Principles of Management

Module 14: Communication

Module Learning Outcomes

Describe typical business communication, and explain barriers to effective

communication

14.1: Recognize the role of communication in the management function

14.2: Differentiate between typical communication flows within an organization
14.3: Explain barriers to effective communication
14.4: Differentiate between typical channels of business communication
Communication and Management
Learning Outcomes: Communication and
Management
14.1: Recognize the role of communication in the management
function
14.1.1: Describe the components of the communication-process model
14.1.2: Recognize common missteps in communication
14.1.3: Differentiate between formal and informal communication networks
Communication and Management Introduction

• Communication and management

are closely linked
• Communication: process by which
information is exchanged between
two or more people
• Management roles depends on
effective communication
• Managers must be able to receive
accurate information to determine
plans
The Role of Communication in Management

• Role is to accomplish the goals of an organization- managers create plan

that defines what needs to be done, when, and how
• Benefits:
• Provides clarity- confusion makes people uncooperative
• Builds relationships- reduces tension between hierarchical levels
• Creates commitment- everyone feels like they are valued
• Defines expectations- people who are uncertain don’t perform jobs well
Practice Question 1

The five defined roles of management in business are: planning, organizing,

staffing, leading, and controlling. What important role is left off of this list?

1. Communicating.
2. Hiring/firing.
3. Authorizing checks.
4. Selecting vendors.
The Communication Process Model and Missteps

• Alt text: graphic that lists process of Sender to Encoding to Channel to

Decoding to Receiver with Feedback running between Sender and
Receiver
• Caption: communication-process model shows how information is
received and sent
• Easiest to understand when one person is communicating with another
• Receiver receives encoded message and decodes it- converts
• When information to be communicated isn’t encoded correctly
• When the receiver interprets message differently than sender intended
• All problems can occur during feedback- often not needed or wanted
Formal and Informal Communication Systems

Formal Informal
• Methods used to convey • Connect almost anyone in
information necessary for organization to anyone else
conducting business of • Skip over hierarchical levels and
organization between departments
• Conform to rules and regulations • Not necessarily disruptive
given by profession or law
• Social Network- system of
personal relationships
• Grapevine- how gossip is spread
through organization
Typical Communication Flows
Learning Outcomes: Typical Communication
Flows
14.2: Differentiate between typical communication flows within an
organization
14.2.1: Differentiate between downward, upward, horizontal, diagonal, and
external communication flows
Organizational Communication Flows

• Four directions:
• Downward
• Upward
• Horizontally
• Diagonally
• In established and traditional organizations, communication flows in
vertical direction
• In informal firms such as tech start-ups information flows horizontally and
diagonally
Upward vs Downward Communication

Upward Communication Downward Communication

• Information from lower-level to • Company leaders and managers
high-level employees share information with lower-level
• when workers report to supervisor or employees
team leaders • Senders don’t usually expect to get a
• Examples: progress reports,
proposals for projects, budget
response
estimates, etc. • Forms include speeches, blogs,
• Important goal of many managers podcasts, and videos
is to encourage spontaneous or • Most common types are everyday
voluntary upward communication directives of department managers
• Must trust that management will • Delivers information that helps to
recognize their contributions understand workforce about key
changes, new goals, or strategies,
etc.
Horizontal and Diagonal Communication

Horizontal Communication Diagonal Communication

• Exchange of information across • Cross-functional communication
departments at same level between employees at different
• Purpose is to request support and levels of the organization
coordinate activities • Advantages:
• Can work together to solve problems
• Building relationships between
or issues
senior-level and lower-level
• Problems can arise if one manager is employees
unwilling to share information
• Encouraging informal flow of
information in organization
• Reducing chance of a message being
distorted by going through additional
filters
• Reducing workloads of senior-level
managers
External Communication Flows

• Focuses on audiences outside

organization
• Senior management almost always
controls communications that
relate to public image
• First-level and middle-level
management generally handle
operational business
communications such as
purchasing, hiring, and marketing
• Important for employees to behave
professionally
Practice Question 2

What communication flow do you think is most effective in developing

meaningful feedback?

1. Downward.
2. Upward.
3. Sideways.
4. Diagonal.
Barriers to Effective Communication
Learning Outcomes: Barriers to Effective
Communication
14.3: Explain barriers to effective communication
14.3.1: Differentiate between filtering, selective perception, and information
overload
14.3.2: Differentiate between emotional disconnects, lack of source
credibility, and semantics
14.3.3: Explain active listening
Understanding Barriers to Effective
Communication
1. Physical Conditions
2. Filtering
3. Selective Perception
4. Information Overload
5. Semantics
6. Denotation and Connotation
7. Emotional Disconnects
8. Credibility
Practice Question 3

This excerpt from an internal memo confused several employees:

“The salary we are offering is commensurate with remuneration for other managers.”

