Communication and

Interpersonal Skill
Understanding communication: the process

Communication
• Communication is the transferring and
understanding meanings
• The best idea, or suggestions, or plans
cannot take form without communications
• Communication can take many forms:
– Oral vs. written
– Verbal vs.non-verbal
– Interpersonal vs. organizational
Understanding communication: the process

The Communication Process

Encoding Channel Decoding

Message Message

Sender Receiver
Noise

Feedback
Understanding communication: various methods

Communication Channels

Written Communication

Verbal Communication

The Grapevine

Nonverbal Cues

Electronic Media
Understanding communication : the barriers

Communication Barriers

Filtering

Selective
Apprehension Perception

Information
Language Overload

Emotions
Understanding communication: the barriers

Overcoming
Communication Barriers
• Constrain emotions

• Watch nonverbal cues

• Use feedback

• Simplify language

• Listen actively
Understanding communication: other issues

Contemporary
Communication Issues

Communication Communication
between Men in the Global
and Women Village
Interpersonal skills: Active listening

Intensity Empathy

Active
Listening Skills

Responsibility Acceptance
Management skills: Effective listening

Listening Effectively
• Make eye contact.
• Exhibit affirmative nods and
appropriate facial expressions.
• Avoid distracting actions or gestures
that suggest boredom.
• Ask questions.
• Paraphrase using your own words.
• Avoid interrupting the speaker.
• Don‘t over-talk.
• Make smooth transitions between the
roles of speaker and listener
Interpersonal skills: Effective feedback

Focus on Keep
Specific Feedback
Behaviors Impersonal

Stay Effective Provide

Goal- Timely
Oriented Feedback Feedback

Focus on What
Ensure
the Receiver
Understanding
Can Control
Interpersonal skills: Effective delegating

Concept of Delegation
Authority

Top
Managers
Middle
Managers
First-Line
Managers

Operatives

Effective delegation pushes authority down

vertically through the ranks of an organization.
Interpersonal skills: Effective delegating

Delegation
Contingency Factors
• Size of the organization
• Importance of the duty or decision
• Complexity of the task
• Culture of the organization
• Qualities of employees
Interpersonal skills: Effective delegating

Delegating Effectively
• Clarify the assignment
• Specify the range of discretion
• Encourage participation
• Inform others
• Establish feedback channels
Interpersonal skills: Conflict management

Communication
Differences
Sources of
Conflict
Structural
Differences

Personal
Differences
Interpersonal skills: Conflict management

Three Views
of Conflict
Human
Traditional
Relations
Interactionist
Interpersonal skills: Conflict management

Conflict-handling Styles
High

Forcing Collaboration
Assertiveness

Compromise

Avoidance Accommodation

Low High
Cooperativeness
Interpersonal skills: Conflict management

Conflict and Unit Performance

High
Unit Performance

A B C

Low Level of Conflict High

Situation Conflict Level Conflict Type Internal Characteristics Outcomes
A Low or none Dysfunctional Apathetic, stagnant Low

B Optimal Functional Viable, innovative High

C High Dysfunctional Disruptive, chaotic Low

Interpersonal skills: Conflict management

When to Stimulate Conflict

• Are you surrounded by “yes” people?
• Are employees afraid to admit ignorance?
• Do decision makers sacrifice values for compromise?
• Do managers maintain an “impression” of cooperation?
• Are managers overly concerned about the feelings of others?
• Is popularity more important than performance?
• Do managers crave decision-making consensus?
• Are managers resistant to change?
• Is there a lack of new ideas?
• Is turnover unusually low?
Interpersonal skills: Conflict management

How to Stimulate Conflict

• Legitimize conflict

• Use communication

• Bring in outsiders

• Use structural variables

• Appoint a “devil’s advocate”

Interpersonal skills: Stress management (see Chap 7 p240)

Constraints Demands

What Is Stress?

Uncertainty Importance
Interpersonal skills: Stress management (see Chap 7 p241)

Task Demands

Role Demands

Organizational
Interpersonal Demands
Stress Factors
Structural Dimensions

Leadership Techniques
Interpersonal skills: Stress management (see Chap 7 p241)

Personal Stress
Factors

Family Personality Economic

Interpersonal skills: Stress management (see Chap 7 p243)

Stress Physiological

Psychological

Behavioral
Three General Symptoms
Interpersonal skills: Stress management (see Chap 7 p243)

Stress Management
• Selection and placement

• Job redesign

• Participation

• Wellness programs

• Employee assistance
Interpersonal skills: Negotiation

The Two Types of

Negotiating Strategies
Bargaining Distributive Integrative
Characteristics Bargaining Bargaining

• Available Resources • Fixed Amount • Variable Amount

• Primary Motivations • I Win, You Lose • I Win, You Win

• Primary Interests • Opposed • Congruent

• Focus of Relationships • Short-Term • Long-Term

Interpersonal skills: Negotiation

The Bargaining Zone

Party A’s Party B’s
Aspiration Settlement Aspiration
Range Range
Range

Party A’s Party B’s Party A’s Party B’s

Target Point Resistance Resistance Target Point
Point Point
Management skills: Negotiation

Developing Negotiation Skills

• Research your opponent
• Begin in a positive way
• Address problems, not people
• Ignore initial offers
• Seek win-win solutions
• Consider third-party assistance
Interpersonal skills: Presentation

Making Effective Presentations

• Prepare for the presentation

• Make opening comments

• Make your points

• End the presentation

• Answer questions
 Chapter Summary
• Importance of communication to managers
• Communication process
• Overcome communication barriers
• Active listening techniques
• How to give effective feedback
 Chapter Summary
• Contingency factors that affect delegation
• How to delegate effectively
• Steps in analyzing and resolving conflict
• Reasons managers to stimulate conflict
• Distributive vs. integrative bargaining