Summary Book Communicating at Work Communication Chapters 1 5 Lectures

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Summary - book "Communicating at Work Communication",

chapters 1-5, lectures
Business Communications (University of Wollongong)
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Chapter 1: Communicating at Work

The Nature of Communication

The Process of Communication
• All communication consists of the same elements, no matter what the setting or the number of people involved

A Model of Communication:
1. The Sender – the person who transmits the message
→ Messages can be deliberate or unintentional
2. Encoding – what is said, how the sender chooses to convey the message
3. Channel – (or the medium) the method used to deliver a message (email, letter, fax, message, memo, verbal etc)
4. The Receiver – the person receiving the message
5. Decoding – the receiver must decode the message (attach meaning to the words or symbols)
6. Feedback – the discernible response of a receiver to a sender’s message
→ Feedback can be verbal or nonverbal (eg. facial expressions)

• Noise: factors that interfere with the exchange of messages
§ External noise – sounds that distract the communicators (babble of voices, mobile phone ringing, smelly cigar,
overcrowded room)
§ Physiological noise – hearing disorders, illnesses, disabilities, accents etc.
§ Psychological noise – forces with the sender or receiver that interfere with understanding (eg. egotism,
defensiveness, assumptions, stereotypes, biases, prejudices, fear)

Communication Contexts:
• The setting the communication takes place in
• The context can have a powerful effect on what happens
§ Physical context – influences the content and quality of interaction (eg. discussing a pay raise in your boss’ office
or over lunch at a restaurant)
§ Social context – the nature of the relationship between the communicators, and the others present (eg. asking
your manager for a raise if you had a long history of friendship versus one of hostility)
§ Chronological context – the ways in which time influences interaction including time of day (first appointment or
last appointment for the day) or time of the year (holiday period, tax time)
§ Cultural context – includes both the organizational and the ethnic and/or national backgrounds of the persons
communicating

Communication Principles

Communication is unavoidable:
• One cannot not communicate
• Facial expressions, posture, clothing, gesture, and other behaviours all offer cues about our attitudes

Communication Operates on Two Levels:
• Every time two or more people communicate, they exchange two kinds of messages:
§ Content messages – information about the topic under discussion
§ Relational messages – signals indicating how they feel about one another (indicate a variety of attitudes
including affinity, demonstrate the type of control the person feels, the communicator’s degree of respect
for the other person)

Communication is Irreversible:
• We can’t take back our words

Communication is a Process:
• Communication isn’t just an act, it is a process
• Consider the communication context – the meaning of the message depends on what has happened before

Communication is Not a Panacea:
• Even effective communication won’t solve all problems
• Communication skills can increase your effectiveness, but it won’t cure everything
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Ethical Dimensions of Communication

Principles to behaving ethically:
• Utilitarian approach – does this action provide the greatest good for the greatest number?
• Rights approach – does this action respect the moral rights (truth, privacy, non-‐injury, promises) of everyone?
• Common-‐good approach – does the action further the common or community good?
• Fairness or justice approach – is this action fair and free of discrimination or favouritism?
• Virtue approach -‐ does this action promote the development of moral virtue (character) in me and my community?
• Professional ethic – how would this action be jedged by an impartial jury of your professional peers?
• Publicity test – would you be comfortable having the public learn about your behaviour in the broadcast or print
media?

Using Communication Networks

Communication networks: the regular pattern of communication between people

Formal Communication Networks
• Systems designed by management to dictate who should talk to whom to get a job done

Downward communication:
• Occurs whenever superiors initiate messages to their subordinates
• Include: job instructions, job rationale, procedures and practices, feedback, indoctrination
• One of the most important factors in job satisfaction

Upward communication:
• Messages flowing from subordinates to superiors
• Most organization claims to seek out upward messages, but many aren’t as open to employee opinions as they
claim
• Can convey four types of messages:
§ what subordinates are doing
§ unsolved work problems
§ suggestions for improvement
§ how subordinates feel about each other and the job

“The longer I study effective leaders, the more I am convinced of the underappreciated importance of effective
followers. What makes a good follower? The single most important characteristic may well be a willingness to tell
the truth. In a world of growing complexity, leaders are increasingly dependant on their subordinates for good
information, whether the leaders want to or not. Followers who tell the truth, and leaders who listen, are an
unbeatable combination.” Warren Bennis, management expert.

