TOPIC 8

Communicating Effectively
within Diverse Organizations

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Can We Talk or Whatever?
• Communication
 The process that managers use to interact with
subordinates, peers, supervisors, customers,
suppliers, owners, the general public, etc.
 It is a complex process that requires constant
attention so that intended meanings, understandings,
and/or feelings, are sent and received.
 Communication is the activity to which managers
devote an overwhelming proportion of their time.

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Communication Complexity
• Communication is complicated and dynamic
with many factors influencing its effectiveness.
 Senders, messages, channels, and receivers do not
remain constant or static.
 Even a simple two-person interactions involving
multiple variables.
 Communication is symbolic with the meaning of most
of our words and signs changing over time.

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Communication Defined
• Communication stems from the Latin root word
communicare, which means “to make common.”
 A process in which one person or group evokes an
identical meaning in a second person or group.

• Defining communication is relatively simple, but

achieving high-quality communication is both
complicated and difficult.

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 Three essential points
in communication

1.Communication involve
other people
2.Communication involve
shared meanings
3.Communication is symbolic
e.g gestures, sound, letters
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The communication process / the elements
of communication

1.Sender 2. Encoding
3.Message 4. Channel
5.Decoding 6. Receiver
7.Feedback 8. Noise

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Figure 11.1 Basic Components in the Communication Process

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The Communication process
1.Sender
The message source.
2.Encoding-The sender selects symbols to
compose a message e.g. words or
pictures
3.Message-Information formulated by the
sender .
4.Channel – The medium carrier through
which a message travels.e.g telephone or
paper
5.Decoding-The receiver translates and
interprets the message 8
6.Receiver-The target audienc
7.Feedback-The receivers response or
reaction to the message
8.Noise –Any factor which disturbs,
interferes or become a barrier to the
message.

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Two types of noise:
1.Physical noise e.g noise from
machines
2.Psychological noise e.g lack
of attention or poor listening

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 One way versus two
way communication

One way com.-The sender

communicates without expecting
feedback from the receiver e.g
policy statements from top
managers
Two way com.-involve feedback
e.g group discussion

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 Interpersonal Communication
• Oral Communication
 spoken
• Written Communication
 letters
• Nonverbal Communication
 gestures,time,physical characteristics,
appearance,etc
• Technological Communication
 e-mail

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 Checklist for Planning More Effective Oral Presentations

1. Establish your goals Have a clear image of your goals or purpose. Ask yourself,
“What is it that I want to accomplish?”
2. Analyze the audience Know your audience so you can effectively select the
appropriate content, vocabulary, and visual aids. When the members of your
audience are from diverse backgrounds or occupations, it is especially important to
find a common bond.
3. Diagnose the environmental conditions Be aware of how much time you will
have, and use your time effectively. Determine in advance, if possible, the audience
size, physical layout of the room and speaking area, and technical equipment.
4. Organize your material Remember that your message can be followed easily if
your material is organized. A logical flow of thoughts will help your listeners follow
the message. Start with a brief introduction that provides a preview, follow with a
body that develops, and finish with a conclusion that reviews.
5. Design and use visual aids Keep in mind that visual aids not only help to clarify
material and heighten its impact but also keep an audience alert. Keep the visual
aids simple and use them to emphasize, clarify, or pull together important
information. Remember, the purpose of visual aids is to support your presentation
rather than be the presentation.

Source: Adapted from Management Skills: Practice and Experience by P. Fandt. Copyright 1993.
By permission of South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning Inc., Mason, Ohio 45040.
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Nonverbal Communication
• Kinesic behavior, or body motion: gestures, facial
expressions, and eye behavior.
• Physical characteristics: body shape, physique, posture,
height, and weight.
• Paralanguage: voice quality, speech rate, pitch, and
laughing.
• Proxemics: the way people perceive space, seating
arrangements, and conversational distance.
• Environment: building and room design, furniture, light,
noise, and cleanliness.
• Time: being late or early, keeping others waiting.

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Technological Communication
• Telecommuting or “Telework”
 Working at a remote site through a computer linked to
a central office or other employment location.
• Electronic Mail (E-mail)
 Sending messages through computerized text-
processing and communication networks.
• Video Conferencing
 An umbrella term for technologies that use live video
to unite widely dispersed company operations.
• The Internet
 Essentially, “everything” can be done on the internet.

