Principles of Communication in Theory and Practice - Literature review Example

Principles of Communication Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Name Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Course Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Lecture Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 18th October 2012 Responses to issues/questions or problems in assessment one Communication is a fundamental management skill and it’s the nominated management skill to be studied. In comparison to the other management skills, communication is essential and it needs to be applied in all levels of the organization. In addition, communication is usually considered as a very essential component in the other management skills (Gary 2002). In addition to the other roles that the manager is supposed to undertake, is the making of conversation in the aim of delivering the intended message to the employees (Barton 1993). Impact that the message will have on the recipient is one important aspect that one ought to consider when delivering the message. Thus a manger need to ensure that communication is made in the most professional manner so as to eradicate any instances of conflicts that may occur if the message being passed on is not good news (Bar-On & Parker 2000). Thus, in instances where all the managers in various departments and organizations enhance good communication skills, then they should always be able to appreciate those working under them, inspire them and assist them in thinking positively even though the current situations are not favouring them (Cialdini 2001). Managers can enhance good communication skills in writing and speech in that they are able to deliver in clear and precise manner the message to the preferred audience. So as to enhance good communication skills, listening skills also need to be enhanced since it determines if the message that is been delivered makes the required meaning or not. Through listening skills are essential since through effective listening we are able to ensure that we understand the message that is been delivered. The manner in which individuals communicate maybe it be at homes, social events and in organization really determines the relationship between the individuals. The major interest of the nomination of the topics the need of learning how to design an easy to use communication tool to assist in communicating a message that required both empathy as well as respect. My past experiences with various individuals have guided a lot in the nomination of the management skill that is communication skill as the preferred topic of discussion. The communication course offer a heightened level of understanding of the various aspects that are encompassed in communication or example the relationship that tends to exist between communication and leadership and the barriers to effect9ve communication at a corporate and managerial level (Conger 1998). The above concepts will enhance the research capabilities of the communication skill so as to enable the studying of various variable and topics such as the relationship that tend to exists between ethics and communication and the importance of effective communication to all individuals may be at social events, homes or at the organizational level. The past approach to communication skill was based on the notion that every communication was to be one in reference to the instructions that have been set put in the organizational policy or by the supervisor. The principles that guided my past approach were originality, timeliness as well as accuracy. Though the approach may be termed as been ethical it does not consider the impact the message been communicated will have on the organization and the employees working in the organization (Solomon 1998). The issues to be studied further include but are not limited to: The role played by communication in the application of the other management skills The value brought about by communication to the managers operating in the contemporary business environment The barriers to effective communication Principles of communication in theory and practice Communication in the organization should follow a number of established principles in order to achieve its goals efficiently and effectively. Jackson, Burgess and Edwards (2006) there are three commonly accepted principles of communication in American business organizations. These principles include reader concern, conversational tone and positive emphasis. According to Jackson, Burgess and Edwards (2006) every company should apply these principle in its enhance the quality of its communication. Eure shows that these communication principles are effective even in intercultural communications. According to Du-Babcock (2006) effective communication has to follow the seven principles of communication. These principles are Clarity, Completeness, Coherence, Conciseness, Credibility, Correctness, and finally continuity. According to Du-Babcock (2006) each of these qualities must be present in a message to enhance its effectiveness. Lloyd ( 2012) extend these principles by adding the principles of commitment to keep people knowledgeable, availing communication tools appropriate to the job environment of an individual and commitment to develop both informal and formal channels of communication. He further notes that organizations should ensure the policies and structures of the organization should be designed in such a way that they enhance communication while also urging organization to adopt the principle of listening keenly and regularly to feedback from employees. Clarity is one of the most important principles to maintain in organizational communication. Clarity is a quality of communication that ensures that it flows smoothly through proper planning and logical expression of the message. According to Lloyd (2012) leaders in organization must maintain clarity in their messages to avoid confusing interpretation of messages. Messages should be clear to even those people with the least interpretation skills. All aspects of the message must be unambiguous and focused on the purpose of communications. Clear communication makes sure a receiver can interpret a message directly as it meant without having to figure out anything for themselves. Additionally, the medium chosen to transmit the communication must preserve the clarity of the message. Therefore, the communicator must select the most suitable and appropriate channel for the communication. To make sure communication is clear the sender must be careful while composing and transmitting the message. Clarity in communication is especially important when delivering negative messages. It is important when management is addressing issues of wrongdoing about employees (Du-Babcock 2006). For example a message about job lateness should be clear it targets employees who are constantly late for work. In contrast, a warning memo to everyone is unclear about the intended target of the message. For a message to be effective it must be complete. Completeness means a message does not omit any details and ideas that are important in understanding the message. Incomplete communication brings about