OBR 250

Week 7
Agenda

1. Test # 2 (7pm to 8pm)

2. Course Schedule review

3. Lesson: Chapter 8
Communications

4. Next Week
 Course Introduction - Grading

Activity Location Grade % Key Dates Time

Weekly Applied Submit via Discussion 15% Weekly Weds 7pm EST
Learning modules Board due weekly

Test # 1 Big Blue Button 15% June 7, 2023 7pm EST (timed)

Test # 2 Big Blue Button 15% June 28, 2023 7pm EST (timed)

Test # 3 Big Blue Button 15% July 26, 2023 7pm EST (timed)

Test # 4 Big Blue Button 15% August 16, 2023 7pm EST (timed)

Assignment (X1) Submit via Big Blue 25% Due August 2, 7pm EST
Button 2023
 COURSE WEEKLY SCHEDULE
posted in “Course information” Blackboard
 COURSE WEEKLY SCHEDULE continued
posted in “Course information” Blackboard

Assignment due Aug 2 will be posted and reviewed at the July 12 class.
 Weekly learning modules -15% of grade
Each module maximum score 5 points

-DUE weekly in discussion board at 7pm est. Late submissions 10% penalty. -Submissions made 1 week after
due date will be given zero mark.

Activity Grade % Key Dates

Weekly Applied Learning modules 15% Weekly – see Weekly Addendum

Communication

Chapter 8
 1. Understand the communication process.
2. Compare and contrast different types of communication.
Learning 3. Compare and contrast different communication channels.
4. Understand and learn to overcome barriers to effective
Objectives communication.
5. Understand the role listening plays in communication.
6. Learn how verbal and nonverbal communication can carry different
meanings among cultures.
 Communication

What does good communication look like to you?

What does bad communication look like to you?

 Communication
• Communication is
– a process by which
information is
exchanged between
individuals through a
common system of
symbols, signs, or
behaviour.
Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels
 Poor Communication
Photo by JAFAR AHMED on Unsplash
• In most work
environments, a
miscommunication is
an annoyance
• In some work areas
might be the difference
of life and death
– E.g. Operating rooms
and pilots
• In business poor
communication costs
money and time
Advantages of Effective Communication

• Most important skill

to job recruiters
• Majority of time at
work in any job is
spent communicating
• Keeping employees
informed
Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash
 Communication
Communication is vital to organizations
▪ It is defined in Webster’s dictionary as a process by which information
is exchanged between individuals through a common system of
symbols, signs, or behaviours

The Impact of communication:

▪ the relationship between miscommunication and negative outcomes is
very strong. Data suggest that deficient interpersonal communication
was a causal factor in approximately 70% to 80% of all accidents over
the last 20 year

▪ One study found that 14% of each work week is wasted on poor
communication (Armour, 1998)

▪ Good communication can help a company retain employees. Surveys

find that when employees think their organizations do a good job of
keeping them informed about matters that affect them and when they
have access to the information they need to do their jobs, they are
more satisfied
 Communication Process

Communication fulfills 3 main functions within an organization:

..of effort helping people toward same goals
1. Coordination
..vital part of this process
2. Transmission of information
..Bonds teams & unites people during
3. Sharing emotions and feelings
celebration and crisis
Communication Process Model

Sender Receiver
decodes
message

Where have you seen communication breakdown in

this process?
Key Takeway
 Communication Barriers
• Filtering
– the distortion or withholding of
information to manage a person’s
reactions
– People tend to filter bad news during
upward communication
– Things to consider when deciding
whether to filter a message:
• Past experience
• Knowledge and perception of the speaker
• Emotional state, involvement with the topic
and level of attention

The biggest single problem in

communication is the illusion
that it has taken place.
– George Bernard Shaw

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

 Communication Barriers
• Selective Perception
– filtering what we see
and hear to suit our
own needs.
– Often used to deal with
a bombardment of
stimuli or requests for
our attention
– Can lead to issues with
Photo by Stefan Cosma on Unsplash
task prioritization and
differences of opinion in
terms of urgency or
importance
 Communication Barriers
• Information Overload
– occurs when the
information processing
demands on an individual’s
time to perform interactions
and internal calculations
exceed the supply or Photo by Christian Erfurt on Unsplash
capacity of time available for
such processing Managers can expect, on average,
– Symptom of the high-tech to do only 3 minutes of
uninterrupted work on any one
age task before being interrupted by
– Advent of email plays a large an incoming e-mail, instant
role in this message, phone call, coworker, or
other distraction
 Communication Barriers
• Workplace Gossip
– The informal gossip network
known as the grapevine is a
lifeline for many employees
seeking information about their
company
– 70% of all organizational
communication occurs at the
grapevine level
– Barrier to effective
communication for managers as
it can be perceived as being
more credible than official
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash
channels
– May be used by some to gain
political power within an
organization
 Communication Barriers
• Gender differences
– Men tend to focus
more on competition,
data, and orders in
their communications
– Women tend to focus
more on cooperation,
intuition, and
requests.
Photo by Kelly Searle on Unsplash
– Both styles can be
effective in the right
situations
 Communication Barriers
• Poor Listening
– Listening takes practice, skill,
and concentration.
– Active listening
• Giving full attention to what
other people are saying,
taking time to understand
the points being made,
Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash
asking questions as needed,
and not interrupting at
inappropriate times

