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Business Communication: communication used to promote a product, service, or organization;

relay information within the business; or deal with legal and similar issues. It is also a means of

relying between a supply chain, for example the consumer and manufacturer.



At its most basic level, the purpose of communication in the workplace is to provide employees

with the information they need to do their jobs.[1]



Business Communication encompasses a variety of topics, including Marketing, Branding,

Customer relations, Consumer behaviour, Advertising, Public relations, Corporate

communication, Community engagement, Research & Measurement, Reputation management,

Interpersonal communication, Employee engagement, Online communication, and Event

management. It is closely related to the fields of professional communication and technical

communication.



Business is conducted through various channels of communication, including the Internet, Print

(Publications), Radio, Television, Ambient media, Outdoor, and Word of mouth.



Business Communication can also refer to internal communication. A communications director

will typically manage internal communication and craft messages sent to employees. It is vital

that internal communications are managed properly because a poorly crafted or managed

message could foster distrust or hostility from employees.[2]



Business Communication is a common topic included in the curricula of Masters of Business

Administration (MBA) programs of many universities.



There are several methods of business communication, including:



 Web-based communication - for better and improved communication, anytime anywhere

...

 e-mails, which provide an instantaneous medium of written communication worldwide;

 Reports - important in documenting the activities of any department;

 Presentations - very popular method of communication in all types of organizations,

usually involving audiovisual material, like copies of reports, or material prepared in

Microsoft PowerPoint or Adobe Flash;

 telephoned meetings, which allow for long distance speech;

 forum boards, which allow people to instantly post information at a centralized location;

and

 face to face meetings, which are personal and should be succeeded by a written followup.







Communication



From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Jump to: navigation, search

For other uses, see Communication (disambiguation).



Communication is a process of transferring information from one source to another.

Communication processes are sign-mediated interactions between at least two agents which

share a repertoire of signs and semiotic rules. Communication is commonly defined as "the

imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs".

Communication can be perceived as a two-way process in which there is an exchange and

progression of thoughts, feelings or ideas towards a mutually accepted[clarification needed] goal or

direction.



Communication as an academic discipline has a long history. [1]



Contents



[hide]



 1 Overview

 2 Types of communication

o 2.1 Dialogue or verbal communication

o 2.2 Nonverbal communication

o 2.3 Visual communication

o 2.4 Other types of communication

 3 Communication modelling

 4 Non-human living organisms communication

o 4.1 Plants and fungi

 5 Communication as academic discipline

 6 References

 7 See also

 8 Further reading

 9 External links





[edit] Overview



Communication is a process whereby information is encoded and imparted by sender to a

receiver via a channel/medium. The receiver then decodes the message and gives the sender a

feedback. Communication requires that all parties have an area of communicative commonality.

There are auditory means, such as speaking, singing and sometimes tone of voice, and nonverbal,

physical means, such as body language, sign language, paralanguage, touch, eye contact, by

using writing.



Communication is thus a process by which we assign and convey meaning in an attempt to create

shared understanding. This process requires a vast repertoire of skills in intrapersonal and

interpersonal processing, listening, observing, speaking, questioning, analyzing, and evaluating.

It is through communication that collaboration and cooperation occur.[2]



There are also many common barriers to successful communication, two of which are message

overload (when a person receives too many messages at the same time), and message

complexity.[3]



[edit] Types of communication



There are three major parts in human face to face communication which are body language,

voice tonality, and words. According to the research:[4]



 55% of impact is determined by body language—postures, gestures, and eye contact,

 38% by the tone of voice, and

 7% by the content or the words used in the communication process.



Although the exact percentage of influence may differ from variables such as the listener and the

speaker, communication as a whole strives for the same goal and thus, in some cases, can be

universal. System of signals, such as voice sounds, intonations or pitch, gestures or written

symbols which communicate thoughts or feelings. If a language is about communicating with

signals, voice, sounds, gestures, or written symbols, can animal communications be considered

as a language? Animals do not have a written form of a language, but use a language to

communicate with each another. In that sense, an animal communication can be considered as a

separate language.



Human spoken and written languages can be described as a system of symbols (sometimes

known as lexemes) and the grammars (rules) by which the symbols are manipulated. The word

"language" is also used to refer to common properties of languages. Language learning is normal

in human childhood. Most human languages use patterns of sound or gesture for symbols which

enable communication with others around them. There are thousands of human languages, and

these seem to share certain properties, even though many shared properties have exceptions.



There is no defined line between a language and a dialect, but the linguist Max Weinreich is

credited as saying that "a language is a dialect with an army and a navy". Constructed languages

such as Esperanto, programming languages, and various mathematical formalisms are not

necessarily restricted to the properties shared by human languages.



[edit] Dialogue or verbal communication



A dialogue is a reciprocal conversation between two or more entities. The etymological origins

of the word (in Greek διά(diá,through) + λόγος(logos, word,speech) concepts like flowing-

through meaning) do not necessarily convey the way in which people have come to use the word,

with some confusion between the prefix διά-(diá-,through) and the prefix δι- (di-, two) leading to

the assumption that a dialogue is necessarily between only two parties.



[edit] Nonverbal communication



Nonverbal communication is the process of communicating through sending and receiving

wordless messages. Such messages can be communicated through gesture, body language or

posture; facial expression and eye contact, object communication such as clothing, hairstyles or

even architecture, or symbols and infographics, as well as through an aggregate of the above,

such as behavioral communication. Nonverbal communication plays a key role in every person's

day to day life, from employment to romantic engagements.



Speech may also contain nonverbal elements known as paralanguage, including voice quality,

emotion and speaking style, as well as prosodic features such as rhythm, intonation and stress.

Likewise, written texts have nonverbal elements such as handwriting style, spatial arrangement

of words, or the use of emoticons.A portmanteau of the English words emotion (or emote) and

icon, an emoticon is a symbol or combination of symbols used to convey emotional content in

written or message form.



Other communication channels such as telegraphy fit into this category, whereby signals travel

from person to person by an alternative means. These signals can in themselves be representative

of words, objects or merely be state projections. Trials have shown that humans can

communicate directly in this way[5] without body language, voice tonality or words.

[edit] Visual communication



Visual communication as the name suggests is communication through visual aid. It is the

conveyance of ideas and information in forms that can be read or looked upon. Primarily

associated with two dimensional images, it includes: signs, typography, drawing, graphic design,

illustration, colour and electronic resources. It solely relies on vision. It is form of

communication with visual effect. It explores the idea that a visual message with text has a

greater power to inform, educate or persuade a person. It is communication by presenting

information through visual form.



The evaluation of a good visual design is based on measuring comprehension by the audience,

not on aesthetic or artistic preference. There are no universally agreed-upon principles of beauty

and ugliness. There exists a variety of ways to present information visually, like gestures, body

languages, video and TV. Here, focus is on the presentation of text, pictures, diagrams, photos, et

cetera, integrated on a computer display. The term visual presentation is used to refer to the

actual presentation of information. Recent research in the field has focused on web design and

graphically oriented usability. Graphic designers use methods of visual communication in their

professional practice.



[edit] Other types of communication



Other more specific types of communication are for example:



 Facilitated communication

 Graphic communication

 Nonviolent Communication

 Science communication

 Strategic Communication

 Superluminal communication

 Technical communication



[edit] Communication modelling







Communication major dimensions scheme





Communication code scheme



Communication is usually described along a few major dimensions: Content (what type of things

are communicated), source / emisor / sender / encoder (by whom), form (in which form), channel

(through which medium), destination / receiver / target / decoder (to whom), and the purpose or

pragmatic aspect. Between parties, communication includes acts that confer knowledge and

experiences, give advice and commands, and ask questions. These acts may take many forms, in

one of the various manners of communication. The form depends on the abilities of the group

communicating. Together, communication content and form make messages that are sent

towards a destination. The target can be oneself, another person or being, another entity (such as

a corporation or group of beings).



Communication can be seen as processes of information transmission governed by three levels of

semiotic rules:

1. Syntactic (formal properties of signs and symbols),

2. pragmatic (concerned with the relations between signs/expressions and their users) and

3. semantic (study of relationships between signs and symbols and what they represent).



Therefore, communication is social interaction where at least two interacting agents share a

common set of signs and a common set of semiotic rules. This commonly held rules in some

sense ignores autocommunication, including intrapersonal communication via diaries or self-

talk, both secondary phenomena that followed the primary acquisition of communicative

competences within social interactions.



In a simple model, information or content (e.g. a message in natural language) is sent in some

form (as spoken language) from an emisor/ sender/ encoder to a destination/ receiver/ decoder. In

a slightly more complex form a sender and a receiver are linked reciprocally. A particular

instance of communication is called a speech act. The sender's personal filters and the receiver's

personal filters may vary depending upon different regional traditions, cultures, or gender; which

may alter the intended meaning of message contents. In the presence of "communication noise"

on the transmission channel (air, in this case), reception and decoding of content may be faulty,

and thus the speech act may not achieve the desired effect. One problem with this encode-

transmit-receive-decode model is that the processes of encoding and decoding imply that the

sender and receiver each possess something that functions as a code book, and that these two

code books are, at the very least, similar if not identical. Although something like code books is

implied by the model, they are nowhere represented in the model, which creates many

conceptual difficulties.



Theories of coregulation describe communication as a creative and dynamic continuous process,

rather than a discrete exchange of information. Canadian media scholar Harold Innis had the

theory that people use different types of media to communicate and which one they choose to use

will offer different possibilities for the shape and durability of society (Wark, McKenzie 1997).

