Choosing the Right Communication Channel

7 Key excerpts on "Choosing the Right Communication Channel"

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  eBook - ePub

  Solutions

  Business Problem Solving

  • Frank Fletcher, Eric Bolland(Authors)
  • 2016(Publication Date)
  • Routledge

    (Publisher)

  Non-verbal communication is an important part of both written and verbal communication and it can be considered a communication medium in its own right. Body language, posture, eye contact, and facial expressions clue receivers to the subconscious thoughts of the sender. For example, managers who use good posture, appear relaxed but confident, make good eye contact, and smile occasionally, appear to be authoritative and sincere.

  It is important for written, verbal and nonverbal messages to be consistent and harmonious. Listening to a concert with one of the choir members singing off key detracts from the experience. Similarly, the message can get lost if the sender’s written, verbal, and nonverbal signals are dissonant. For example, if the sales manager’s written message introduces a new service line, but his voice and nonverbal communication suggests doubt about its potential, the sales force may come away from the meeting less than motivated. The resulting impact of incongruent messages may be disastrous for the company.

  What are the channels of business communication?

  Business messages are distributed through communications channels or media. Development of information technologies in recent years has given managers more channel options than ever before. Channels have unique characteristics that meet specific communications needs. For example, interpersonal communication offers more opportunities for face-to-face exchange, while web-based channels allow communication en masse—with potentially millions of people all over the world. Selection of appropriate channels is driven by the purpose of the communication and the size and needs of the organization.

  Face-to-face interactions provide the best channels for interpersonal communications. These types of interactions may be one-to-one, in small or large group settings, via the telephone, or over the Internet in the form of video-conferencing. Effective interpersonal communications are best achieved in one-to-one or small group settings. Factors that determine the platform for interpersonal communication include purpose of the communication, location of the target audience, time, convenience and budget, many of the same factors described above by Clampitt. Face-to-face communication includes public speaking and in-person presentations. Written, verbal and nonverbal messages may be exchanged via interpersonal communication.

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  Exploring Management

  • John R. Schermerhorn, Jr., Daniel G. Bachrach(Authors)
  • 2021(Publication Date)
  • Wiley

    (Publisher)

  292 CHAPTER 15 Communication to communicate well. So, let’s get on with understanding the potential missteps. Look at Figure 15.2. It updates our description of the communication process to include noise— anything that interferes with the effectiveness of communication. It’s important to guard against common sources of noise that find their way into our conversations and discussions. These include poor choice of communication channels, poor written or oral expression, failure to recognize nonverbal signals, information filtering, and physical distractions. Poor Use of Channels Makes It Difficult to Communicate Effectively. People communicate with one another using a variety of communication channels, the pathways used to carry the message. Good communicators choose the right channel or combination of channels to accomplish their intended purpose. They understand differences in channel richness, the capacity to carry information in an effective manner. 9 Face-to-face channels are high in richness. They establish direct personal contacts that can create a supportive, even inspirational, relationship between sender and receiver. Face- to-face channels work especially well for complex or difficult messages and when we need immediate feedback. And don’t forget that “face-to-face” increasingly means being together through online video chats and virtual meetings, not just in person. The richness of communication channels diminishes quickly when you move away from face-to-face interactions. Written channels such as memos, e-mails, and texts are efficient for sending basic information and messages. But, they are still largely impersonal and one- way transactions that offer limited, or at best delayed, opportunities for feedback. Chats and instant messaging are better at keeping things interactive and opening the back-and-forth dia- logues that make for more effective communication.

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  Exploring Management

  • John R. Schermerhorn, Jr., Daniel G. Bachrach(Authors)
  • 2017(Publication Date)
  • Wiley

    (Publisher)

  They establish direct personal contacts that can create a supportive, even inspirational, relationship between sender and receiver. Face-to face channels work especially well for complex or difficult messages and when we need immediate feedback. And don’t forget that “face to face” can mean being together through online video chats. The richness of communication channels diminishes quickly when you move away from face- to-face interactions. Written channels such as memos, e-mails, and texts are efficient for sending basic information and messages, but they tend to be impersonal, one-way transactions that offer limited, or at best delayed, opportunity for feedback. By the time you receive communications in the form of newsletters and blogs, time and physical distance have removed most channel richness. Poor Written or Oral Expression Makes It Difficult to Communicate Effectively. Communication will only be effective when the sender expresses the message in a way that is clearly understood by the receiver. Words must be well chosen and used properly, something we all too often fail to do. Consider the following “bafflegab” found among some executive communications. 11 A business report said: “Consumer elements are continuing to stress the fundamental neces- sity of a stabilization of the price structure at a lower level than exists at the present time.” Translation: Consumers keep saying that prices must go down and stay down. A manager said: “Substantial economies were affected in this division by increasing the time interval between distributions of data-eliciting forms to business entities.” Translation: The division saved money by sending out fewer questionnaires. A university president said: “We have strived to be as transparent as possible about the strategic alliance plans within the confines of our . . . closed negotiations.” Translation: The negotiations were confidential.

