The Communication Process

Goals

• Describe the communication process

• Understand Formal Communication Networks (directional flow)

• Describe barriers to effective communication

• Communication

• Sharing of information in which the receiver understands the meaning of the message in the way the sender intended

• Feedback

• Receiver’s response to a sender’s message

Communication Process

Communication Flows

• Formal Communication network – system of official channels that carry organizational messages that can be upward, downward or lateral.

Three Flows of Formal Communication

1.Downward Communication – flow that originate with supervisors and are passed down to employees

2.Upward communication – flows that come from lower to upper organization levels

3.Lateral-Diagonal Flows – flows between individuals of the same positions in the same department or across different departments (ex: manager to manager)

Which Direction is it?

• assignments

• Attitude issues

• Clarifications

• Coordinated efforts brainstorming share ideas

• Directives

• Goals

• Ideas

• Policies

• Problem solving

• Problems on the job

• Procedures

• Share Accomplishments

• Staff advice

In groups of 4, discuss the following work related issues/topics. Decide which direction this type of information generally would flow: Upward, Downward, or Lateral

Your Answers:

Downward: Upward:Lateral

Broken Telephone Game

• Distraction –Anything that interferes with the sender’s creating and delivering a message and the receiver’s getting and interpreting a message

• Called noise

• Ex: ringing phones, emails, text messages, grammar errors, others talking, loud noises

• Some cope by scheduling time to answer calls, write messages etc

Communication Barriers

• Distortion - How people change messages, consciously or unconsciously

• Unconsciously pass along only the information they feel others need, leaving out important information

Communication Barriers

Managers Spend 2/3 of their day Communicating

Communication is vital in running an organization and provides a link between employees and customers and between employees and manager. Managers Communicate in four ways:

• Speaking

• Listening

• Writing

• Reading

How Managers Communicate

19%

13%

6%

31%

31% Speaking

Reading

Writing

Listening

Other Activities