Organizational Behavior Module 8 Effective Workplace Communication Module

Organizational Behavior Module 8: Effective Workplace Communication

Module Learning Outcomes Discuss appropriate technological tools, methods, and styles of communication in the workplace 8. 1: Describe the key components of effective communication in contemporary organizational life 8. 2: Discuss the importance of technology and various methods of communication available 8. 3: Discuss the other issues in workplace communication

Key Components of Communication

Learning Outcomes: Key Components of Communication 8. 1: Describe the key components of effective communication in contemporary organizational life 8. 1. 1: Define the functions of organizational communication 8. 1. 2: Describe the communication process 8. 1. 3: Analyze direction of communication within an organization 8. 1. 4: Discuss types of communication within an organization 8. 1. 5: Analyze barriers to effective communication

Functions of Organizational Communication Control Emotional Expression Motivation Information

Communication Process – The Feedback Loop

Directions of Communication Horizontal (between peers) Downward Upward (from leader to subordinate) (from subordinate to leader)

Types of Communication • Interpersonal communication • Oral communication • Written communication • Non-verbal communication • Facial expressions • Gestures • Proximity to receiver • Touch • Eye contact • Appearance • Tone and inflection

Class Activity: How many ways can you say it? • Without changing the words or the order of the words, discuss how many different meanings you can get from the sentence… Would you attend the conference with me? …by using tone and inflection only.

Organizational Types of Communication

Barriers to effective communication Perceptual bias Organizational barriers

Active Listening

Class Activity: Taking a Vacation! • • • Split off into pairs. Person B is going to sell a vacation to Person A! Person A should think of a specific place to go on vacation. Without naming the place, s/he should tell Person B two things about that place, to give Person B an idea of what s/he is looking for in a vacation. Person B should then ask questions and use active listening skills to determine where Person A would like to go on vacation Take five minutes, and then switch so Person A can practice, too!

Practice Question 1 What purposes does communication serve within an organization? A. Control, motivation, information, emotional expression B. Clear, concise, objective, consistent, complete C. Sender, message, receiver, noise, feedback D. Encoding, decoding, noise, feedback

Practice Question 2 How is “decoding” defined in the communication feedback loop? A. When encoding and decoding don’t happen seamlessly and the meaning is misunderstood B. When the speaker puts his thoughts into words, verbally or on paper C. When the receiver translates the speaker’s message D. When the receiver clarifies the message he received with additional questions

Practice Question 3 If Georgie makes suggestions on how a particular work process can be improved, and his manager doesn’t listen because he feels that Georgie is usually lazy and uninformed, then what barrier has gotten in the way of successful communication? A. B. C. D. Perceptual bias Organizational barriers Inactive listening Effective feedback

Practice Question 4 What is the definition of downward communication? A. B. C. D. A message between people at the same level in an organization. A message from a manager to a subordinate. A message from a subordinate to a manager. A message between a business and the outside world.

Communicating with Technology

Learning Outcomes: Communicating with Technology 8. 2: Discuss the importance of technology and various methods of communication available 8. 2. 1: Discuss written technologies useful for communication 8. 2. 2: Compare and contrast common tools for audio communication 8. 2. 3: Compare and contrast common tools for video communication 8. 2. 4: Compare and contrast common tools for screen / web sharing 8. 2. 5: Explore multifeature online platforms / virtual office spaces

Written Communication • • Email Instant Messaging Intranet Social Media

Audio Communication • • Cel sm l phon • V artpho e and oice nes Inte Ov Pro rnet er (VO tocol • C IP) onf pho eren • C nes ce onf ser eren vice cin g s Go ogl e. V oice

Video Conferencing • • • Camera Computer Video conferencing platform

Online Communication • • Screen sharing/web sharing Multi-feature online platforms

Practice Question 5 What is a benefit of video conferencing? A. The ability to communicate face-to-face and share documents among employees who aren’t in the same location, allowing for greater productivity for international teams B. The ability to communicate with thousands of people with a single mouse click C. The ability to store all often-used company documents and forms in a single place D. The ability to share fun things going on in your department and having other people comment on those activities

Other Concerns in Workplace Communication

Learning Outcomes: Other Concerns in Workplace Communication 8. 3: Discuss the other issues in workplace communication 8. 3. 1: Discuss ethics in communication 8. 3. 2: Discuss the importance of staying connected with colleagues and other professionals in the digital age

Ethics in Communication • • • Honesty Refrain from doing harm Fairness to all stakeholders

Staying connected with colleagues • • • Document and work sharing tools Private messaging and “chat” tools Video communication tools

Practice Question 6 Tobacco companies are required to communicate that the practice of consuming their products may lead to physical conditions like emphysema or lung cancer. This is an example of which element of ethical communication? A. B. C. D. fairness to stakeholders refrain from doing harm honesty clarity

Quick Review • • Organizational communication provides four functions – control, motivation, information and emotional expression When communicating, one must consider not only the sender, receiver and message, but noise that distorts the message and feedback given for clarity Organizational communication travels in three directions – upward, downward and horizontal Individuals can communicate verbally, non-verbally and in writing Perceptual bias and organizational barriers often prevent clear communication Types of technology affect communication and all have pros and cons Ethics are important – remember honesty, refrain from harm and fairness to all stakeholders in every communication