Chapter 3 :

Managing Communications
Learning Objectives:
1. Describe upward communication and other forms
of communication.
2. Recognize the roles of questioning and listening
3. Discuss the forms of questioning.
4. Cite the guidelines for effective listening.
5. Identify the impact of electronic communications
including its advantages and disadvantages.
6. Differentiate between the organizational
grapevines and rumors.
 Upward Communication
 It is the flow of
information from front
line employees to
managers,
supervisors, and
directors.
 Difficulties of Upward
Communication are:
delay, filtering, short-
circuiting, and need
for response.
Upward Communication
Practices
1. Questioning
 This practice shows employees that management
takes an interest in their opinions, desires, additional
information, and values their input.
Forms:
 Open Questions
Example: How will you help the company if you
are hired to work for us?
 Closed Questions
Example: Can I help you with that?
2. Listening
• Listening is key to all effective communication.
Without the ability to listen effectively, messages are
easily misunderstood.
• Active listening is more than hearing, it requires use
of the ears and mind
 Guidelines for Effective Listening
• Stop Talking
• Put the talker at ease
• Show the talker that you want to listen
• Remove distractions
• Empathize with a talker
• Be patient
• Hold your temper
• Go easy on arguments and criticism
• Ask relevant questions
• Stop Talking
3. Employee Meeting
4. Open-Door Policy

m
5. Participation in Social Groups
6. Management by Walking Around
 Other Forms of Communication
Lateral Communication
• Employees who play a major role in lateral
communications are referred to as boundary
spanners.
• Boundary-spanning employees have strong
communication links within their department,
with people in other units, an often with the
external community
Networks
• Network – is a group of people who develop
and maintain contact to exchange information
formally, usually a shared interest.
• An employee who becomes active in such a
group is said to be networking.
• They are built around external interest-
recreation, social clubs, minority status,
professional groups, career interests, and trade
meetings.
Ombudsperson
• This position is created to receive and
respond to inquiries, complaints, requests for
policy clarifications, or allegations of
wrongdoing from employees who do not feel
comfortable going through normal channels.
• It investigate the matters to right a wrong and
correct the system to prevent future errors.
 Impact of Electronic Communications
Electronic mail (e-mail)
• Is a computer-based communication system
that allows you to send a message to someone
or to a hundred people almost instantly. It
uses the Internet to transmit and receive
computer-generated text and documents
Advantages of E-mail
• Mobility
• Speed and Convenience

Disadvantages of E-mail
• Loss of face-to-face contact
• Temptation to send flaming messages
• Risks of using acronyms and emoticons that
will be misunderstood
• Difficulty of accurately conveying and
interpreting emotions
 Guidelines for E-mail Netiqutte

1. Provide your recipient with an informative

subject for your message.
2. Indicate the degree of urgency with which
you need a response.
3. Limit the use of acronym and emoticons.
4. Be cautious about forwarding messages and
replying to them
5. Don’t assume that everyone is equally
responsible with e-mail
6. Scan your inbox several times a day to assess
which messages have the highest priority and
respond them first.
7. Be brief.
8. Exercise as much care in spelling and
punctuations.
Telecommuting
 also called the electronic cottage

Advantages:
• Freedom from the distractions of the workplace
• Reduction in the money and time spent on
commuting
• Opportunity to reduce expenditures for work
relevant clothing
• Spend more time with family members.
Disadvantages:
• Possibility of being overlooked at promotion
time through lesser daily availability.
• The risk of getting burned out from the
temptation to put in more hours daily.
• Telecommuters may feel out of touch with
their regular networks, unable to experience
intellectual stimulation from their peers,
removed from informal channels of
communication and insulated from most
sources of social support.
Virtual Offices
• A virtual office is part of the flexible
workspace industry that provides businesses
with any combination of services, space
and/or technology, without those businesses
bearing the capital expenses of owning or
leasing a traditional office
• The physical office space and individual desks
are being replaced with an amazing array of
portable communication tools.
 Organizational
Grapevines and Rumors
Grapevines
• To hear something through the grapevine is to
learn of something informally and unofficially by
means of gossip and rumour. The usual
implication is that the information was passed
person to person by word of mouth, perhaps in a
confidential manner among friends or colleagues.
• The informal communication network in a group
or organization is called the grapevine . Although
the rumors and gossip transmitted through the
grapevine may be informal, it’s still an important
source of information.
• Electronic grapevine- flashed on computer
screens.
• Cluster chain- pattern that grapevine
information usually follows.

• Liaison individuals- active communicators in

the grapevine.
 Factors that Encourage Grapevine
Activities
• Excitement and insecurity
• Involvement of friend and associates
• Recent information
• Procedures that brings people into contact
• Works that allows conversation
• Job that provides information desired by
others
• Personality of communicator
Grapevines
Rumor

• It is the untrue and unverified part of the

grapevine.
• Subject to filtering and elaboriting.
• Two Factors– interest and ambiguity.
 Guidelines for Control of Rumors
• Remove its causes inorder
to prevent it.
• Apply efforts primarily to
serious rumors
• Refute rumors with fact.
• Emphasize face-to-face
supply of facts
• Provide facts from reliable
sources
• Refrain from repeating
rumor while refuting it.
• Encourage assistance of
informal and union leaders
if they are cooperative.
• Listen to all rumors inorder
to understand what they
may mean