Chapter 12 Communication Strategies

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Chapter 12Communication Strategies
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Objectives

• Understand and use the communication model.
• Understand the importance of effective listening.
• Recognize effective feedback techniques.
• Identify formal and informal communication
  networks.
• Understand the importance of multi-directional
  communication flows.
• Comprehend the basics of written and oral
  communication presentation skills.

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• The most important tool for a manager/supervisor
• Engage effectively in communication

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HR Managers Managers ManagersHR Managers
Management EducatorsHR Managers Communications
Expert

• Internal marketing representative
• Must sell job positions to potential employees
  and to current employees
• Communications the expectations for workers
• HR managers responsibility to communicate
  objectives, strategies, policies, procedures,
  rules, etc.
• Teach effective communications skills to all of
  the managers
• HR practitioners as managers communication expert

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Communication in Organizations

• A complicated task
• The most prominent problem in organizations
• Each person perceives information in different
  ways
• While everyone in a group of people may hear the
  same message, that message will mean different
  things to different people.
• Figure 12.1

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Communication Components

• Sender An individual with an idea to be
  communicated to a receiver
• Encode Placing and idea into symbols
• The Sender thinks of an idea/thought in the
  Senders mind
• Medium The communication vehicle for a message
• Written, electronic, verbal format
• Decode Making personal sense from a message on
  the part of a receiver
• Receiver The intended target of a message

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Communication Components(Cont.)

• Channel The directional flow of a message from
  sender to receiver
• The process of encoding into a medium and
  decoding by the receiver comprises the channel of
  the message
• Feedback The loop moves from the receiver back
  to the sender to confirm understanding of the
  message
• After the Receiver decodes the message a Feedback
  loop is used for the Receiver to respond to the
  message
• The Feedback loop closes the cycle
• This permits the process of Sender, Medium, and
  Receiver to begin again

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• The majority of individuals listen at an
  effectiveness rate of 25
• Senior management positions spend as much as 85
  
• of their communication time listening to
  other people
• The smart manager is the listening business

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Barriers to Effective Listening

• Effective listening requires time, energy,
  concentration, technique, and objectivity.
• Listening actively actually requires more effort
  than talking or writing.

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Barriers to Effective Listening
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Example of Diverted attention as a barrier to
effective listening

• An individual arranges to meet with the manager
• As the individual approaches the managers office
  at the appointed time, the manager is on the
  phone.
• The manager waves the person into the office
  without missing any of the phone conversation.
• The person sits down and waits for the phone
  conversation to end.
• Finally, the manager hangs up the phone and
  addresses the person sitting in the office.
• As the person begins to speak, the manager
  shuffles through papers on the desk.
• The manager is not fully listening to that
  person, who is likely to feel uncomfortable with
  the lack of attention.

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Example of Mood as a barrier to effective
listening

• An employee may enter the managers office to
  discuss on some issues
• The manager is under severe stress - Fatigued and
  distracted

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Example of experience as a barrier to effective
listening

• An employee wants to talk to the manager about a
  problem that has been recently addressed by many
  other workers.
• Upon hearing the topic of discussion, the manager
  indicates disinterest in what the person has to
  say the manager has already heard it all.

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Example of judgmental attitude as a barrier to
effective listening

• The employee is attempting to explain to the
  manager the reason that some action was taken.
• The manager appears to be closed minded.

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Example of Noise (distraction) as a barrier to
effective listening

• There is a small meeting with 4 participants.
• Mr. A stands-up and gazes out the window.
• Mr. B is doodling.
• Ms. C is tapping a pencil.