His famous example of this is using ancient Egypt and looking at the ways they built themselves

out of media with very different properties stone and papyrus. Papyrus is what he called 'Space

Binding'. it made possible the transmission of written orders across space, empires and enables

the waging of distant military campaigns and colonial administration. The other is stone and

'Time Binding', through the construction of temples and the pyramids can sustain their authority

generation to generation, through this media they can change and shape communication in their

society (Wark, McKenzie 1997).



The Krishi Vigyan Kendra Kannur under Kerala Agricultural University has pioneered a new

branch of agricultural communication called Creative Extension.



[edit] Non-human living organisms communication



Communication in many of its facets is not limited to humans, or even to primates. Every

information exchange between living organisms — i.e. transmission of signals involving a living

sender and receiver — can be considered a form of communication. Thus, there is the broad field

of animal communication, which encompasses most of the issues in ethology. Also very

primitive animals such as corals are competent to communicate.[6] On a more basic level, there is

cell signaling, cellular communication, and chemical communication between primitive

organisms like bacteria,[7] and within the plant and fungal kingdoms. All of these communication

processes are sign-mediated interactions with a great variety of distinct coordinations.



Animal communication is any behaviour on the part of one animal that has an effect on the

current or future behavior of another animal. Of course, human communication can be subsumed

as a highly developed form of animal communication. The study of animal communication,

called zoosemiotics' (distinguishable from anthroposemiotics, the study of human

communication) has played an important part in the development of ethology, sociobiology, and

the study of animal cognition. This is quite evident as humans are able to communicate with

animals, especially dolphins and other animals used in circuses. However, these animals have to

learn a special means of communication. Animal communication, and indeed the understanding

of the animal world in general, is a rapidly growing field, and even in the 21st century so far,

many prior understandings related to diverse fields such as personal symbolic name use, animal

emotions, animal culture and learning, and even sexual conduct, long thought to be well

understood, have been revolutionized.



[edit] Plants and fungi



Among plants, communication is observed within the plant organism, i.e. within plant cells and

between plant cells, between plants of the same or related species, and between plants and non-

plant organisms, especially in the rootzone. Plant roots communicate in parallel with rhizobia

bacteria, with fungi and with insects in the soil. This parallel sign-mediated interactions which

are governed by syntactic, pragmatic and semantic rules are possible because of the decentralized

"nervous system" of plants. As recent research shows 99% of intraorganismic plant

communication processes are neuronal-like. Plants also communicate via volatiles in the case of

herbivory attack behavior to warn neighboring plants. In parallel they produce other volatiles

which attract parasites which attack these herbivores. In Stress situations plants can overwrite the

genetic code they inherited from their parents and revert to that of their grand- or great-

grandparents.[8]



Fungi communicate to coordinate and organize their own growth and development such as the

formation of mycelia and fruiting bodies. Additionally fungi communicate with same and related

species as well as with nonfungal organisms in a great variety of symbiotic interactions,

especially with bacteria, unicellular eukaryotes, plants and insects. The used semiochemicals are

of biotic origin and they trigger the fungal organism to react in a specific manner, in difference

while to even the same chemical molecules are not being a part of biotic messages doesn‘t

trigger to react the fungal organism. It means, fungal organisms are competent to identify the

difference of the same molecules being part of biotic messages or lack of these features. So far

five different primary signalling molecules are known that serve to coordinate very different

behavioral patterns such as filamentation, mating, growth, pathogenicity. Behavioral

coordination and the production of such substances can only be achieved through interpretation

processes: self or non-self, abiotic indicator, biotic message from similar, related, or non-related

species, or even ―noise‖, i.e., similar molecules without biotic content-[9]



[edit] Communication as academic discipline



Communication as an academic discipline, sometimes called "communicology,"[10] relates to all

the ways we communicate, so it embraces a large body of study and knowledge. The

communication discipline includes both verbal and nonverbal messages. A body of scholarship

all about communication is presented and explained in textbooks, electronic publications, and

academic journals. In the journals, researchers report the results of studies that are the basis for

an ever-expanding understanding of how we all communicate.



Communication happens at many levels (even for one single action), in many different ways, and

for most beings, as well as certain machines. Several, if not all, fields of study dedicate a portion

of attention to communication, so when speaking about communication it is very important to be

sure about what aspects of communication one is speaking about. Definitions of communication

range widely, some recognizing that animals can communicate with each other as well as human

beings, and some are more narrow, only including human beings within the parameters of human

symbolic interaction.







Behavioral communication



From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Jump to: navigation, search



Behavioral Communication is a psychological construct that addresses people's use of day-to-

day behaviors as a form of communication. Specifically, it refers to people's tendency to express

feelings, needs, and thoughts by means of indirect messages and behavioral impacts.



Basically, any behavior (or its absence when one is expected) may be judged as communicative

if it has the intent to convey a message. For example, an expressive hairstyle, a show of a certain

emotion (or emotional withdrawal), or simply doing (or not doing) the dishes all can be means

by which people may convey messages to each other.



The construct of behavioral communication is conceived as a variable of Individual differences.

This means that some people more than others tend to engage in behavioral communication in

spite of the plausible alternatives of using verbal communication.



A measure of the construct, The Behavioral Communication Questionnaire (M. Ivanov, 2008),

has been introduced at the Society for Personality Assessment conference in March, 2008.



The conceptual framework of the construct has been presented at Western Psychological

Association Conference in April, 2008







Autocommunication



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Jump to: navigation, search



Autocommunication is a term used in communication studies, semiotics and other cultural

studies to describe communication from and to oneself. This is distinguished from the more

traditionally studied form of communication where the sender and the receiver of the message

are separate. This can be called heterocommunication.



Where heterocommunication gives the receiver new information, autocommunication does not.

Instead it enchances and restructures the receiver's ego. Both forms of communication can be

found either in individuals or within organisations. When autocommunication is done by an

individual it can be called intrapersonal communication.



Autocommunication is typical for religious or artistic works. Prayers, mantras and diaries are

good examples. In organisations and corporations strategic plans and memos, for example, can

function like mantras. But any text (or work) can become autocommunicational if it is read many

times over.



Intrapersonal communication



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Jump to: navigation, search



Intrapersonal communication is language use or thought internal to the communicator.

Intrapersonal communication is the active internal involvement of the individual in symbolic

processing of messages. The individual becomes his or her own sender and receiver, providing

feedback to him or herself in an ongoing internal process. It can be useful to envision

intrapersonal communication occurring in the mind of the individual in a model which contains a

sender, receiver, and feedback loop.



Although successful communication is generally defined as being between two or more

individuals, issues concerning the useful nature of communicating with oneself and problems

concerning communication with non-sentient entities such as computers have made some argue

that this definition is too narrow.



In Communication: The Social Matrix of Psychiatry, Jurgen Ruesch and Gregory Bateson argue

that intrapersonal communication is indeed a special case of interpersonal communication, as

"dialogue is the foundation for all discourse."



Intrapersonal communication can encompass:



 Day-dreaming

 Nocturnal dreaming, including and especially lucid dreaming

 Speaking aloud (talking to oneself), reading aloud, repeating what one hears; the

additional activities of speaking and hearing (in the third case of hearing again) what one

thinks, reads or hears may increase concentration and retention. This is considered

normal, and the extent to which it occurs varies from person to person. The time when

there should be concern is when talking to oneself occurs outside of socially acceptable

situations.[1]

 Writing (by hand, or with a wordprocessor, etc.) one's thoughts or observations: the

additional activities, on top of thinking, of writing and reading back may again increase

self-understanding ("How do I know what I mean until I see what I say?") and

concentration. It aids ordering one's thoughts; in addition it produces a record that can be

used later again. Copying text to aid memorizing also falls in this category.

 Making gestures while thinking: the additional activity, on top of thinking, of body

motions, may again increase concentration, assist in problem solving, and assist memory.

 Sense-making (see Karl Weick) e.g. interpreting maps, texts, signs, and symbols

 Interpreting non-verbal communication (see Albert Mehrabian) e.g. gestures, eye contact

 Communication between body parts; e.g. "My stomach is telling me it's time for lunch."



[edit] Intrapersonal communication in dreams



A particularly interesting example is that of a recently designed technique of 'interviewing' one's

dream characters, particularly during lucid dreaming. In the lucid state, the dreamer is aware that

he or she is dreaming, and can proceed to question, in-depth, each dream character, whom are

necessarily understood to be part of the 'self' in either a psychological sense or in the more

scientific sense of each aspect of one's dream arising from one's own brain processes.







Professional communication



From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Jump to: navigation, search









This article may require copy-editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone or spelling. You

can assist by editing it now. (November 2007)

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Professional communication encompasses written, oral, and visual communication within a

workplace context. This discipline blends together pedagogical principles of rhetoric,

technology, and software to improve communication in a variety of settings ranging from

technical writing to usability and digital media design. It is a new discipline that focuses on the

study of information and the ways it is created, managed, distributed, and consumed. Since

communication in modern society is a rapidly changing area, the progress of technologies seems

to often outpace the number of expert practitioners available to administer them. This creates a

demand for skilled communicators which continues to exceed the supply of trained

professionals.



The field of professional communication is closely related to that of technical communication

though professional communication encompasses a wider variety of skills. Professional

communicators use strategies, theories, and technologies to more effectively communicate in the

business world.



Successful communication skills are critical to a business because all businesses, though to

varying degrees, involve the following: writing, reading, editing, speaking, listening, software

applications, computer graphics, and internet research. Job candidates with professional

communication backgrounds are more likely to bring to the organization sophisticated

perspectives on society, culture, science, and technology.[citation needed]

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[edit] Professional communication theory



Professional communication draws on theories from fields as different as rhetoric and science,

psychology and philosophy, sociology and linguistics.



