• Managers spend 81% of their day communicating
• Employers screen heavily for communication skills
o Email communication with employer
o Quality of resume content
o Phone communication
o In-person interviews
• Be wary of listing strong communication skills on resume
Communication Process
• Sender transmits through a medium and receiver responds
• Sender – person wanting to share info
• Message – info being communicated
• Medium – pathway by which the message travels
• Receiver – person for whom message is intended
• Encoding – translating message into understandable symbols or language
• Decoding – interpreting & trying to make sense of message
• Feedback – receiver expresses their reaction to sender’s message
• Paraphrasing – when people restate in their words the crux of what they heard
• Noise – any disturbance that interferes with transmission of message
• Jargon – terminology specific to that particular profession or group
Selecting the Right Medium
• Medium richness – indicates how well a particular medium conveys info & promoted
understanding/learning
• Rich medium – best for nonroutine situations & to avoid oversimplifications
• Lean medium – best for routine situations & to avoid overloading
Formal vs. Informal Communication Channels
• Formal
o Follow the chain of command; recognized as official
o Upward, downward, & horizontal
• Informal
o Develop outside the formal structure & does not follow chain of command
Aspects of Informal Communication Channels
• Grapevine
o Unofficial communication within org; rumor mill
o Tends to be more active when formal communication is lacking
• Face-to-face
o Make time for face-to-face communication
Module 15: Fundamentals of Communication
Communication at Work
o Listen more, talk less
• Group meetings like town halls or webcasts
Barriers to Communication
• Physical barriers
o Sound, time, space
• Personal barriers – individual attributes that hinder communication
o Variable skills
o Variation in the way we process & interpret communication
o Variations in trustworthiness & credibility
o Oversized egos
o Fault listening skills
o Generational differences
• Cross-cultural barriers
o Culture encompasses the ideas, values, practices, & material objects that allow a
group of people, even an entire society, to carry out their collective. Lives in
relative order & harmony
• Nonverbal communication – messages sent outside of the written or spoken word
o Eye contact, facial expressions, body movement/gestures
Employee Recruiting with Social Media
• Organizations use multiple channels to recruit
o 82% of companies report using social media to recruit, especially for passive
candidates
• Channels used
o 96% LinkedIn
o 66% Facebook
o 53% Twitter
Employee Productivity
• Social medias impact is context-driven
o Increases efficiencies with communication, especially remote workers
o Provides periodic breaks that enhance overall mental focus
o Orgs resisting embracing social media may be fighting a losing battle
Social Media & Business
• Crowdsourcing – using the internet & social media to enlist a group outside the
organization for help solving a problem
• Brand recognition – effective social campaigns generate customers & recognition
• Social media & business reputation management
o Create/enforce social media policy
o Appoint managers to monitor social media & respond quickly
o Acknowledge there is a problem
o Take conversation offline when necessary
Downsides to Social Media
• Cyberloafing – using internet at work for personal use
• Security – system of safeguards protecting info technology against disasters, system
failures, & unauthorized access that result in damage or loss
• Privacy – right of people not to reveal info about themselves
• Identity theft – thieves hijack name & identity& use good credit rating to get cash or buy
things
Improving Communication Effectiveness
• Defensive communication – aggressive, attacking, angry communication or passive,
withdrawing communication
• Nondefense communication – assertive, direct, & powerful
• Using empathy – ability to recognize & understand another person’s feelings & thoughts
• Active listening – process of actively decoding & interpreting verbal messages
• Effective writing & speaking are critical
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