Essay, Research Paper: Communication Management

Choosing a topic for this paper was very difficult. Many topics seemed very interesting, but after reviewing many topics the choice was clear. I also took into consideration the fact that we would be presenting these topics to the class. So, I choose the communication process. It is very important in management. Having been a manager for three years, I felt I would be able to explain this topic well to the class.
Communication is the process of transmitting information and meaning. It is important for managers to develop their communication skills, because it is one major skills needed by managers. The management roles, which are interpersonal, informational, and decisional and the management functions, which are planning, organizing, leading, and controlling all require communication.
There are many types of communication. The first one I would like to communicate is vertical communication. The definition of vertical communication is the flow of information both downward and upward through the organizational chain of command. Some also refer to it as formal communication. Downward communication kind of speaks for itself; top-level management produces decisions that are communicated down to tell employees how to perform their job.
When working at Borders Books as an assistant manager I experienced a lot of downward communication. The president, vice president, top-level managers, etc. would communicate a decision to my general manager. My general manager would then communicate that decision to the assistant managers, which I am one of. Our job would be to install this communicated decision to all of the employees. If the decision was communicated well, this form of communication worked well, if not it did not.
The next kind of communication I would like to cover is upward communication. This is when employees send a message threw the chain of command, to the managers. This type of communication is very good for employees because they feel they are being noticed in the organization. Managers also benefit from this because they learn more about the organization.
While working at Borders, I experienced quite a bit of upward communication. Employees liked taking their messages to me, I was seen as
one of the managers that listened. I would also try to meet their needs by communicating these messages to my general manager. I felt this was a benefit for me, because I was very informed of what was going on in the organization from the employee's point of view.
The next kind of communication is horizontal communication. Horizontal communication is defined as the flow of information between colleagues and peers. Although it is a form of formal communication, it does not follow a chain of command. Horizontal communication happens when persons of equal rank, if you will, communicate to each other.
While working at Borders, horizontal communication was used more than any other communication. People of the same rank would always communicate their problems to one another; the weed threw them and sends the most important messages up the chain of command. I feel this type of communication is good to have in an organization. Without it I don't think problems would be solved very easily.
The next kind of communication is called grapevine communication. It is defined as the flow of information in any direction throughout the organization. This is a form of informal communication. This can flow in any direction, at anytime. Rumors get spread this way. Managers can correct situations by sending correct information down the chain of command.
Grapevine communication is unfortunately used a lot at Borders. I try to correct rumors, but there is no way to correct all of these rumors. Mostly employees start these rumors, but sometimes managers will send rumors through the organization to obtain a correct end result.
The next term I would like to define and describe is the communication process. The communication process consists of a sender who encodes a message and transmits it through a channel to a receiver who decodes it and may give feedback. There are four steps in this process. One, the sender encodes the message and selects the transmission channel. Two, the message is transmitted through a channel. Three, the receiver decodes the message and decides if feedback is needed. Four, feedback, response, or new message may be transmitted through a channel.
I will describe these four steps in detail. In defining the first one that is, the sender encodes the message and selects the channel, we must define the different parts of that phrase. Encoding is defined as the sender's process of putting the message into a form that the receiver will understand.
When selecting a channel there are three primary communication channels, which are oral, nonverbal, and written. The sender should choose the most appropriate one to warrant the needs of the situation.
The second step in the communication process is, the sender transmits the message. After the sender has encoded the message, and selected a channel it is transmitted to the receiver. There are many barriers one being noise. This can confuse the receiver and he or she may not be able to understand it correctly.
The third step in the communication process is, the receiver decodes the message and decides if feedback is needed. Decoding is defined as the receiver's process of translating the message into a meaningful form. The receiver decides if there is something needed in return, such as feedback, a response, or a new message. There are many barriers to mess up this step. Some of these are trust, credibility, not listening, and emotional barriers.
The forth step in the communication process is feedback: a response or a new message may be transmitted. The role of the receiver and sender can change at anytime during this communication process.
There are three different channels to communicate through, oral, non-verbal, and written. Oral communication is verbal communication. You can communicate fast with a one on one oral communication. The amount of time it takes to communicate this way to many persons is where it lacks.
Nonverbal communication is messages sent without words. Body language is included in nonverbal communication. Facial expressions and vocal quality are both parts of body language.
Written communication provides a record and is usually more accurate then oral communication. Some examples of this are memos, letters, reports, and posters.
I would now like to discuss and define feedback. Feedback is the process of verifying messages. You can use feedback to describe the fact that didn't understand the sender's message this is referred to as paraphrasing. The definition of paraphrasing is the process of having the receiver restate the message in his or her own words.
Communications management focuses on the efficient and effective management of all ex-change relations between an organization and its stakeholders. Corporate communications as part of the communications management process is about presenting corporate policy, and creating a positive relationship with an organization's environment. Promoting the relationships with all the relevant stakeholders acts as an extremely important tool to gain corporate success and competitive advantage.
Borders has taught me a lot about communication management. Being a manager, and having the first hand experience that I have makes me a very important source in this paper. We communicate everyday of our lives. You can communicate in the wrong ways at the wrong times. So, you must choose your method of communication carefully.
Furthermore, I feel that doing this paper and presentation will give my classmates what they need to communicate properly in their future jobs. It is very important because without it we would be lost.



Bibliography


Works Cited
Rossiter, John. Advertising Communications and Promotion Management.
2nd Edition: 1997.
De Bonis, Nicholas. Ama Handbook for Managing Business to Business
Marketing Communications. 1997.
Locker, Kitty. Business and Administrative Communication. 1996.
Lussier, Robert. Management. Springfield College: Springfield,
Massachusetts, 1997.


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