Much of professional communication theory is a practical blend of traditional communication

theory, technical writing, rhetorical theory, and ethics. According to Carolyn Miller in What's

Practical about Technical Writing? she refers to professional communication as not simply

workplace activities but also to writing that concerns "human conduct in those activities that

maintain the life of a community." As Nancy Roundy Blyler discusses in her article Research as

Ideology in Professional Communication researchers seek to expand professional

communication theory to include concerns with praxis and social responsibility.



Regarding this social aspect, in "Postmodern Practice: Perspectives and Prospects," Richard C.

Freed defines Professional Communication as "A. discourse directed to a group, or to an

individual operating as a member of the group, with the intent of affecting the group's function,

and/or B. discourse directed from a group, or from an individual operating as a member of the

group, with the intent of affecting the group's function, where group means an entity

intentionally organized and/or run by its members to perform a certain function....Primarily

excluded from this definition of group would be families (who would qualify only if, for

example, their group affiliation were a family business), school classes (which would qualify

only if, for example, they had organized themselves to perform a function outside the classroom-

-for example, to complain about or praise a teacher to a school administrator), and unorganized

aggregates (i.e., masses of people). Primarily excluded from the definition of professional

communication would be diary entries (discourse directed toward the writer), personal

correspondence (discourse directed to one or more readers apart from their group affiliations),

reportage or belletristic discourse (novels, poems, occasional essays--discourse usually written

by individuals and directed to multiple readers not organized as a group), most intraclassroom

communications (for example, classroom discourse composed by students for teachers) and some

technical communications (for example, instructions--for changing a tire, assembling a product,

and the like; again, discourse directed toward readers or listeners apart from their group

affiliations)....Professional communication...would seem different from discourse involving a

single individual apart from a group affiliation communicating with another such person, or a

single individual communicating with a large unorganized aggregate of individuals as suggested

by the term mass communication " (Blyler and Thralls, Professional Communication: The Social

Perspective,[1] (pp. 197-198).



[edit] Professional communication journals

 "IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication".

http://ewh.ieee.org/soc/pcs/?q=node/24.



The IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication is a refereed quarterly journal published

since 1957 by the Professional Communication Society of the Institute of Electrical and

Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The readers represent engineers, technical communicators,

scientists, information designers, editors, linguists, translators, managers, business professionals

and others from around the globe who work as scholars, educators, and/or practitioners. The

readers share a common interest in effective communication in technical workplace and

academic contexts.



The journal's research falls into three main categories: (1) the communication practices of

technical professionals, such as engineers and scientists, (2) the practices of professional

communicators who work in technical or business environments, and (3) research-based methods

for teaching professional communication.



[edit] Studying professional communication



The study of professional communication includes:



 the study of rhetoric which serves as a theoretical basis

 the study of technical writing which serves as a form of professional communication

 the study of visual communication which also uses rhetoric as a theoretical basis for

various aspects of creating visuals

 the study of various research methods



Other areas of study include global and cross-cultural communication, marketing and public

relations, technical editing, digital literacy, composition theory, video production, corporate

communication, and publishing. A professional communication program may cater to a very

specialized interest or to several different interests. Professional communication can also be

closely tied to organizational communication.



Students who pursue graduate degrees in professional communication research discourse and

communicative practices in organized contexts, including business, academic, scientific,

technical, and non-profit settings to study how communicative practices shape and are shaped by

culture, technology, history, and theories of communication.



What professional communication encompasses is broad, embracing a diversity of rhetorical

contexts and situations. Areas of study range from the everyday writing of the workplace to

writing pedagogy of the nineteenth century, from the implications of new media on

communicative practices to the theory and design of online learning, and from oral presentations

to the production of websites.



Types of professional documents



 Short Reports

 Proposals

 Case Studies

 Lab Reports

 Memos

 Progress / Interim Reports

 Writing for Electronic Media

Technical communication



From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



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Technical communication is the process of conveying technical information through writing,

speech, and other mediums to a specific audience. Information is usable if the intended audience

can perform an action or make a decision based on it (Johnson-Sheehan 7). Technical

communicators often work collaboratively to create products (deliverables) for various media,

including paper, video, and the Internet. Deliverables include online help user manuals, technical

manuals, specifications, process and procedure manuals, reference cards, training, business

papers and reports.



Technical domains can be of any kind, including the soft and hard sciences, high technology

including computers and software, consumer electronics, and business processes and practices.



Technical communication jobs include the following:



 Technical writer

 Technical editor

 Technical illustrator

 Information architect

 Usability expert

 User interface designer

 User experience designer

 Technical trainer

 Technical translator



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[edit] History



The origin of technical communication has been variously attributed to Ancient Greece, The

Renaissance, and the mid 20th Century. However, a clear trend towards the professional field

can be seen from the First World War on, growing out of the need for technology-based

documentation in the military, manufacturing, electronic and aerospace industries. In 1953, two

organizations concerned with improving the practice of technical communication were founded

on the East Coast of the United States: the Society of Technical Writers, and the Association of

Technical Writers and Editors. These organizations merged in 1957 to form the Society of

Technical Writers and Editors, a predecessor of the current Society for Technical

Communication (STC).



[edit] Content creation



Technical communication is sometimes considered a professional task for which organizations

either hire specialized employees, or outsource their needs to communication firms. For

example, a professional writer may work with a company to produce a user manual. Other times,

technical communication is regarded as a responsibility that technical professionals employ on a

daily basis as they work to convey technical information to coworkers and clients. For example,

a computer scientist may need to provide software documentation to fellow programmers or

clients.



The process of developing information products in technical communication begins by ensuring

that the nature of the audience and their need for information is clearly identified. From there the

technical communicator researches and structures the content into a framework that can guide

the detailed development. As the information product is created, the paramount goal is ensuring

that the content can be clearly understood by the intended audience and provides the information

that the audience needs in the most appropriate format. This process, known as the 'Writing

Process', has been a central focus of writing theory since the 1970s, and some contemporary

textbook authors have applied it to technical communication.



Technical communication is important to engineers mainly for the purpose of being professional

and accurate. These reports supply specific information in a concise manner and are very clear in

their meaning if done correctly.

The technical writing process can be divided into five steps:



1. Determine purpose and audience

2. Collect information

3. Organize and outline information

4. Write the first draft

5. Revise and edit



[edit] Determining purpose and audience



All technical communication is done with a particular end in mind. The purpose is usually to

facilitate the communication of ideas and concepts to the audience, but may sometimes be used

to direct the audience in a particular course of action. The importance of the audience is in the

notion that meaning is derived from the audience's interpretation of a piece of work. The purpose

may be something as simple as having the audience understand the details of some technological

system, or to take a particular action using that system. For example, if the workers in a bank

were not properly posting deposits to accounts, someone would write the procedure so these

workers might have the correct procedure. Similarly, a sales manager might wonder which of

two sites would be a more appropriate choice for a new store, so he would ask someone to study

the market and write a report with the recommendations. The sales manager would distribute the

report to all parties involved in making that decision. In each of these instances, the person who

is writing is transferring knowledge from the person who knows to the person who needs to

know. This is the basic definition of technical communication.



The most commonly used form of technical communication is technical writing. Examples of

technical writing include: project proposals, persuasive memos, technical manuals, and users'

guides. Such materials should typically present an (informal) argument and be written

diplomatically. A user's guide for an electronic device typically includes diagrams along with

detailed textual explanations. The purpose should serve as a goal that the writer strives toward in

writing.



The identification of the audience affects many aspects of communication, from word selection

and graphics usage to style and organization. A non-technical audience might not understand, or

worse yet, even read a document that is heavy with jargon, while a technical audience might

crave extra detail because it is critical for their work. Busy audiences do not have time to read an

entire document, so content must be organized for ease of searching, for example by the frequent

inclusion of headers, white space and other cues that guide attention. Other requirements vary on

the needs of the particular audience.



Examples:



In Government:



Technical communication in the government is very particular and detailed. Depending on the

particular segment of the government (and not to mention the particular country), the

government component must follow distinct specifications. In the case of the US Army, the

MIL-spec (Military specification) is used. It is updated continuously and technical

communications (in the form of Technical Manuals, Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals,

Technical Bulletins, etc.) must be updated as well.



The Department of Defense utilizes Technical Manuals regularly and is a core part of the

agency's responsibilities. Although detail oriented in their requirements, the DoD has

deficiencies in technical communication. The following paper discusses those deficiencies and

identifies the major contributing factors.



Duffy, Thomas M.; and others. (1985). Technical Manual Production: An Examination of Four

Systems. CDC Technical Report No. 19. Carnegie- Mellon University, Pittsburg, PA.

http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/2f/2c/63.

pdf



[edit] Collecting information



The next step is to collect information needed for accomplishing the stated purpose. Information

may be collected through primary research, where the technical communicator conducts research

first-hand, and secondary research, where work published by another person is used as an

information source. The technical communicator must acknowledge all sources used to produce

his or her work. To ensure that this is done, the technical communicator should distinguish

quotations, paraphrases, and summaries when taking notes.



[edit] Organizing and outlining information



Before writing the initial draft, all the ideas are organized in a way that will make the document

flow nicely. A good way of doing this is to write all random thoughts down on a paper, and then

circle all main sections, connect the main sections to supporting ideas with lines, and delete all

irrelevant material.



Once each idea is organized, the writer can then organize the document as a whole. This can be

accomplished in various ways:



 Chronological: This is used for documents that involve a linear process, such as a step-

by-step guide describing how to accomplish something.