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  Organizational Behaviour

  • Mitchell J. Neubert, Bruno Dyck, Mary Waller, Thomas Medcof(Authors)
  • 2016(Publication Date)
  • Wiley

    (Publisher)

  Communication works best when there is a match between the preferred media of the sender and that of the receiver. Often it is a good idea to send a message using various media and various messengers to cover all the bases. Once the sender has selected the medium, he or she completes the encoding process by choosing a channel—the pathway the message travels to communicate the message. The channels can be direct or indirect. For example, a CEO might send a message about an impending organizational change directly to front‐line workers, or she might use an indirect chain‐like approach and send the message to managers, who in turn talk to supervisors, A channel is the pathway along which a message travels through a medium. Trouble for Organizations When Members Text and Tweet? Ever since computers and access to the Internet became commonplace in offices, organizations have tried to control the amount of personal email- ing and web surfing that goes on in the workplace. The same goes for newer social media like tweeting and texting. The main concerns are that employees are spending company time on personal pursuits, or that they may inadvertently provide “secret” information to competitors. Another area of concern is the possibility of employees making statements that are potentially harmful to an organization’s image and/or reputation. For example, players in the National Hockey League are not per- mitted to use Twitter from two hours before game time until after their post‐game interviews. Other professional sports leagues, such as the NFL and NBA, impose similar restrictions on their players with the intent of preventing them from (inadvertently) making statements in the heat of the moment that they might regret later, or from saying things that their opposition could potentially use against them dur- ing the game.

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  Wiley Pathways Supervision

  • Bob Nelson, Peter Economy, Kerry Sommerville, Laura Town(Authors)
  • 2012(Publication Date)
  • Wiley

    (Publisher)

  Table 4-1: The Format of Business Communications Communication Format Frequency of Use Listening Most frequent Speaking/presentation Next most frequent Writing Next most frequent Reading Least frequent 64 EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION This chapter is about communicating with others and, in particular, the way in which you do it. In this chapter, you will assess different communication methods, learn when to use written and verbal communications, and find out how to overcome common communication barriers and provide effective feed- back to your employees. 4.1 Using Different Communication Methods The communication process is simply the sending and receiving of informa- tion, which is a powerful thing. Information enables managers and supervisors to make sound business decisions. Without it, important decisions about the organization, its environment, its products and services, and its employees and customers are made in a vacuum; nothing could be more dangerous for a hos- pitality business. Information is also an important key to employee satisfaction. For employees, a lack of sufficient information will often lead to high stress lev- els and low morale among workers, two significant causes of turnover. If information is the engine that drives the business, then the communication systems that management puts into place are what fuel the engine. Communica- tion systems may be written or verbal and can be a combination of both formal and informal methods for circulating information throughout the organization. The extent to which management needs to convey or receive information as well as the type of information that needs conveying will best determine the opti- mal form of communication. Clearly, matters affecting policy, procedures, and other issues of importance will require more formal methods of delivery. The intended audience, or those who will receive the information, will also determine whether a more formal or informal approach is necessary.

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  Supervision in the Hospitality Industry

  • John R. Walker(Author)
  • 2020(Publication Date)
  • Wiley

    (Publisher)

  interviewing Conversation with the purpose of obtaining information, often used in screening job applicants. small-group communication Communication that takes place when two or more group members attempt to influence one another, as in a meeting. mass communication Messages sent out to many people through such media as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, newspapers, magazines, radio, and television. Wavebreak Media Ltd/Corbis A communication is an interaction between a sender and a receiver. The Importance of Good Communication 81 Although each context is different, they all have in common the process of creating a mean- ing between two or more people. THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS A communication is an interaction between a sender and a receiver. In a successful communica- tion, the sender directs a clear message to someone and the receiver gets the message accurately. It sounds simple enough. The problems lie in the words clear and accurately. Let us take the process apart a bit, using Figure 4.1. The sender has something to tell someone—an idea in his mind that he needs to communicate. The sender knows what he means to say to the receiver, but he cannot transmit his meaning to her directly by mental telepathy. Therefore, he puts his meaning into words (symbols of his meaning) and sends the message by speaking the words to her or writing out the message. That is his part of this communication— conceiving the idea, expressing it, and sending it. The receiver receives the message by hearing or reading the words, the symbols of the send- er’s meaning. She must translate or interpret the words in order to understand what the sender meant. Does she translate the words to mean what he intended them to mean? Does she then understand the message that was in the sender’s mind before he put it into words? Receiving, translating, and understanding are her part of this communication.

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  A Primer on Organizational Behavior

  • James L. Bowditch, Anthony F. Buono, Marcus M. Stewart(Authors)
  • 2015(Publication Date)
  • Wiley

    (Publisher)

  As the use of these new technologies continues to proliferate, it is important for managers to carefully consider the intent, impact, and context of their communica- tion efforts. 117 First, it is important to consider the receiver(s) of the message, since some people are more attentive to face-to-face communication while others work bet- ter with ideas put in writing. Second, group and organizational norms often dictate the types of things that should be formalized and written down and those tasks that should be dealt with verbally. Third, when using new communication technologies, it is important to remember that the ways in which individuals perceive and use those systems are not simply a function of the technology itself but also how it is viewed by their co-workers and other organizational members. Thus, providing informal help sessions, using opinion leaders to support the new system, and encouraging peer train- ing can readily improve the initial acceptance and ultimate effectiveness of the new system. Finally, it is important to recognize that a number of other factors such as organizational policies (e.g., budget constraints), individual working styles and prefer- ences, and managerial pressures and time constraints influence media selection and the overall effectiveness of the communication process. ENVISIONING AND COMMUNICATING ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE Organizational communication can be a powerful tool in shaping images of organiza- tional change and the mindsets that accompany the change process. By envisioning the change—that is, by articulating, as clearly, concisely, and as vividly as possible, the desired future state of the organization—managers create a sense of direction and a guiding philosophy for the organization. Such visions provide direction, express or- ganizational culture, and contribute to organizational performance by aligning opin- ion leaders and energizing organizational members to accomplish a common purpose.

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