Another external barrier to communication with an organization is a closed or authoritarian climate. In that environment, decisions and policies often are made and implemented by command. Consequently, workers may stop offering suggestions because they believe that making suggestions is useless.
Conversely, in an open climate in which ideas and information are welcomed, communication flows easily. Workers believe that supervisors and managers are receptive to ideas, which facilitates communication. Many managers in progressive organizations realize the importance of maintaining open communication. They know that being sensitive to employees’ attitudes and ideas encourages creativity and growth.
1. Examples of external barriers include environmental factors.
2. A smudged document can create external barrier to communication.
3. The appearance of a written document may be internal barrier to communication. 4. In an open climate, decisions and policies often are made and implemented by order.
5. A closed or authoritarian climate may create external barrier to communication within an organization. 3.
The closing of a message containing negative news should be courteous and helpful. The purpose of the closing is to maintain or rebuild goodwill. After presenting or implying the negative news, change the emphasis and close on a positive tone.
To maintain a positive tone, (1) do not mention or remind the receiver of the negative news again and (2) do not apologize because you cannot accommodate the receiver. If a mistake has not been made, an apology is not appropriate. If you did make a mistake, you owe the receiver an apology. However, place the apology in the middle paragraphs—not in the closing.
The closing should have a sincere tone. Avoid overused closings such as “if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call.” Use a similar statement but with a positive tone: if you have any question, please call. Avoid using conditional words such as hope, think and maybe.
Offer the receiver another option. Most problem situations have more than one solution. Presenting another option shifts the emphasis from the negative news to a positive solution.
1. A message containing negative news should have a courteous and helpful closing. 2. The courteous closing of a negative message may rebuild goodwill.
3. An apology should be placed in the closing of a message containing negative news.
4. The sender should apologize if he or she can’t accommodate the receiver.
5. Offer another option in the closing can shift the emphasis of the receiver from negative news to a positive solution. 6. 4.
Formal communication occurs through an organization’s established lines of authority and may be written or oral. Communication travels down, across, or up lines of
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authority.
Communication that travels down the hierarchy from a superior (supervisor, manager, or executive) to the subordinates is downward communication. Instructions from a project manager to project team members travel downward. Policies established by a board of directors and company officers are relayed downward to department managers and then to other employees.
Communication among peers—people of the same status—is lateral communication. A memo from one department head to another is an example of lateral communication. Lateral communication encourages cooperation between departments and divisions of an organization.
Upward communication refers to communication from subordinates to those above them. When employees convey their suggestions for improving production, their attitudes and feelings about their jobs, or their perceptions of the organization to their supervisors, they are communicating upward. Likewise, a manager’s recommendation to company officers is upward communication.
1. Formal communication can be merely written.
2. Communication from a manager to his or her subordinates is called downward communication.
3. An example of lateral communication is a memo from one department head to his or her subordinates.
4. Communication from a superior to his or her subordinates is upward communication.
5. A manager’s suggestion to company officers is upward communication. 5.
The two styles of reports are formal and informal. Formal reports generally are long, analytical, and impersonal. A formal report often contains preliminary parts such as a title page, an executive summary, and a table of contents, as well as supplementary parts such as a bibliography and an appendix.
An example of a formal report is a company’s annual report to stockholders or a report to a government agency. Another example is an external proposal—a report that analyzes a problem and recommends a solution to people outside the writer’s company.
Informal reports are shorter than formal reports and are written in a less formal style. Unlike formal reports, informal reports generally have no preliminary or supplementary parts because they usually are concerned with everyday matters that require little background.
A sales report is an example of an informal report. In a sales report, the writer summarizes sales for a specific period. Another type of informal report, an internal proposal, is used to analyze an internal problem and recommend a solution. 1. Formal reports often are long, analytical and impersonal.
2. An annual report to stockholders is the preliminary part of an informal report. 3. Informal reports often contain preliminary parts such as a title page, an executive summary.
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4. Formal reports often are longer than informal ones and are written in formal style. 5. An internal proposal which is an example of formal report, is used to analyzed an internal problem and suggest a solution.
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