 Parts of an object: Used for documents which describe the parts of an object, such as a

graphic showing the parts of a computer (keyboard, monitor, mouse, etc.)

 Simple to Complex (or vice versa): Starts with the easy-to-understand ideas, and

gradually goes deeper into complex ideas.

 Specific to General: Starts with many ideas, and then organizes the ideas into sub-

categories.

 General to Specific: Starts with a few categories of ideas, and then goes deeper.



Once the whole document is organized, it's a good idea to create a final outline, which will show

all the ideas in an easy-to-understand document. Creating an outline makes the entire writing

process much easier and will save the author time.



[edit] Writing the first draft



After the outline is completed, the next step is to write the first draft. The goal is to write down

ideas from the outline as quickly as possible. Setting aside blocks of one hour or more, in a place

free of distractions, will help the writer maintain a flow. Also, the writer should wait until the

draft is complete to do any revising; stopping to revise at this stage will break the writer's flow.

The writer should start with the section that is easiest for them, and write the summary only after

the body is drafted.



The ABC (Abstract, Body, and Conclusion) format can be used when writing a first draft. The

Abstract describes the subject to be written about, so that the reader knows what he or she is

going to be told in the document. The Body is the majority of the paper, in which the topics are

covered in depth. Lastly, the Conclusion section restates the main topics of the paper.



The ABC format can also be applied to individual paragraphs, beginning with a topic sentence

that clearly states the paragraph's topic. This is followed by the topic, and finally, the paragraph

closes with a concluding sentence.



[edit] Revising and editing



Once the initial draft is laid out, editing and revising can be done to fine-tune the draft into a

final copy. Four tasks transform the early draft into its final form, suggested by Pfeiffer and

Boogard:



[edit] Adjusting and reorganizing content



During this step, the draft is revisited to 1) focus or elaborate on certain topics which deserve

more attention, 2) shorten other sections, and 3) shift around certain paragraphs, sentences, or

entire topics.



[edit] Editing for style



Good style makes the writing more interesting, appealing, or readable. Some changes are made

by choice, not for correctness, and may include:



 shortening paragraphs

 rearranging paragraphs

 changing passive-voice sentences to an active voice

 shortening sentences

 defining terminology

 adding headings, lists, graphics



[edit] Editing for grammar



At this point, the document can be checked for grammatical errors, such as comma usage and

common word confusions (for example, there/their/they're).



[edit] Edit for context



Determining the necessary amount of context is important. There needs to be a balance between

exuberance, which may lead the audience to take unintended additional meaning from the text,

and terseness, which may leave the audience unable to interpret meaning because of lack of

context.



[edit] Controlled languages



In environments where readability and (automated) translatability are of primary concern,

authors may be using a controlled language, i.e. a subset of natural languages whose grammars

and dictionaries have been restricted. An example of a widely used controlled language is

Simplified English, which was originally developed for aerospace industry maintenance

manuals.

Organizational communication



From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Jump to: navigation, search

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Organizational communication is a subfield of the larger discipline of communication studies.

Organizational communication, as a field, is the consideration, analysis, and criticism of the role

of communication in organizational contexts.



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[edit] History of Organizational Communication



The field traces its lineage through business information, business communication, and early

mass communication studies published in the 1930s through the 1950s. Until then, organizational

communication as a discipline consisted of a few professors within speech departments who had

a particular interest in speaking and writing in business settings. The current field is well

established with its own theories and empirical concerns distinct from other communication

subfields and other approaches to organizations.



Several seminal publications stand out as works broadening the scope and recognizing the

importance of communication in the organizing process, and in using the term "organizational

communication". Nobel Laureate Herbert Simon wrote in 1947 about "organization

communications systems", saying communication is "absolutely essential to organizations".[1]



In the 1950s, organizational communication focused largely on the role of communication in

improving organizational life and organizational output. In the 1980s, the field turned away from

a business-oriented approach to communication and became concerned more with the

constitutive role of communication in organizing. In the 1990s, critical theory influence on the

field was felt as organizational communication scholars focused more on communication's

possibilities to oppress and liberate organizational members.



[edit] Assumptions underlying early organizational communication



Some of the main assumptions underlying much of the early organizational communication

research were:



 Humans act rationally. Sane people behave in rational ways, they generally have access

to all of the information needed to make rational decisions they could articulate, and

therefore will make rational decisions, unless there is some breakdown in the

communication process.



 Formal logic and empirically verifiable data ought to be the foundation upon which any

theory should rest. All we really need to understand communication in organizations is

(a) observable and replicable behaviors that can be transformed into variables by some

form of measurement, and (b) formally replicable syllogisms that can extend theory from

observed data to other groups and settings



 Communication is primarily a mechanical process, in which a message is constructed and

encoded by a sender, transmitted through some channel, then received and decoded by a

receiver. Distortion, represented as any differences between the original and the received

messages, can and ought to be identified and reduced or eliminated.



 Organizations are mechanical things, in which the parts (including employees functioning

in defined roles) are interchangeable. What works in one organization will work in

another similar organization. Individual differences can be minimized or even eliminated

with careful management techniques.



 Organizations function as a container within which communication takes place. Any

differences in form or function of communication between that occurring in an

organization and in another setting can be identified and studied as factors affecting the

communicative activity.



Herbert Simon introduced the concept of bounded rationality which challenged assumptions

about the perfect rationality of communication participants. He maintained that people making

decisions in organizations seldom had complete information, and that even if more information

was available, they tended to pick the first acceptable option, rather than exploring further to

pick the optimal solution.



Through the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s the field expanded greatly in parallel with several other

academic disciplines, looking at communication as more than an intentional act designed to

transfer an idea. Research expanded beyond the issue of "how to make people understand what I

am saying" to tackle questions such as "how does the act of communicating change, or even

define, who I am?", "why do organizations that seem to be saying similar things achieve very

different results?" and "to what extent are my relationships with others affected by our various

organizational contexts?"



In the early 1990s Peter Senge developed a new theories on Organizational Communication. This

theories were learning organization and systems thinking. These have been well received and are

now a mainstay in current beliefs toward organizational communications.



[edit] Communications networks



Networks are another aspect of direction and flow of communication. Bavelas has shown that

communication patterns, or networks, influence groups in several important ways.

Communication networks may affect the group's completion of the assigned task on time, the

position of the de facto leader in the group, or they may affect the group members' satisfaction

from occupying certain positions in the network. Although these findings are based on laboratory

experiments, they have important implications for the dynamics of communication in formal

organizations.



There are several patterns of communication:



 "Chain",

 "Wheel",

 "Star",

 "All-Channel" network,

 "Circle".[2]



The Chain can readily be seen to represent the hierarchical pattern that characterizes strictly

formal information flow, "from the top down," in military and some types of business

organizations. The Wheel can be compared with a typical autocratic organization, meaning one-

man rule and limited employee participation. The Star is similar to the basic formal structure of

many organizations. The All-Channel network, which is an elaboration of Bavelas's Circle used

by Guetzkow, is analogous to the free-flow of communication in a group that encourages all of

its members to become involved in group decision processes. The All-Channel network may also

be compared to some of the informal communication networks.



If it's assumed that messages may move in both directions between stations in the networks, it is

easy to see that some individuals occupy key positions with regard to the number of messages

they handle and the degree to which they exercise control over the flow of information. For

example, the person represented by the central dot in the "Star" handles all messages in the

group. In contrast, individuals who occupy stations at the edges of the pattern handle fewer

messages and have little or no control over the flow of information.These "peripheral"

individuals can communicate with only one or two other persons and must depend entirely on

others to relay their messages if they wish to extend their range.



In reporting the results of experiments involving the Circle, Wheel, and Star configurations,

Bavelas came to the following tentative conclusions. In patterns with positions located centrally,

such as the Wheel and the Star, an organization quickly develops around the people occupying

these central positions. In such patterns, the organization is more stable and errors in

performance are lower than in patterns having a lower degree of centrality, such as the Circle.

However, he also found that the morale of members in high centrality patterns is relatively low.

Bavelas speculated that this lower morale could, in the long run, lower the accuracy and speed of

such networks.



In problem solving requiring the pooling of data and judgments, or "insight," Bavelas suggested

that the ability to evaluate partial results, to look at alternatives, and to restructure problems fell

off rapidly when one person was able to assume a more central (that is, more controlling)

position in the information flow. For example, insight into a problem requiring change would be

less in the Wheel and the Star than in the Circle or the Chain because of the "bottlenecking"

effect of data control by central members.



It may be concluded from these laboratory results that the structure of communications within an

organization will have a significant influence on the accuracy of decisions, the speed with which

they can be reached, and the satisfaction of the people involved. Consequently, in networks in

which the responsibility for initiating and passing along messages is shared more evenly among

the members, the better the group's morale in the long run.



[edit] Direction of communication



If it's considered formal communications as they occur in traditional military organizations,

messages have a "one-way" directional characteristic. In the military organization, the formal

communication proceeds from superior to subordinate, and its content is presumably clear

because it originates at a higher level of expertise and experience. Military communications also

carry the additional assumption that the superior is responsible for making his communication

clear and understandable to his subordinates. This type of organization assumes that there is little

need for two-way exchanges between organizational levels except as they are initiated by a

higher level. Because messages from superiors are considered to be more important than those

from subordinates, the implicit rule is that communication channels, except for prescribed

information flows, should not be cluttered by messages from subordinates but should remain

open and free for messages moving down the chain of command. "Juniors should be seen and not

heard," is still an unwritten, if not explicit, law of military protocol.



