Reading: Lesson 1 - The Communication Process

7.1.A - The Communication Process

1. THE COMMUNICATION MODEL

1. Erica is a typical manager because much of her time is spent communicating— speaking, listening, writing, and reading. Managers communicate in person, by phone, through the Internet, and by paper documents. They also communicate through other means, such as a smile, a frown, or a wave. Communication is vital in running organizations. Communication provides a link between employees and customers and between employees and managers. In fact, it has been estimated that managers communicate more than 80 percent of each workday. Poor communication is one of the biggest problems managers face. Poor communication can lead to disagreements, faulty work, delayed performance, and industrial accidents. Two major barriers that interfere with communication are distractions and distortions. According to the Project Management Institute, up to 56 percent of a project’s success can be at risk due to poor communication in an organization. The Figure below shows the differences found in project outcomes at businesses that are highly effective communicators versus those that are minimally effective communicators. 
   

   
   

2. Communication is the sharing of information, in which the receiver understands the meaning of the message in the way the sender intended. Communication includes more than passing along factual data. It includes sharing ideas, beliefs, and opinions. It is a two-way process between senders and receivers. The senders must put the information into clear words, and the receivers must try to understand the message as the senders intended. If the receivers do not fully understand the message or need more information, they should ask for clarification. Thus, feedback is critical to effective communication.
   
3. Feedback is a receiver’s response to a sender’s message. The response may be in the form of asking questions to clarify the meaning of a message. Or, receivers may restate the message in their own words, so that the senders can verify that the receivers understood the meaning as intended. The communication process and the role of feedback are illustrated in the Figure below. 
   

   
   

4. Interruptions occur all too often while communicating. Anything that interferes with the sender’s creation and delivery of a message and the receiver’s receipt and interpretation of a message is a distraction. Distractions are potential causes of communication problems. Two workers who whisper to each other during a meeting create a distraction that may cause a nearby worker to miss a point made by the manager. It may also cause the manager to forget to mention a point. Ringing phones, grammatical errors in messages, and loud noises are other examples of barriers to communication. Because distractions affect communication, some managers learn to work with various interruptions, whereas others try to keep interruptions to a minimum. For example, some managers place telephone calls or write messages during specific times of the day when interruptions are less likely to occur.
   

5. When senders create messages, they must select the information they want to include. They need not include every bit of data surrounding an idea, event, or situation. Senders select only the information they think the receivers need in order to understand the message. Depending on the information selected, though, the message can become distorted. Distortion refers to how people consciously or unconsciously change messages. Distortion is usually not deliberate. People unconsciously pass along only information they think others need. Often they leave out important data. Distortion may be deliberate, however, for self-enhancement or self-protection. For example, an employee may tell a supervisor about a machine breakdown but not admit that he or she did not oil the machine regularly. Or a manager may give an employee a very good rating because she likes him, even though the worker’s performance may be only average. Distortion can also occur because people often “hear” what they want to. We all bring our own perspectives to any situation. We filter messages we receive through our own system of beliefs and experience. Therefore, sometimes what we understand the sender to say was not at all what the sender meant. Receivers don’t necessarily have to agree with the message, but they have a responsibility to use feedback to try to understand it as the sender intended.
   

2. CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION

1. A channel of communication is the means by which a message is conveyed. Channels can carry three types of communication: oral, written, and nonverbal. For example, print on paper channels carry mostly written communication. Radio broadcasts carry oral communication. Video broadcasts can carry oral, written, and nonverbal communication. New cellular systems allow personal digital devices to send and receive oral (voice), written (text), and nonverbal (images) communication.
   
2. In the opening story, we learned that Erica’s schedule for the next business day is nearly filled with oral communications. Speaking with employees, attending meetings, and receiving and making phone calls consume a great deal of a manager’s time. Day-to-day communications require frequent contact with people on a one-to-one basis. That contact may be formal, as when Erica interviews a potential employee, or it may be informal, as when she chats with another employee about the company picnic. Giving employees oral instructions is an especially common and significant task. How well managers communicate determines in great part how high they rise on the management ladder.
   
3. Written business communications take many forms. The most common are emails, reports, memos, and letters. Other written communications include manuals, invoices, telephone messages, and notes. Written communications sent electronically include emails, faxes, and postings to social network sites or blogs. The Figure below lists some common uses for written business communication. For many businesses, this communication is delivered electronically through email or attachments to email messages. In 1970, executives received about 1,000 external communications per year. Today, that number has grown to over 30,000 per year, or around 100 emails, text messages, or other types of messages per day. To communicate effectively in writing, senders should compose messages using precise, unambiguous words and proper grammar. The messages should also be concise. Long or unnecessary messages contribute to information overload. In turn, information overload slows decision making and becomes an obstacle to effective use of work time. Written messages may also include the use of psychology. For example, good news should appear early in a message, and bad news should appear later, after the explanation. 
   

