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© 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
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Chapter
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Interpersonal
Communication
5
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Introduction
Most employees spend 75 percent of each workday communicating
75 percent of what we hear we hear incorrectly
75 percent of what we hear accurately we forget within three weeks
70 percent of all business communication fails to achieve the intended purposes
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The communication process consists of a
sender who encodes a message and
transmits it through a channel to a receiver who decodes it and may give feedback.
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The Communication Process
Step 1: Encodes
message and selects
transmission channel
Step 3: Decodes
message and decides if
feedback is needed
Step 2: Transmits message
through a channel
Step 4: Feedback – response
or new message may be
transmitted
Exhibit 5.1
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Barriers to Communication
Perception
Information overload
Channel selection
Noise
Trust and credibility
Not listening
Emotions
Filtering
Gender
Culture
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How Barriers Affect The
Communication Process
Message
Response
Barriers
Barriers
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Steps in the Communication Process (1 of 3)
Step 1. The sender encodes the message and selects the transmission channel Encoding – the sender’s process of putting the
message into a form that the receiver will understand
Perception communication barriers
Information overload communication barriers
Transmission channels Oral
Nonverbal
Written
Channel selection barriers
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Steps in the Communication Process (2 of 3)
Step 2. The sender transmits the message
Noise communication barriers
Step 3. The receiver decodes the message
and decides if feedback is needed
Decoding – the receiver’s process of translating
the message into a meaningful form
Trust and credibility communication barriers
Not listening barrier to communication
Emotional barriers to communication
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Steps in the Communication Process (3 of 3)
Step 4. Feedback – a response or a new
message may be transmitted
Filtering communication barriers
Gender style barrier to communication
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Gender Conversation Differences
Research shows the men and women
converse for different reasons
Gender style becomes a barrier to
communication between the sexes
Women tend to:
talk to create connections and develop
relationships
Men tend to:
talk about status and independence
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Barriers to Cross-Cultural
Communication:
3. Language 4. Etiquette and
Politeness
5. Nonverbal
Communication
1. Cultural
Context
2. Social
Convention
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High- versus Low-Context Cultures
High-Context
Chinese
Korean
Vietnamese
Arab
Greek
Spanish
Italian
English
North American
Scandinavian
Swiss
German
Low-Context
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Cultural Context: High-Context Cultures
Rely heavily on nonverbal communication
Rely on subtle situational cues during the communication process
What is not said is often more important than what is actually said
Important factors in communication:
official status
place in society
reputation
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Cultural Context: Low-Context Cultures
Rely heavily on the actual words used
Nonverbal communications and subtle
situational cues are not as important as what
is actually said
Status, place, and reputation are given
secondary importance to the actual words
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High- versus Low-Context Culture
Communication Importance
Context High-
Context
Culture
Low-
Context
Culture
Focus on nonverbal communications and subtle
cues
X
Focus on actual spoken and written work X
Credibility and trust are important X
The need to develop relationships X
Position, age, seniority X
Use of precisely written legal contracts X
Direct get down to business conversation X
Managers tell employees (give orders) what to do X
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Social Conventions
Language, Etiquette, and Politeness
Even when speaking the same language, words
mean different things, and the same thing may
be called by different names
Nonverbal Communication
Consists of messages we send without using
words
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Guidelines to Overcome Global
Barriers to Communications: Believe there are differences until similarity is
proven
Delay judgment of peoples’ behavior until you are
sure you are being culturally sensitive
Put yourself in the receiver’s position
When in doubt, ask
Follow the other person’s lead and watch his or her
behavior
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Sending Messages
To transmit messages effectively, managers must state exactly:
what they want
how they want it done
when they want it done
Before you send a message,
you should carefully select the channel
plan how you will send the message
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Goals of Communication
Influence
Inform
Express Feelings
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Planning the Message
What is the goal of the message?
Who should receive the message?
How will you encode the message so that it
will be understood?
When will the message be transmitted?
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The Message-Sending Process
Model
Step 1. Develop rapport
Step 2. State the communication objective
Step 3. Transmit the message
Step 4. Check understanding
Step 5. Get a commitment and follow up
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Receiving Messages
Communication does not take place unless the message is received with mutual understanding
The message cannot be received accurately unless the receiver listens
Empathic listening – the ability to understand and relate to another’s situation and feelings
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Levels of Listening
3. Projective The receiver listens without evaluation to the full message,
attempting to understand the sender’s viewpoint.
2. Evaluation The receiver listens carefully until hearing
something that is not accepted. Listening
ends and the response to the incomplete
message is developed.
1. Marginal The receiver
does not listen carefully. The message is not heard or understood with mutual agreement
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Active Projective Listening Tips (1 of 2)
Listening 1. Pay attention
2. Avoid distractions
3. Stay tuned in
4. Do not assume and interrupt
5. Watch for nonverbal cues
6. Ask questions
7. Take notes
8. Convey meaning
Analyzing 9. Think
10. Evaluate after listening
11. Evaluate facts presented
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Active Projective Listening Tips (2 of 2)
Speaking 12. Paraphrase first
13. Watch for nonverbal cues
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Feedback
Process of verifying messages
Forms of feedback include:
questioning
paraphrasing
allowing comments and suggestions
Feedback when giving and receiving
messages facilitates job performance
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360-Degree Feedback
Performance feedback method: downward from the supervisor
laterally from peers or coworkers
upwards from subordinates
inwardly from the person getting the feedback
Customers and suppliers can also provide feedback on different aspects of performance
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Common Approach of Getting
Feedback To send the entire message
Followed by asking “Do you have any questions?”
Feedback usually does not follow because people
have a tendency not to ask questions because:
They feel ignorant
They are ignorant
Receivers are reluctant to point out the sender’s
ignorance
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How to Get Feedback on Messages
Be open to feedback
Be aware of nonverbal communication
Ask questions
Paraphrasing
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Response Styles
Advising
Diverting
Probing
Reassuring
Reflecting
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Response Styles: Advising
Advising responses provide evaluation,
personal opinion, direction, or instructions
Employees often come to the manager for advice
on how to do something or for the manager to
make a decision
Appropriate use of advising responses:
Giving advice is appropriate when you are directly
asked for it
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Response Styles: Diverting
Often called changing the subject
Diverting responses switch the focus of the
communication to a message of the receiver
The receiver becomes the sender of a different message
Appropriate use of diverting responses:
When using the autocratic supervisory style
Helpful when used to share personal experiences of
feelings that are similar to those of the sender
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Response Styles: Probing
A probing response asks the sender to give
more information about some aspect of the
message
Useful to get a better understanding of the
situation
Appropriate use of probing responses:
During the early stages of the message to ensure
understanding
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Response Styles: Reassuring
A reassuring response is given to reduce
the intensity of the emotions associated with
the message
Appropriate use of reassuring responses:
When the other person lacks confidence
Encouraging responses can help employees
develop
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Response Styles: Reflecting
The reflecting response paraphrases the
message back to the sender to convey
understanding and acceptance
Used by the empathic projective listener
Appropriate use of reflecting responses:
The empathic responder deals with content,
feelings, and the underlying meaning being
expressed in the message