Vestiges of one-way flows of communication still exist in many formal organizations outside the

military, and for many of the same reasons as described above.Although management recognizes

that prescribed information must flow both downward and upward, managers may not always be

convinced that two-wayness should be encouraged. For example, to what extent is a subordinate

free to communicate to his superior that he understands or does not understand a message? Is it

possible for him to question the superior, ask for clarification, suggest modifications to

instructions he has received, or transmit unsolicited messages to his superior, which are not

prescribed by the rules? To what extent does the one-way rule of direction affect the efficiency

of communication in the organization, in addition to the morale and motivation of subordinates?



These are not merely procedural matters but include questions about the organizational climate,

pr psychological atmosphere in which communication takes place. Harold Leavitt has suggested

a simple experiment that helps answer some of these questions.[3] А group is assigned the task of

re-creating on paper a set of rectangular figures, first as they are described by the leader under

one-way conditions, and second as they are described by the leader under two-way conditions.(A

different configuration of rectangles is used in the second trial.) In the one-way trial, the leader's

back is turned to the group. He describes the rectangles as he sees them. No one in the group is

allowed to ask questions and no one may indicate by any audible or visible sign his

understanding or his frustration as he attempts to follow the leader's directions. In the two-way

trial, the leader faces the group. In this case, the group may ask for clarifications on his

description of the rectangles and he can not only see but also can feel and respond to the

emotional reactions of group members as they try to re-create his instructions on paper.



On the basis of a number of experimental trials similar to the one described above, Leavitt

formed these conclusions:



1. One-way communication is faster than two-way communication.

2. Two-way communication is more accurate than one-way communication.

3. Receivers are more sure of themselves and make more correct judgments of how right or

wrong they are in the two-way system.

4. The sender feels psychologically under attack in the two-way system, because his

receivers pick up his mistakes and oversights and point them out to him.

5. The two-way method is relatively noisier and looks more disorderly. The one-way

method, on the other hand, appears neat and efficient to an outside observer.[3]



Thus, if speed is necessary, if a businesslike appearance is important, if a manager does not want

his mistakes recognized, and if he wants to protect his power, then one-way communication

seems preferable. In contrast, if the manager wants to get his message across, or if he is

concerned about his receivers' feeling that they are participating and are making a contribution,

the two-way system is better.



[edit] Interpersonal communication



Main article: Interpersonal communication



Another facet of communication in the organization is the process of face-to-face, interpersonal

communication, between individuals. Such communication may take several forms. Messages

may be verbal (that is, expressed in words), or they may not involve words at all but consist of

gestures, facial expressions, and certain postures ("body language"). Nonverbal messages may

even stem from silence.[4]



Ideally, the meanings sent are the meanings received. This is most often the case when the

messages concern something that can be verified objectively. For example, "This piece of pipe

fits the threads on the coupling." In this case, the receiver of the message can check the sender's

words by actual trial, if necessary. However, when the sender's words describe a feeling or an

opinion about something that cannot be checked objectively, meanings can be very unclear.

"This work is too hard" or "Watergate was politically justified" are examples of opinions or

feelings that cannot be verified. Thus they are subject to interpretation and hence to distorted

meanings. The receiver's background of experience and learning may differ enough from that of

the sender to cause significantly different perceptions and evaluations of the topic under

discussion. As we shall see later, such differences form a basic barrier to communication.[4]



Nonverbal content always accompanies the verbal content of messages. This is reasonably clear

in the case of face-to-face communication. As Virginia Satir has pointed out, people cannot help

but communicate symbolically (for example, through their clothing or possessions) or through

some form of body language. In messages that are conveyed by the telephone, a messenger, or a

letter, the situation or context in which the message is sent becomes part of its non-verbal

content. For example, if the company has been losing money, and in a letter to the production

division, the front office orders a reorganization of the shipping and receiving departments, this

could be construed to mean that some people were going to lose their jobs — unless it were

made explicitly clear that this would not occur.[5]



A number of variables influence the effectiveness of communication. Some are found in the

environment in which communication takes place, some in the personalities of the sender and the

receiver, and some in the relationship that exists between sender and receiver. These different

variables suggest some of the difficulties of communicating with understanding between two

people. The sender wants to formulate an idea and communicate it to the receiver. This desire to

communicate may arise from his thoughts or feelings or it may have been triggered by something

in the environment. The communication may also be influenced or distorted by the relationship

between the sender and the receiver, such as status differences, a staff-line relationship, or a

learner-teacher relationship.[5]



Whatever its origin, information travels through a series of filters, both in the sender and in the

receiver, before the idea can be transmitted and re-created in the receiver's mind. Physical

capacities to see, hear, smell, taste, and touch vary between people, so that the image of reality

may be distorted even before the mind goes to work. In addition to physical or sense filters,

cognitive filters, or the way in which an individual's mind interprets the world around him, will

influence his assumptions and feelings. These filters will determine what the sender of a message

says, how he says it, and with what purpose. Filters are present also in the receiver, creating a

double complexity that once led Robert Louis Stevenson to say that human communication is

"doubly relative". It takes one person to say something and another to decide what he said.[6]



Physical and cognitive, including semantic filters (which decide the meaning of words) combine

to form a part of our memory system that helps us respond to reality. In this sense, March and

Simon compare a person to a data processing system. Behavior results from an interaction

between a person's internal state and environmental stimuli. What we have learned through past

experience becomes an inventory, or data bank, consisting of values or goals, sets of

expectations and preconceptions about the consequences of acting one way or another, and a

variety of possible ways of responding to the situation. This memory system determines what

things we will notice and respond to in the environment. At the same time, stimuli in the

environment help to determine what parts of the memory system will be activated. Hence, the

memory and the environment form an interactive system that causes our behavior. As this

interactive system responds to new experiences, new learnings occur which feed back into

memory and gradually change its content. This process is how people adapt to a changing

world.[6]



[edit] Research in organizational communication



[edit] Research methodologies



Historically, organizational communication was driven primarily by quantitative research

methodologies. Included in functional organizational communication research are statistical

analyses (such as surveys, text indexing, network mapping and behavior modeling). In the early

1980s, the interpretive revolution took place in organizational communication. In Putnam and

Pacanowsky's 1983 text Communication and Organizations: An Interpretive Approach. they

argued for opening up methodological space for qualitative approaches such as narrative

analyses, participant-observation, interviewing, rhetoric and textual approaches readings) and

philosophic inquiries.



During the 1980s and 1990s critical organizational scholarship began to gain prominence with a

focus on issues of gender, race, class, and power/knowledge. In its current state, the study of

organizational communication is open methodologically, with research from post-positive,

interpretive, critical, postmodern, and discursive paradigms being published regularly.



Organizational communication scholarship appears in a number of communication journals

including but not limited to Management Communication Quarterly, Journal of Applied

Communication Research, Communication Monographs, Academy of Management Journal,

Communication Studies, and Southern Communication Journal.



[edit] Current Research Topics in Organizational Communication



The field of organizational communication has moved from acceptance of mechanistic models

(e.g., information moving from a sender to a receiver) to a study of the persistent, hegemonic and

taken-for-granted ways in which we not only use communication to accomplish certain tasks

within organizational settings (e.g., public speaking) but also how the organizations in which we

participate affect us.



These approaches include "postmodern", "critical", "participatory", "feminist", "power/political",

"organic", etc. and adds to disciplines as wide-ranging as sociology, philosophy, theology,

psychology, business, business administration, institutional management, medicine (health

communication), neurology (neural nets), semiotics, anthropology, international relations, and

music.



Currently, some topics of research and theory in the field are:



Constitution, e.g.,



 how communicative behaviors construct or modify organizing processes or products

 how the organizations within which we interact affect our communicative behaviors, and

through these, our own identities

 structures other than organizations which might be constituted through our

communicative activity (e.g., markets, cooperatives, tribes, political parties, social

movements)

 when does something "become" an organization? When does an organization become

(an)other thing(s)? Can one organization "house" another? Is the organization still a

useful entity/thing/concept, or has the social/political environment changed so much that

what we now call "organization" is so different from the organization of even a few

decades ago that it cannot be usefully tagged with the same word--"organization"?



Narrative, e.g.,



 how do group members employ narrative to acculturate/initiate/indoctrinate new

members?

 do organizational stories act on different levels? Are different narratives purposively

invoked to achieve specific outcomes, or are there specific roles of "organizational

storyteller"? If so, are stories told by the storyteller received differently than those told by

others in the organization?

 in what ways does the organization attempt to influence storytelling about the

organization? under what conditions does the organization appear to be more or less

effective in obtaining a desired outcome?

 when these stories conflict with one another or with official rules/policies, how are the

conflicts worked out? in situations in which alternative accounts are available, who or

how or why are some accepted and others rejected?



Identity, e.g.,



 who do we see ourselves to be, in terms of our organizational affiliations?

 do communicative behaviors or occurrences in one or more of the organizations in which

we participate effect changes in us? to what extent are we comprised of the organizations

to which we belong?

 is it possible for individuals to successfully resist organizational identity? what would

that look like?

 do people who define themselves by their work-organizational membership communicate

differently within the organizational setting than people who define themselves more by

an avocational (non-vocational) set of relationships?

 for example, researchers have studied how human service workers and firefighters use

humor at their jobs as a way to affirm their identity in the face of various challenges

Tracy, S.J.; K. K. Myers; C. W. Scott (2006). "Cracking Jokes and Crafting Selves:

Sensemaking and Identity Management Among Human Service Workers".

Communication Monographs 73: 283–308. doi:10.1080/03637750600889500.. Others

have examined the identities of police organizations, prison guards, and professional

women workers.