Which barrier to communication would account for the confusion?

1. Physical conditions.
2. Credibility.
3. Semantics.
4. Information overload.
Active Listening

• Communication technique that has

been around for many years
• Important in parenting classes,
marital relationships, public
schools, counseling, and tutoring
• Focus on listening rather than
talking
• Takes practice—look at speaker in
the eye, note body language, don’t
interrupt, ask questions
• Able to convey that you care about
speaker and their opinions
Channels of Business Communication
Learning Outcomes: Channels of Business
Communication
14.4: Differentiate between typical channels of business
communication
14.4.1: Differentiate between face-to-face, written oral, web-based, and
other typical channels of business communication
14.4.2: Explain the importance of tailoring the message to the audience
Understanding Channels of Business
Communication
• Medium, mean, manner, or
method through which message is
sent to receiver
• Basic channels are written,
oral/spoken, and
electronic/multimedia
• Can be informal, formal, or
unofficial
• Can be rich or lean - refers to
amount of information transmitted
Oral Communications

• Depend on spoken word - richest

mediums and are face-to-face, in-
person, phone conferences,
lectures etc.
• Deliver low-distortion messages
because body language and voice
provides meaning
• Most labor intensive channels
• Used when high likelihood of
creating confusion or anxiety
• Useful when organization wants to
introduce key official followed by
detailed explanation
Written Communications

• E-mails, texts, memos, letters,

reports, spreadsheets, etc.
• Leaner business communications-
writer must provide enough
context for message to make sense
• Receiver should be alert of
confusion and ask for clarification if
needed
• Effective in transmitting large
messages and can be studied
overtime
Electronic (Multimedia) Communications

• TV broadcasts, social media,

interactive blogs, public internet
company pages, Facebook,
Twitter, etc.
• Allow messages to be sent
immediately and globally
• Can also be risky- private
communications of large
corporations have been hacked
and their data stolen
Putting Together the Types of Communications

Type of Channel Advantages Disadvantages

Oral Communications Build relationships and To spontaneous- may lead to
trust; accelerate decision unwise statements; people are
making unable to refer back to information
Written Message can be revised Message is static; sender doesn’t
Communications and studied; perfect for receive immediate feedback; hard
legal and formal for sender to maker sure message is
business functions understood
Multimedia Instant, global, and Technical difficulties and hack
adaptable to multiple attacks threaten security of
targets organizations and customers
Which Channel is Best?

• Best channel is one that most

effectively delivers the message
so that it is understood as sender
wanted
• Nuanced or emotional messages
require rich medium while simple
messages don’t
• The more emotional the context,
the richer the medium should be
Tailoring a Message to an Audience

• Which channel suits the content best?

• What do you want to achieve by sending the message?
• Does the message require interaction from the audience or is it more of
throwing out information?
• Will visual aids help the message or distract from it?
• Do you have to establish your credibility?
• Ask yourself why the audience should care about topic
Know the Audience

• Can’t tailor information to sender

if you don’t know the audience
• Must know:
• How big is audience?
• What is the status of the audience?
• Can you establish empathy with the
audience?
Class Discussion: The Right Channel

A good rule of thumb regarding communication channel is to select the

richest channel available for the job. Which channel would you choose to
send the following communication?

1. You are an event planner and need to let management know the site of
the celebrity tennis tournament you have selected.
2. You are a sales manager and need to know if you field reps are available
for a quick conference call.
3. You need to convince your manager to give you a raise.
4. You need to know if Jolene in the mail room can add additional copies for
the end-of-week stand up.
5. You are the CEO who needs to respond to the IRS for an underpayment
penalty.
Practice Question 4

What is the most important factor leading to effective communication?

1. Selecting the right channel.

2. Crafting the message.
3. Listening for feedback.
4. Tailoring to the audience.
Quick Review

• Can you describe the components of the communication-process model?

• Can you recognize common missteps in communication?
• Are you able to differentiate between formal and informal communication
networks?
• Are you able to differentiate between downward, upward, horizontal,
diagonal, and external communication flows?
• Can you differentiate between face-to-face, written, oral, web-based, and
other typical channels of business communication
• Please explain the importance of tailoring the message to the audience