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© 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved

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Chapter

McGraw-Hill/Irwin

Interpersonal

Communication

5

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Introduction

Most employees spend 75 percent of each workday communicating

75 percent of what we hear we hear incorrectly

75 percent of what we hear accurately we forget within three weeks

70 percent of all business communication fails to achieve the intended purposes

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The communication process consists of a

sender who encodes a message and

transmits it through a channel to a receiver who decodes it and may give feedback.

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The Communication Process

Step 1: Encodes

message and selects

transmission channel

Step 3: Decodes

message and decides if

feedback is needed

Step 2: Transmits message

through a channel

Step 4: Feedback – response

or new message may be

transmitted

Exhibit 5.1

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Barriers to Communication

Perception

Information overload

Channel selection

Noise

Trust and credibility

Not listening

Emotions

Filtering

Gender

Culture

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How Barriers Affect The

Communication Process

Message

Response

Barriers

Barriers

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Steps in the Communication Process (1 of 3)

Step 1. The sender encodes the message and selects the transmission channel Encoding – the sender’s process of putting the

message into a form that the receiver will understand

Perception communication barriers

Information overload communication barriers

Transmission channels Oral

Nonverbal

Written

Channel selection barriers

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Steps in the Communication Process (2 of 3)

Step 2. The sender transmits the message

Noise communication barriers

Step 3. The receiver decodes the message

and decides if feedback is needed

Decoding – the receiver’s process of translating

the message into a meaningful form

Trust and credibility communication barriers

Not listening barrier to communication

Emotional barriers to communication

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Steps in the Communication Process (3 of 3)

Step 4. Feedback – a response or a new

message may be transmitted

Filtering communication barriers

Gender style barrier to communication

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Gender Conversation Differences

Research shows the men and women

converse for different reasons

Gender style becomes a barrier to

communication between the sexes

Women tend to:

talk to create connections and develop

relationships

Men tend to:

talk about status and independence

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Barriers to Cross-Cultural

Communication:

3. Language 4. Etiquette and

Politeness

5. Nonverbal

Communication

1. Cultural

Context

2. Social

Convention

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High- versus Low-Context Cultures

High-Context

Chinese

Korean

Vietnamese

Arab

Greek

Spanish

Italian

English

North American

Scandinavian

Swiss

German

Low-Context

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Cultural Context: High-Context Cultures

Rely heavily on nonverbal communication

Rely on subtle situational cues during the communication process

What is not said is often more important than what is actually said

Important factors in communication:

official status

place in society

reputation

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Cultural Context: Low-Context Cultures

Rely heavily on the actual words used

Nonverbal communications and subtle

situational cues are not as important as what

is actually said

Status, place, and reputation are given

secondary importance to the actual words

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High- versus Low-Context Culture

Communication Importance

Context High-

Context

Culture

Low-

Context

Culture

Focus on nonverbal communications and subtle

cues

X

Focus on actual spoken and written work X

Credibility and trust are important X

The need to develop relationships X

Position, age, seniority X

Use of precisely written legal contracts X

Direct get down to business conversation X

Managers tell employees (give orders) what to do X

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Social Conventions

Language, Etiquette, and Politeness

Even when speaking the same language, words

mean different things, and the same thing may

be called by different names

Nonverbal Communication

Consists of messages we send without using

words

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Guidelines to Overcome Global

Barriers to Communications: Believe there are differences until similarity is

proven

Delay judgment of peoples’ behavior until you are

sure you are being culturally sensitive

Put yourself in the receiver’s position

When in doubt, ask

Follow the other person’s lead and watch his or her

behavior

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Sending Messages

To transmit messages effectively, managers must state exactly:

what they want

how they want it done

when they want it done

Before you send a message,

you should carefully select the channel

plan how you will send the message

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Goals of Communication

Influence

Inform

Express Feelings

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Planning the Message

What is the goal of the message?

Who should receive the message?

How will you encode the message so that it

will be understood?

When will the message be transmitted?

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The Message-Sending Process

Model

Step 1. Develop rapport

Step 2. State the communication objective

Step 3. Transmit the message

Step 4. Check understanding

Step 5. Get a commitment and follow up

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Receiving Messages

Communication does not take place unless the message is received with mutual understanding

The message cannot be received accurately unless the receiver listens

Empathic listening – the ability to understand and relate to another’s situation and feelings

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Levels of Listening

3. Projective The receiver listens without evaluation to the full message,

attempting to understand the sender’s viewpoint.

2. Evaluation The receiver listens carefully until hearing

something that is not accepted. Listening

ends and the response to the incomplete

message is developed.

1. Marginal The receiver

does not listen carefully. The message is not heard or understood with mutual agreement

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Active Projective Listening Tips (1 of 2)

Listening 1. Pay attention

2. Avoid distractions

3. Stay tuned in

4. Do not assume and interrupt

5. Watch for nonverbal cues

6. Ask questions

7. Take notes

8. Convey meaning

Analyzing 9. Think

10. Evaluate after listening

11. Evaluate facts presented

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Active Projective Listening Tips (2 of 2)

Speaking 12. Paraphrase first

13. Watch for nonverbal cues

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Feedback

Process of verifying messages

Forms of feedback include:

questioning

paraphrasing

allowing comments and suggestions

Feedback when giving and receiving

messages facilitates job performance

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360-Degree Feedback

Performance feedback method: downward from the supervisor

laterally from peers or coworkers

upwards from subordinates

inwardly from the person getting the feedback

Customers and suppliers can also provide feedback on different aspects of performance

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Common Approach of Getting

Feedback To send the entire message

Followed by asking “Do you have any questions?”

Feedback usually does not follow because people

have a tendency not to ask questions because:

They feel ignorant

They are ignorant

Receivers are reluctant to point out the sender’s

ignorance

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How to Get Feedback on Messages

Be open to feedback

Be aware of nonverbal communication

Ask questions

Paraphrasing

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Response Styles

Advising

Diverting

Probing

Reassuring

Reflecting

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Response Styles: Advising

Advising responses provide evaluation,

personal opinion, direction, or instructions

Employees often come to the manager for advice

on how to do something or for the manager to

make a decision

Appropriate use of advising responses:

Giving advice is appropriate when you are directly

asked for it

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Response Styles: Diverting

Often called changing the subject

Diverting responses switch the focus of the

communication to a message of the receiver

The receiver becomes the sender of a different message

Appropriate use of diverting responses:

When using the autocratic supervisory style

Helpful when used to share personal experiences of

feelings that are similar to those of the sender

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Response Styles: Probing

A probing response asks the sender to give

more information about some aspect of the

message

Useful to get a better understanding of the

situation

Appropriate use of probing responses:

During the early stages of the message to ensure

understanding

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Response Styles: Reassuring

A reassuring response is given to reduce

the intensity of the emotions associated with

the message

Appropriate use of reassuring responses:

When the other person lacks confidence

Encouraging responses can help employees

develop

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Response Styles: Reflecting

The reflecting response paraphrases the

message back to the sender to convey

understanding and acceptance

Used by the empathic projective listener

Appropriate use of reflecting responses:

The empathic responder deals with content,

feelings, and the underlying meaning being

expressed in the message