Communication Process Model

Sender Receiver
Transmit
Message
Receive
Form Encode Decode
encoded
message message message
message

Noise

Receive
Decode Encode Form
encoded
feedback feedback feedback
feedback
Transmit
Feedback

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 Improving Communication Coding/Decoding
• Sender/receiver have similar
codebooks
• Sender is experienced
encoding that message
• Sender/receiver are
motivated and able to use
the selected channel
• Sender/receiver have shared
mental models of the
communication context

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 Communication Channels
Verbal
• Verbal communication uses words, so it includes spoken or
written channels.
• Spoken and written channels are very different from each
other and have different strengths and weaknesses.
• Written mail has generally been a slower medium however,
transmitting messages through email, tweets etc. has
improved written communication efficiency.
Non-verbal
• Non-verbal communication is any part of communication
that does not use words. It includes facial gestures, voice
intonation, physical distance, and even silence.

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 How Email has Altered Communication
• Preferred channel for
coordinating work
• Tends to increase
communication volume
• Significantly alters
communication flow
• Somewhat reduces status
differences and
stereotyping

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 Problems with Emails
• Communicates emotions
poorly
• Reduces politeness and
respect (flaming)
• Inefficient for ambiguous,
complex, novel situations
• Increases information
overload

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 Communicating Through Social Media
Internet/mobile-based channels with user-generated,
interactive content
• Blogs, wikis, tweets, personal sites (e.g. Facebook)
• More conversational and interactive
• Most can develop a public identity
• Encourage communities -- links, interactivity, feedback
Serves diverse functions
• Presenting identity, enabling conversations, etc

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 Emotional Contagion
The automatic process of sharing another person’s
emotions by mimicking their facial expressions and
other nonverbal behavior
Serves three purposes:
1. Provides continuous feedback to speaker
2. Increases emotional understanding of the other person’s
experience
3. Communicates a collective sentiment -- sharing the
experience as part of drive to bond

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 Choosing Channels: Social Acceptance
Do others support use of that communication channel
for that purpose?
Depends on:
1. Firm/team norms for using the channel
2. Individual preferences for using the channel
3. Symbolic meaning of the channel

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 Choosing Channels: Media Richness
The channel’s data-carrying capacity needs to be aligned with
the communication activity

High richness when channel:

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 Hierarchy of Media Richness

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 Exceptions to Media Richness
Media richness theory doesn’t apply as well to
electronic channels because:
1. Able to multi-communicate through lean channels
2. More varied proficiency levels
3. Lean channels have less social distraction than do
media rich channels

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 Persuasive Communication
Changing another person’s beliefs and attitudes.
Spoken communication is more persuasive because:
• Accompanied by nonverbal communication
• Has high quality immediate feedback
• Has high social presence
Written communication can also persuade to some
extent.
• Written messages have the advantage of presenting more
technical detail than can occur through conversation.

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 Communication Barriers

Perceptions
Language
• Jargon
• Ambiguity
Filtering
Information Overload

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 Information Overload
Job’s information load exceeds
person’s capacity to process it
• Information gets overlooked
or misinterpreted
Two sets of solutions:
• Increase information
processing capacity
o Examples: Learn to read
faster, remove distractions
• Reduce information load
o Examples: Buffering,
omitting, summarizing

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 Cross-Cultural Communication
Verbal differences
• Language
• Voice intonation
• Silence/conversational overlaps
Nonverbal differences
• Some nonverbal gestures are universal, but others vary
across cultures

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 Getting Your Message Across

• Empathize
• Repeat the message
• Use timing
effectively
• Focus on the
problem, not the
person

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 Active Listening Process and Strategies

Sensing
• Postpone evaluation
• Avoid interruptions
• Maintain interest

Active
Listening
Responding Evaluating
• Show interest • Empathize
• Clarify the message • Organize information

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 Communicating in Hierarchies
Workspace design
• Open offices – consider noise,
distractions
• Cloister people in teams
Internet-based organizational
communication
• Wikis -- collaborative document
creation
• E-zines -- rapid distribution of company
news
Direct communication with management
• Management by walking around
(MBWA)
• Town hall meetings

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