Organizational Communication Worksheet

Organizational Communication Worksheet 1 COM/520 Version 1

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Organizational Communication Worksheet Part A

Answer the following questions. Each response must be written as an academic paragraph of at least 150 words. Be clear and concise and explain your answers. Use APA format to cite any sources. 1. Why is effective communication important within an organization?

Effective communication is important within an organization because it ensures that all stakeholders, "those groups affected in some way by the company's actions" (Thill, 2012, p. 4), are provided with the facts and information necessary to efficiently achieve organizational strategic goals. Through effective communication these groups are provided with clear, concise, and practical information that enables them to grasp the vision, mission, values, and strategic focus of the organization. Through effective communication organizations are able to achieve greater market-share, better customer relations, and customer loyalty. Internally effective communications facilitates better decision-making, accelerated problem solving, and greater productivity. Employees are more engaged and satisfied when communication within the organization is clear, concise, timely, and relatable. All stakeholders must clearly understand the expectation placed upon them and the reasonability they have to the organizational whole. This can only be achieved through effective communication. Thill (2013) underscores the importance of effective communication by pointing out that "when communication is ineffective, the results can range from time wasting to tragic" (p. 4).

2. What are some characteristics of effective business communication? There are five key characteristics of effective business communication. First,

communication should be practical, and useful, providing value to the recipient. Second, the communication should be factual, "using concrete language, specific detail, and information that is clear, convincing, accurate and ethical" (Thill, 2013, p. 4). Third, information must be presented concisely. Messages presented concisely show's respect for the receiver's time and "increases the chances of a positive response" (Thill, 2013, p. 4). The fourth

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Organizational Communication Worksheet 2 COM/520 Version 1

characteristic is clarity. Clarity increases the probability of generating a particular desired response from the targeted audience. The fifth and final characteristic is persuasive. Effective communication shows your audience "precisely how they will benefit from responding to your message the way you want them to" (Thill, 2013, p. 4). These five characteristics are vital to the effectiveness of all communication regardless of the way in which it is delivered. Communication delivers either in writing or verbally must be "practical, factual, concise, clear and persuasive" (Thill, 2013, p. 4) to ensure that the desired message is received, processed and accepted as intended.

3. Describe what is meant by using an audience-centered approach in organizational communications. Why is this important? Adopting an audience-centered approach in organizational communications means that the every consideration is taken to connect with the needs and understanding of the receiver or audience. According to Thill (2013) this approach is also known as adopting the "you" attitude in contrast to messages that are about "me" (p. 9). Achieving an audience-centered approach involves knowing your audience and understanding the nuances of personal biases, communication styles, concerns, and demography of the receivers in the target audience. Put another way an audience-centered or "you" approach is about speaking to the listening of the receiver. Communication focused on speaking to the listening of the audience is more likely to have a positive impact on the receiver. This is important because a message that is "me" centered rather than "you" centered is poorly received and misunderstood leaving the organization vulnerable to misperceptions. From misperceptions arises conflict, lack of cohesiveness, inefficiency, and decreased effectiveness. Audience-centered communication increases the ability of the organization to obtain buy in to the message and avoid the aforementioned obstacles to success.

4. What is the communication process model, and what impact does social media have on this model? The communication process model describes the series of actions that take place during the progression of a message from the sender to a receiver. According to Thill (2013) by

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Organizational Communication Worksheet 3 COM/520 Version 1

understanding communication as a process with distinct steps, one can improve the odds that messages will reach their intended audiences and produce the intended effects (p. 10). The eight step module described by Thill (2013) begins with the (1) senders idea and flows through (2) encoding, (3) production, (4) transmittal, (5) audience receiving, (6) audience decoding, (7) Audience response, and (8) audience feedback to sender (p. 10). By visualizing this flow one can focus on specific areas that may need improvement in order to facilitate more effective communication. This model of the communication process has existed for a long time but the advent of new technologies and social media has caused a shift in the amount of interaction possible between the sender (organizations) and the receivers (stakeholders). Social Media has enabled stakeholders to be much more involved in the process causing the process to shift to a more interactive and conversational form. This shift has brought about both advantages and challenges for business communication.

Part B

Answer each statement with a specific example and explanation in a couple of sentences.

1. Discuss the importance of business etiquette in the workplace. Provide an example of how business etiquette directly affects the effectiveness of a workplace communication. Business etiquette consists of the "accepted norms" (Thill, 2013, p. 10) regarding behavior in the business environment. In other words business etiquette addresses how you present yourself. An example of good business etiquette involving communication would be to never write an email in all capital letters which could be perceived as yelling.

2. What is the difference between an ethical dilemma and an ethical lapse? Why are these distinctions important? According to Thill (2013) an ethical dilemma involves having to choose between alternatives that may all be ethical and valid (p. 22). An ethical lapse would be making a choice that is without a doubt unethical. The importance of these distinctions I found in that an ethical dilemma concerns choosing to take one of two ethical roads while an ethical lapse consists of choosing to act in a way that is most certainly unethical. Ethical issues come up

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Organizational Communication Worksheet 4 COM/520 Version 1

every day in business. Without understanding these two distinctions one could find themselves acting in a way that is inappropriate and damaging to the organization.

3. List two guidelines of using communication technology effectively. Provide an example of when your communication in the workplace was directly affected by technology. Two guidelines of using communication technology effectively would be to "guard against information overload and to use technological tools productively" (Thill, 2013, p. 16). One example of when communication in the workplace is directly affect by technology is when the software used to retrieve customer information is not operating. Productivity can stop because employees are unable to retrieve the information such as phone numbers needed to contact the client or customer.

4. Why is it important to consider diverse backgrounds when considering effective communications in an organization? Provide an example of how a lack of consideration for diversity might produce an unintended result. It is important to consider the diverse backgrounds of your audience in order to address their needs. By understanding the diversity of the target audience one is able to speak to their listening thereby increasing the chance that the message being conveyed is understood and accepted. One example of how a lack of consideration for diversity might produce an unintended result would be if you are speaking to a group of people who are over 60 but you use language that is filled with modern colloquialisms. They will not receive the intended massage and the desired result will not be achieved.

5. With technology available to you in the workplace, how important is it to maintain inperson interactions with colleagues and clients? What effects might the use of technology-based communication have on an organization? It is very important to maintain in-person interaction because it is in the face to face exchanges that relationships are built and cemented. Even with the development of web conferencing using such technology as web cameras there is nothing like being physically in front of someone where one is able to read body language and actually feel the energy they exude while communicating.

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Organizational Communication Worksheet 5 COM/520 Version 1

The use of technology-based communication can have a profound effect on an organization, both positive and negative. On the positive side technology can facilitate a faster flow of information both from and to the organizations. Technology can also reduce cost for an organization. That being said the organization must guard against such pitfalls as information overload and lost productivity due to external noise produced by things such as "inappropriate use of social networking sites" (Thill, 2013, p. 17).

Reference

Thill, J. V. (2013). Excellence In Business Communication (10th ed.). Retrieved from etaId=e50ce033-c747-4179-93d0-d247e5e7ef90&assetDataId=x.

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