Communication at Work

COMMUNICATION
AT WORK
Chapter 9
What is Communication?
What is Communication?
■ It is the act of transferring information from one place, person or group to

another.
■ It must include both the transfer and the understanding of the meaning.
Elements of Communication
1. Sender – Initiates a message by encoding a thought

2. Message – actual physical product of the sender’s encoding
3. Channel – medium through which the message travels
4. Receiver – person/s whom the message is directed
5. Encoding – converting it to a symbolic form
6. Decoding – interpreting the symbolic form to its meaning
7. Noise – communication barriers that distorts clarity of the message
8. Feedback - ensuring that the receiver has received the message and
understood in the same sense as sender meant it
Communication Process
Direction of Communication
1. Downward Communication - involves a message travelling to one or

more receivers at the lower level in the hierarchy. The message
frequently involves directions or performance feedback.
2. Upward Communication - the message is directed toward a higher

level in the hierarchy. It is often takes the form of progress reports or
information about successes and failures of the individuals or work
groups reporting to the receiver of the message.
Direction of Communication
3. Lateral Communication - the sender and receiver(s) are at the same

level in the hierarchy. Formal communications that travel laterally involve
employees engaged in carrying out the same or related tasks.
Organizational Communication
■ This is the sending and receiving of messages among interrelated

individuals within a particular environment or setting to achieve
individual and common goals.
■ An organization is condensed into small groups of five person
Formal Small Group Networks
1. Chain group - rigidly follows a chain of command. As you can see,

message and communication originates with one person on the chain,
and has to travel up and down the line. Communication in a chain
network is usually moderate in speed, high in accuracy.
2. The wheel group- less rigid. In this type of network, leaders
communicate to both levels of their organizations and allow
communication from both levels back to them. Communication in a
wheel network is fast, because everyone hears the same message, and
it’s high in accuracy.
Formal Small Group Networks
3. All-channel group - permits all levels of the group to actively

communicate with each other. Communication in an all-channel network is
fast, and accuracy is moderate.
The Grapevine
■ This is the informal communication network in a group or organization.

■ Rumors and gossip transmitted through grapevine may be informal, it is
still an important source of information for employees.
■ Rumors fly through the company because they’re important to employees
and clear up ambiguity, relieving anxiety.
■ This gives managers feel for the morale of their organization, identifies
issues employees consider important, and helps tap into employee
anxieties.
The Grapevine
■ This can create a sense of friendship and closeness among those who
share information
■ Grapevine may not be sanctioned and controlled by the organization, it
can be understood
■ Managers should minimize the negative consequence of rumors by
limiting their range and impact
Modes of Communication
1. Oral Communication – primary means of conveying messages. This

involves talking. This will result to a good speed and feedback.
Downside, whenever a message is passed, the more people, the greater
the potential distortion
2. Written Communication – Any method that conveys written words or
symbols. This is the longest-lasting form of communication.
3. Non-verbal Communication – This includes body movements, the
intonation or emphasis we give to words, facial expression and the
physical distance between the sender and receiver
Choice of Communication Channel
This refers to the amount of information that can be transmitted from one
person to another during any given communication. This is a helpful
framework on choosing your mode of communication.
Channel Richness:
1. Handle multiple cues simultaneously
2. Facilitate rapid feedback
3. Be very personal
Choosing Communication Method
1. Oral Communication – this is best if you need to gauge the receivers’

receptivity. You need to consider your speaking skills when choosing
this method.
2. Written Communication – most reliable mode for complex and lengthy
communication and it can be the most efficient method for short
messages. Written communication though can be limited in its
emotional expression.
3. Nonverbal Communication – You should be particularly aware of
contradictions between verbal and nonverbal messages, as a sender and
as a receiver.
Information Security
Security is very important. It is a huge concern for nearly all organizations. We can protect
our organization in different ways such as:
1. Strict implementation of locking computers at workplace
2. Proper disposal of confidential paper waste
3. Locked cabinets for important files
Persuasive Communication
Automatic and Controlled Processing