The greatest compliment that was ever What happens when there is poor
paid to me was when one asked me what I
listening? Active listening? Discuss
thought, and attended to my answer.
possible outcomes
• – Henry David Thoreau
 Communication Barriers

• Communication Freezers
– put an end to effective
communication by making
the receiver feel judged or
defensive.
– E.g. criticizing, blaming, This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed

ordering, judging, or under CC BY-NC-ND

shaming the other person.

Types of Communication and Channels
• Verbal Communication
– Allows for a more flexible
communication style
– Should be used for crucial
conversations to ensure
that high stakes
communications are
understood
– Storytelling: an effective
Photo by Jessica Da Rosa on Unsplash
form of verbal
communication which
helps to construct
common meanings for
How effective is storytelling? individuals within the
organisation.
 Toolbox

Photo by Jessica Da Rosa on Unsplash

Types of Communication and Channels
• Written Communication
– Examples of written
communications include
memos, proposals, e-
mails, letters, training
manuals, and operating
policies
– Often asynchronous and a
“one-to-many”
communication which can
be received by many and
Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash multiple times
 Types of Communication and Channels
• Nonverbal
Communication
– 55% of in-person
communication comes
from nonverbal cues
such as facial
expressions, body
stance, and tone of
voice
– A different tone and
body language can
change the perceived
Photo by Ananya Bilimale on Unsplash
meaning of a message
Types of Communication and Channels
• Communication
Channels
– The channel, or
medium, used to
communicate a
message affects how
accurately the
message will be
received called
“information
richness”
Types of Communication and Channels
• Key to effective communication is to match the
communication channel with the goal of the message
Tools
 Types of Communication and Channels
• Email as a communication
Channel
– Creates challenges of tone,
information overload and
increasing the speed of
doing businesses
– E-mail the second most
popular medium of
communication worldwide,
second only to voice.
– To combat the overuse of
email many companies have
Photo by KAL VISUALS on Unsplash
instituted initiatives such as
“no email Fridays”
Types of Communication and Channels
• Cross-Cultural Communication
– Culture is a shared set of beliefs
and experiences common to
people in a specific setting.
– Different and “multicultural”
identities of individuals in the
same organisation can lead to
miscommunications.
– Vocabulary and jargon may be
different from one person to
another
– Cultural may influence the type
of nonverbal communication
used and the amount of desired
situational context
Key Takeaways

• Effective communication matters to organizations.

• Communication break downs may result of communication barriers attributed to the

sender or receiver.

• Choosing the right communication channel is important as choosing the wrong one may
undermine the message.

• Communication in the cross-cultural context requires extra caution due to different

cultural norms regarding nonverbal communications and words may be interpreted
differently.

• Adopting active listening skills may increase communication effectiveness.

 Breakout
Walk through these examples. How would you rephrase these and what would be
difference in someone’s response and how they perform?

1. Telling the other person what to do: 6. Giving insincere praise:

•“You must…” •“You have so much potential.”
•“You cannot…” •“I know you can do better than this.”

2. Threatening with “or else” implied: 7. Psychoanalyzing the other person:

•“You had better…” •“You’re jealous.”
•“If you don’t…” •“You have problems with authority.”

3. Making suggestions or telling the 8. Making light of the other person’s

other person what they ought to do: problems by generalizing:
•“You should…” •“Things will get better.”
•“It’s your responsibility to…” •“Behind every cloud is a silver lining.”

4. Attempting to educate the other 9. Asking excessive or inappropriate

person: questions (Tramel & Reynolds, 1981;
•“Let me give you the facts.” Communication stoppers).
•“Experience tells us that…”
Interesting
information in
slides 34 to 37 on
generational
themes and
communication
differences
 Generational Common Themes
1.Value Structure – the values that matter most, i.e. family, integrity, honesty, trustworthiness

1.Wanting Respect – even with slightly different definitions, we all still want to be heard and valued for our
contribution

2.Trustworthy Leaders – without trust, relationships falter, communication stops, and productivity is lost

3.Nobody Likes Change – the stereotype says that Millennials love change, her research showed the opposite,
no one generation is more or less comfortable than the others

