umm.., etc that

are used as fillers to punctuate or pace-sentences or are called as Vocal
Segregates
Ex- Umm, oh, etc
 Voice Qualities
• Volume: Volume indicates whether a person is louder or not audible or
slightly audible or louder
Ex- Soft voice or loud or hard voice
• Rate of Speech: The speed of speaking words per minute
Ex- Fast or slow speech
• Voice Pitch: It is the degree of highness or lowness of a vocal sound i.e
tone
Ex- High or low pitch indicating excitement or nervousness
• Rhythm: It refers to the pattern of voice: whether it is regular or irregular;
whether it flows smoothly or moves in fits and starts
Ex- Moderately low pitch, uneven rythm
• Pronunciation: It is the correct oral delivery of a word
Ex- Sound of vowels and syllables
• Enunciation: It is pronouncing a word in a clear articulate manner i.e
articulation
Ex- Dropping word endings, slurring speech, not speaking clearly, etc
Internal Communication Network (Channels)

• Downward Communication

• Upward Communication

• Lateral Communication

• Interactive Communication

• Electronic Communication
 Downward Communication (Top to Bottom)

Information flows from superior to subordinates. The purposes

are:
• To give job instructions

• To bring about understanding of the work an its relationship to

other organizational tasks

• To provide information about the procedures and policies

• To provide feedback to the subordinates on their performance

• To instill a sense of mission in the workers

 Upward Communication (Bottom to Top)
• Upward communication networks provide subordinates the
means for conveying information to their superiors
• It helps in gaining feedback and learning about problems,
roadblocks, attitudes and perception that are affecting
efficiency
• Techniques to make upward communication effective are:
 The grievance procedure
 Open-door policy
 Counseling, attitude questionnaires and exit interviews
 Participative techniques
 The ombudsperson
 Lateral Communication (Cross
Communication)
Lateral Communication channels are used to convey
information between individuals and units in other
departments outside their own chain of command. The
purposes are:
• Coordination of tasks

• Sharing of information

• Problem Solving

• Conflict resolution
 Interactive Communication
Interactive Communication constitutes an informal channel of
communication that may be formed by employees in an effort
to circumvent or complement formal channels. Its forms are:
• Networks: A Network is a group of people who develop and
maintain contact with each other to exchange information of
common interest in an informal manner. Types are:
 Internal Networks: Employees from different departments and
business unit
 External Networks: Business partners, customers and
competitors

• Grapevine Communication: Informal channels are collectively

referred to as Grapevine that provides information on the
unwritten rules of the organization and important management
decisions well before they are implemented
 How to be a Good Listener
• Be motivated to Listen

• Be prepared to Listen

• Be objective

• Be Alert to all cues

• Make good use of thinking-speaking time difference

• Use feedback

• Practice Listening

• Use verbal and non-verbal cues to encourage the speaker

 Communication Technology
• Management Information System(MIS): It is a system that gathers,
organizes and summarizes data and then presents it in a format
customized to the situation and the individual using the information

• Electronic Mail: It is a computer based system which allows people to

exchange messages across the world within a few minutes

• Telecommuting: It involves the accomplishment of all or a part of a

person’s work at home through computer links to the office

• Telecommunication Explosion: It is the convergence of computing and

communication equipment

• Voice Messaging: It allows the receiver to listen to message long after

it has been transmitted