• Very important for women – females who engage in interactions with their supervisors advance in the
organizational hierarchy faster than those who do not spend as much time communication upward
• Employees find upward communication difficult – being frank with superiors can be risky

Horizontal communication:
• Consists of messages between members of an organization with equal power
• Includes: communication between members of the same division/department, co-‐workers in a construction project,
communication across different departments
• Serves five purposes:
§ Task coordination
§ Problem solving
§ Sharing information
§ Conflict resolution
§ Building rapport
• Problems:
§ Rivalry can discourage communication amongst peers
§ Specialization can make it hard for people with different specialities to understand one another
§ Information overload
§ Lack of motivation
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§ Physical barriers
Informal Communication Networks
• Patterns of interaction based on friendships, shared personal or career interests, and proximity
• Functions:
§ Confirming formal messages
§ Expanding formal messages
§ Expediting official messages (hearing about things before they are made public)
§ Contradicting official messages
§ Circumventing formal channels (who you know, not what you know)
• Informal networks are faster and often more dependable than formal channels
• They provide a shortcut (and sometimes a way around) for the slower and more cumbersome formal channels

Cultivating Personal Networks:
• Networking: the process of deliberately meeting people and maintaining contacts to get career information, advice
and leads
• Tips:
§ View everyone as a prospect – almost everyone you meet has the potential to be a source of useful
information
§ Be sensitive to personal and cultural factors – some people welcome the chance to share information,
whereas others may object to more than occasional contacts
§ Help others – not only the right thing to do, but earn you a reputation for generosity
§ Get referrals to secondary sources – the average number of links separating any two people in the world is
six
§ Seek a mentor – a person who can act as a guide, trainer, coach, and counsellor

Face-‐to-‐face and electronic communication channels

Face-‐to-‐face communication:
• Advantages:
§ Richness – refers to the number of channels available (facial expression, tone of voice, eye and body
movement) à non-‐verbal cues
§ Speed – no time lag between transmission of the message and its reception
§ Control – more command over the receiver’s attention and instantaneous feedback
§ Personal quality – has the potential to create personal bonds that are more difficult in other types of
communication
• Disadvantages:
§ Hard to organise a time to meet (especially if you have to travel to meet them face-‐to-‐face)
§ Personal factors (incompatible personalities or a sore subject)

Telephone and Voice Mail:
• Lacks the rich visual feedback of a face-‐to-‐face conversation
• Vocal cues – tone of voice, pauses, interruptions, pitch and rate – gets the message across
• Voicemail – leaving a message can be preferable to a real conversation because they allow you to touch base
without getting involved in a long, unproductive conversation

Greatest disadvantage of speech – its transience (alot of the information is lost and not remembered, stories can become
distorted, facts and figures can change).

Teleconferencing and Videoconferencing:
• Must have the right equipment
• Allows people all over the world to communicate with one another at no cost

Email and Written Communication:
• Letters, memos, bulletins, reports etc.
• Advantages (and sometimes disadvantages):
§ Written communication is permanent
§ Can be easier to understand than speech – can be read and reread
§ It can be composed in advance – you can take as much time as necessary to shape the right message
§ Less prone to errors – you have time to choose exactly the right words
• Email has become the most-‐used communication tool on the job
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§ Disadvantage – may take a long time to respond, can be a huge time-‐waster
§ Advantages – speed, convenience, huge degree of access to people you otherwise might not be able to
reach

Which Channel to Use
• The question isn’t which channel to use, but when to use each one most effectively
• Consider desired tone
• Consider the organization’s culture
• Consider using multiple channels

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Chapter 2: Communication, Culture, and Work

Cultural Diversity and Communication
• With the increase in international trade and immigration, the likelihood of working with people from different parts
of the world is greater than ever
• “diversity provides a much richer environment, a variety of viewpoints, greater productivity...” (Stona Fitch, vice
president of manufacturing for Procter and Gamble)
• Global talent
• Changing demographics
• Increased multi-‐national companies

