Chapter one Communicating at work Changes in the workplace and the importance of communication skills The process of communication Obstacles that create

Chapter one

Communicating at work

Changes in the workplace and the importance

of communication skills

The process of

communication

Obstacles that create

misunderstandings

Overcome the

obstacles

Internal and external

communication

The changes of ways of

communication

Formal and Informal

communication channels

Ethical business

communication

Communication of an

organization

Self-examination to resolve

ethical issues

1.

Ethicaltraps

Ethical goals

2.3.

Changes in the workplace

• Global competition

• Flat structure

• Team work

• ICT

• New work pattern

• Diverse workforce

• The importance of knowledge

Changes in the workplace and communication skills (1)

Heightened global competition :

--companies increasingly find themselves competing in global rather than local markets.

• What factors enable companies to move beyond local market?

-- improved systems of telecommunication ,

-- advanced forms of transportation ,

-- saturated local market

What effect will it bring to communication?

--communication is more complicated with people who have different religions , customs, and lifestyles .


What skills are necessary in communication?

--cultural knowledge

-- sensitivity ,

-- flexibility ,

-- patience ,

-- tolerance.


• Flattened management hierarchies:

why would most companies adopt the flat structure?

--Global competition

cut cost

flatten the management hierarchies

improve every employee’s efficiency

higher demands for every employee


How would flat structure affect communication?

--Lines of communication are shorter ,

--decision makers can react more quickly

--instructions will be passed down more quickly

-- communication between staff becomes easier


• Expanded team-based management:

-- flatter organization will promote team-based operations.

The role of work teams:

---be responsible for everything.

---analyze problems and negotiate solutions.

---work together and share information .


• For better team work, what skills should each member possess?

-- good communication skills.


• Innovative communication technologies:

What are innovative communication technologies?

---e-mail, Fax , video-conferencing , and the web .

How could communicators use these new resources most effectively?

---communicators should have good computer skills.


• New work environment:

the reasons for new work environment:

---global competition ,

--- restructuring

--- mobile technologies

What kind of new work pattern will appear?

--- telecommuting

---hotelling ( open office with unassigned desks )


• Increasingly diverse workforce : what are diverse workforce? ---coworkers differ from each other in race, ethnicity,

gender, age,culture ,etc.The benefits the diversity brings to the company: ---better able to read trends and ---better respond to the increasingly diverse customer base

in local and world markets. ( e.g. know about consumers’ different demands and create

different products )


• the age of knowledge :

-- an advanced economy is based on information and knowledge.

what is the vital raw material? Choose from the next items:

--- physical labor,

--- raw materials,

--- capital

--- knowledge


what would knowledge workers mainly do?

--They deal with words , figures , and data,

-- they generate , process , and exchange information .

What would workers do facing constantly changing technologies?

---Receive continual training

The process of communication

• The process

feedback

Idea Message

formation decoding

Message Message

encoding transmission

Idea formation

• What factors will influence the form of the idea?

--mood,

--frame of reference

-- background,

--culture,

-- the context of the situation,

--experience etc.

Idea formation

What is essential in successful communication in this process?

--ability to accurately predict how a message will affect its receiver

--skill in adapting that message to its receiver.

Message encoding

• Definition:

--converting the idea into words or gestures that will convey meaning .

What is the major problem?

---words have different meaning for different people.

What kind of words are usually proper ones ?

---familiar words with concrete meanings on which both senders and receivers agree.

Message encoding

• What should senders do when selecting proper words?

-- senders should be alert to the receiver’s communication skills, attitudes, background, experience and culture.

Message transmission

• The medium over which the message is physically transmitted is the channel.

Different channels:

---computer, telephone,letter, memo, report, announcement, picture, spoken word, fax, etc.

What kind of messages can communication channels deliver?

--- both verbal and nonverbal messages

Message transmission

• What will be the obstacles in transmission?

-- oral: anything that interrupts the transmission of a message

-- writing : error in writing

Message decoding

Decoding : Translating the message from its symbol form into meaning

When does communication really take place?

---Only when the receiver understands the meaning intended by the sender

Message decoding

• When can it be interrupted?

-- the receiver’s lack of attention

-- semantic obstacles

( e.g. misunderstanding words )

Feedback

• What’s feedback?

