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Communication skills
 Among personal qualities possessed by college
graduates the ability to communicate effectively
was ranked first by employers.
From a survey of 480 companies and public organizations conducted by
the National Association of Colleges and Employers.
WSJ, Dec 29, 1999
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Communication Outcomes
 Describe the communication process.
 List typical barriers to effective communication.
 Contrast the differences between the grapevine and
rumors.
 Discuss other considerations for effective
communication.
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Communication
 Efficient communication is ESSENTIAL to being
successful in life.
 The biggest source of interpersonal problems is
poor communications.
 The key to the communication process is to be
UNDERSTOOD.
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Communication
 The aim of communication is the transference
and understanding of information between
two or more people.
 Communication must always be between two
or more people, one the sender and the other
receiver. You participate in both roles and
your role will change alternatively and
frequently in conversation.
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Communication Feedback
 We may say that communication has occurred
only when the message has been understood.
 Understanding occurs in the mind of the receiver.
 Feedback is critical to ensure that accurate
understanding of the message has occurred.
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Barriers to
Communication
 Barriers to accurate communication
 Unfamiliar language – including dialects and accents
 Improper timing – Is the boss distracted today?
 Noise and distractions in the environment
 Attitude of both the source and the receiver
 Differences between people – gender, age, culture,
education, intelligence, etc.
 Relationship between the sender and the receiver – status,
boss-employee, parent-child, etc.
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Barriers to Communications
 Filtering – manipulation of information so that it will seem
more favorably to the receiver.
 Selective Perception – receiver hears message based on
his/her interests, needs, motivations, experience, background
and other personal characteristics.
 Defensiveness – response when receiver interprets message as
threatening
 Language – Words mean different things to different people.
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Communication
 Communication occurs in three directions in
organizations
 Upward communications
 Downward communications
 Lateral communications
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I Heard It on the Grapevine
 The grapevine is an informal
communication network
within an organization.
 Research reflects that about
75 % of the communication
in the grapevine is accurate.
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Rumors
 Response to situations that are IMPORTANT to us,
and
 There is AMBIGUITY between what is going on and
what was said, and
 Under conditions that arouse ANXIETY, such as time
off, pay programs, layoffs, etc.
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Suggestions for Reducing the Negative
Consequences of Rumors
 Announce timetables for making important
decisions
 Explain decisions and behaviors that may appear
inconsistent or secretive
 Emphasize the downside, as well as the upside, of
current decisions and future plans.
 Openly discuss worst case possibilities – it is
almost never as anxiety provoking as the unspoken
fantasy.
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Communications – Did you know?
 People remember:
 10 percent of what they read
 20 percent of what they hear
 30 percent of what they see
 50 percent of what they see and hear
 80 percent of what they say
 90 percent of what they say and do
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The Ten Commandments of Good
Communication
 Seek to clarify your ideas before




communicating
Examine the true purpose of
each communication
Consider the total physical and
human setting
Consult with others in planning
communications
Be mindful of the overtones as
well as the basic content of your
message
 Take the opportunity to convey
something of help or value to
the receiver
 Follow-up your communication
 Communicate for tomorrow as
well as today
 Be sure your actions support
your communications
 Seek not only to be understood
but to understand - be a good
listener
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Summary
 Successful communication requires
understanding by the receiver.
 The communication process model includes
a source, a message, encoding, a channel,
decoding, a receiver, and, especially feedback.
 Communication in organizations occurs in
upward, downward, and lateral directions.
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Conclusions
 The key to the communication process is to have
understanding on the part of the receiver.
 There are many barriers to good communications that
must be overcome for communications to be
successful.
 Learn to be an active listener as part of successful
communications.
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Final thoughts
 Communicating to be understood and being a good
listener are crucial.
 Another important aspect of communication is to
think about what you are saying before you say it.
 Today’s communications set the tone for tomorrow’s
relationships.
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