Nature of Culture
• Culture: a learned set of shared interpretations about beliefs, values, and norms, which affect the behaviours of a
relatively large group of people
§ includes national background, race, ethnicity, age, socioeconomic status, gender identity and language
• culture is learned, not innate
• cultures are invisible to those accustomed to the particular culture

Cultural differences in doing business

Differences in Customs and Behaviour:
• Remember: although there is cultural variation, not everyone is the same. We need to take note of cross-‐cultural
similarities and intracultural variation
• Formality – titles are an important way of showing respect. In some countries, it’s normal to be on a first-‐name
basis with someone who you are doing business with.
• Social customs –
§ Greetings – how you greet someone changes depending on where they are from (eg. handshake in
America, bow in Japan)
§ Exchanging business cards – in Japan, you have to receive the business card with two hand and study the
card carefully
§ Gift giving – make sure you know what certain things mean (eg. in India, cows are considered sacred so
gifts of leather are to be avoided)
§ Socialising – in many parts of the world, socialising outside of business hours is important in building a
working relationship
§ Style of dress – in most parts of the world, conservative dress will be appropriate in a business setting.
§ Time –
→ monochromic view of time (time is money so it is rationed carefully, appointments are
scheduled and rigidly adhered to) like in the Western and northern European cultures
→ polychromic view of time (see time as taking a backseat to personal relationships, less
concerned with punctuality) like the southern European, Latin American, and Middle Eastern
cultures
§ tolerance for conflict – some cultures believe that each person is responsible for helping to maintain
harmony of a group and of society, others have conflicts/arguments but act as though nothing has
happened
§ gender roles – changes around the world, in particular the attitude towards women being superior to men
in terms of business roles

Fundamental Dimensions of Cultural Diversity
Underlying what might appear to be idiosyncrasies in behaviour are a number of fundamental values that shape the way
members of a culture think, feel, and act.

High versus Low-‐Context:
• low context culture – uses language primarily to express thoughts, feelings and ideas as clearly and logically as
possible
§ meaning of the statement is in the words spoken
§ more talk, direct speech
§ expectation: anything important will be talked about
§ US, Canadian and Australian cultures
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• high context culture – relies heavily on subtle, often nonverbal cues to convey meaning, save face, avoid
confrontation and maintain social harmony
§ less talk, indirect speech
§ expectation: will observe and learn
§ Middle Eastern and Asian cultures

Individualism and Collectivism:
• Individualistic cultures – members are inclined to put their own interests and those of their immediate family ahead
of social concerns
§ Offers a great deal of freedom (with the belief that this freedom makes it possible for each person to
achieve personal success
§ US, Australia, UK, Canada, New Zealand
• Collectivist cultures – have tight social frameworks in which members of a group feel primary loyalty toward one
another and the group to which they belong
§ Members are expected to believe that the welfare of the organization is as important as their own
§ East Asian cultures

Power Distance:
• Refers to attitudes toward differences in authority
• High power distance (eg. Mexico, the Phillipines) – accept the fact that power is distributed unequally
§ Rank is expected and clear cut
§ Employees respect those in high positions
• Low power distance (eg. US) – downplay differences in power
§ Employees are more comfortable approaching (and challenging) their superiors

Uncertainty Avoidance:
• A measure of how accepting a culture is of a lack of predictability
• Acceptance of uncertainty (eg. Singapore and Hong Kong) – allows people to take risks and be relatively tolerant of
behaviour that differs from the norm
• Other countries (eg. Japan, Greece and Portugal) are less comfortable with change à they value tradition and
formal rules

Task versus Social Orientation:
• Task orientation – focus heavily on getting the job done
§ Eg. Japan, Austria and Switzerland
§ Focus on making the team more competent through thraining and use of up-‐to-‐date methods
§ Highly concerned with individual success
• Social orientation – more likely to be concerned about the feelings of members and their smooth functioning as a
team
§ Eg. Scandinavian countries, Chile, Portugal, Thailand
§ Focus on collective concerns – cooperative problem solving, maintaining a friendly atmosphere, good
physical working conditions

Short-‐ versus Long-‐Term Orientation:
• Short-‐term orientation – look for quick payoffs
§ Eg. Western industrialized cultures
• Long-‐term orientation – defer gratification in pursuit of long-‐range goals
§ Eg. East Asian cultures

Co-‐cultural Dimensions of a Diverse Society

Co-‐cultures: groups that have a clear identity within the majority culture.

