Chapter 5 – Interpersonal

Communication
McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2010 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Communication Process
and Communication Barriers

 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 Process of
Communication
The Process of
Communication

How may the sender Verbally or nonverbally. By

encode a message? speaking, writing, gesturing.

Letters, e-mail, IM, memos,

What kinds of channels
TV, telephone, voice, body.
carry messages?
Others?

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The Process of
Communication

How does a receiver

Hearing, reading, observing
decode a message?

When a message is
When is communication
understood as the sender
successful?
intended it to be.
How can a Ask questions, check
communicator provide reactions, don’t dominate
for feedback? the exchange.
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Barriers to Communication

Physical hearing disabilities, noisy

barriers surroundings
Psychological tuning out ideas that counter
barriers our values
Language unfamiliar or charged words
problems
Nonverbal clothing, mannerisms,
distractions appearance
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Barriers to Communication

Thought speed our minds process thoughts

faster than speakers say
them
Faking pretending to listen
attention
Grandstanding talking all the time or
listening only for the next
pause 5-7
Gender Conversation
Differences

 Men and women converse for different

reasons.
 Gender style becomes a barrier to
communication between the sexes.
 Men tend to talk to emphasize status.
 Women tend to talk to create
connections and develop relationships.

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Barriers to Cross-Cultural
Communication

 Understand high- and low-context

culture differences
 Social convention/directness
 Language/words used
 Etiquette and politeness
 Nonverbal Communication

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Exhibit 5.4 - High- versus Low-Context
Culture Communication Importance

Context High-Context Low-Context

Culture 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 5-16
Guidelines to Overcome Global
Barriers to Communications

 Believe that there are differences until

similarity is proved.
 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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10 Misconceptions about
Listening

1. Listening is a matter of intelligence.

FACT: Careful listening is a learned
behavior.
2. Speaking is more important than listening in
the communication process.
FACT: Speaking and listening are equally
important.
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10 Misconceptions about
Listening

3. Listening is easy and requires little energy.

FACT: Active listeners undergo the same
physiological changes as a person jogging.
4. Listening and hearing are the same process.
FACT: Listening is a conscious, selective
process. Hearing is an involuntary act.

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10 Misconceptions about
Listening

5. Speakers are able to command listening.

FACT: Speakers cannot make a person
really listen.
6. Hearing ability determines listening ability.
FACT: Listening happens mentally—
between the ears.

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10 Misconceptions about
Listening

7. Speakers are totally responsible for

communication success.
FACT: Communication is a two-way street.
8. Listening is only a matter of understanding a
speaker’s words.
FACT: Nonverbal signals also help listeners
gain understanding.
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10 Misconceptions about
Listening

9. Daily practice eliminates the need for

listening training.
FACT: Without effective listening training,
most practice merely reinforces negative
behaviors.
10. Competence in listening develops naturally.
FACT: Untrained people listen at only 25
percent efficiency. 5-26
Levels of listening

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Levels of listening

 Projective listening holds the greatest

potential for mutual understanding of
the message.
 Empathic listening – The ability to
understand and relate to another’s
situation and feelings.

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Active Projective Listening
Tips

 Listening
– Pay attention (stop talking)
– Avoid distractions (control surroundings)
– Do not let your mind wander (develop a receptive
mindset)
– Do not assume and interrupt (keep an open mind; listen
for main points)
– Watch for nonverbal cues
– Ask questions
– Take selective notes
– Convey meaning

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Active Projective Listening
Tips

 Analyzing
– Think (listen between the lines)
– Evaluate after listening (hold your fire)
– Evaluate facts presented (judge facts and
ideas, not appearances)
 Speaking
– Paraphrase first (provide feedback)
– Watch for nonverbal cues.

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Getting Feedback

 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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Getting Feedback

 Guidelines managers should use when

getting feedback on their messages.
– Be open to feedback.
– Be aware of nonverbal communication.
– Ask questions.
– Paraphrasing.

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Response Styles

 Advising
– Advising responses provide evaluation,
personal opinion, direction, or instructions.
– Advising tends to close, limit, or direct the
flow of communication away from the
sender to the receiver.
– Giving advice is appropriate when you are
directly asked for it.

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Response Styles

 Diverting
– Switches the focus of communication to a
message of the receiver; this type of
response is often called changing the
subject.
– Diverting responses tend to redirect, close,
or limit the flow of communication.
– Changing the subject is a good way to
avoid arguments.

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Response Styles

 Probing
– A probing response asks the sender to give
more information about some aspect of the
message.
– It is useful to get a better understanding of
the situation.
– Is appropriate during the early stages of
the message to ensure understanding by
getting more information.

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Response Styles

 Reassuring
– A reassuring response is given to be
supportive and reduce the intensity of the
emotions associated with the message.
– Is appropriate when the other person lacks
confidence.

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Response Styles

 Reflecting
– The reflecting response paraphrases the
message back to the sender to convey
understanding and acceptance.
– It is used by the empathic projective
listener.
– It leads to mutual understanding, while
developing human relations.

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