KOM5217 STRATEGIES OF COMMUNICATION

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• KOM5217 STRATEGIES OF COMMUNICATION
• SECOND FACE-TO-FACE MEETING
• The Model of Strategic Communication
• OHair, D., Friedrich, G.W. Shaver, L.D. (1998)
• Strategic Communication in the Business and the
  Profession
• Saturday, 12 April 2014

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• Agenda for Second F2F Lecture
• 12 April 2014
• 910am to 930am Review of Assignment 1 and
  Assignment 2
• 930am to 1045am Lecture on the Model of
  Strategic Communication
• 1045am- 1200pm Example of Group Assignment
  (Option 3)

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• Approaches to effective communication
  strategies
• 1. Maintain Candor
• 2. Keep Messages Accurate
• 3. Avoid Deception
• 4. Maintain Consistent Behavior
• 5. Keep Confidences
• 6. Ensure Timeliness of Communication
• 7. Confront Unethical Behavior
• 8. Cultivate Empathic Listening

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• 1. Maintain Candor
• Candor refers to truthfulness, honesty and
  frankness in your communication with other
  people. Although revealing everything you know
  about a situation may not always be appropriate,
  it is usually wise and ethical to be as open and
  frank about information as possible. Others will
  take note and mirror your behavior, creating
  openness throughout the organization.

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• 2. Keep Messages Accurate
• When you are relaying information from one
  source to another, communicate the original
  message as accurately as possible.

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• Keep Messages Accurate
• Messages are usually more accurately
  disseminated (sent/received) by means of
  face-to-face communication, as compared to using
  technology (such as the phone)
• Ruben, B. (2009 17).

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• 3. Avoid Deception
• Ethical communicators are always vigilant in
  their quest to avoid deception the fabrication,
  intentional distortion, or withholding of
  information in their communication

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• Lecture Week 5 The Model of Strategic
  Communication
• Avoid Deception
• Intentional or unintentional deceptions may
  exists during communication either by means of
  manipulating words or images with the intention
  of deceiving others (Gilchrist, 2008 32)

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• Avoid Deception
• 3.

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• Avoid Deception
• 3.

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• Avoid Deception
• 3.

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• Avoid Deception
• 3.

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• Avoid Deception
• 3.

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• 4. Maintain Consistent Behavior
• One of the most prevalent yet noticeable areas
  of unethical behavior is communicating one thing
  and doing another. You must always monitor your
  behavior to ensure that it matches what you say
  to others.

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• 5. Keep Confidences
• When someone tells you something and expects you
  not to divulge that information to others, a
  sacred trust has been placed on you. Even if you
  tell someone else and make him or her promise not
  to tell others, you cannot really expect that
  person to take you seriously. More often than
  not, the original information gets back to the
  source, and the confidence that person placed in
  you is undermined.

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• 6. Ensure Timeliness of Communication
• The timing of messages can be critical. When you
  delay sending messages so that others do not
  fully benefit, they can (rightly) assume that you
  have acted unethically.

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• 7. Confront Unethical Behaviour
• To maintain consistent ethical viewpoint, you
  must confront unethical behaviour when you
  observe it. Public indictment of unethical
  persons may not be necessary, but it is important
  that such people understand that your own
  tolerance for unethical behaviour is low.

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• 8. Cultivate Empathic Listening
• By lending a sensitive and empathic ear to those
  who are troubled by their own or others
  unethical behavior, you can better understand and
  help to solve the problems associated with these
  acts.

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• Strategic Communication means achieving your
  potential in four areas
• 1. Goal Setting
• 2. Situational Knowledge
• 3. Communication Competence
• 4. Anxiety Management

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• 1. Goal Setting
• Each communication situation can be approached
  as a goal-setting activity. You will be more
  likely to succeed in your communication if you
  set clear and challenging goals for yourself.

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• Goal Setting Process
• Identify the Problem
• Specify as exactly as possible what is to be
  accomplished from the communication event the
  job, assignment, or responsibility to be
  completed.

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• Goal Setting Process
• Map Out a Strategy
• Determine the level of performance necessary to
  achieve the desired goal and create an evaluation
  measure that will tell you if you have reached
  that level. This measure may be as simple as an
  informal checklist that points out specific items
  necessary for success, or it may be a complex and
  sophisticated formal evaluation form that
  measures your level of performance in a variety
  of categories.

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• Goal Setting Process
• Set a Performance Goal
• High goals are preferable to low goals because
  low goals may keep you from realizing your full
  communication potential. It would be a good idea
  to push yourself beyond what you honestly feel
  would be your best performance. You will reach
  that goal more often than you think.

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• Goal Setting Process
• Identify the Resources Necessary to Achieve the
  Goal
• Time, equipment, money, favors, encouragement,
  and moral support are just a few of the resources
  you may need to achieve your goals. Anticipating
  your resource needs will strengthen the plans and
  actions you take later, and planning how you will
  use resources can make your goals more real and
  concrete.