Language:
• The ability to speak more than one language is an asset in virtually every career
• Accent can have a strong effect on how the language is perceived
• Accents can change between different regions of the one country

Regional Differences:
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• Beyond accent, regional differences in communication can be quite different
• Eg. Smiling amongst the different regions of the US – one person might be considered unfriendly because they don’t
smile much but that could be the culture in their region

Ethnicity:
• Each person’s communication style is a combination of individual and cultural traits
• Talk and Silence –
§ The amount of talk and silence that is appropriate can differ between co-‐cultures
§ Some co-‐cultures value silence more than others
• Attitudes toward conflict –
§ Eg. Because Asian cultures place a high value on saving face, some Asian Americans can display a
preference for not disagreeing assertively and directly (Native Americans may prefer to deal with conflict
through silence rather than direct confrontation)
• Disclosure of personal information –
§ Differs across cultures
• Nonverbal standards –
§ Behaviours such as eye contact can be interpreted differently

Generational Differences:
• The era in which people have been raised can shape the way they communicate
• Matures (born 1900 – 1945) –
§ Experienced the Depression and both World Wars
§ Strong sense of self-‐control and self-‐sacrifice
§ Strong respect for authority
§ Follow rules, which they believe exist for a good reason
• Boomers (born 1946 – 1964) –
§ Benefited from growing up in post-‐WWII era of prosperity
§ Witnessed and participated in an era of social reform and upheaval (included Civil Rights revolution)
§ Questioned the claims of authority figures (because of Vietnam War and degradation of the environment)
§ Optimistic, can-‐do belief in themselves and in the potential for society and organisations to change for the
better
• Generation X (born 1965 – 1982) –
§ Accepted technological advances as a fact of life
§ Gender roles for women became more flexible (anything is possible)
§ Explore what is desirable for themselves as individuals
§ Adept with technology, sceptical, independent
§ Seek a good balance between work and the rest of their life
§ Loyal to people, not organizations
• Generation Y (born 1982 – 1991) –
§ Hopeful and determined
§ Have an international worldview (Over half have passports)
§ Have high (Sometimes unrealistic) expectations for salary, jobs and duties
§ Are remarkably able to shift attention rapidly from one task to another (excellent at MULTITASKING)
§ May ignore what doesn’t interest them

Disabilities:
• Disabilities change how a person is regarded
§ Language habits – people use labels (‘blind’, ‘deaf’, ‘wheelchair bound’) to describe a person à this puts
him or her in a category that emphasizes physical condition over all other attributes
§ Say ‘ a person who is blind’, rather than ‘a blind person’
• Speak directly to the person with the disability

Diversity and Ethical Issues
• Doing business in an unfamiliar cultures might challenge your fundamental sense of right and wrong
• There is a growing recognition that businesses that operate in a worldwide economy need a universal code of
business ethics
• Business leaders in Japan, Europe and the US developed Caux Roung Tbale Principles of Business:
§ Treating all employees with honesty and dignity
§ Listening to employee suggestions
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§ Avoiding discriminatory practises

§ Dealing with all customers fairly
§ Avoiding industrial espionage and other dishonest means of acquiring commercial information
• Responding to challenges:
§ Avoiding – avoid doing business with cultures that have different principles to yours
§ Accommodating – accept the different ethical system
§ Forcing – insist on doing business in a way that is ethically proper
§ Educating-‐Persuading – try to convince the people that your set of ethical principles is more appropriate
§ Negotiating-‐compromising – both parties could give up something to negotiate a settlement
§ Collaboration-‐problem solving – both parties confront the conflict directly and work together to develop a
mutually satisfying solution

Communicating across Diversity

Become culturally literate:
• Gain knowledge
• Understand your colleagues cultural backgrounds

View diversity as an opportunity:
• People with different backgrounds can bring strengths to the community

Avoid ethnocentrism:
• Ethnocentrism: the inclination to see all events from the perspective of your own culture and to evaluate your own
culture as superior

Don’t condescend:
• Don’t view people who are different as unequal

Create dialogue:
• Occurs when persons acknowledge each other’s common humanity and engage with each other authentically and
spontaneously