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Planning the Response as a barrier to effective
listening

• When a conversation is happening, both parties
  are concentrating on how they are going to
  respond before the other person is finished
  talking
• How to overcome this barrier???
• The speaker (sender) should reiterate the message
  until the listener indicates that it has been
  heard by responding appropriately

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Judgmental Barrier as a barrier to effective
listening

• At workplace
• Some managers believe that workers will waste
  the managers time or have unimportant issues
• How to overcome this type of barrier???
• Manager (sender) should stay optimistic and
  assume that the worker is going to focus on an
  issue of substance

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Forms of Communication

• Formal
• The organizations communications channels
• Informal
• Communication outside the mainstream of the
  organizations communications channels

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1. Formal Communication

• Types of formal communications (representing the
  interests of the organization)
• Performance appraisals, letters, meetings,
  announcements, policies, procedures, standards,
  and newsletters

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2. Informal Communication

• Communication outside the mainstream of the
  organizations communications channels
• The Grapevine
• Rumor mill or the word on the street
• Carries social information and gossip among
  workers
• Rumors
• Innuendo
• Speculation
• Hearsay information

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2. Informal Communication (cont.)

• Sometimes may be a source of accurate information
  
• It travels faster than the flow of information
  in the formal communications
  process
• Opportunities to engage in constructive informal
  communications with workers

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Choosing Message Media- Forms of Message

• Two major categories.
• Written media
• Notes, memos, letters, email, etc.
• Verbal interaction
• Meetings, informal conversations, etc.

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Choosing Message Media Written Communication
form/media

• Advantages
• Message lasts for a long period of time
• Provides documentation of an event for
  reference/record
• More formal occasions call for written media
• Conversations or meetings may be clarified
  through written follow-up documents

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Choosing Message Media Written Communication
form/media

• Problems with over reliance on written
  communications
• The perceived lack of importance of memos and
  other correspondence in most organizations.
• Less interaction with the employee
  than face-to-face interaction

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Choosing Message MediaII. Verbal communication

• Advantages
• Opportunities to extract information through
  non-verbal cues (body language, facial
  expression, eye contact, etc) (both parties)
• When employees are invited to interact with a
  manager or supervisor there is a feeling of
  importance and therefore will create more buy-in
  from the employee
• Personal interaction with employees- As long as
  professional distinctions are maintained,
  familiarity makes the work environment
  comfortable

Managers need to take every appropriate
opportunity to communicate verbally with members
of the staff
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Choosing Message Media

• Managers must decide on the appropriate
  communication media for each set of circumstances
  
• Suggestion
• Personal interaction be chosen as a medium for
  communication
• Verbal interaction with written follow-up
  correspondence

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Directional Flows of Organizational
Communications- The Channel

• The direction of transmission throughout the
  organizations hierarchy (organization chart).
• Many managers are familiar with the traditional
  downward direction of communication
• But...
• Effective communications in a organization
  require flows of information in multiple
  directions

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A Healthy Organization
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Directional Flows of Organizational Communications

• Upward flows
• Include open feedback to managers who support
  those working on the line
• Lateral flows
• Provide organization of tasks among operating
  departments
• Diagonal flows
• Provide support information from higher levels in
  the organization to line workers
• Upward diagonal flows
• Provide feedback to diagonal support networks

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Communication Skills for HR Practitioners

• HR manager must
• Develop impeccable written communication
  abilities in order to represent the company
• Communicate internally within the organization by
  compiling documents
• policies, procedures, rules, and manuals.
• Authoring less formal types of doccuments
• letters, memoranda, notices, incident reports and
  disciplinary warning documents.
• Possess solid presentation skills
• Executive proposals, third party testimonies,
  recognition ceremonies, and seminar
  presentations.
• Possess the ability to read non-verbal cues
• eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, subtle
  cues

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Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS)

• MIS
• HRIS
• HR database would consist of records located in
• Employment (personnel actions and applicant flow
  data)
• Compensation (payroll and benefits)
• Job analysis (job descriptions and job
  specifications)
• Training/development files

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Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS)

• Many newly developed communication processes that
  permit access to certain database areas directly
  by employees
• Provides search engine capability to assist users
  to find and enter information
• HR functions
• job postings, applications and other recruitment
  and selection processes

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Next 2 weeks

• SPRING BREAK next week!
• No class 3/13 and 3/15
• Have fun- be safe!
• 3/20 and 3/22- Chapter 13 (Leadership)
• Assignment 2 due on or before Wednesday March 22