Communication

The process of the exchange of

information between a sender and a
receiver through a medium (channel)
which results in shared feedback.
 Channels of Communication

FORMAL CHANNELS

• Downward Communication
• Upward Communication

INFORMAL CHANNELS

• Horizontal Communication
• “Management by Walking Around”
• Grapevine
 Communication Management

• Conceptual Skill--Ability to solve problems

and demonstrate decision-making skills
• Technical Skill--Ability to demonstrate
knowledge through tactile techniques
• Human Skill--Ability to interact with people
 Corporate Culture Myths

• Myth One: Corporate Culture is a

homogeneous organizational characteristic
• Myth Two: All members of the organization
share the same values, beliefs, and traditions
• Myth Three: The leaders of the organization
have the ability to shape the corporate culture
• Myth Four: All organizations should strive for
one culture
 Culture vs. Climate

• Culture is defined as the values and beliefs

shared by the members of a society; a set of
shared assumptions and understandings
about organizational functionings (the ‘why do
things happen the way they do’)
• Climate refers to the ways organizations
operationalize the themes that pervade
everyday behavior--the routines of
organizations and the behaviors that get
rewarded, supported, and expected by
organizations (the ‘what happens around
here’)
 Communication Networks

• Chain Network--Traditional organizational

structure (Layered)
• Wheel Network--Very centralized, autocratic
• Circle Network--Participative organization
• Star Network--Laissez-faire “free rein”
organization
 Ethics

• Guidelines which help to identify what is right

and what is wrong behavior.
• Acting responsibly for the common good
• Telling the truth
• Avoiding misleading others
• Sharing vital information
 Five Steps in the
Communication Process
• The sender has an idea (encoding)
• The message is planned, organized, and sent
• The message (type) is sent through a channel
(medium)
• The receiver reacts to the message
(decoding)
• Effective communication results in shared
feedback
Communication Signals

• Sign language: All symbols

• Action Language: Kinesics, gestures
• Object Language: Intentional and
unintentional displays

The meaning may be construed in many ways

by the sender and receiver.

Ex: the sign of victory, the “ok” sign, the words

“sorry, torch, buns,” the biggest rock.
 Words, Words, Words

• Idioms: Pet expressions, jargon

• Euphemisms
• Offensive, sexist language
• Biased language
• Stereotyped language
• Illiterate language
• Formal language
• Colloquial language
• “Ese, Ize” language
• Redundant language
• Cliche’
 The written message

• Writing style
• Format
• Message (Purpose--Why)
• Audience (Who)
• Content (What)
• Timeliness (When)
• Medium (How)
• Tone
 A Brave New World of Words

• Twenty-five percent of words added to the

dictionary in 1998 were computer -generated
• A normal adult uses 20,000 words regularly
• The English language contains a million
words--give or take.
• The ten most looked up words on Webster
web site were (in order): paradigm, love,
thesaurus, ubiquitous, HTML, effect, gry,
affect, home, dog
 Sample of 100 Words Added in
1998
• Action figure day job
• adrenalized euro
• apoptosis F/X
• bloviate gazillion
• bottom-feeder newbie
• buffalo wing ramen
• cellaphone noodle trash talk
• chat room yuppie flu
• comfort food netiquette
And the infamous word in 1998

• Is--
– The Starr Report: “salacious”
– “Censure” was the most looked up word on 12/10/98
 And if you were afraid to ask:

• Gry is a measure equal to one-tenth of a line.

• Only two words in the English language end
in “gry”--hungry and angry
• And to be honest, the word gry is
outdated/obsolete and no longer used by
ordinary people!
 And more on words...

• The word with the most definitions is “set”

• The 50 most frequently used words in English
account for 45 percent of the total volume of
words used.
• In a recent study conducted OC Register
(12/22/98) college students were asked the
meaning of a few words added to Webster’s
dictionary such as:
 The Words….

• Ramen
• Bloviate
• Frisee
• Gopik
• Kroon
• Meme
• Stotin
 Let’s see how you fared!
• Bloviate:
– to speak or write verbosely or windily
• Frisee:
– curly chicory leaves, used in a salad, also called frisee lettuce
• Gopik:
– a kind of money, from Russia and Azerbaijan
• Kroon:
– a kind of money, Estonia

• Meme:
– an idea or behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person
within a culture
• Stotin:
– A money, from Slovenia
 And Today our Language is...

• Less Formal and Eloquent

• More Comprehensible and Concise

• A communication revolution has taken place

in the last 100 years.
– Language is more technical and specialized; therefore,
the English common core language has increased from
65,000 words to over 160,000 words
 The C’s of Writing
• Completeness--Providing all the info needed
to promote effective communication
• Conciseness--Providing all the info in a clear,
brief manner
• Courteousness--The tone of the message
(empathy with the reader)
• Clarity--Delivering the message in the manner
intended.
• Considerately--Using language the reader will
understand
• Correctness--The facts, spelling, grammar,
and essential details add to the sender’s
credibility.
 The two-fold process
• Build or create goodwill
• Get the desired response
Stereotyping vs. Ethnocentrism

• Stereotyping: Classifying a particular group

of people in a like manner
• Ethnocentrism: The belief that one’s culture
is superior to other cultures
 The rule of 12

• People are judged when they are 12 feet away

based on overall appearance
• People are judged when they are 12 inches
away based on body grooming and scent
• People are judged by the first 12 words they
speak
 Nonverbal Communication

• Eye contact
• Proxemics
• Greetings
• Colors and dress
• Status
• Gender Differences
• Time attitudes
• Decision-making
• Food and eating habits
• Grooming
 Written/oral Differences

• Business correspondence
• Advertising
• Regional accents
• Word usage