Organizational Culture and Communication
• Just like individuals, organizations have personalities – a person can be part of a particular culture depending on the
organization they belong to (eg. Casual, energetic, zany, serious etc)
• Organizational culture – a relatively stable, shared set of rules about how to behave and set of values about what is
important

The Importance of Organizational Culture
• When employees didn’t understand or accept their organization’s culture, the results included lost time, lowered
productivity, bad publicity for the firm, lowered morale and trust, lost customers, and lost opportunity
• Culture of your organization can determine where and how long you work, how you dress, your emotional
environment

Dimensions of Organizational Culture
• Theory X (top-‐down, authoritarian structure) vs. Theory Y (optimistic, supportive culture)
• Several dimensions distinguished organizations:
§ Sociability – do employees interact on a personal level or do they limit interaction to job-‐related tasks?
§ Power distribution and job autonomy – what is the degree of power distance between different levels
within the organization?
§ Degree of structure – are job roles highly defined? Are their policies and procedures?
§ Achievement rewards – how are accomplishments of employees acknowledged and rewarded?
§ Opportunities for growth – are worker’s encouraged to develop their skills and take on new
responsibilities?
§ Tolerance for risk and change – are employees encouraged to take risks, or is avoiding risk a high priority?
§ Conflict tolerance – is harmony stressed, or is a degree of disagreement not necessarily a sign of disloyalty?
§ Emotional support – does management show a genuine interest in the well-‐being of employees?

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Organizational Culture and Career Planning
When you are thinking about starting work for an organization, consider not only the salary and promotions, but also pin
down the organization’s personality.
You can learn about a company’s culture in 5 ways:

Study the Physical Setting:
• Organization’s say something about themselves by the environment/space in which they choose to operate
• Eg. High rent or low rent district might say something about the prosperity of the organization

Read what the company says about itself:
• Press releases, annual reports, advertisements à companies with strong values are proud to publicize them
• Use the other suggestions to find out if a company practises what it preaches

Observe Communication Practises:
• How are you treated when you visit the company or deal with its employees?? A welcoming culture??
• Go for a walking tour of the working area (are there any ‘vibrations’?)

Interview Company people:
• Learn about an organization’s culture from the people who know it best, the employees
• Even if you don’t learn much about the organization as a whole, you will get a good picture of the people you will be
working with

Learn How People Spend Their Time:
• Find out how employees spend their time at work
• If the parking lot is full after hours or on weekends it’s an indication that you may be expected to work long hours
(are you willing to accept this lifestyle?)

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Chapter 3: Listening

The Importance of Listening

• Most frequent skill used at work
• Affects quality, productivity and costs
• Good listeners are more successful

Barriers to Effective Listening

Physiological Barriers
• Hearing problems
• Rapid thought
§ Listeners can process information at about 500 words per minute, while most speakers talk at around 125
words per minute
§ This difference means there is a great deal of mental spare time in the listener – they can use this time to
think about other things and get distracted

Environmental Barriers
• Physical distractions
§ Eg. stuffy room, uncomfortable chairs
§ Can’t be avoided, but you learn to deal with them
• Problems in the Communication Channel
§ Listening can be hard without face-‐to-‐face contact
§ Harder to receive ideas accurately over the phone, email, text message etc.
• Message Overload
§ Hard to cope with a deluge of information at once – your conversation, plus emails popping up, plus your
phone beeping, plus co-‐workers popping in etc.

Attitudinal Barriers and False Assumptions
• Preoccupation
• Egocentrism
§ The belief that your own ideas are more important or valuable than those of others
• Fear of Appearing Ignorant
§ Some people think that asking for clarification is a sign of ignorance so they pretend to understand
• Assuming That Effective Communication is the Sender’s Responsibility
§ Communication depends on the receiver as well as the sender
• Assuming that listening is passive
§ Some communicators mistakenly assume that the listener is a sponge, quietly absorbing the speaker’s
thoughts
§ Good listener can be hard work
• Assuming that talking has more advantages over listening
§ Listening and talking are equally important

Sociocultural differences
• Cultural differences
§ Accent (psychological noise)
§ The amount of time that should be spent listening (how much value is put on time?)
§ Attitudes about silence
• Gender differences
§ Men and women listen differently (men listen to content, women notice the feelings behind the words)
§ Whether we listen at all à men are more likely to be listened to
• Lack of training
§ Train to become a better listener

