Communication at Work

- the various channels
 Key Concepts: communications, sender,

receivers, encoders, etc.
 Key Aspects: Downward, Upward, Body,

Verbal, Written, Formal and Informal,
Interpersonal and Group, etc.
 Other Influences: Public relations and Media

relations.
 If I know it, then everyone must know it.
 2. We hate bureaucracy -- we're "lean

and mean.“
 3. I told everyone, or some people, or ...?
 4. Did you hear what I meant for you to

hear?
 5.Our problems are too big to have to listen
to each other!
 6. So what's to talk about?
 7. There's data and there's information.
 8. If I need your opinion, I'll tell it to you.

 Unless management comprehends and
fully supports the premise that
organizations must have high degrees of
communications (like people needing lots of
water), the organization will remain stilted.
 Too often, management learns the need for

communication by having to respond to the
lack of it.
 Effective internal communications start
with effective skills in communications,
including basic skills in listening,
speaking, questioning and sharing
feedback.
 These can developed with some

concerted review and practice. Perhaps
the most important outcome from these
skills is conveying that you value hearing
from others and their hearing from you.
 Sound meeting management skills go
a long way toward ensuring effective
communications, too.
 A key ingredient to developing effective
communications in any organization is

each person taking responsibility to
assert when they don't understand a
communication or to suggest when and
how someone could communicate more
effectively.
 downward, or enabling, communication that moves
instructions and other directive information down or
through a hierarchy
 upward, or compliance, communication that
provides feedback to the people who originate
downward communication
 lateral, or coordinating, communication that moves
between peers to maintain or improve operational
efficiency
 the grapevine, which fills in gaps in official
communication and provides answers to
unaddressed questions.
Downward Communications: Enabling
 A manager explains a task to an employee
 A customer gives an order to a supplier
 Shareholders instruct management.

Upward Communication: Compliance
A system emerges..By now, you're probably

beginning to sense a looping process, a system
in which there is
 input (information communicated downward);

 processing (subordinates carry out the
instructions they received);
 output (something happens as a result of the
downward communication and processing); and
 feedback (compliance information that flows
upward).
Lateral communication: Coordination
Now, think of the information that flows back
and forth between you and your peers: This
is lateral communication.
Team communication is a special form of

lateral communication, and an essential
one……………
 Members must not only communicate with
each other, but will often need to
communicate with peers outside their
immediate group.
 For example, suppliers and customers to

their processes figure prominently in team
communication, as well as suppliers of
internal resources, and perhaps external
consultants.
The Grapevine: Filling the Gaps
It has a function
New tools
Speed
1.Ensure every employee receives a copy of
the strategic plan, which includes the
organization's mission, vision, values
statement, strategic goals and strategies
about how those goals will be reached.
2. Ensure every employee receives an

employee handbook that contains all up-to-
date personnel policies
3. Develop a basic set of procedures for how
routine tasks are conducted and include
them in standard operating manual.
4. Ensure every employee has a copy of their

job description and the organization chart.
5. Regularly hold management meetings (at least
every two weeks), even if there's nothing
pressing to report.
If you hold meetings only when you believe
there's something to report, then
communications will occur only when you have
something to say -- communications will be one
way and the organization will suffer.
Have meetings anyway, if only to establish and
affirm the communication that things are of a
status that there are no immediate problems.
6. Hold full staff meetings every month to
report how the organization is doing, major
accomplishments, concerns,
announcements about staff, etc.
7. Leaders and managers should have face-

to-face contact with employees at least
once a week. Even if the organization is just
over 20 employees management should
stroll by once in a while.
8. Regularly hold meetings to celebrate major
accomplishments.
This helps employees perceive what's

important, gives them a sense of direction
and fulfillment, and let's them know that
leadership is on top of things.
9. Ensure all employees receive yearly
performance reviews, including their goals
for the year, updated job descriptions,
accomplishments, needs for improvement,
and plans to help the employee accomplish
the improvements.
If the organisation has sufficient resources (a

realistic concern), develop a career plan
with the employee, too.
1. Ensure all employees give regular status
reports to their supervisors.
Include a section for what they did last week,

will do next week and any actions/issues to
address.
2. Ensure all supervisors meet one-on-one at
least once a month with their employees to
discuss how its' going, hear any current
concerns from the employee, etc.
Even if the meeting is chit-chat, it cultivates
an important relationship between
supervisor and employee.
3. Use management and staff meetings to
solicit feedback. Ask how it's going. Do a
round table approach to hear from each
person.
4. Act on feedback from others. Write it

down. Get back to it -- if only to say you
can't do anything about the reported
problem or suggestion, etc.
5. Respect the "grapevine." It's probably one
of the most prevalent and reliable forms of
communications.
Major "movements" in the organization

usually first appear when employees feel it
safe to venture their feelings or opinions to
peers.
 This is a communication channel that no
one owns and no one controls. And while we
might complain about gossips and
busybodies, we all use it sooner or later.
 Despite its many faults, though, the
grapevine does have a place, a function, in

all organizations. It fills in gaps left behind
by conventional and official communication.
 The Internet opened up all kinds of new
opportunities for unofficial communication.
 There are photocopiers and fax machines,
both of which can be used to surreptitiously

maintain the grapevine.
 And how about cell phones, which provide
an alternate means of mouth-to-mouth

communication, even when you're at the
office.
Understanding that there are different forms
of communication, and that each has a
distinct set of functions and characteristics,
is the first step toward mastery of
organizational communication.
 After looking at the flows individually, next
think in terms of a communication cycle..
 It has the potential to help you deal with

issues such employee morale and
development, productivity, and dealing with
problems in communication.
Any ?S

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- the various channels

 Key Concepts: communications, sender,

 Key Aspects: Downward, Upward, Body,

 Other Influences: Public relations and Media

 2. We hate bureaucracy -- we're "lean

 3. I told everyone, or some people, or ...?

 4. Did you hear what I meant for you to

 6. So what's to talk about?

 7. There's data and there's information.

 8. If I need your opinion, I'll tell it to you.

 Too often, management learns the need for

 These can developed with some

communications in any organization is

 A manager explains a task to an employee

 A customer gives an order to a supplier

 Shareholders instruct management.

A system emerges..By now, you're probably

 input (information communicated downward);

Team communication is a special form of

 For example, suppliers and customers to

2. Ensure every employee receives an

4. Ensure every employee has a copy of their

7. Leaders and managers should have face-

This helps employees perceive what's

If the organisation has sufficient resources (a

Include a section for what they did last week,

4. Act on feedback from others. Write it

Major "movements" in the organization

grapevine does have a place, a function, in

both of which can be used to surreptitiously

an alternate means of mouth-to-mouth

 It has the potential to help you deal with

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