Automatic Processing – superficial consideration of evidence and
information making use of heuristics. This takes little time and minimal
effort. Although it lets us be easily fooled by a variety of tricks, like a cute
jingle or glamorous photo.
Controlled Processing – detailed consideration of evidence and
information relying on facts, figures and logic. This requires effort and
energy, but difficult to fool someone who has taken the time and effort to
engage in it
Factors Affecting Persuasive Communication
Interest Level
This is one of the best predictors of whether people will use an automatic
or controlled process for reacting to a persuasive message.
Prior Knowledge
People who are well-informed about a subject area are more likely to use
controlled processing strategies.
Factors Affecting Persuasive Communication
Personality
It depends whether you are high in need for cognition, who most likely
to be persuaded by evidence and facts or the opposite.
Message Characteristics
Match your persuasive message to the type of processing your audience
is likely to use.
Barriers to Effective Communication
1. Filtering – sender’s purposely manipulating information so the receiver

will see it more favorably
2. Selective Perception - tendency not to notice and more quickly forget

stimuli that cause emotional discomfort and contradict our prior beliefs
3. Information Overload –information we have to work with exceeds our

processing capacity
4. Emotions – people may interpret the same message differently depending

on his emotion
5. Language – Words mean different things to different people.
6. Silence – Absence of information.

7. Communication Apprehension – Social anxiety. They experience undue

tension and anxiety in oral communication, written communication or both.
8. Lying – outright misrepresentation of information or lying.

Global Implications
Cultural Barriers
1. Barriers caused by semantics – word means different things to different

people
2. Barriers caused by word connotations – words imply different things in
different languages
3. Barrier caused by tone differences
4. Difference in tolerance for conflict and methods for resolving
conflicts
Global Implications
Cultural Context
Cultures tend to differ in the degree to which context influences the meaning
individuals take from communication.
High-context cultures – People rely heavily on nonverbal subtle situational cues in
communicating with others, a person’s official status, place in society and reputation
carry considerable weight. –China, Korea, Vietnam
Low-context cultures – They rely essentially on spoken and written words to convey
meaning: body language and formal titles are secondary –Europe and North America
Global Implications
Cultural Guide
Every single one of us has a different viewpoint that is culturally shaped
because we do have differences and an opportunity to reach the most
creative solutions.
According to Fred Casmir, we often do not communicate well with
people outside our culture because we tend to generalize from only knowing
their cultural origin,
Casmir and other experts' suggestion
1. Know yourself
2. Foster a Climate a Mutual Respect, Fairness, and Democracy
3. Lean the Cultural Context of Each Person
4. When in Doubt, Listen
5. State Facts, Not Your Interpretation
6. Consider Other Person’s Viewpoint
7. Proactively Maintain the Identity of the Group

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COMMUNICATION

■ It is the act of transferring information from one place, person or group to

1. Sender – Initiates a message by encoding a thought

1. Downward Communication - involves a message travelling to one or

2. Upward Communication - the message is directed toward a higher

3. Lateral Communication - the sender and receiver(s) are at the same

■ This is the sending and receiving of messages among interrelated

1. Chain group - rigidly follows a chain of command. As you can see,

3. All-channel group - permits all levels of the group to actively

■ This is the informal communication network in a group or organization.

1. Oral Communication – primary means of conveying messages. This

1. Oral Communication – this is best if you need to gauge the receivers’

Automatic and Controlled Processing

1. Filtering – sender’s purposely manipulating information so the receiver

2. Selective Perception - tendency not to notice and more quickly forget

3. Information Overload –information we have to work with exceeds our

4. Emotions – people may interpret the same message differently depending

5. Language – Words mean different things to different people.

6. Silence – Absence of information.

7. Communication Apprehension – Social anxiety. They experience undue

8. Lying – outright misrepresentation of information or lying.

1. Barriers caused by semantics – word means different things to different

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