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Why Managers Communicate
• To motivate
• To inform
• To control
• To satisfy social needs

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 Sources of Communication Barriers

1. Cross-cultural diversity Cultural differences may arise between people

from different geographic or ethnic groups within one country as well as
between people from different national cultures.
2. Trust and credibility Without trust, the communicating parties
concentrate their energies on defensive tactics, rather than on conveying
and understanding meaning.
3. Information overload Individuals can experience information overload
when they are asked to handle too much information at one time.
4. Language characteristics Many words or phrases are imprecise.
Individuals often use different meanings or interpretations of the same
word and do not realize it.
5. Gender differences Since males and females are often treated
differently from childhood, they tend to develop different perspectives,
attitudes about life, and communication styles.
6. Other factors Time pressures, physical distractions, differing perceptions,
and noise can all interfere with good communication.

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 Overcoming Barriers to
effective
communication
1.Obtain feedback
2.Use simple language
3.Recognize emotions
4.Do not make own conclusions
5.Avoid noise
6.Create openess and trust
7.Understand verbal and non-verbal
com.
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Communication Channels
• Formal Communication Channels
 Formal communication follows the chain of command
and is recognized as official.
• Direction of Flow
 One way to view formal communication within
organizations is to examine how it flows—vertically
and horizontally.

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 Formal Communication
in organization

There are two main types of

formal com. In organization :
1.Vertical com.-messages
move upward or downward
2. Lateral com.-Also known as
horizontal com.
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Vertical Communication
• The flow of information both up and down the
chain of command.
 Downward communication
 Messages sent from individuals at higher levels of
the organization to those at lower levels.
 Upward communication
 Messages sent up the line from subordinates to
managers.

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Lateral communication
•Communication between
individuals on the same level
e.g. communication between
marketing and finance
manager.
•Used to share info among co-
workers and increase
coordination and cooperation.
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Factors affecting communication in ORG.
1.Formal channels – As org size increases the
communication channels becomes more complex.
2.Authority structure –A person’s position in the
org.
3.Job specialization – Facilitates com among
members in the same dept.
4.Information ownership – a person may
possess info. But unwilling to share with others.

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Information Understanding and Loss

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Horizontal Communication
• The flow of information that occurs both within
and between departments.
• Effective organizations encourage horizontal
communication because it increases:
 Coordination
 Collaboration
 Cooperation

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Spontaneous Communication Channels
• Casual, opportunistic, and informal paths for
communication that arise from the social
relationships that evolve in the organization.
• The Grapevine
 An informal method of transmitting information
depicted as the wandering of messages throughout
the organization.

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Informal communication
Also known as “The Grapevine”
Communication which is not
officially sanction by
managers.However it is also
important:
1.Facilitate the flow of info.
2.Satisfy employees social needs

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Types of grapevines ( informal
com.)
1.Single strand-The least
accurate grapevine because
info will be altered at each level
2.Gossip –Used to convey
interesting but non job related
info.

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Types of grapevines ( informal com.)

3.Probability-also used to
convey non job related info.
4.Cluster-The most dominant
form of grapevine.Used to
convey interesting, job related
an up to date info.

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Communication Competency Challenges
• Expect to be misunderstood by at least some
listeners and readers.
• Expect to misunderstand others.
• Strive to reduce the degree of such
misunderstandings, but never expect total
elimination of them or the ability to anticipate all
possible outcomes.

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Principles of Effective Feedback
• Give feedback that is specific rather than general.
• Give feedback when the receiver appears ready to
accept it.
• Focus feedback on behavior rather than the person, and
focus it on behavior that can be changed.
• Provide feedback using descriptive information about
what the person said or did.
• Avoid feedback using evaluative inferences about
motives, intent, or feelings.

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Advanced Listening Skills
• Listen for message content.
• Listen for feelings.
• Respond to feelings.
• Be sensitive to both the nonverbal
and the verbal content of messages.
• Reflect back to the sender, in your own words,
what you think you are hearing.
• Be attentive and listen to understand, not to reply.
• Be patient. Don’t interrupt the speaker. Take time
to digest what has been said before responding.

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