The Role of Interpersonal Communication - Case Study Example

Organization and Communication in a Business Setting Organization and Communication in a Business Setting Introduction Communication is an essential component of both small and large organizations. In most cases, business practices are shaped by deeply sated cultural attitudes towards work, authority, loyalty, assets, and most importantly communication. The reason why communication is important in a business is because a business is a collective activity. Goods and services are created and distributed via a close association of numerous people, at times within the same locality, and at other times across global distances. Such kind of a business environment calls for passionate communication. Intricate product provisions and product programs must be equally understood, and complex dealings between businesses partners must be negotiated (Baack, 2012). Given this background, effective communication is therefore indispensable for any business entity committed to remain in operation in the face of changing environmental climate and this cannot be attained unless one understands the various processes that define effective communication. This paper seeks to explain the effective communication norms in a business setting as well as describe the role of interpersonal communication both as a manager and as an employee. The paper also seeks to describe both the verbal and nonverbal management communication as well as describe effective methods of conflict resolution especially in group settings. Effective Communication Norms Communication is a complete process which is initiated by the communicators sending out messages to the receivers. Regardless of whether the message is written or oral, a good communicator treats those receiving the message as his clients. What this denotes is that he should try to come up with a message that the receiver is comfortable with. After this, he should design the message using words that the receiver can identify with. Each receiver of message in all likelihood a consumer whose needs and wants ought to be clear to the sender just in the same manner as it happens in an ordinary business setting. Naturally, just the same way as the sender selects words, expressions, and sayings from his personal vocabulary depending on what he has learned, skill and exposure, the receiver also has his personal mental filter that is the creation of his learning, knowledge and exposure. To ensure that the message sinks in his mind, he does the construction of the message into words and phrases that he can identify with, an effective speaker should be able to judge the response of his onlookers. What this means is that effective communication is a two way process and until the entire process has been gone through, then the process of communication cannot be said to be complete (Baack, 2012). As pointed out earlier, communication is an intricate activity that incorporates words, body language, among many other things involving participants in the discussion. Communication is considered to be interpersonal when it involves more than one person in an exchange where the individuals take rotation being the receiver and the speaker. As Clampitt (2005) rightly puts it, the biggest challenge with interpersonal communication in organizations is that the parties do not get equal time to listen and speak as they would in a deliberation. In most cases, the situation under discussion defines the amount of time that each contributor spends on each role. In most cases, a manager speaks as the employee listens. Once the manager finishes and opens the forum for asking questions, the manager becomes the listener while the employee becomes the speaker. The interpersonal communication in this scenario is partial but crucial. Although the amount of time that each individual spends talking and listening is obviously not equivalent, it is however ideal to the circumstances. The manager’s effort to comprehend the employee’s queries and reply them accurately formulates the variance between an operational interpersonal interaction and an fruitless one (Clampitt, 2005). A good example of the effectiveness of interpersonal communication in an organization can be seen from the case of an intern in a multinational organization. Tasked with overseeing various branches of the company within the state, the manager is forever busy and therefore he has very little time left to engage in any meaningful conversation with the employees. As the person tasked with maintaining the manager’s diary, the intern has to ensure that he is forever alert since the manager can sometimes give casual instructions but which would have great negative implications for the company if they are not implemented as intended. As the person in charge, the intern has to ensure that these messages are communicated to the relevant parties for implementation. This example shows that even employees have an important role to play in organizational communication especially on the area of listening. Role of Intercultural Communication International considerations have a great effect on the day to day running of both small organizations and multinationals. In order to be successful in the every transforming marketplace, there is need for organizations to ensure that their employees are competent in communicating with people from other cultures. In the past, most international managers depended on universal cultural guidelines for carrying out intercultural deliberations. However, the sharp rise in international business has given rise to incorporated cultural interactions, rendering the traditional, superficial overviews inaccurate. One effect of boosting intercultural interactions is a transformation in homogenous cultures or, indeed, countries. Each passing day brings about a new culture and it is therefore critical for organizations to come up with effective communication strategies to cater for these emerging cultures (Sias, 2009). Acquiring the right intercultural competency is critical since it allows the speaker to communicate with individuals in an informally delicate manner so as not to upset the other party. In every culture, there are socially created symbols and meanings that are used to explain and interpret intercultural communication. It is therefore critical to consider the norms, rules and expectations wherever an individual is communicating on the international context and how these are influenced by the concentration of culture regional or subculture)as well as organizational culture (Cheney et. al, 2004). Acquiring the right interpersonal and intercultural communication skills is also critical since it helps in the anxiety and uncertainty reductions. In most cases, people become uncertain and anxious any time that they are called upon to predict or explain the behavior of a stranger. Uncertainty in most cases hinders both the quality and quantity of communication and it is therefore important for the speaker to get the right intercultural skills to be able to communicate with people from different cultures. Intercultural communication competency is also significant in that it helps those responsible to negotiate deals on behalf of their organizations in the global context (Burgoon, 2010). When addressing the issue of communication in organizations, it is always critical to choose the appropriate communication channel for greater effectiveness. There are two types of communication which are crucial and they include verbal and non-verbal communication channels. Verbal communication relies on spoken or written words while non-verbal communication relies on things such as body language. These two types of communication are both critical in that they can bring positive or negative results in an organization depending on how they are used. When choosing the channel to use to communicate, it is significant for the manager or employee to determine the prevailing conditions. For example, an individual can use face to face communication