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Listening Styles
…four common ways people listen to others’ messages

People-‐Orientated
• People-‐orientated listeners are most concerned with creating and maintaining positive relationships
• Sensitive to others’ moods
• Respond to speakers’ feelings as well as their ideas
• Nonjudgmental
• More interested in understanding and supporting people rather than evaluating them
• Drawbacks:
§ Becoming overinvolved with others’ feelings
§ May lose their ability to assess the quality of information others are giving
§ Risk being seen as overly expressive/intrusive by speakers who don’t want to connect on a personal level

Action-‐Orientated
• Action-‐oriented listeners are most concerned with the task at hand
• Main goal is to understand the facts and ideas being communicated
• Appreciate clear, concise messages
• Minimize emotional issues and concerns
• Great when taking care of business is the primary concern – help others focus and encourage them to be organized
and concise

Content-‐Orientated
• Content-‐orientated listeners are evaluators
• Want to hear details
• Analyse issues from a variety of perspectives
• Prefer to listen to experts and other credible sources of information
• Can be a big help when the goal is to assess the quality of ideas, and when there is value at looking at issues from a
wide range of perspectives
• Downfalls:
§ Their detail-‐orientated approach may annoy others
§ Their thorough approach may be time-‐consuming
§ Frequent challenging can be perceived as being overly critical

Time-‐Orientated
• Time-‐oriented listeners are most concerned with efficiency
• View time as a scarce and valuable commodity
• Help things function efficiently
• Downfalls:
§ There displays of impatience can put a strain on relationships

Listening More Effectively
• Mindless listening: occurs when we react to others’ messages automatically and routinely, without much mental
involvement (can be helpful so we can focus on messages that require careful attention)
• Mindful listening: involves giving careful messages and thoughtful attention and responses to the messages we
receive

Are you listening to understand the other person, or listening critically to evaluate the message?

Listening to Understand
• Withhold judgement
• Talk and interrupt less
• Ask questions
• Paraphrase (involves restating a speaker’s ideas in your own words to make sure that you have understood)
• Attend to nonverbal cues

Listening To Evaluate
• Analyse the speaker’s evidence
• Examine emotional appeals
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Chapter 4: Verbal and Nonverbal Messages

Verbal Messages

Clarity and Ambiguity
• Use unequivocal terms to avoid misunderstandings
§ Equivocal terms are those with two different, but equally acceptable or common, meanings/cultural values
§ Meaning is interpreted differently
• Use Lower-‐level abstractions when clarity is essential
§ Low-‐level abstractions are specific, concrete statements that refer directly to objects or events that can be
observed
§ High-‐level abstractions cover a broader range of possible objects or events without describing them in
much detail (have a wide variety of interpretations)
§ Use both abstract and specific language
§ Relative words (eg. soon, often, large, short) – depends on the context
• Use slang with caution
§ Slang can create the wrong impression
• Use jargon judiciously
§ Jargon: specialized vocabulary of a particular profession
§ Small amount of jargon can make what you’re saying more credible and to save time
§ But it can confuse the listener
• Use ambiguous language when it is strategically desirable
§ High-‐context cultures use strategic ambiguity to find ways to express difficult messages indirectly
(sometimes this is better than saying ‘no you are dead wrong’)
§ Advantages of indirect speech/strategic ambiguity:
-‐ Promote harmony
-‐ Soften the blow of difficult messages
-‐ Make a point indirectly that can’t be expressed overtly
• Choose the optimal degree of powerful language
§ Powerful language makes people seem more competent, dynamic and attractive than speakers who sound
powerless

Inflammatory Language
• Avoid biased language
§ Emotional problems arise when speakers intentionally or unintentionally use biased language (terms that
seem to be objective but actually conceal an emotional bias)
• Beware of trigger words
§ Words that set off an intense emotional reaction in certain people

