Quote of the week

Ideals are like stars we may not reach them but like mariners at sea we chart our course by them

Ch.1

Communicating Successfully in an Organization

a communication Dilemma at Hallmark Tuning up communication with employees, dealers, and customers

Facing

Communication, Business & You



Organizations like Halmarkmake sure that communication inside and outside the company are open, honest and clear. Ability to communicate increases productivity, both individual and organizations Shapes impression you make on colleagues, employees, supervisors, investors, and customers Helps you to perceive the needs of the stakeholders, and it helps you to respond to those needs Your communication skills determine your success whether you:
Run your own business Work for an employer invest in a company raise money for charities

Job description of National Business Employment Weekly Because every member of an organization is a link in the information chain. Flow of information inside the organization:
Staff meetings progress reports project proposals research results loan applications purchasing agreements help-wanted ads helpdistribution contracts product advertisements sales calls

or outside the organization:

 

within company you & your coworkers use the information you obtain from one another to guide your activities a manager coordinates these activities & efforts constant flow of information up, down & across the organization As manager, you carry out decision by collecting facts, analyzing them, and transmitting directions to lower-level employees. lowerEmployees serve as the eyes and ears of an organization You are a contact point in both the external & internal communication networks.

Internal Communication
 Formal

Communication Channels  Information may travel up, down or across an organizations formal hierarchy.  Tall narrow structure of organization with many levels risk distortion of information  One way to reduce distortion is to reduce number of levels

Downward information flow

 

At most organizations, decisions made at top flow down to people who will carry them out Downward messages might take the form of a casual conversation, or formal interview between a supervisor and an individual employee, or communicated orally, through workshop or on videotape. Typical messages include:
Briefings on the organizations mission & strategies Instructions on how to perform various jobs Explanations of policies and procedures Feedback on employee performance Motivational pep talk

Upward information flow

 

To solve problems and make decisions managers must know whats going on in the organization Since they cant be everywhere at once, executives depend on lower level employees to furnish them with information like: reports on problems, emerging trends, opportunities for improvement, grievances & performance The danger is that employees will report only the good news. Methods for channeling information upwards: group meetings, interviews with employees who are leaving company, employee surveys, etc Many companies have set up suggestions systems that encourages employees to submit ideas for improving business

Horizontal information flow



  

Communication flows from one dept. to another either laterally or diagonally Bypasses bureaucratic barriers Efficiency of the company enhances Horizontal information through Computer networks, and teamwork Without it co-workers arent able to share coinformation, resulting in missed deadlines, duplicated efforts, increased cost, extra time, decreased product quality & deteriorating employee relationship.

Informal Communication Channels

 Grapevine  Some

top executives are wary of informal communication  Informal Communication increase when official channels are closed  To minimize grapevine, companies make sure that official word gets out

External Communication
Customers  Vendors  Distributors  Competitors  Investors  Journalists  Government and community representatives


Formal Contacts with outside

 Marketing

and public relations departments

As consumer you often receive marketing messages:
 Face-to-face Face-to-

or telephone conversation with

sales people  Direct-mail solicitations Direct TV & radio commercials  Newspaper/magazines ads  Product brochures  Mail order catalogs

 In addition to advertising & selling product, marketing dept. handles

 Product

development  Physical distribution  Market research  Customer service (all involve sending & receiving information)

Basically marketing has 3 responsibilities:

 To

find out who customers are & what they want  To develop products that satisfy those needs  To get the product into customers hands

 The public relations dept manages:

Organizations reputation  Addresses audience such as employees, customers, investors, govt agencies, and the general public  While marketing messages are paid by company, PR messages usually carried the media when considered newsworthy.  Communication tools used by PR dept. include


News releases, lobbying programs, special events, booklets & brochures about the organization, letters, annual reports, audiovisual materials, speeches, tours and internal publications for employees

Crisis Communication One of the most visible & important functions of PR dept. is to manage & respond to crisis Informal Contacts with outsiders

Characteristics of Effective Communication

 

An open communication climate a reflection of corporate culturethe mixture of culture values, traditions and habits that give a place its atmosphere or personality some companies tend to choke off the upward flow of communication believing that debate is time consuming As Hallmarks Dean Rodenbough confirms, style of management influence companys communication climate Douglas McGregars theory, Wiliam Ouchi theory

A commitment to ethical communication

Accurate & sincere  Avoid language that manipulates, discriminates or exaggerates  You dont hide negative information  You dont state opinion as facts  You portray graphic data fairly  You dont allow personal preferences to influence your perception  You act in good faith


Recognizing Ethical Choices Ethical dilemma Ethical lapse Making ethical choices
One place to look for guidance is the law  Moral considerations  Although law will resolve some ethical questions, youll often have to rely on your own judgment or principles  Apply Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  Examine your motives: if your intent is honest, the message is ethical, even though it may be factually incorrect, and vice versa.  Opt for the solution that provides the greatest good to the greatest number of people  Ask your self a set of questions;  Is this decision legal?  Is it balanced?  Is it a decision you can live with?  Is it feasible?


 Organizational

Considerations Making profit is to a business what eating is to body. It is absolutely necessary; if you dont eat you die. But very few of us would consider eating to be the purpose of human life.

Motivating ethical choices

Organizations can foster ethical behaviour

By helping to managers become more sensitive communicators By rewarding ethical actions By using ethics audit

An Understanding of Intercultural Communication

Businesses crossing national boundaries to compete on a global scale  Nature of global & domestic work force changing  Numerous countries use English for commerce  Even native speakers need to avoid mistakes that can lead to miscommunication  These companies must understand the laws, customs & business practices of their host countries.  They must deal with business associates and employees who are native to those countries. (Ch. 3 in detail)


A

proficiency in Communication Technology (ch 4 in detail)  An Audience Centered Approach to Communication  Using an Audience-Centered Audienceapproach means keeping your audience/readers in mind all the time while communicating  This will support the other five factors of effective communication

 An

efficient flow of Communication Messages  Routine communication represents a major expense. See data on p14  But all companies can hold down the costs & maximize the benefits of their communication by:
Reducing the Number of Messages Speeding up the preparation of messages Training the writers and speakers

 Avoid combination of words that could be replaced by one word: delay instead of put off, maintain instead of keep up Avoid slang that is easily misinterpreted. Avoid using acronym without first spelling out the meaning: explain that possible ASAP means as soon as possible as Avoid being satisfied with poor listening skills: try to obtain frequent feedback Avoid using pretentious terminology & jargon: try to use simple, clear language Avoid using terms that may mean something different in another culture, e.g napkin