Interrelatedness of organizational experiences, e.g.,



 how do our communicative interactions in one organizational setting affect our

communicative actions in other organizational settings?

 how do the phenomenological experiences of participants in a particular organizational

setting effect changes in other areas of their lives?

 when the organizational status of a member is significantly changed (e.g., by promotion

or expulsion) how are their other organizational memberships affected?

Power e.g.,



 how does the use of particular communicative practices within an organizational setting

reinforce or alter the various interrelated power relationships within the setting? Are the

potential responses of those within or around these organizational settings constrained by

factors or processes either within or outside of the organization--(assuming there is an

"outside"?

 do taken-for-granted organizational practices work to fortify the dominant hegemonic

narrative? Do individuals resist/confront these practices, through what actions/agencies,

and to what effects?

 do status changes in an organization (e.g., promotions, demotions, restructuring,

financial/social strata changes) change communicative behavior? Are there criteria

employed by organizational members to differentiate between "legitimate" (i.e., endorsed

by the formal organizational structure) and "illegitimate" (i.e., opposed by or unknown to

the formal power structure)? Are there "pretenders" or "usurpers" who employ these

communicative behaviors? When are they successful, and what do we even mean by

"successful?"







Why Good Communication

Is Good Business



By Marty Blalock



Why is communication important to business?

Couldn‘t we just produce graduates skilled at

crunching numbers?



Good communication matters because business

organizations are made up of people. As Robert Kent, former

dean of Harvard Business School has said, ―In business,

communication is everything.‖



Research spanning several decades has consistently ranked communication skills as crucial for

managers. Typically, managers spend 75 to 80 percent of their time engaged in some form of

written or oral communication. Although often termed a ―soft‖ skill, communication in a

business organization provides the critical link between core functions. Let‘s examine three

reasons why good communication is important to individuals and their organizations.



Reason 1. Ineffective communication is very expensive.



Communication in a business organization



provides the critical link



between core functions.



The National Commission on Writing estimates that American businesses spend $3.1 billion

annually just training people to write. The Commission surveyed 120 human resource directors

in companies affiliated with the Business Roundtable, an association of chief executive officers

from U.S. corporations.

According to the report of the National Commission on Writing:



 People who cannot write and communicate clearly will not be hired,

and if already working, are unlikely to last long enough to be considered

for promotion.



 Eighty percent or more of the companies in the services and the

finance, insurance and real estate sectors—the corporations with

greatest employment growth potential—assess writing during hiring.



 Two-thirds of salaried employees in large American companies have

some writing responsibility.



 More than 40 percent of responding firms offer or require training for

salaried employees with writing deficiencies.



 Tips for Communication



• Whether writing or speaking, consider your objectives. What do you want your listeners

or readers to remember or do? To achieve an objective, you need to be able to articulate it.



• Consider your audience. How receptive will it be? If you anticipate positive reception of

your message, you can be more direct.



• Consider your credibility in relation to your audience. Also, consider the organizational

environment. Is it thick or flat, centralized or decentralized? Each will have communication

implications.



• How can you motivate others? Benefits are always your best bet. And if you can establish

common ground, especially at the opening of a message, you can often make your audience

more receptive.



• Think carefully about channel choice, about the advantages and disadvantages of your

choice, and the preferred channels of your audience.



• If you want to have a permanent record or need to convey complex information, use a

channel that involves writing. If your message is sensitive, email may not be the best

choice; the immediacy of face-to-face communication can be preferable, especially when

you would prefer not to have a written record.



Adapted from research on communication strategy by Mary Munter of the Tuck School at

Dartmouth and Jane Thomas of the University of Michigan.



In a New York Times article about the Commission‟s findings, Bob

Kerrey, president of New School University in New York and chair of the

National Commission on Writing, put it this way: “Writing is both a

„marker‟ of high-skill, high-wage, professional work and a „gatekeeper‟

with clear equity implications. People unable to express themselves

clearly in writing limit their opportunities for professional, salaried

employment.” The ability to communicate was rated as the most

important factor in making a manager “promotable” by subscribers to

Harvard Business Review.

Reason 2. The changing environment and increasing complexity of the 21st

century workplace make communication even more important.



Flatter organizations, a more diverse employee base and greater use of teams have all made

communication essential to organizational success. Flatter organizations mean managers must

communicate with many people over whom they may have no formal control. Even with their

own employees, the days when a manager can just order people around are finished. The

autocratic management model of past generations is increasingly being replaced by participatory

management in which communication is the key to build trust, promote understanding and

empower and motivate others.



Because the domestic workforce is growing more diverse, an organization can no longer assume

its employee constituencies are homogeneous. Employees reflect differences in age, ethnic

heritage, race, physical abilities, gender and sexual orientation. Diversity is not just a matter of

social responsibility; it is also an economic issue. Companies are realizing the advantage of

making full use of the creativity, talents, experiences and perspectives of a diverse employee

base.



Teams are the modus operandi in the 21st century workplace. In a recent survey of Fortune 1000

companies, 83 percent reported that their firms use teams; teams are all about communication.

The collaboration that allows organizations to capitalize on the creative potential of a diverse

workforce depends on communication.



Reason 3. The world’s economy is becoming increasingly global.



By the end of the 20th century, 80 percent of U.S. products were competing in international

markets. The direct investment of foreign-based companies grew from $9 trillion in 1966 to

more than $300 trillion in 2002. Many products we assume are American, such as Purina Dog

Chow and KitKat candy bars, are made overseas. Brands we may think are international, Grey

Poupon mustard, Michelin tires and Evian water, are made in the United States.



What We Have Here…

Is a Failure to Communicate



Does business language have to be dull? And full of jargon? And generally mind-numbing?



Brian Fugere, Chelsea Hardaway and Joan Warshawsky don‘t think so. In 2003, the three former

consultants at Deloitte Consulting released a software program called Bullfighter. It includes a

―jargon database‖ and ―Bull Composite Index calculator‖ that allow you to measure just how bad

your writing is.



Better yet, it has a feature that allows you to copy and paste any awful office memo that crosses

your electronic inbox, rate it for readability—or lack thereof—and email the rating anonymously

to the transgressor.

Now the light-hearted trio has a new book on the same subject which is winning excellent

reviews: ―Why Business People Speak Like Idiots: A Bullfighter‘s Guide‖ (176 pages, Free

Press, New York) The book attributes failures in business communication to four common

missteps: the obscurity trap, the anonymity trap, the hard-sell trap and the tedium trap. In fact,

they maintain ―jargon, wordiness and evasiveness are the active ingredients of modern business

speak.‖



But fear not: The book uses humor to help you devise ways to communicate your message —in a

sales pitch, a web page, even an annual report—and avoid ―corporate-speak.‖



—Lari Fanlund







For managers, having international experience is rapidly moving from ―desirable‖ to ―essential.‖

A study by the Columbia University School of Business reported that successful executives must

have multi-environment and multinational experience to become CEOs in the 21st century. The

ability to compete in the global economy is the single greatest challenge facing business today.

Organizations will want to negotiate, buy and sell overseas, consider joint ventures, market and

adapt products for an international market and improve their expatriates‘ success rate. All of this

involves communication.



Products have failed overseas sometimes simply because a name may take on unanticipated

meanings in translation: the Olympic copier Roto in Chile (roto in Spanish means ‗broken‘); the

Chevy Nova in Puerto Rico (no va means ‗doesn‘t go‘); the Randan in Japan (randan means

‗idiot‘); Parker Pen‘s Jotter pen (‗jockstrap‘ in some Latin American markets). This type of

mishap is not an American monopoly: A successful European chocolate and fruit product was

introduced into the U.S. with the unfortunate name ―Zit.‖



Naming a product is communication at its simplest level. The overall implications of

intercultural communication for global business are enormous. Take the case of EuroDisney,

later renamed Disneyland Paris. For the year 1993, the theme park lost approximately US $1

billion. Losses were still at US $1 million a day in 1994-95. There were many reasons for this,

including a recession in Europe, but intercultural insensitivity was also a very important factor.

No attention was paid to the European context or to cultural differences in management practice,

labor relations, or even such simple matters as preferred dining hours or availability of alcohol

and tobacco. EuroDisney signals the danger for business practitioners immersed in financial

forecasting, market studies and management models when they overlook how culture affects

behavior. Few things are more important to conducting business on a global scale than skill in

intercultural communication.



Improve Your Skills



Executive Education offers a three-day course in ―Improving Communication Skills.‖ The

program looks at ways to strengthen interpersonal communications skills, resolve conflicts and

communicate with confidence.



For all these reasons, communication is crucial to business. Specialized business knowledge is

important, but not enough to guarantee success. Communication skills are vital.

Gary Lessuisse, the new assistant dean for master‘s programs at the School of Business, who

recruited UW students for many years for Ford Motor Company, found effective communication

in the workplace to be essential. His advice? Think before you communicate. Be an active

listener. Be focused on your audience in your response. Be brief and be gone.



Marty Blalock is a senior lecturer and coordinator of professional communication at the School

of Business. This fall, she taught a new undergraduate course, Intercultural Communication in

Business. Another new undergraduate business course, Business Presentations and Meetings, is

also being taught this fall by Senior Lecturer Scott Troyan.







Communication & Leadership





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cal

an

d

ps

yc

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ogi

cal

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rier

s

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st:



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O

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u

r





b

e

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f

s

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a

l

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s

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k

n

o

w

l

e

d

g

e

,





e

x

p

e

r

i

e

n

c

e

s

,





a

n

d





g

o

a

l

s

.