Masculine and Feminine Language Use
• Feminine speech:
§ Rapport talk (to create connections, establish goodwill, show support etc)
§ Expressing emotions
§ Supportive
§ Tentative (suggests equality)
§ Conversational initiation and maintenance
• Masculine speech:
§ Report talk (speech that focuses less on feelings and relationships and more on information, facts,
knowledge, and competence
§ Uses language instrumentally (as opposed to expressively) – report information, solve visible problems,
achieve, accomplish, attain, execute, perform
§ Offer advice that will lead to a solution
§ More assertive, certain, direct, authoritative
§ Conversational dominance/control
• Meeting gender-‐related language challenges:
§ Be aware of different styles (accept gender differences)
§ Switch styles
§ Combine styles

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Nonverbal Communication

Characteristics of Nonverbal Communication
• Nonverbal behaviour always has communicative value
§ Everything about your appearance, every movement, every facial expression, every nuance of your voice
has the potential to convey meaning
• Nonverbal communication is powerful
• Nonverbal behaviour is ambiguous
§ The message nonverbal communication conveys is ambiguous – it’s a mistake to assume you can decide
which meaning is true
• Nonverbal communication primarily expresses attitudes
§ Messages about ideas/concepts can’t be expressed through nonverbal channels
• Nonverbal communication affects career success
§ The ability to effectively manage your nonverbal behaviour is vital
• Much nonverbal behaviour is culture-‐bound
§ Many nonverbal expressions vary from culture to culture
§ Eg. avoidance of eye contact, silence, touch etc.

Types of Nonverbal Communication
• Voice
§ Not the words spoken, but the tone, sound, pitch etc convey feelings/emotions/attitude
§ Paralanguage: (a wide range of vocal characteristics which help express an attitude) pitch, resonance,
range, tempo, articulation, dysfluencies, rhythm, pauses, volume
• Appearance
§ Including body shape/composition, clothing, attractiveness
• The face and eyes
§ Facial expressions
§ Eye contact
• Posture and movement
§ Small gestures and mannerisms
§ Body relaxation or tension
§ Height
• Personal space and distance
§ The distance we put between ourselves and others reflects our feelings and attitudes
§ Indicates power
• Physical Environment
§ The physical environment in which we operate also suggests how we feel and shapes how we communicate
§ Whether a person has an office and where the office is situated
§ Arrangement of furniture
§ Proximity to other colleagues
§ Privacy, noise, odours, children, illness (in a cubicle)
• Time
§ Use of time
§ Variations in culture

Improving Nonverbal Effectiveness
• Monitor your nonverbal behaviour
• Demonstrate interest in others
• Be positive
• Observe conventions

Sexual Harassment
• Two types:
§ Quid pro quo (Latin term meaning ‘this for this’) – directly or indirectly threatening not to promote
someone who won’t date you or implying that employment depends on the giving of sexual favours
§ Hostile work environment – any verbal or nonverbal behaviour that has the intention or effect of
interfering with someone’s work or creating an environment that is intimidating, offensive or hostile. (eg.
unwelcome remarks, humor, stares, hand or body signs, invasions of physical space)
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Responding to Sexual Harassment
• Consider dismissing the incident
• Tell the harasser to stop
• Keep notes/diary
• Write a personal letter
• Ask a trusted third party to intervene
• Use company channels
• File a legal complaint

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Chapter 5: Interpersonal Communication – Dealing with Conflict

Negotiation

Building Positive Relationships
• Emotional intelligence and social intelligence – describe the ability and skills of interacting well with others

Communication Climate
• communication climate: Describes the quality of personal relationships in an organization
• positive climates – people are valued and have positive feelings/attitudes about their work
• negative climates – people don’t believe they are appreciated and have negative attitudes/feelings
• messages that express feelings of value are confirming and those that fail to express value are disconfirming
• use descriptive “I” language
§ “you” language à point a verbal finger of accusation at the receiver
§ “I” language à focus on the speaker rather than judging the other person
• Focus on solving problems, not controlling others
§ Control shows a lack of regard for the other person’s needs, interests or opinions
• Be honest: don’t manipulate
§ Once people discover they have been manipulated they won’t trust anything you say again
• Show concern for others
§ A genuine message of interest can make a tremendous difference
• Demonstrate an attitude of equality
§ Respect
• Keep an open mind
§ Promotes good relationships
§ Provides useful information