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• Goal Setting Process
• Recognise Contingencies That May Arise
• Contingencies are events, obstacles or
  circumstances that prevent you from reaching your
  goal. If you keep in mind Wiios Law (if
  communication can fail, it will), you will
  anticipate potential problems such as equipment
  failure (for example, overhead and slide
  projector failures), hostile people, cramped
  spaces, time constraints and even illness.

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• Goal Setting Process
• Obtain Feedback
• Feedback clarifies messages and verifies shared
  meaning. Feedback also makes goal setting more
  effective because it indicates when and where you
  may need to adjust your direction or methods so
  that you are achieving your best. Feedback can
  also provide encouragement. If you receive
  feedback messages that support your goals and
  your progress toward them, you are more likely to
  reach those goals and set higher ones in the
  future.

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• 2. Situational Knowledge
• Information that you have (or can collect) about
  the requirements for successful communication in
  a particular context is situational knowledge.
  You greatly improve your chances of successful
  communication if you know what is appropriate and
  expected of you.

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• 3. Communication Competence
• When you plan communication strategically, you
  choose a number of factors such as type of
  message, type of channel, style of delivery.
  Communication competence also entails adapting
  correctly to situational demands.

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• Communication Competence
• Be Specific
• Include as many details and definite facts as
  possible to prevent vagueness (get straight to
  the point)

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• Communication Competence
• Be Accurate
• Ensure that what you are communicating is as
  authentic and reliable as possible.

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• Communication Competence
• Be Honest
• Dont give in to the temptation to use data,
  facts and relationships in ways that are less
  than forthright just to strengthen your case.

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• Communication Competence
• Be Logical
• Keep in mind that messages are most easily
  understood when they follow a logical, rational
  and sequential path that others can readily
  follow.

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• Communication Competence
• Be Complete
• Check your potential message to ensure that you
  have provided all the information the receiver
  requires.

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• Communication Competence
• Be Succinct
• While being complete, be as brief or concise as
  possible. No one in the professional world has
  time for unnecessarily long messages.

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• Communication Competence
• Include Time Frames
• All receivers need to know the time frames you
  have in mind for acting on your message. When you
  need action, give a specific indication in your
  message.

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• Communication Competence
• Be Relevant
• Make sure that the only people getting your
  message are those who need or want it. Sending
  messages to just anyone wastes your time and
  theirs.

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• Communication Competence
• Be Timely
• Be sure to send messages in a timely fashion.
  Messages should not arrive too early or too late.

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• Communication Competence
• Ask For Feedback
• Ask receivers for feedback to elicit information
  about their feelings and reactions to your
  message.

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• The Model of Strategic Communication
• 4. Anxiety Management
• Job interviews, meetings with superiors, and
  group problem-solving meetings are a few of the
  many situations that may cause anxiety on the
  job. Control of anxiety is a critical element in
  effective and strategic communication.

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• Anxiety Management
• Communication Anxiety Study
• A study conducted by Wallenchinsky (1995) among
  urban respondents in New York on their
  communication skills revealed that 87 felt
  uncomfortable during formal communication,
  especially when facing a group of audience
  (giving speeches)

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• Anxiety Management
• Communication Anxiety
• Wallenchinskys (1995) study listed the
  following top 10 human fears
• 10. DOGS
• 9. LONELINESS
• 8. FLYING
• 7. DEATH
• 6. SICKNESS

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• Anxiety Management
• Communication Anxiety
• 5. DEEP WATER
• 4. FINANCIAL PROBLEMS
• 3. INSECTS AND BUGS
• 2. HEIGHTS

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• Anxiety Management
• Communication Anxiety
• 1. SPEAKING BEFORE A GROUP

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• Anxiety Management
• Causes of Communication Anxiety
• Novelty
• People are especially anxious in new
  communication situations.

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• Anxiety Management
• Causes of Communication Anxiety
• Formality
• Communication situations that require prescribed
  actions and behaviors and allow little deviation
  from those norms frequently cause anxiety

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• Anxiety Management
• Causes of Communication Anxiety
• Subordinate Status
• Being in a subordinate position often causes
  people to feel intimidated and ill at ease

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• Anxiety Management
• Causes of Communication Anxiety
• Conspicuousness
• Communication situations that put people at the
  center of others attention (such as public
  speaking) can be uncomfortable

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• Anxiety Management
• Causes of Communication Anxiety
• Lack of Skill
• A communicator who knows that he/she does not
  have the communication skills necessary to be
  effective in some situations is likely to feel
  anxious.

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• Anxiety Management
• Causes of Communication Anxiety
• Past Experiences
• Failure in certain communication situations
  (such as job interviews) may cause anxiety about
  future encounters.

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• Anxiety Management
• Causes of Communication Anxiety
• Evaluation
• Knowing that communication skills are being
  assessed can cause anxiety, especially if there
  is a lot at stake.

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• THE END
• SECOND FACE-TO-FACE MEETING
• APRIL 2014