Th

es

e

bar

rier

s

ca

n

be

tho

ug

ht

of

as

filt

ers

,

tha

t

is,

the

me

ss

ag

e

lea

ve

s

the

se

nd

er,

go

es

thr

ou

gh

the

ab

ov

e

filt

ers

,

an

d

is

the

n

he

ard

by

the

rec

eiv

er.

Th

es

e

filt

ers

mu

ffle

the

me

ss

ag

e.

An

d

the

wa

y

to

ov

erc

om

e

filt

ers

is

thr

ou

gh

act

ive

list

eni

ng

an

d

fee

db

ac

k.



Act

ive

Lis

ten

ing



He

ari

ng

an

d

list

eni

ng

are

not

the

sa

me

thi

ng.

He

ari

ng

is

the

act

of

per

cei

vin

g

so

un

d.

It

is

inv

olu

nta

ry

an

d

si

mp

ly

ref

ers

to

the

rec

ept

ion

of

aur

al

sti

mu

li.

Lis

ten

ing

is

a

sel

ect

ive

act

ivit

y

wh

ich

inv

olv

es

the

rec

ept

ion

an

d

the

int

erp

ret

ati

on

of

aur

al

sti

mu

li.

It

inv

olv

es

de

co

din

g

the

so

un

d

int

o

me

ani

ng.



Lis

ten

ing

is

div

ide

d

int

o

tw

o

ma

in

cat

eg

ori

es:

pa

ssi

ve

an

d

act

ive

.

Pa

ssi

ve

list

eni

ng

is

littl

e

mo

re

tha

t

he

ari

ng.

It

oc

cur

s

wh

en

the

rec

eiv

er

of

the

me

ss

ag

e

ha

s

littl

e

mo

tiv

ati

on

to

list

en

car

efu

lly,

su

ch

as

wh

en

list

eni

ng

to

mu

sic,

sto

ry

tell

ing

,

tel

evi

sio

n,

or

wh

en

bei

ng

pol

ite.



Pe

opl

e

sp

ea

k

at

10

0

to

17

5

wo

rds

per

mi

nut

e

(W

PM

),

but

the

y

ca

n

list

en

int

elli

ge

ntl

y

at

60

0

to

80

0

W

PM

.

Sin

ce

onl

y a

par

t of

our

mi

nd

is

pa

yin

g

att

ent

ion

, it

is

ea

sy

to

go

int

o

mi

nd

dr

ift

-

thi

nki

ng

ab

out

oth

er

thi

ng

s

wh

ile

list

eni

ng

to

so

me

on

e.

Th

e

cur

e

for

thi

s is

ac

tiv

e

lis

te

ni

ng

-

wh

ich

inv

olv

es

list

eni

ng

wit

ha

pu

rp

os

e.

It

ma

y

be

to

gai

n

inf

or

ma

tio

n,

obt

ain

dir

ect

ion

s,

un

der

sta

nd

oth

ers

,

sol

ve

pro

ble

ms

,

sh

are

int

ere

st,

se

e

ho

w

an

oth

er

per

so

n

fee

ls,

sh

ow

su

pp

ort,

etc

. It

req

uir

es

tha

t

the

list

en

er

att

en

ds

to

the

wo

rds

an

d

the

fee

lin

gs

of

the

se

nd

er

for

un

der

sta

ndi

ng.

It

ta

ke

s

th

e

sa

m

e

a

m

o

u

nt

or

m

or

e

en

er

gy

th

an

sp

ea

ki

n

g.

It

req

uir

es

the

rec

eiv

er

to

he

ar

the

var

iou

s

me

ss

ag

es,

un

der

sta

nd

the

me

ani

ng,

an

d

the

n

ver

ify

the

me

ani

ng

by

off

eri

ng

fee

db

ac

k.

Th

e

foll

ow

ing

are

a

fe

w

trai

ts

of

act

ive

list

en

ers

:



o S

p

e

n

d





m

o

r

e





t

i

m

e





l

i

s

t

e

n

i

n

g





t

h

a

n





t

a

l

k

i

n

g

.





o D

o





n

o

t





f

i

n

i

s

h





t

h

e





s

e

n

t

e

n

c

e

s





o

f





o

t

h

e

r

s

.





o D

o





n

o

t





a

n

s

w

e

r





q

u

e

s

t

i

o

n

s





w

i

t

h





q

u

e

s

t

i

o

n

s

.





o A

r

e





a

w

a

r

e





o

f





b

i

a

s

e

s

.





W

e





a

l

l





h

a

v

e





t

h

e

m

.





W

e





n

e

e

d





t

o





c

o

n

t

r

o

l





t

h

e

m

.





o N

e

v

e

r

d

a

y

d

r

e

a

m

s





o

r





b

e

c

o

m

e





p

r

e

o

c

c

u

p

i

e

d





w

i

t

h

t

h

e

i

r





o

w

n





t

h

o

u

g

h

t

s





w

h

e

n





o

t

h

e

r

s





t

a

l

k

.





o L

e

t





t

h

e





o

t

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e

r





s

p

e

a

k

e

r

s





t

a

l

k

.





D

o





n

o

t





d

o

m

i

n

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t

e





t

h

e





c

o

n

v

e

r

s

a

t

i

o

n

s

.





o P

l

a

n





r

e

s

p

o

n

s

e

s





a

f

t

e

r





t

h

e





o

t

h

e

r

s





h

a

v

e





f

i

n

i

s

h

e

d





s

p

e

a

k

i

n

g

,





N

O

T





w

h

i

l

e





t

h

e

y





a

r

e





s

p

e

a

k

i

n

g

.





o P

r

o

v

i

d

e





f

e

e

d

b

a

c

k

,





b

u

t





d

o





n

o

t





i

n

t

e

r

r

u

p

t





i

n

c

e

s

s

a

n

t

l

y

.





o A

n

a

l

y

z

e





b

y





l

o

o

k

i

n

g





a

t





a

l

l





t

h

e





r

e

l

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v

a

n

t





f

a

c

t

o

r

s





a

n

d





a

s

k

i

n

g





o

p

e

n

-

e

n

d

e

d





q

u

e

s

t

i

o

n

s

.





W

a

l

k





o

t

h

e

r

s





t

h

r

o

u

g

h





b

y





s

u

m

m

a

r

i

z

i

n

g

.





o K

e

e

p





c

o

n

v

e

r

s

a

t

i

o

n

s





o

n





w

h

a

t

o

t

h

e

r

s





s

a

y

,





N

O

T





o

n





w

h

a

t





i

n

t

e

r

e

s

t

s





t

h

e

m

.





o T

a

k

e





b

r

i

e

f





n

o

t

e

s

.





T

h

i

s





f

o

r

c

e

s





t

h

e

m

t

o





c

o

n

c

e

n

t

r

a

t

e





o

n





w

h

a

t





i

s





b

e

i

n

g





s

a

i

d

.

Fee

db

ack



W

he

n

yo

u

kn

ow

so

me

thi

ng,

sa

y

wh

at

yo

u

kn

ow

.

W

he

n

yo

u

do

n't

kn

ow

so

me

thi

ng,

sa

y

tha

t

yo

u

do

n't

kn

ow

.

Th

at

is

kn

ow

led

ge.

-

Ku

ng

Fu

Tz

u

(C

on

fuc

ius

)

Th

e

pur

po

se

of

fee

db

ac

k is

to

alt

er

me

ss

ag

es

so

the

int

ent

ion

of

the

ori

gin

al

co

m

mu

nic

ato

r is

un

der

sto

od

by

the

se

co

nd

co

m

mu

nic

ato

r. It

inc

lud

es

ver

bal

an

d

no

nv

erb

al

res

po

ns

es

to

an

oth

er

per

so

n's

me

ss

ag

e.



Pr

ovi

din

g

fee

db

ac

k is

ac

co

mp

lis

he

d

by

par

ap

hra

sin

g

the

wo

rds

of

the

se

nd

er.

Re

sta

te

the

se

nd

er'

s

fee

lin

gs

or

ide

as

in

yo

ur

ow

n

wo

rds

,

rat

her

tha

n

rep

eat

ing

the

ir

wo

rds

.

Yo

ur

wo

rds

sh

oul

d

be

sa

yin

g,

"T

his

is

wh

at I

un

der

sta

nd

yo

ur

fee

lin

gs

to

be,

am

I

cor

rec

t?"

It

not

onl

y

inc

lud

es

ver

bal

res

po

ns

es,

but

als

o

no

nv

erb

al

on

es.

No

ddi

ng

yo

ur

he

ad

or

sq

ue

ezi

ng

the

ir

ha

nd

to

sh

ow

agr

ee

me

nt,

dip

pin

g

yo

ur

ey

ebr

ow

s

sh

ow

s

yo

u

do

n't

qui

te

un

der

sta

nd

the

me

ani

ng

of

the

ir

las

t

phr

as

e,

or

su

cki

ng

air

in

de

epl

y

an

d

blo

wi

ng

it

har

d

sh

ow

s

tha

t

yo

u

are

als

o

ex

as

per

ate

d

wit

h

the

sit

uat

ion

.



Ca

rl

Ro

ger

s

list

ed

fiv

e

ma

in

cat

eg

ori

es

of

fee

db

ac

k.

Th

ey

are

list

ed

in

the

ord

er

in

wh

ich

the

y

oc

cur

mo

st

fre

qu

ent

ly

in

dai

ly

co

nv

ers

ati

on

s.