-- The verbal and nonverbal responses of the receiver.

• feedback helps the sender know whether the message was received and understood.

The best feedback is descriptive rather than evaluative .

Feedback

(descriptive : to tell the sender that you have understood the message.

Evaluative: a judgmental response)

--I know that you are to launch a new product.

-- your idea is incredible.

Obstacles that create misunderstandings

• Bypassing

• Frame of reference

• Lack of language skill

• Distractions

• Emotional interference


• Bypassing:

each of us attaches a little bundle of meanings to every word , and these meanings are not always similar. Bypassing happens when people miss each other with their meanings.

e.g. help ( boss asked you to help…)


• Frame of reference: -- it is a combination of your experiences, education,

culture, expectations,personality, etc.-- it will bring you biases and expectations to any

communication situatione.g. Arabian and American have different opinion

about ‘being punctual’To prevent communication failure-- one should be alert to both side’s frame of reference.


• Lack of language skill: each individual needs an adequate vocabulary , a co

mmand of basic punctuation and grammar, and skill in written and oral expression .(good oral and written language skills)

e.g. too many mistakes in writing will cause misunderstandings.

• Distractions:---emotional interference ---physical distractions


• Emotional interference-- strong emotions: fear, resentment, hostility, sad,

jealousy,etc.• Physical distractions-- noisy surrounding-- poor printing-- spelling errors, etcHow to reduce the influence from these factors?-- focus on the content-- be objective

Overcoming the obstacles

• anticipate problems in encoding , transmitting and decoding a message.

--Try to determine the receiver’s frame of reference, and ask yourself how the receiver will react to your message.

• Question your preconceptions, examine the personal assumptions, biases, and prejudices.

e.g. try to evaluate your own frame of reference objectively

Questions

• Why will the same ‘Honda’cars’ introductions be different in different countries ?

Overcoming obstacles

• Arrange your ideas logically and use words precisely.

-- avoid almost-right words, try to get the right word.

• Listen carefully and patiently.-- not only be a good speaker, but also be a good

listener• create an environment for useful feedback. e.g. asking questions to stimulate feedback.

Internal and external communication

• Internal communication : ( between …)

sharing ideas and messages with superiors , coworkers, and subordinates .

* External communication : ( between …)

communicating with customers, suppliers, government , and the public .

What channels ?

Functions of communications

• The functions of these communications :

-- to inform

-- to persuade

-- to promote goodwill

Changes in the ways of communication

• Slow, one-sided

fast, interactive

How ?

By different channels.

• two basic forms of communication :

--oral and written

Oral communicationwritten communication

• Oral communication advantages: immediate feedback nonverbal clues warm feelings multiple inputMinimize miscommunicationsDisadvantage:Provides no written record

Written communication

• Written communication

-- provides a permanent record

-- convenience ( be composed , read and reviewed)

-- careful message;

-- easy distribution

--Lacks immediate feedback

-- without careful preparation, it will cause trouble.

-- it needs good writing skills

Communication tools ----information overload----solutions

• Tools : Telephone; e-mail; interoffice mail;; faxes; notes; message slips; courier; cell phone; express mail.

• The large volume of messages and communication channel choices overwhelms many workers . Many employees feel stressed and unable to function.

• Solutions:-- to telecommute. Others are -- to block out work time when they turn off pagers

and cell phones and log off the internet.

Formal communication channels

three directions: downward , upward , and horizontally.

• Downward flow :

.(job plans , policies, instructions , feedback , procedures)

Decision maker—the chain of command—workers

To avoid distorted message, how to improve it?

-- flatter structure


• Upward flow: (phone messages, e-mail, memos, reports, departmental meeti

ngs, and suggestion systems. )Some measures to improve it: --hire communication coaches to train employees;-- asking employees to report customers complaints;--encouraging regular meetings with staff ; --providing a trusting nonthreatening environment ;-- offering incentive programs ;--installing ombudsman program.


• Horizontal flow:

workers at the same level.

to improve horizontal communication,

(1) training employees in teamwork and communication techniques,

(2) establishing reward systems based on team achievement rather than individual achievement ,

(3) encouraging full participation in team functions.

