Effective Communication for Business

“Human Beings Create theSymbols of Communication, and

Then They Cannot Understand theSymbols They Create.”

Anonymous

By Cosimo Cannata, I.T.C.G. Piazza Armerina, a.s. 2009-2010

Types of Communication

Formal and informal Upward, downward, and

horizontal Spoken and written Electronic

Business Communication Developing excellent

communication skills is absolutely essential to effective leadership.

The leader must be able to share knowledge and ideas to transmit a sense of urgency and enthusiasm to others.

Objectives

Define and give examples of types of communication.

Describe the six functions of nonverbal communication.

Describe and explain the role of the eight types of nonverbal symbols.

Differentiate between formal and informal communication

Basic Communication Model

The sender encodes the message and selects a channel. The receiver decodes the message and uses feedback to respond.

Message

Feedback

Sender

Receiver

Communication Processes

Communication is the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, by speech, signals, writing, or behaviour between a sender and a receiver.

Types of Communication

Formal and informal Upward, downward, and

horizontal Spoken and written Electronic Non Verbal

Types of Communication

Formal - the official communication that travels through the structured (formal) organization.

Informal (grapevine) - rumours, statements, or reports whose truth any known authority cannot verify and which may not regard the functioning of the organization.

Types of Communication

Upward communication - is the flow of communication from managers to managers.

Downward communication - is the flow of communication from managers to managers or from upper management to middle management or lower management.

Horizontal communication - is the flow of communication moving laterally or at the same level in the organization.

The Communication Processes

Feedback - a verbal or nonverbal response by a receiver to the sender’s message.

Encoding - selecting words and their order for a message by a sender.

Decoding - the translation of a message by a receiver.

Noise - literally or figuratively, anything that interferes with a message.

Message channel - the conduit or medium that will carry a message from the sender to the receiver.

Thee Communication Processes

FEEDBACKFEEDBACK

SENDER RECEIVER

MESSAGE

NOISE

Message Channel

Face-to-face Face-to-group Telephone Written Third party

Communication Through Technology

E-mailsCell phonesVideo conferencing AIM BloggingInternet (MySpace, Facebook,

and Google) Faxing Text messages

What Are Words Really Like?

Two communication rules:

❏ Don’t assume/pretend that everyone knows what you are talking about.

❏ Don’t assume/pretend that you know what others are talking about without asking them questions to make certain.

Functions of Nonverbal Communication

Accent- punctuating or drawing attention to a verbal message.

Complement- expressions or gestures that support, but could not replace a verbal message.

Contradict-expressions or gestures that convey a meaning opposite that of a verbal message.

Use of various signs in non verbal communication

Functions of Nonverbal Communication

Regulate- expressions or gestures that control the pace or flow of communication.

Repeat- a gesture or expression that can be used alone to send the same meaning as a verbal message.

Substitute- a nonverbal cue that replaces a verbal message.

Types of Nonverbal Symbols

The eyes The face and head Gestures Touch Posture Territory Walking Status symbols

Gestures and Postures

Positive Gestures• Open Palms

• Eye-to-eye confrontation

• Smile• Equal Handshake

Postures• Standing position

• Walking style• Hand Movements

Summary

Definition of nonverbal communication.

Describe the six functions of nonverbal communication.

Describe and explain the role of the eight types of nonverbal symbols.

Differentiate between formal and informal communication.

Objectives

Identify and describe 14 barriers to communication.

Explain the importance of listening and identify methods to improve listening.

Describe methods to break down communication barriers.

Barriers to Effective Communication Lying ❏ Facial indicators ❏ General indicators Perceptions Over-eagerness to respond Closed words Judging Credibility gap Noise

Barriers to Effective Communication

Wasting the thought-speech differential (Perdita rapporto)

Emotions Snap judgments (giudizi

immediati) Attacking the individual Rank Gatekeepers Poor listening

Importance of Listening

Time. Good relationship. Prevent misunderstanding and

rumors. People perform better. Prevents complaints from

exploding. Good decision making. Prevents haste conclusions. Requires full attention.

Developing Listening Skills

Listening responses. ❏ Nod - nodding the head slightly and waiting. ❏ Pause - looking at the speaker, but without

doing or saying anything. ❏ Casual remark - “I see,” “uh-huh,” or “is that

so?” ❏ Echo - repeating the last few words the

speaker said. ❏ Mirror - showing you understand by

reflecting what has just been said: “you feel that…….”

Phrasing questions. ❏ Open. ❏ Closed.

Break Down Communication Barriers

Encourage upward communication. Have an open-door policy. Use face-to-face communication when

possible. Avoid credibility gaps. Write for understanding. Watch your timing. Be sensitive to needs and feelings of

others. Identify and manager conflict.

The Four C’s of Written Communication

Complete Concise Correct Conversational

Do’s of Listening

Eliminate distractions by holding telephone calls and choosing a quiet place to talk.

Allow adequate time for discussion. Take note of nonverbal cues. When you are unsure of what was

said, restate what you think you heard in the form of a question.

Do’s of Listening

Show interest. Express empathy. Be silent when silence is needed. When you think that something is

missing, ask simple, direct questions to get the necessary information.

Do’s of Listening

Argue. Interrupt. Engage in other activities. Pass judgment too quickly. Jump to conclusions. Let the other person’s emotions

act too directly on your own.

Summary

Identify and describe 14 barriers to communication.

Explain the importance of listening and identify methods to improve listening.

Describe methods to break down communication barriers.

Objectives

Diagram and explain the basic communication model.

List and explain the five message channels.

List and explain components of a message and the contribution each makes to the total message.

What Are Words Really Like?

Words have regional and international meaning.

Words develop new meaning. Double-speaking. The development of new words. Tone affects meaning.

Summary

Diagram and explain the basic communication model.

The five message channels. ❏ Face-to-face. ❏ Face-to-group. ❏ Telephone. ❏ Written. ❏ Third party. The components of a message and the contribution

each makes to the total message. ❏ Nonverbal. ❏ Tonal. ❏ Verbal.