in cases that need emotions to be transmitted or when immediate feedback is required and use written communication when the nature of information to be communicated is graphical in nature. The person sending the message should also examine the information richness as well as the symbolic meanings of the messages to be transmitted. In the event that the wrong channel is used, it leads to waste of time and brings about even more misinterpretation of the intended message (Alvesson, 2002). If there is an area that both an employees and managers should approach keenly is the area of written communication. This reason why this is so is because written communication has an effect on nearly every area of the organization. This includes the aptitude to effectively bond with the workers as well as make a lasting impression on clients. Effective written communication is applicable to all promotion materials as well on all types of business-related correspondence (Alvesson, 2002). According to experts, an effective written communication should use a professional tone. This is customers develop opinions concerning the company based on the style as well as the tone that is used in the writing. It is therefore critical for organizations to develop a professional tone in their written communication and this can be achieved by using a simple and direct message that gets the message across to the intended audience. In addition to this, it is also advisable for whoever is drafting the message to know his audience since the level of understanding as well as interpretation of the messages might vary. Effective written communication also calls for the organization of ones thoughts so that the communication can be read easily and understood without any problem. In most cases, correspondence is written quickly without there being an editor to review the content. In most cases, this leads to the likelihood of making numerous mistakes that might discredit both the person making the communication as well as the entire organization (Allen, 2005). Approaches for Engaging an Audience during Presentation Making a presentation in the workplace is one of the things that most communicators get wrong. Unlike other forms of communication, making a presentation puts an individual on open display. Wherever a person is given an opportunity to make a presentation, one thing that they should commit to memory is that the speaker not only listens to his ideas but they also respond to their body language. This fact means that the speaker needs more than a well drafted presentation to make an impact. It is also critical that the person making the presentation does so in a dynamic flexible and exciting way (Burgoon, 2010). In order to ensure that the presentation grabs the attention of the listeners, it is always important to make sure that the presentation grabs the attention of the listeners. For this to be possible, the presenter needs to take time and get familiar with the material since this motivates the listener’s trust and confidence. During the presentation, it is also advisable to be assertive by assuming the right posture. In most cases, different postures evoke differing moods and the presenter must therefore assume a posture that will create either a formal or informal environment depending on the intention of the presentation (Burgoon, 2010). Conflict Resolution Conflict arises anytime that two or a group of people disagree in an organization. If the disagreeing parties don’t communicate in an effective manner, a small dispute might soon develop into a major disagreement that might have negative effects on the organization. Wherever a conflict arises in an organization, the best way to solve it would be engaging the art of listening. This means that one should allow the other party to utter their feelings and decisions. Once they are finished, the other party should then state their case by first affirming that they heard and understood all that the other party had to say. This should be done in a calm way and always ensure that the opinions of the other party are taken into consideration in trying to reach a middle ground (Ballard & Seibold, 2004). Leading Teams The notion of teams being an effective way to organize has been around for quite some time. While some analysts see teams as an ideal way of increasing workplace democracy by claiming that teams should be accorded a chance to make a contribution on the decisions that affect their lives, others argue that the best thing about teams is that they bring about economic benefits since organizations that incorporate the input of teams acquire a competitive edge over their competitors. Despite these two varying observations, the thing about teams is that their existence have brought about face to face interactions in organizations and therefore leaders should have the right communication skills to avoid conflict within the teams. Given that teams are interdependent, a group leader should have the right communication skills to ensure that the group is focused on a certain area and that each group member is concerned about the wellbeing of the other group members and the team in general. This can only be achieved through involving all the team members in the decision making process and this means that interpersonal communication features prominently in groups (Ballard & Seibold, 2004). Conclusion Communication is a significant tool that can lead to the success or failure of an organization. In the changing business environment, a business leader needs to come up with effective leadership techniques in order to ensure that the right business processes are communicated to the employees. Given that more businesses are setting up their operations in the global scene, there is need for international and intercultural interpersonal communications competency to ensure that understandable messages are passed across these cultures. It is also critical to understand the various communication channels that are available and how organizations can know, which channel to use to communicate in different situations. It is also critical top realize that conflict resolution has everything to do with communication and therefore the need to discuss the various methods of conflict resolution. Lastly this paper has examined the various techniques for leading teams and the role that is played by communication in this endeavor. Given the importance of communication in organizational success, it is apparent that effective communication is indispensable for any business entity committed to remain in operation in the face of changing environmental climate. However, this cannot be attained unless one understands the various processes that define effective communication in an organization. References Allen, B (2005). “Diversity” and organizational communication. Journal of Applied Communication Research; 23:143–155. Alvesson, M. (2002). Identity regulations as organizational control: Producing the appropriate individual. Journal of Management Studies 39:619–644 Baack, D. (2012). Management Communication. San Diego; Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Ballard, D., & Seibold, D. (2004). Communication-related organizational structures and work group temporal experiences: The effects of coordination method, technology type, and feedback cycle on members’ construals and enactments of time. Communication Monographs 71(1):1–27. Burgoon, J. (2010). Interpersonal expectations, expectancy violations, and emotional communication. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 12:30–48. Cheney, G., Christensen, L., Zorn, T., & Ganesh, S. (2004). Organizational Communication in an Age of Globalization: Issues, Reflections and Practices. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press. Clampitt, P. (2005). Communicating for Managerial Effectiveness. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Sias, P. (2009). Organizing Relationships: Traditional and Emerging Perspectives on Workplace Relationships. Thousand Oaks. Read More