frustration, anger, confusion and irritation to the person who is receiving the message (Du-Babcock 2006). The clarity of communication is closely associated with the principle of coherence. Coherence is concerned with the ease of relating facts in the communicated message. It means all the ideas in the message at all levels are tied together to the purpose of the message. A coherent message reduces the room for misinterpretation of the message. Another principle that can enhance the effectiveness of communication in organizations is Conciseness (Du-Babcock 2006). It is concerned with the scope of the message meaning the content of a message should not be more than what needs to be said. A concise message is light and does not carry unnecessary details and makes use of the most relevant words to make sure the message is passed across with the fewest words possible. Conciseness influences the value of communication and messages that are more concise are more likely to create the intended impression on the person receiving the message. According to Groysberg and Slind (2012) , incorporating the principle of incorporation in communication saves time for the person the communicating and receiving person. Credibility is another quality of a message that should be maintained in organizational communication. It is concerned with the ability of a message to achieve the desired effect on the recipient (Du-Babcock 2006). A credible message is forceful, direct and clear. To make organizational communication credible, managers should avoid dabbling in word games and sugar-coating communication. A credible message should avoid using unofficial language and stereotyped phrases as it reduces the authenticity of the message. Overused form of expression reduce the overall credibility of ant communication as they lead people into thinking that communiqué is just in the common form they are used to ignoring. Commentators in the field of organizational communication have done considerable research on the principle of correctness in communication (Du-Babcock 2006). Acceptability of message especially in formal communication depends on the correctness of various aspect of a message. The tone, technique of expression, grammar, spelling, contents and statistics must be accurate. According to Lloyd (2012), the tone of a message must be correct as it impacts greatly on the effectiveness of a message. A conversational tone brings out the best effect in recipients as it shows the concern of the message on the recipient. Lastly, any communication must maintain continuity with easier messages to ensure the recipients of the message link ideas in different communication (Du-Babcock 2006). The message itself should be continuous by transitioning properly from one idea to the next. According Lloyd (2012), Reader concern, conversational tone and positive emphasis are some of the most important principles of communication. Reader concern shows the communicator is keen on having his message understood by the people he/she is communicating to It is especially important in written organizational correspondence to show concern for the reader. The fact that a person who is communicating through writing won’t see the reaction of the recipient means that the writer should provide directions that help the recipient understand the communication. Courtesy should be an important part of any communication as it gives a perception that the sender of messages is concerned about the welfare of the recipient. The principle of conversational tone in organizational communication has been widely adopted in American companie (Lloyd 2012). Conversational tone gives a letter a friendly quality that enables it to pass the message to effectively pass through. In organizational communication conversational form of communication leaves a good impression on the recipients of the message and empowers the recipient to act on the message. Aspects of conversational tone in verbal communication include voice projections and pitch. A voice projection in communications involves communicating in a loud and clear voice and is a technique that adds credibility to the message communicated (Bisel, Messersmith and Kelley 2012). To add credibility to verbal communication a person should make an effort to maintain normal breath. Variations of pitch are also important in verbal communication to maintain a conversational tone. Pitch variations enable a person to emphasis the important points in the message they are communicating. Pace also like pitch creates a rhythm that improves the authority of the message being communicated. Commitment to keep people informed is one of the modern principles of communication that lack in most organization (Groysberg and Slind 2012). Most organization keeps their employees in the dark about what they are doing especially when it comes to negative information. Some organizational activities are shrouded in secrecy and workers hear information about their firms from rumours (Groysberg and Slind 2012). By keeping employees well informed an organization enhances the trust between the organization and it employees. However, keeping employee in the dark breeds a culture of uncertainty and mistrust in the workplace. Informal communication in most organization remains largely ignored by management and looked down at as a channel to communicate negative opinions about the organization (Barker and Gower 2010). It is therefore important to emphasize positive opinions while communicating using informal channels. It is also important when managers communicate informally to always voice positive sentiments to avoid starting negative rumours in the organization. Compare and contrast The principles that guided my practice in my workplace have a number of differences with the principles that theory advocates for. The organization ignored the principle of developing formal and informal communication channels. The informal channel of communication at the organization was frowned upon and the organization could not reap the benefit of informal communication (Barker and Gower 2010). The organization mostly relied on downward communication where information is supposed to be transmitted down the hierarchy as it is communicated. It is also ignored listening keenly and regularly to feedback from employees is an important principle of communication that was not observed by management in the organization I worked for. Communication in the organization had little consideration for upward communication as the organization was dominated by upward communication. The principle of originality, accuracy and timeliness I used in the organization is limited in comparison to what literature on communication stresses should not be omitted from each message. These principles contravene the seven basic principles of communication. A message that fulfils the three principles that I observed in my practice may lack Clarity, Completeness, Coherence, Conciseness, Correctness and continuity. However, originality gives message credibility as it is easy to establish the authority issuing the message. Accuracy enhances the completeness and correctness of a message but still falls short of giving a message