4.Loyalty – not a function of age, but a function of position in the organization, the higher you are the more
time you work

5.We All Want to Learn – people want to do a good job and are willing to acquire new skills to do so

6.Everyone Likes Feedback – we want to know how we are doing comparatively

 Workplace Generations

% Workforce
There are 3 main generations represented in
today’s workforce:

•Baby boomers - born between 1946 and 1964 25%

•Generation X - born between 1965 and 1980 33%

•Millennials - born between 1981 and 1996 35%

•Silent Generation - born between 1928 and 1945 7%

 Generational Differences
Communicating to a Traditionalist (born 1922-1945)
Because traditionalists respect authority, put duty before fun, and strictly adhere to rules, they tend to lead with a command-and-control style. They’re very
directive and prefer to be communicated to formally and through the written word (think…memos). They take satisfaction in doing a job well, so make sure that
you share with them how much you respect their experience. When it comes to providing feedback, no news is good news, so only approach them with something
that is paramount to their performance.

Communicating to a Baby Boomer (1946-1964) (Boomers I: 1946-1954 (67-75yrs); Boomers II: 1955-1964 (57-66yrs)
Baby boomers are known to be workaholics, desire high quality in their products and services, and aren’t afraid to question authority. They want to be collegial
leaders, so working with them, as a team member is relevant and valuable. Communicate in person, but try to avoid meetings, one-to-one will be the best method.
Relaying the message that their contribution is needed, reward them with money, and give them a meaningful title. Boomers work to live, so conversate with
them about their work more than you do about their home lives.

Communicating to Generation X (1965-1980) – 41-56yrs

Individuals born between 1965 and 1980 want structure and direction and are often skeptical of the status quo. Because X’ers view everyone as being the same,
feel free to challenge them, and communicate directly. Having a conversation immediately after an event is more relevant than waiting too long. They like hearing
feedback, so give it freely, but also remember that autonomy is important to them, so inspect what you expect. To fire up small talk, feel free to talk about both
personal and professional lives.

Communicating to Millennials (1981-1996) 25-40yrs

The folks from Generation Y are always wondering about what is next. Their entrepreneurial, goals oriented, and feel comfortable with multitasking, so feel free
to create participative conversations. We all know that Y’ers like to communicate electronically, so send SMS messages, e-mails, and social media wall posts. They
want their work to be meaningful, so provide feedback continually and put them on teams with other bright and creative people.

Communicating with Generation Z (1997-2012) 9-24yrs

Gen Z communicates with images and they multitask across multiple screens as opposed to Millennials preferring to communicate on two screens and via text. ...
They communicate in bite sizes. Punchy headlines or razor sharp text resonate much better than lengthy chunks of words or long-winded passages.”
 Breakout
Communicating to a Baby Boomer II Boomers II: 1955-1964 (57-66yrs)
Baby boomers are known to be workaholics, desire high quality in their products You are part of a team which consists
and services, and aren’t afraid to question authority. They want to be collegial
leaders, so working with them, as a team member is relevant and valuable. of individuals that fall into these
Communicate in person, but try to avoid meetings, one-to-one will be the best generations.
method. Relaying the message that their contribution is needed, reward them with
money, and give them a meaningful title. Boomers work to live, so conversate with
them about their work more than you do about their home lives. There is a team meeting to discuss a
Communicating to Generation X (1965-1980) – 41-56yrs need for work to be completed within
Individuals born between 1965 and 1980 want structure and direction and are the next two weeks. The team needs
often skeptical of the status quo. Because X’ers view everyone as being the same,
feel free to challenge them, and communicate directly. Having a conversation to discuss how to get organized to
immediately after an event is more relevant than waiting too long. They like hearing meet this deadline.
feedback, so give it freely, but also remember that autonomy is important to them,
so inspect what you expect. To fire up small talk, feel free to talk about both
personal and professional lives. Think about resources required,
Communicating to Millennials (1981-1996) 25-40yrs overtime, collaboration between team
The folks from Generation Y are always wondering about what is next. Their members, communication.
entrepreneurial, goals oriented, and feel comfortable with multitasking, so feel free
to create participative conversations. We all know that Y’ers like to communicate
electronically, so send SMS messages, e-mails, and social media wall posts. They Discuss your approach when
want their work to be meaningful, so provide feedback continually and put them on
teams with other bright and creative people. communicating with these three
generations.
Next Week.. • Weekly Module Assignment due on July
5th in Discussion Board at 7pm EST. Late
penalty 10%. If submitted a week after due
Week 9 date, zero mark.
July 5, 2023
• Lesson: Read Chapter 9 – Managing
Groups & Teams and Team Dynamics
 My contact info:
1. Review Course Outline that shows weekly anna.yu@senecacollege.ca
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