Principles and Practices for Tomorrow’s Leaders Gary Dessler CHAPTER 12 Improving Communication Skills The Environment of Managing PowerPoint Presentation by Charlie Cook Copyright © 2004 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. Chapter Objectives After studying this chapter and the case exercises at the end, you should be able to: 1. Identify the communications barriers the managers seem to be ignoring. 2. List and explain what the manager can do to improve interpersonal communications. 3. Conduct an effective appraisal interview using the facts and roles in a scenario. 4. Persuade a colleague to carry out a task. 5. Explain why a manager is not getting good results in trying to encourage upward feedback. Copyright © 2004 Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. 12–2 Communication Simple • Communication The exchange of information and the transmission of meaning. Exchanging information in a way that creates a common basis of understanding and feeling. Copyright © 2004 Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. 12–3 Components of the Communication Process • Information Source The message, idea, thought, or fact that is to be communicated • Signal The stream of words, images, or gestures used to actually express the message • Transmission The act of actually sending, delivering, or transferring the message Copyright © 2004 Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. • Channel or Medium. A report, image, speech, or nonverbal behavior • Destination or receiver The listener, audience, viewer, or reader • Noise Anything that blocks, distorts, or in any way changes the information source as it makes its way to the destination/receiver 12–4 The Communication Process Source: © Gary Dessler, Ph.D. Copyright © 2004 Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. FIGURE 12–1 12–5 Barriers to Effective Communication • Ambiguous, Muddled Messages • Semantics • Physical Barriers • Loss of Transmission • Failing to Communicate • Competition Barriers • Cultural, Linguistic, and Diversity Barriers • Not Listening Copyright © 2004 Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. 12–6 Nonverbal Communication • Nonverbal Communication The nonspoken aspects of communication, such as a person’s manner of speaking, facial expressions, or body posture, that express meaning to others. Nonverbal communication can complicate the task of communicating internationally. The nonverbal part of communicating is more important in some societies than in others. In many societies, the context (or setting) in which a message is delivered, with its nonverbal cues, has far more meaning than the words of the message itself. Copyright © 2004 Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. 12–7 Psychological Barriers • Perception Selectivity/exposure filtering out of unpleasant things and focusing on or recalling things not heard. Retention filtering of things that feel good, and the tendency to forget those things that are painful. • Experiential Barriers The difficulty in understanding things not personally experienced. • Emotions Emotions influence both what is said and what is heard. Copyright © 2004 Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. 12–8 Psychological Barriers (cont’d) • Defensiveness Adjustments people make to avoid acknowledging personal inadequacies that might reduce their selfesteem. Copyright © 2004 Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. 12–9 Interpersonal Communications • Interpersonal communication Communication that occurs between two individuals. • Methods for Improving Interpersonal Communications Pay attention Make yourself clear Be an active listener Don’t attack the person’s defenses Get feedback Copyright © 2004 Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. 12–10 Checklist 12.1 Active Listening Listen for total meaning. Reflect feelings. Note all cues. Give the person your full attention. Show that you are listening with an open mind. Encourage the speaker to give complete information. Copyright © 2004 Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. 12–11 Checklist 12.2 How to be More Persuasive Establish your credibility. Frame for common ground. Connect emotionally. Provide evidence. Use peer power whenever it’s available. Have the person make the commitment active, public, and voluntary. Copyright © 2004 Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. 12–12 How to Improve Your Negotiating Skills • Mistakes to avoid when negotiating: Neglecting the other side’s problems. Letting price overwhelm other interests. Searching too hard for common ground. Failing to consider BANTRAs (best alternative to a negotiated agreement). • Negotiating Tactics (Using Leverage) Necessity Desire Competition Time Copyright © 2004 Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. 12–13 Organizational Communication • Organizational Communication Communication that occurs among several individuals or groups. Downward communications go from superior to subordinate. Lateral (horizontal) communications move between departments or between people in the same department. Upward communications move from subordinates to superiors. Copyright © 2004 Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. 