Informal channels

• Informal organizational communication transmits unofficial news through the grapevine .these channels are based on social relationships.

When employees obtain their company news from the grapevine, good or not?

---it’s sure that management is not releasing sufficient information through formal channels.

Employees prefer to receive vital information through formal channels.

Hedonism----virtues

If you want really good friends,

a really good partner in life,

to really enjoy your children,

to feel at home in your society,

then what you need is

---- the virtues.

Ethical awareness

• Profit – ethics in business

-- flatter structure– downsized staff – cut costs – increase productivity – to cheat, lie etc – to achieve company goals

• What is ethics in business?

-- be socially responsible• For every employee, what should he do?

-- to comply with ethical code of conduct

Ethical awareness

• What will be the consequence if one company doesn’t adopt it?

-- a poor public image – resentment – litigation – government regulation

• To abide by, what principles does it involve?

-- honesty, integrity, fairness, concern for others

Five common ethical traps• The false necessity trap:

people act from the belief that they have no other choice , but in fact it’s just a matter of convenience.

-- ads for some products

• The doctrine-of -relative-filth trap:

unethical behavior sometimes look good compared with the worse behavior of others.

-- send a little e-mail and play games for a long time

Five common ethical traps

• The rationalization trap:

people try to explain away unethical actions by justifying them with excuses.

-- claim sick leave when not ill for you think you are so busy that you should have some free time to make up for it.

• The self –deception trap:

applicants for jobs often fall into the trap . They are all too willing to exaggerate past accomplishments to impress prospective employers.

• The ends-justify-the-means trap:

taking unethical actions to accomplish a desirable goal.

-- let employees work overtime for an ethical goal.

Employees’ common ethical violations

• Cutting corners on quality

• Covering up incidents

• Lying about sick days

• Deceiving customers

• Lying to supervisors

• Taking credit for a colleague’s ideas

Goals of ethical business communication

Why setting up specific ethical goals?

minimize the danger of falling into ethical traps

Telling the truth:

-- avoid : half truths; exaggerations; untrue statements; deceptions

Labeling opinions:

-- know the difference between facts and opinions

e.g. the market share has increased by 20%

Goals of ethical business communication

Being objective : ethical business communicators recognize their own biases and strive to keep them from distorting a message.

e.g. to buy a product for your company, would you buy it from a friend you trust or comparing some products fairly ?

Goals of ethical communication

• Communicating clearly:

-- for better understanding, try to use ‘plain English’.• Giving credit: Using the written ideas of others

without giving credit called plagiarism.

-- you can use quotation marks, footnotes and endnotes to refer to originator’s names within the text.

Tools for doing the right thing

• The following questions will help you do self-examination.

1,Is the action you are considering legal?Try to avoid anything prohibited by law.

2, How would you see the problem if you were on the opposite side?by weighing both sides of the issue , you can arrive at a more equitable solution.

3, what are alternate solutions? Consider alternatives to see whether they can achieve success too.

Tools for doing the right thing

4, Can you discuss the problem with someone whose advice you trust? Talking about your dilemma with a coworker or with a colleague in your field might give you helpful insights and lead to possible alternative.

5, how would you feel if your family , friends, employer, or coworkers learned of you actions ?

-- The faith of your family, friends etc = short-term gains ?

Memo

• Memo formats

From

To

Subject

Date

Main body

Signature

Memo

• From: personnel manager

• To : managing director

• Date: 16 May 2003

• Subject: installation of clocking-in machines

Assignment

• Write a memo of introduction to your instructor (refer to the exercise 1.2 on page 32)

Offer—counter-offer

• Is your offer a firm one or subject to final confirmation?• All quotations are subject to our final confirmation. Unless

otherwise stated or agreed upon, all prices are net without commission.

• We offer you our apples at RMB 50 yuan per carton FOB Dalian, shipment two weeks after receipt of your L/C.

• Your counterbid is too low, we can’t accept it.• We have just cabled acceptance of your counter offer mad

e on December 5. We are pleased to grant you a 10% discount from the price list because we believe that your initial order deserves such a concession.

Documents

Chapter one Communicating at work Changes in the workplace and the importance of communication skills The process of communication Obstacles that create