Giving Praise
• Praise promptly – the quicker you provide positive feedback, the more meaningful it will be
• Make praise specific – makes it easier for the other person to continue the behaviour
• Praise progress, not just perfection
• Praise intermittently – constant praise is likely to sound insincere
• Relay praise – sing their praises to others who deserve to know
• Praise sincerely

Dealing with Criticism

Offering Constructive Feedback
• The way you present your comments can make the difference between their being accepted and considered or
being disputed and rejected
• Consider the content
§ Limit the criticism to one topic (focus on one complaint at a time)
§ Make sure the criticism is accurate (get the facts straight)
§ Define the problem clearly
§ Show how your criticism can benefit the recipient
• Consider the sender
§ Who delivers the criticism can be as important as the content
§ Choose the most credible critic
§ Make sure the criticism is appropriate for the critic’s role
• Consider the relational climate
§ Deliver remarks as part of a positive relationship (let them know your criticism doesn’t diminish your
respect for them)
§ Accept partial responsibility for the problem
§ Accompany your criticism with an offer to help
• Consider the delivery
§ Deliver criticism in a face-‐saving manner (deliver remarks privately)
§ Avoid sounding and looking judgemental

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Responding to Criticism
• Seek more information
§ Ask for examples or clarification
§ Guess about details of the criticism
§ Paraphrase the critic
§ Ask what the critic wants
• Agree with the criticism
§ Agree with the facts
§ Agree with the critic’s right to his or her own perception
§ Emphasize areas of common ground (similar points of view)
• Work for a cooperative solution
§ Maximise your chance for a constructive solution
§ Ask for the change to state your point of view
§ Focus on a solution that will work for both of you, not on finding fault

Managing Conflict

What are conflicts about?
• The topic at hand
§ Most obvious source of conflict is the subject at hand
§ Topic-‐related disagreements
• The process
§ Disputes about how to do something
• Relational issues
§ Centre on how parties want to be treated by one another
§ Can involve affinity, respect, and control
• Ego/Identity Issues
§ Conflicts intensify when others communicate in face-‐threatening ways

Approaches to Conflict
• Avoiding
§ Physical (not answering calls or responding to emails) or psychological (denying the problem exists)
§ Sometimes avoiding is a wise choice
• Accommodating
§ Give ground as a way of maintaining harmony
§ Can be positive, in the case where you know you are wrong
• Competing
§ A competitive approach to conflicts is based on the assumption that the only way for one party to reach its
goals is to overcome the other
§ Competition isn’t always a bad approach
• Collaborating
§ Work together to resolve conflicts
§ Assumes that conflict is a natural part of life and that working with the other person will produce the best
possible solution
§ Requires the cooperation of everyone involved
§ Is time consuming
• Compromising
§ Each party sacrifices something he or she is seeking to gain an agreement
§ This approach is cooperative, recognizing that both parties must agree to resolve a conflict
§ Compromise is self-‐centred, since the parties act in their self-‐interest to get the best possible deal

Handling Conflicts Constructively
• If you decide to collaborate, compete or compromise, you will need to negotiate (occurs when two or more parties
discuss specific proposals to find a mutually acceptable agreement)
• Negotiation strategies and outcomes
§ Win-‐lose approach – based on the assumption that only one side can reach its goals and that any victory by
that party will be matched by the other’s loss
§ Lose-‐lose outcome – can arise when competitors try to gain an advantage of one another’s expense
§ Win-‐win outcome – everybody involved is satisfied
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• Preparing to negotiate
§ Clarify your interests and needs
§ Consider the best time to raise the issue
§ Consider cultural differences
§ Prepare your statement
• Conducting the negotiation
§ Identify the ends both parties are seeking
§ Brainstorm a list of possible solutions
§ Evaluate the alternative solutions
§ Implement and follow up on the solution

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Summary Book Communicating at Work Communication Chapters 1 5 Lectures

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Summary - book "Communicating at Work Communication",

Business Communications (University of Wollongong)

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Chapter 1: Communicating at Work

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Ethical Dimensions of Communication

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Chapter 2: Communication, Culture, and Work

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§ Avoiding discriminatory practises

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Chapter 3: Listening

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Chapter 4: Verbal and Nonverbal Messages

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Chapter 5: Interpersonal Communication – Dealing with Conflict

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