Organizational Behavior
Module 8: Effective Workplace Communication
Module Learning Outcomes
Discuss appropriate technological tools, methods, and styles of
communication in the workplace
8.1: Describe the key components of effective communication in contemporary organ
izational life
8.2: Discuss the importance of technology and various methods of communication av
ailable
8.3: Discuss the other issues in workplace communication
Key Components of Communication
Learning Outcomes: Key Components of
Communication
8.1: Describe the key components of effective communication in
contemporary organizational life
8.1.1: Define the functions of organizational communication
8.1.2: Describe the communication process
8.1.3: Analyze direction of communication within an organization
8.1.4: Discuss types of communication within an organization
8.1.5: Analyze barriers to effective communication
Functions of Organizational Communication
Control Emotional
Expression
Motivation Informatio
Communication Process – The Feedback Loop
Directions of Communication
Horizontal
(between peers)
Downward Upward
(from leader to (from subordinate
subordinate) to leader)
Types of Communication
• Interpersonal communication
• Oral communication
• Written communication
• Non-verbal communication
• Facial expressions
• Gestures
• Proximity to receiver
• Touch
• Eye contact
• Appearance
• Tone and inflection
Class Activity: How many ways can you say it?
• Without changing the words or the order of the words, discuss how many
different meanings you can get from the sentence…
Would you attend the conference with me?
…by using tone and inflection only.
Organizational Types of Communication
Barriers to effective communication
Perceptual bias Organizational barriers
Active Listening
Class Activity: Taking a Vacation!
• Split off into pairs. Person B is going
to sell a vacation to Person A!
• Person A should think of a
specific place to go on vacation.
• Without naming the place, s/he
should tell Person B two things
about that place, to give Person B
an idea of what s/he is looking for
in a vacation.
• Person B should then ask questions
and use active listening skills to
determine where Person A would
like to go on vacation
• Take five minutes, and then switch
so Person A can practice, too!
Practice Question 1
What purposes does communication serve
within an organization?
A. Control, motivation, information,
emotional expression
B. Clear, concise, objective, consistent,
complete
C. Sender, message, receiver, noise,
feedback
D. Encoding, decoding, noise, feedback
Practice Question 2
How is “decoding” defined in the communication feedback loop?
A. When encoding and decoding don’t happen seamlessly and the meaning
is misunderstood
B. When the speaker puts his thoughts into words, verbally or on paper
C. When the receiver translates the speaker’s message
D. When the receiver clarifies the message he received with additional
questions
Practice Question 3
If Georgie makes suggestions on how a particular work process can be
improved, and his manager doesn’t listen because he feels that Georgie is
usually lazy and uninformed, then what barrier has gotten in the way of
successful communication?
A. Perceptual bias
B. Organizational barriers
C. Inactive listening
D. Effective feedback
Practice Question 4
What is the definition of downward communication?
A. A message between people at the same level in an organization.
B. A message from a manager to a subordinate.
C. A message from a subordinate to a manager.
D. A message between a business and the outside world.
Communicating with Technology
Learning Outcomes: Communicating with
Technology
8.2: Discuss the importance of technology and various methods of
communication available
8.2.1: Discuss written technologies useful for communication
8.2.2: Compare and contrast common tools for audio communication
8.2.3: Compare and contrast common tools for video communication
8.2.4: Compare and contrast common tools for screen / web sharing
8.2.5: Explore multifeature online platforms / virtual office spaces
Written Communication
• Email
• Instant
Messaging
• Intranet
• Social Media
Audio Communication
• C
ell
and pho
sm ne
• V artp
oic hon
I nt e Ov es
Pro ernet er
(VO tocol
• C I P)
onf
pho ere
• C nes nce
onf
ser ere
• G vice ncin
oog s g
le V
oic
e
Video Conferencing
• Camera
• Computer
• Video conferencing platform
Online Communication
• Screen sharing/web sharing
• Multi-feature online platforms
Practice Question 5
What is a benefit of video conferencing?
A. The ability to communicate face-to-face and share documents among
employees who aren’t in the same location, allowing for greater
productivity for international teams
B. The ability to communicate with thousands of people with a single
mouse click
C. The ability to store all often-used company documents and forms in a
single place
D. The ability to share fun things going on in your department and having
other people comment on those activities
Other Concerns in Workplace
Communication
Learning Outcomes: Other Concerns in
Workplace Communication
8.3: Discuss the other issues in workplace communication
8.3.1: Discuss ethics in communication
8.3.2: Discuss the importance of staying connected with colleagues and
other professionals in the digital age
Ethics in Communication
• Honesty
• Refrain from doing harm
• Fairness to all stakeholders
Staying connected with colleagues
• Document and work sharing tools
• Private messaging and “chat” tools
• Video communication tools
Practice Question 6
Tobacco companies are required to communicate that the practice of
consuming their products may lead to physical conditions like emphysema
or lung cancer. This is an example of which element of ethical
communication?
A. fairness to stakeholders
B. refrain from doing harm
C. honesty
D. clarity
Quick Review
• Organizational communication provides four functions – control,
motivation, information and emotional expression
• When communicating, one must consider not only the sender, receiver
and message, but noise that distorts the message and feedback given for
clarity
• Organizational communication travels in three directions – upward,
downward and horizontal
• Individuals can communicate verbally, non-verbally and in writing
• Perceptual bias and organizational barriers often prevent clear
communication
• Types of technology affect communication and all have pros and cons
• Ethics are important – remember honesty, refrain from harm and fairness
to all stakeholders in every communication