12–14 Special Barriers to Organizational Communication • Interpersonal Barriers • Authority Free • Task Speech? • Political • Identity • Organizational Culture • Organization Structures Copyright © 2004 Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. 12–15 Getting Upward Feedback • Request feedback from people whom you trust and who will be honest with you. • If the feedback is too general, ask for examples of specific, recent behavior. • Don’t be defensive, make excuses, or blame others when you hear criticism. • Do not overreact or underreact to feedback. • Once the feedback is complete, summarize what the speaker said to make sure that you understand. • Explain what you are going to do in response to the feedback, do it, evaluate the consequences on performance, and then let the feedback-giver know of the outcome. • Thank the person for his or her concern and advice. Source: Adapted from Paula J. Caproni, The Practical Coach (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2001), p. 21. Copyright © 2004 Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. FIGURE 12–2 12–16 Fostering Upward Organizational Communication • Social gatherings • Union publications • Regular meetings • Performance appraisal meetings • Grievances Copyright © 2004 Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. • Attitude surveys • A suggestion system • An open door policy • Indirect measures • E-Mail 12–17 Sample Suggestion Program Procedures: LearnInMotion.com 806 Suggestion Program Effective Date: 4/23/02 As employees of LIM, you have the opportunity to contribute to our future success and growth by submitting suggestions for practical work-improvement or cost-savings ideas. All regular employees are eligible to participate in the suggestion program. A suggestion is an idea that will benefit LIM by solving a problem, reducing costs, improving operations or procedures, enhancing customer service, eliminating waste or spoilage, or making LIM a better or safer place to work. Statements of problems without accompanying solutions, or recommendations concerning coworkers and management are not appropriate suggestions. All suggestions must be submitted on a suggestion form and should contain a description of the problem or condition to be improved, a detailed explanation of the solution or improvement, and the reasons why it should be implemented. If you have questions or need advice about your idea, contact your supervisor for help. Submit suggestions to the Human Resources Director and, after review, they will be forwarded to the Suggestion Committee. As soon as possible, you will be notified of the adoption or rejection of your suggestion. Special recognition will be given to employees who submit a suggestion that is implemented. Source: Business Plan Pro, Palo Alto Software, Palo Alto, CA. Copyright © 2004 Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. FIGURE 12–2 12–18 Improving Downward Communication • Open-Book Management A management style in which a company opens its books to the employees, sharing financial data, explaining numbers, and rewarding workers for improvement. Copyright © 2004 Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. 12–19 Improving Horizontal Communication Appoint Liaison Personnel Organize Committees and Task Forces Horizontal Communications Use Independent Integrators Copyright © 2004 Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. 12–20 Improving Informal Communications Maintain Communication Intensity Emphasize Informality Informal Communications Provide Physical Support Copyright © 2004 Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. 12–21 Group Decision-Support Systems Decision Support System (DSS) An interactive computer-based communications system that facilitates the solution of unstructured problems by a team of decision makers. Source: Copyright © 2004 Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. FIGURE 0–4 12–22 Other Work Group Support Systems • Collaborative Writing Systems A computerized support system that lets group members work simultaneously on a single document from a number of interconnected or network computers. • Group Scheduling System A computerized support system that allows each group member to put his or her daily schedule into a shared database so that each can identify the most suitable times to schedule meetings or to attend currently scheduled meetings. Copyright © 2004 Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. 12–23 Other Work Group Support Systems (cont’d) • Workflow Automation System An e-mail type of system that automates the flow of paperwork from person to person. Copyright © 2004 Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. 12–24 Hierarchy of Media Richness and Application for Managerial Applications Source: Adapted from Richard L. Daft and Robert H. Lengel, “Information Richness: A New Approach to Managerial Information Processing and Organization Design,” in Barry Staw and Larry L. Cummings, eds., Research in Organizational Behavior, vol. 6 (Greenwich, CT: JAI Press, 1984), pp. 191–233. Reprinted from R. Daft and R. Steers, Organizations: A Micro/Macro Approach (Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman, 1986) p. 532. Copyright © 2004 Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. FIGURE 12–5 12–25