Kingfisher School of Business and Finance

Roles are the positions that we adopt when we communicate.

Roles can be characterized:◦ In terms of the type of action we are doing◦ In terms of our relationship to our audience

Managerial Roles:◦ Leader◦ Facilitator◦ Coach◦ Liaison◦ Idea Generator◦ Mediator

Communicative roles:◦ Speaker◦ Listener◦ Reader◦ Writer

Roles can be characterized by the type of action that we do:

Roles depending on our status in an organization:◦ Executive◦ Subordinate◦ Peers/Coworkers

This is sometimes called “writing up” or “writing down” depending on one’s position on the corporate ladder.

The relationships between speaker/listener or reader/writer or the managerial role being played determine what type of communication is most appropriate.◦ Levels of formality◦ Choice of genres◦ Use of appeals

What role am I playing as communicator and as manager?

What is my relationship to my audience? Am I “writing up” or “writing down” within a

company? If I’m writing to people outside the

company, what relationship do we have?