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