Organizational communication - Essay Example

Effective internal communication plays a large role in the success and profitability of an organization. Describe why this is true; adequately develop and support your response in no more than 250 Words (bulleted list is preferred). Internal communication decides the profitability and success of an organization. Internal communication lays strong base for employees to interact as well as get educated about organizational progress and other issues. Channels of internal communications include one-on-one discussions, meetings, electronic communications, prints, video, and grapevine. Internal communications fosters employee engagement by giving required information to the employees in a timely manner. Internal communications through publication, electronic form, meetings etc allows staff education regarding organizational rules, policies, procedures, and other important announcements. Strong internal communication channels help in cascading information organization-wide in short span, which is necessary especially during organizational crises. Internal communication decides the fate of management change occurring at various levels. For this leadership and communication channels are extremely important. Employees want honest and timely information that enables them to be prepared to the situation and proactively manage their actions/performance. Effective internal communications help in setting the right expectations from employees; it helps in formulating and understanding performance management criteria, which will motivate employees to perform better. Lastly, grapevine communication/messages cannot be avoided in any organization. For this, internal communication modes through interpersonal relationships will help managers in assessing the grapevine and using it for promoting organizational development; at the same time managers must also attempt to kill the negative grapevine messages that can be detrimental to the organization as well as its employee development. In conclusion, internal communication is significant in terms of organizational development, employee education, setting expectations, and managing grapevine communication/messages. 2. Organizational communication includes internal communications, investor relations, public relations, government relations, etc. Within all of these contexts, there are some common considerations that must be addressed. Write a comprehensive description of the common elements/considerations that apply to all/most organizational communication. Limit your response to no more than 250 Words (bulleted list is preferred). The purpose of organizational communication is to connect with all stakeholders and cascade important information that is relevant for organizational and stakeholders’ progress. This communication includes internal communications, investor relations, public relations, government relations etc. Effectiveness of all these communications is dependent upon leadership, communication modes/processes, attitude and communication products used. Leadership role in internal communication for investor relations is associated with communicating organization’s vision and mission; managing investors; communicating organizational crises; and managing international relations. Leadership role in managing government relations and public relations also is to build strong coalition; manage administration activities; understand and abide by legislative requirements; cascading relevant information to the employees. Communication channels are extremely important in effective internal communication. These channels should be able to facilitate communication in timely, accurate, and uninterrupted manner. Information communicated should be preserved for future use/evidence. Employee and leadership attitude towards effective internal communication decide the quality of communication/information being spread. This is dependent upon employee cooperation and leadership commitment. Communication products such as technology, ambience and setting are also important in all internal communications. These products decide the quality and accuracy of internal and corporate communication. The communication products must be user friendly and ease the process of communication. Video conferencing, electronic communication, wireless LANS for telecommunications are some of the advanced communication products. In conclusion, effectiveness of all organizational communication are strongly dependent upon leadership’s commitment towards accurate and timely communication; communication channels and products; and employee attitude towards communication. 3. (Points: 20) Up to 93% of all communication is non-verbal. Describe non-verbal communication elements in no more than 250 Words (bulleted list is preferred). Nonverbal communication is communication without speech, but helps in delivering the intended message and is done through movement and facial expressions. Elements of non-verbal communication include personal space, body language, eye contact, micromessaging, innuendo etc. Personal space while communicating creates confidence in the speaker; this is different for different individuals and also depends upon the culture. From body language perspective, for instance, unintentional nonverbal communication like yawning during a speech is indicative of disinterest in the speech. If the speaker’s body movements are rapid or tone is aggressive, then it gives a different meaning to the message. Harsh worlds in written communication may seem intimidating to the readers. Similarly, aggressive body movements are not indicative of professional attitude in business settings. More often people tend to look for qualities such as confidence in nonverbal cues such as posture, handshake, eye contact etc; these cues are more trusted to obtain a deeper understanding of the other person. Too much of eye contact can make the listener very uncomfortable; and no eye contact can show the speaker as indifferent or disinterested. Micromessaging refers to the involuntary, subtle, unspoken messages that an individual sends through body language, tone, eye contact etc. These micromessages have the power to enhance impact of communication as well as the disadvantage of sending incorrect or irrelevant message. In conclusion, elements of non-verbal communication have a strong impact on the message sent out and can alter the meaning if not appropriate with the message intended in the communication process. 4. (Points: 30) Using your list from number 4, describe a situation in which you observed non-verbal communication becoming a definable (positive or negative) issue. Write your answer in no more than 250 Words in paragraph form. Non-verbal communication had its greatest impact when my team faced the challenge of handling huge work volume in an unexpected time. I had to encourage my team to complete the entire work on the same day without wasting much time. In this situation, I could not let the team work on its own. My constant presence around the team helped. To start with, I called the team and educated them about the situation and that we had to work harder and stretch so that we could complete the work on time. During this communication, my tone and body language were aggressive and I ensured every team member understood the intensity of the matter. After that, I was constantly present and walking around the place where my team works; this helped in assisting the team members in their work. I was constantly updating the amount of work completed and volume of work still left; I also appreciated them with an enthusiastic tone and body language as the work progressed. This motivated the team and the team felt less stress. Secondly, my expressions such as happiness and sigh of relief were seen through my facial expressions, which boosted their confidence and eased their tension. Whenever I found a team member not performing or stuck with some issue, I maintained calm and assisted the member. This helped in making them understand the intensity of the issue. Through more of body language, eye contact and micromessages, I was able to motivate my team members in completing tough task. Read More