these important qualities. Guidelines that you would like to practice further There exists three major principles that will guide I would like to practice further based on my personality, skill level or the present circumstances. One of the major principles is completeness. In regard to this principle the message being communicated will need to be complete in that it should contain all the facts that the listener or the reader needs to react to the desired outcome. In regard to this principle communicators seem to be influenced by a number of factors such as their family or cultural backgrounds, needs, attitudes, emotions as well as viewpoints. Completeness will be necessary in my profession I that it will assist a lot in bringing forth the required results without any expense of additional messages. Through completeness I will be able to offer a better quality of job of building goodwill. Through completeness I will be able to evade certain law suits that may occur if some important information were left missing in the message thus depicting a different message. Another guideline that I will like to practice based on my personality, skill level as well based on the present circumstances is conciseness. In reality a concise, tend to save a lot of time as well any additional expenses for both the sender and the receiver of the message. Conciseness in any way contributes to emphasis in that it assists a lot in eliminating any unnecessary words and thus assisting a lot in making the important concepts and ideas to stick out clearly. Thus in the aim of achieving conciseness I will always ensure that I eliminate wordy expression in my messages, include only the information that is relevant, avoid repletion of concepts and check the flow of information (Barton 1993). With all these factors there will be consciences of the message been relied to the listener or the recipient. The third guideline for further consideration will be clarity of the message. Clarity is related to the aspect of passing the message to the receiver in a convincing way. In that the receiver will interpret the words that are contained in the message in the same way that we wanted him to do so. The accomplishment of this goal is at times difficult since individuals do not have identical experiences and certain words tend to have different meaning to different individuals (Gary 2002). In ensuring that the message is clear there will be the use of short, familiar as well as conversational words, another aspect will be related to effectiveness of both the paragraphs and the sentences and the achievement of effective readability and lastly the use of relevant examples, visual aids as well as illustrations to further support my messages. Issues for future research A lot of researches have been carried it in relation to the communication skills, but there exist areas where no adequate or limited research have been carried out. One of the major issues that need to be addressed relates to the communication of facts only. When communicating information and messages to the intended recipients the sender of the information tend to send it along with a wide range of irrelevant information thus making the user to get bored or lack interest in reading what is contained in the message. Thus this issue ought to be resolved in that the sender of the information ought to make sure that he send only the relevant facts and leave out any other kind of information that may seem irrelevant to the particular circumstance, level or professional level (Barton 1993). The other issue that seems to be considered in future is based on the fact whether business slang can assist in communication. Researchers ought to research on the possible benefits or setbacks that are associated with the use of business slang and depending on the findings they can be able to know whether it can be used to assist in the enhancement of communication skills in the organization or not. Under this area few researchers have been conducted out and thus this seems to be a probable rate of research. Business people tend to have different opinions in relation to the use of slang. The other issue is more related to the urgent need to develop informal channels of combination in the organization. It has been found that most organization are more used to the formal forms of communication thus neglecting the role that is played by informal communication in the enhancement of communication skills. In relation to this the informal channels of communication in an organization such as the grapevine acts as an essential means for passing on some messages in the organization. In relation to this it may drive difficult for the management to get some concepts if they discourage or do not accept the use of informal channels of communication in the organization (Solomon 1998). Through the informal channels managers can get information that cannot be relied in the formal means such as issues related to employment. Informal form of communication assists a lot in that through it some message that could not have been relied are relied and may eventually reach the top level managers who may take all the necessary measures in the aim of rectifying areas where they seem to be going wrong may be in their management style. Though the organization will tend to perform effectively and may even increase their level of output. References Barker, R, & Gower, K 2010, 'STRATEGIC APPLICATION OF STORYTELLING IN ORGANIZATIONS: Toward Effective Communication in a Diverse World', Journal Of Business Communication, 47, 3, pp. 295-312. Bar-On R & Parker J 2000, Handbook of Emotional Intelligence. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Barton L 1993, Crisis in Organizations: Managing and Communicating in the Heat of Chaos, South-Western Publishing Company, Cincinnati, Ohio. Bisel, R, Messersmith, A, & Kelley, K 2012, 'Supervisor-Subordinate Communication: Hierarchical Mum Effect Meets Organizational Learning', Journal Of Business Communication, 49, 2, pp. 128-147 Changsu, K, Eunhae, O, & Namchul, S 2010, 'AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION OF DIGITAL CONTENT CHARACTERISTICS, VALUE, AND FLOW', Journal Of Computer Information Systems, 50, 4, pp. 79-87, Cialdini, R 2001, Harnessing the science of persuasion. Harvard Business Review, 79 (9), pp. 72- 80. Conger A 1998, The necessary art of persuasion, Harvard Business Review, 76 (3), p. 88. Du-Babcock B. 2006, TEACHING BUSINESS COMMUNICATION: Past, Present, and Future. Journal Of Business Communication, 43(3):253-264 Gary L 2002, Quoting Goleman in “Becoming a Resonant Leader,” Harvard Management Update. 7(7), 4 – 6. Groysberg, B, & Slind, M 2012, 'Leadership Is a Conversation', Harvard Business Review, 90, 6, pp. 76-84 Jackson, T, Burgess, A, & Edwards, J 2006, 'A Simple Approach to Improving Email Communication', Communications Of The ACM, 49, 6, pp. 107-109 lloyd, J 2012, 'Leaders Must Focus on Clarity in Communication', Receivables Report For America's Health Care Financial Managers, 27, 1, pp. 7-10 Solomon R 1998, Ethical leadership, emotions, and trust: Beyond “Charisma.” In J. B. Ciulla (Ed), Ethics: The Heart of Leadership. Westport, CT: Quorum Books. Read More