   
   

4. Delivering messages by means other than speaking or writing is called nonverbal communication. Flashing lights, stop signs, and sirens are examples of physical ways to communicate. Even colors, such as the green, yellow, and red used for traffic lights, signal messages—go, caution, and stop. Nonverbal communication also appears in written documents in the form of charts, diagrams, and pictures. People also give nonverbal messages through their body movements. Gestures, movements, and mannerisms used to communicate are called body language. Examples include frowns, smiles, posture, hand or body movements, or the presence or absence of eye contact. Nonverbal messages convey meaning as much as verbal messages do. Managers should be aware of the nonverbal messages they convey to others and that others convey to them. These messages are often given unconsciously. Sometimes a nonverbal message confirms or contradicts a verbal message. For example, what impression would Erica get if the job applicant said, “I am extremely interested in the position,” but came unprepared for the interview and wore jeans and a dirty T-shirt? If you were interviewing this person, which message would you believe—the verbal or nonverbal one? Actions often speak louder than words.
   
5. Electronic communication can be oral, written, or nonverbal. Electronic mail has changed written communication. Each day over 100 billion business emails are sent around the world. Personal use of email is expected to decline and be replaced by instantaneous communication with family and friends through social networking sites, text messaging, and instant messaging. Email is popular for business communication because it lowers communication costs, minimizes paper handling, speeds communications and decision making, and improves office productivity. Because of the rapid growth and widespread use of email, businesses have adopted policies and practices that address email use. Managers are responsible for making sure employees understand and abide by these policies and practices.
   
6. Some businesses establish email policies to protect the organization, business partners, employees, and customers. Typically such policies state that employees should use email only for job-related matters, with occasional exceptions. In fact, businesses can track all inbound and outbound messages and read them if they want. In general, employee communications cannot be considered private, because all employee actions represent the firm. Companies like General Electric remind employees as they log on that most Internet and email use should be solely for business tasks and all activity may be recorded and reviewed. Also, email should not be considered private, because outsiders can access it. For that reason, some organizations install software programs that automatically self-destruct messages after a designated time, limit the number of times a message can be opened and read, and prevent the forwarding of messages. Protecting the company from lawsuits is too critical to be left to chance. Jokes, off-color stories, and flame messages reflect negatively on the company image. A flame is an electronic message that contains abusive, threatening, or offensive content that may violate company policy or public law. Abusive sexual language, for example, can lead to a sexual harassment lawsuit by offended employees. Abusers are subject to dismissal, and firms may be sued for allowing harassment to develop.
   
7. Writing and responding to email deserve the same courtesy that other written communication deserves. Good business writing requires that messages have a meaningful subject line as well as a pleasant but business-like tone that gets to the point quickly and ends graciously. Most messages should be short. If necessary, documents and other files can be sent with the message as attachments. Every email message should follow good writing guidelines. Writers should construct sentences properly, without spelling errors. Quickly proof-reading a message before sending it is worth the time and effort to avoid embarrassing mistakes. Carefully prepared messages reflect on the writer and the organization. In addition to following good writing guidelines, email users should be concerned about the content and tone of their messages. Rumors and gossip should not be shared through email. Managers should keep in mind that emails can be archived for months or even years. Archived messages can provide valuable documentation in the future. Effective managers set standards for their own email practices and for their employees.
   
8. Information overload is a common complaint of managers and workers in information-intensive jobs. High email volume is often part of the problem. Most software programs allow users to sort incoming messages by senders or subject. This can help users prioritize messages and plan how to respond. Setting aside certain times of the day to respond to email can be an effective time-management tool. Dealing with unwanted email, including spam, can take up valuable time. Spam is unsolicited advertising that finds its way into email boxes. Most companies filter email to prevent spam from getting to individual mailboxes. However, individual users must deal with other unwanted email. In some situations, you may need to ask coworkers or subordinates to refrain from sending messages that do not relate to your work. At the same time, you must make sure that you are not creating similar problems for others. Taking a few seconds to consider the needs of others before forwarding a message, copying people on a message, or using the “reply to all” feature can help reduce unwanted email.