Communicating in
the Digital Age
Chapter Fourteen
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
© 2013
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2013 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Learning Objectives
LO.1 Explain the perceptual process model of
communication, and describe the barriers to
effective communication.
LO.2 Specify two major impacts of social media that are
changing the general communication landscape.
LO.3 Contrast the communication styles of assertiveness,
aggressiveness, and nonassertiveness.
LO.4 Discuss the primary sources of nonverbal
communication.
LO.5 Review the five dominant listening styles and 10 keys to
effective listening.
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Learning Objectives (cont.)
LO.6 Describe how linguistic styles vary for women and
men and what can be done to improve everyone’s
communication effectiveness.
LO.7 Discuss the formal and informal communication
channels.
LO.8 Explain the contingency approach to media selection.
LO.9 Describe the Internet generation, and discuss the pros
and cons of teleworking.
LO.10 Specify practical tips for more effective e-mail and cell
phone etiquette, and discuss policies for using social
media Web sites in the workplace.
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Basic Dimensions of the
Communication Process
Communication
 the exchange of information between a sender
and receiver and the inference (perception) of
meaning between the individuals involved
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Communication Process in Action
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A Perceptual Model of
Communication
Sender
 person wanting to communicate information-the
message
Receiver
 person, group, or organization for whom the
message is intended
Encoding
 translates thoughts into code or language that
can be understood by others
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Question?
Alexa is informing her subordinates that the
expense reimbursement policy for travel has
been significantly modified. Alexa would be
considered which of these?
A.Decoder
B.Medium
C.Sender
D.Noise
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A Perceptual Model of
Communication
Selecting a Medium
 depends on the nature of the message, its
intended purpose, the audience, proximity to
the audience, time constraints, and personal
skills and preferences.
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A Perceptual Model of
Communication
Decoding
 occurs when receivers receive a message
 process of interpreting and making sense of a
message
Feedback
 the sender gets a reaction from the receiver
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A Perceptual Model of
Communication
Noise
 anything that
interferes with the
transmission and
understanding of
a message
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Potential Breakdowns in the
Communication Process Itself
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Barriers to Effective
Communication
1. Personal barriers
 any individual attribute that hinders
communication
2. Physical barriers
3. Semantic barriers
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Personal Barriers
1. Variable skills in communicating effectively
2. Variations in how information is processed
and interpreted
3. Variations in interpersonal trust
4. Stereotypes and prejudices
5. Big egos
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Personal Barriers (cont.)
6. Poor listening skills
7. Natural tendency to evaluate other’s
messages
8. Inability to listen with understanding
9. Nonverbal communication
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Physical Barriers
Time zone differences
Telephone-line static
Distance from others
Crashed computers
Office design
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Question?
Laura works at an office with low-walled
cubicles. There is often a lot of background
noise and Laura has trouble hearing clients on
the phone. This is an example of a ________
barrier.
A.Process
B.Physical
C.Personal
D.Semantic
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Barriers to Effective
Communication
Semantics
 study of words
Semantic barriers
 problems with language in communication
 fueled by the growing trend to outsource
customer service operations to foreign
countries like India
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Barriers to Effective
Communication
Jargon
 represents language or terminology that is
specific to a particular profession, group, or
company
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Interpersonal Communication
Communication
competence
 the ability to
communicate
effectively in
specific situations
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Question?
Sunil has an expressive and self-enhancing
communication style, which is based on the notion
that it is not right or good to violate our own or
others' basic human rights. Sunil can be described
as having which of these styles?
A.Aggressive
B.Nonassertive
C.Nonverbal
D.Assertive
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Communication Styles
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Tips for Saying No
Don’t feel like you have to provide a yes or
no answer on the spot.
Be honest, and start your response with the
word no.
Use nonverbal assertive behaviors to
reinforce your words.
Use verbal assertive behaviors.
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Nonverbal Communication
Nonverbal Communication
 any message, sent or received independent of
the written or spoken word
 includes such factors as use of time and space,
distance between persons when conversing,
use of color, dress, walking behavior, standing,
positioning, seating arrangement, office
locations and furnishings.
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Sources of Nonverbal
Communication
Body movement
and gestures
Touch
Facial expressions
Eye contact
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Question?
Travis was in a meeting with his supervisor
regarding sales analysis. Travis had his arms
folded and legs crossed. Travis's nonverbal
behavior communicated which of these?
A.Semantics
B.Defensiveness
C.Aggressiveness
D.Immediacy
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Active Listening
Listening
 Process of actively decoding and interpreting
verbal messages.
 requires cognitive attention and information
processing
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Listening Styles
Appreciative
 listens for pleasure, entertainment, or
inspiration
Empathetic
 interprets messages by focusing on emotions
and body language
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Question?
Dr. Philip interprets messages by focusing on
emotions and body language. His listening style
can be described as __________.
A.Appreciative
B.Empathetic
C.Discerning
D.Evaluative
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Listening Styles
Comprehensive
 organizes specific thoughts and actions and
integrates this information by focusing on
relationships among ideas
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Listening Styles
Discerning
 attempt to understand the main message and
determine important points
Evaluative
 listen analytically and continually formulate
arguments and challenges to what is being said
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The Keys to Effective Listening
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Communication Differences between
Women and Men
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Formal Communication Channels
Upward communication
 involves communicating with someone at a
higher organizational level
Downward communication
 occurs when someone at a higher level in the
organization conveys information or a message
downward to one or more others.
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Formal Communication Channels
Horizontal
communication
 flows among
coworkers and
between different
work units, and its
main purpose is
coordination
External
communication
 two-way flow of
information
between employees
and a variety of
stakeholders
outside the
organization
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Informal Communication Channels
Informal communication channels
 Do not follow the chain of command or
organizational structure.
Grapevine
 Unofficial communication system of the
informal organization.
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Informal Communication Channels
Liaison individuals
 Those who
consistently pass
along grapevine
information to
others.
Organizational
moles
 Those who use the
grapevine to
enhance their
power and status.
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Media Richness
Media richness
 involves the capacity of a given communication
medium to convey information and promote
understanding
 based on feedback,
channel, type of
communication, and
language source
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A Contingency Model for Selecting
Communication Media
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Protecting against Security and Privacy
Breaches on the Internet
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Video: A Week Without Technology:
Could You Do It?
What business processes are affected by the presence or
lack of technology? Is it possible for a company to be
competitive today without technology?
How is the perceptual model of communication different
when technology is used than if it were not? Which types
of communication barriers might be different?
How are the non-verbal aspects of communication affected
by technology?
How would you do in Dennis’s situation - could you have
lasted the full week?
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