Chapter 7

Nelson & Quick

Communication

Copyright ©2005 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

 Communication

Communication - the evoking of a shared or common

meaning in another person
Interpersonal Communication - communication
between two or more people in an organization
Communicator - the person originating the message
Receiver - the person receiving a message
Perceptual Screen - a window through which we
interact with people that influences the quality,
accuracy, and clarity of the communication
 Communication

Message - the thoughts and feelings that the

communicator is attempting to elicit in the
receiver
Feedback Loop - the pathway that
completes two-way communication
Language - the words, their pronunciation,
and the methods of combining them used
& understood by a group of people
 Communication

Data - uninterpreted and unanalyzed facts

Information - data that have been interpreted,
analyzed, & and have meaning to some user
Richness - the ability of a medium or channel
to elicit or evoke meaning in the receiver
 Basic Interpersonal
Communication Model

/ / / /
/
/
Communicator /
/
/
/
Receiver /
/
Event
/
/
/
/ Message
/
/
/
/
X
/
/
/
/ • Context /
/
/
/
/
/
/
/ • Affect /
/
/
/

Perceptual screens Perceptual screens

Influence message quality, accuracy, clarity

Include age, gender, values, beliefs, culture,
experiences, needs
 Reflective Listening

Reflective Listening - the skill of listening carefully to

another person and repeating back to the speaker the
heard message to correct any inaccuracies or
misunderstandings

This complex What I heard you

process needs say was we will
to be divided to understand the
be understood process better if we
break it into steps
 Reflective Listening

 Emphasizes receiver’s role

 Helps the receiver & communicator clearly &

fully understand the message sent

 Useful in problem solving

 Reflective Listening

Reflective listening emphasizes

 the personal elements of the communication process
 the feelings communicated in the message
 responding to the communicator, not leading the
communicator
 the role or receiver or audience
 understanding people by reducing perceptual
distortions and interpersonal barriers
 Reflective Listening:
4 Levels of Verbal Response

Affirm contact

Paraphrase the expressed

Clarify the implicit

Reflect “core” feelings

 One-way vs. Two-way
Communications
One-Way Two-Way
Communication - a Communication - the
person sends a message communicator & receiver
to another person and no interact
questions, feedback, or  Good for problem
interaction follow solving
 Good for giving

simple directions
 Fast but often less

accurate than 2-way

communication
 Five Keys to Effective
Supervisory Communication

 Expressive speaking
 Empathetic listening
 Persuasive leadership
 Sensitivity to feelings
 Informative management
 Barriers to Communication

Communication  Physical separation

Barriers -
factors that block  Status differences
or significantly  Gender differences
distort successful  Cultural diversity
communication  Language
 Defensive Communication

Defensive Communication - communication that can be

aggressive, attacking & angry, or passive &
withdrawing
Leads to
 injured feelings

 communication breakdowns

 alienation

 retaliatory behaviors

 nonproductive efforts

 problem solving failures

 Nondefensive Communication

Nondefensive Communication -
communication that is assertive, direct,
& powerful
Provides
 basis for defense when attacked

 restores order, balance, and

effectiveness
 Two Defensiveness Patterns

Subordinate Defensiveness -
characterized by passive,
submissive, withdrawing
behavior

Dominant Defensiveness -
characterized by active,
aggressive, attacking behavior
 Defensive Tactics

Defensive Tactic Speaker Example

Power Play Boss “Finish this report by month’s end
or lose your promotion.”
Put-Down Boss “A capable manager would already
be done with this report.”
Labeling Boss “You must be a slow learner. Your
report is still not done?”
Raising Doubts Boss “How can I trust you, Chris, if you
can’t finish an easy report?”
 Defensive Tactics
Defensive Tactic Speaker Example
Misleading Employee “Morgan has not gone over with
Information me the information I need for the
report.” [Morgan left Chris with a
copy of the report.]
Scapegoating Employee “Morgan did not give me input
until just today.”
Hostile Jokes Employee “You can’t be serious! The report
isn’t that important.”
Deception Employee “I gave it to the secretary. Did she
lose it?”
 Nondefensive Communication:
A Powerful Tool
 Speaker seen as centered, assertive, controlled,
informative, realistic, and honest
 Speaker exhibits self-control & self possession
 Listener feels accepted rather than rejected
 Catherine Crier’s rules to nondefensive communication
1. Define the situation
2. Clarify the person’s position
3. Acknowledge the person’s feelings
4. Bring the focus back to the facts
 Nonverbal Communication
Nonverbal Communication - all elements of communication
that do not involve words
Four basic types
 Proxemics - an individual’s perception & use of space

 Kinesics - study of body movements, including posture

 Facial & Eye Behavior - movements that add cues for the

receiver
 Paralanguage - variations in speech, such as pitch,

loudness, tempo, tone, duration, laughing, & crying

 Proxemics: Territorial Space

Territorial Space - bands of space extending

outward from the body; territorial space differs
from culture to culture
a = intimate <1.5’

b = personal 1.5-4’

c = social 4-12’ a
b
c
d = public >12’ d
 Proxemics: Seating Dynamics

Seating Dynamics - seating people in certain

positions according to the person’s purpose in
communication
X O X
O Communication
Cooperation

X O X O
Non-
Competition
Communication
O
 Examples of
Decoding Nonverbal Cues
He’s
unapproachable!
He’s angry! I’ll
stay out of
his way!

Boss breathes
Boss fails to acknowledge heavily &
employee’s greeting waves arms

I wonder what My opinion

he’s hiding? doesn’t count

No eye contact
while
communicating
Manager sighs deeply
SOURCE: Adapted from “Steps to Better Listening” by C. Hamilton and B. H. Kleiner. Copyright © February 1987. Reprinted with permission, Personnel Journal, all rights
New Technologies
for Communication

 Informational databases
 Electronic mail systems
 Voice mail systems
 Fax machine systems
 Cellular phone systems
 How Do New Technologies
Affect Behavior?

 Fast, immediate access to information

 Immediate access to people in power
 Instant information exchange across distance
 Makes schedules & office hours irrelevant
 May equalize group power
 May equalize group participation
 How Do New Technologies
Affect Behavior?
 Communication can become more impersonal—
interaction with a machine
 Interpersonal skills may diminish—less tact, less
graciousness
 Non-verbal cues lacking
 Alters social context
 Easy to become overwhelmed with information
 Encourages polyphasic activity
 Tips for Effective Use of New
Communication Technologies
Provide
social
interaction
opportunities

Is the Regularly
message disconnect
really from the
necessary? technology

Provide
Don’t
Strive for Build in assume
social
message feedback immediate
interaction
completeness opportunities opportunities
response