No

tic

e

tha

t

we

ma

ke

jud

gm

ent

s

mo

re

oft

en

tha

n

we

try

to

un

der

sta

nd:



o E

v

a

l

u

a

t

i

v

e

:





M

a

k

i

n

g





a





j

u

d

g

m

e

n

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a

b

o

u

t





t

h

e





w

o

r

t

h

,





g

o

o

d

n

e

s

s

,





o

r





a

p

p

r

o

p

r

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a

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n

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s

s





o

f





t

h

e

o

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h

e

r





p

e

r

s

o

n

'

s





s

t

a

t

e

m

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n

t

.





o I

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r

p

r

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v

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:





P

a

r

a

p

h

r

a

s

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n

g





-





a

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m

p

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n

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t

o





e

x

p

l

a

i

n

w

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t

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e





o

t

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e

r





p

e

r

s

o

n

'

s





s

t

a

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e

m

e

n

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m

e

a

n

s

.





o S

u

p

p

o

r

t

i

v

e

:





A

t

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m

p

t

i

n

g





t

o





a

s

s

i

s

t





o

r





b

o

l

s

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r





t

h

e





o

t

h

e

r





c

o

m

m

u

n

i

c

a

t

o

r

.





o P

r

o

b

i

n

g

:





A

t

t

e

m

p

t

i

n

g





t

o





g

a

i

n





a

d

d

i

t

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a

l





i

n

f

o

r

m

a

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o

n

,





c

o

n

t

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u

e





t

h

e





d

i

s

c

u

s

s

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o

n

,





o

r

c

l

a

r

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f

y





a





p

o

i

n

t

.





o U

n

d

e

r

s

t

a

n

d

i

n

g

:





A

t

t

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m

p

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i

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t

o





d

i

s

c

o

v

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r





c

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m

p

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l

y





w

h

a

t





t

h

e





o

t

h

e

r





c

o

m

m

u

n

i

c

a

t

o

r





m

e

a

n

s





b

y





h

e

r





s

t

a

t

e

m

e

n

t

s

.







Im

agi

ne

ho

w

mu

ch

bet

ter

dai

ly

co

m

mu

nic

ati

on

s

wo

uld

be

if

list

en

ers

trie

d

to

un

der

sta

nd

firs

t,

bef

ore

the

y

trie

d

to

ev

alu

ate

wh

at

so

me

on

e

is

sa

yin

g.



No

nve

rba

l

Be

ha

vio

rs

of

Co

m

mu

nic

ati

on







To

del

ive

r

the

full

im

pa

ct

of

a

me

ss

ag

e,

us

e

no

nv

erb

al

be

ha

vio

rs

to

rai

se

the

ch

an

nel

of

int

erp

ers

on

al

co

m

mu

nic

ati

on:

o E

y

e





c

o

n

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a

c

t

:





T

h

i

s





h

e

l

p

s





t

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r

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g

u

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t

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e





f

l

o

w





o

f





c

o

m

m

u

n

i

c

a

t

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o

n

.





I

t





s

i

g

n

a

l

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i

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n





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a

n

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s

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s





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s

p

e

a

k

e

r

'

s





c

r

e

d

i

b

i

l

i

t

y

.





P

e

o

p

l

e





w

h

o





m

a

k

e





e

y

e





c

o

n

t

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t





o

p

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n





t

h

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f

l

o

w





o

f





c

o

m

m

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c

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n





a

n

d





c

o

n

v

e

y





i

n

t

e

r

e

s

t

,





c

o

n

c

e

r

n

,





w

a

r

m

t

h

,





a

n

d





c

r

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d

i

b

i

l

i

t

y

.





o F

a

c

i

a

l





E

x

p

r

e

s

s

i

o

n

s

:





S

m

i

l

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i

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a





p

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l





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t

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n

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h

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p

p

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,





f

r

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,

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l

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g

.





S

o

,





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y

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u





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y

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w

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b

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p

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m

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l

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,





f

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p

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.





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m

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f

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c

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p

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.





T

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a

r

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w

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l

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m

o

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e

.





o G

e

s

t

u

r

e

s

:





I

f





y

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u





f

a

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g

e

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w

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p

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y

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m

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b

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p

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b

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n

g





a

n

d





s

t

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f

f

.





A





l

i

v

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l

y

s

p

e

a

k

i

n

g





s

t

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l

e





c

a

p

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s





t

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l

i

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r

'

s





a

t

t

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n

,





m

a

k

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t

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c

o

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m

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,





a

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.





o P

o

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r

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a

n

d





b

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y





o

r

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:

Y

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c

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m

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.





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I

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S

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o P

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:





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Y

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u

l

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Sp

eak

ing

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nts



Sp

ea

k

co

mf

ort

abl

e

wo

rd

s! -

Wil

lia

m

Sh

ak

es

pe

ar

e



o W

h

e

n





s

p

e

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k

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p

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f

o

l

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w

i

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g





y

o

u

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o E

n

s

u

r

e





t

h

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r

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h

a

s





a





c

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c

o

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q

u

e

s

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o T

r

y





t

o





p

u

t





y

o

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f





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n





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o

t

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r





p

e

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s





s

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c

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d

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r





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f

e

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c

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b

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w

h

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o L

o

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k





a

t





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r

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v

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r

.





o M

a

k

e





s

u

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y

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r





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s





m

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y

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(

N

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e

r

b

a

l





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e

h

a

v

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r

s

)

.





o V

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p

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w

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e





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o

f





c

o

n

f

u

s

i

o

n

.







On

Co

m

mu

nic

ati

on

Per

Se

(a

few

ran

do

m

tho

ug

hts

)



On

Dis

cus

sin

g

Co

m

mu

nic

ati

on



Tr

yin

g

to

sp

ea

k

of

so

me

thi

ng

as

me

ss

y

as

co

m

mu

nic

ati

on

in

tec

hni

cal

ter

ms

se

em

s

to

be

an

ot

he

r

for

m

of

the

"m

ath

an

d

sci

en

ce

"

ar

gu

me

nt,

tha

t

is,

ma

th

an

d

sci

en

ce

an

d

tec

hn

olo

gy

ar

e

the

an

sw

er

to

all

of

ou

r

pr

obl

em

s. -

An

on

ym

ou

s

Bu

t

wh

at

for

ms

of

hu

ma

n

be

ha

vio

r

are

not

me

ssy

?

Le

arn

ing

is

not

"an

tis

ept

ic,"

yet

it is

dis

cu

ss

ed

all

the

tim

e -

we

do

not

lea

ve

it

to

the

ac

ad

em

ics,

su

ch

as

Blo

om

,

Kn

ow

les

,

Du

ga

n,

or

Ro

ss

ett.

Le

ad

ers

hip

an

d

ma

na

ge

me

nt

se

em

s

to

be

ev

en

me

ssi

er,

yet

we

cat

eg

ori

ze

it,

bui

ld

mo

del

s

of

it,

ind

ex

it,

ch

op

it

an

d

slic

e it

an

d

dic

e

it,

bui

ld

pyr

am

ids

out

of

it,

an

d

ge

ner

all

y

ha

ve

a

go

od

tim

e

dis

cu

ssi

ng

it.

Bu

t

wh

en

it

co

me

s

to

"co

m

mu

nic

ati

on,

"

we

cal

l it

too

me

ssy

to

pla

y

wit

h

an

d

lea

ve

it

up

to

Ch

om

sky

,

Pin

ker

,

an

d

oth

ers

to

wri

te

ab

out

so

tha

t

we

ca

n

rea

d

ab

out

it.

Ye

t

we

all

co

m

mu

nic

ate

al

mo

st

ev

ery

sin

gle

da

y

of

our

liv

es,

wh

ich

is

mu

ch

mo

re

tha

n

we

will

ev

er

do

wit

h

lea

rni

ng

or

lea

der

shi

p.



Pa

ul

Ek

ma

n



In

the

mi

d

19

60

s,

Pa

ul

Ek

ma

n

stu

die

d

em

oti

on

s

an

d

dis

co

ver

ed

six

fac

ial

ex

pre

ssi

on

s

tha

t

al

mo

st

ev

ery

on

e

rec

og

niz

es

wo

rld-

wi

de:

ha

ppi

ne

ss,

sa

dn

es

s,

an

ger

,

fea

r,

dis

gu

st,

an

d

sur

pri

se.

Alt

ho

ug

h

the

y

we

re

co

ntr

ov

ers

ial

at

firs

t

(he

wa

s

bo

oe

d

off

the

sta

ge

wh

en

he

firs

t

pre

se

nte

d it

to

a

gro

up

of

ant

hro

pol

ogi

sts

an

d

lat

er

cal

led

a

fas

cist

an

da

rac

ist)

the

y

are

no

w

wi

del

y

ac

ce

pte

d.

On

e

of

the

co

ntr

ov

ers

ies

still

lin

ger

ing

is

the

am

ou

nt

of

co

nte

xt

ne

ed

ed

to

int

erp

ret

the

m.

For

ex

am

ple

, if

so

me

on

e

rep

ort

s

to

me

tha

t

the

y

ha

ve

thi

s

gre

at

ide

al

tha

t

the

y

wo

uld

lik

e

to

im

ple

me

nt,

an

d I

sa

y

tha

t

wo

uld

be

gre

at,

but

I

loo

k

on

the

m

wit

ha

fro

wn

, is

it

po

ssi

ble

tha

t I

co

uld

be

thi

nki

ng

ab

out

so

me

thi

ng

els

e?

Th

e

tro

ubl

e

wit

h

the

se

ext

ra

sig

nal

s is

tha

t

we

do

not

al

wa

ys

ha

ve

the

full

co

nte

xt.

Wh

at

if

the

per

so

n

em

ail

ed

me

an

d I

rep

lie

d

gre

at

(w

hil

e

fro

wn

ing

).

Wo

uld

it

ev

ok

e

the

sa

me

res

po

ns

e?



Em

oti

ons

Tru

st

yo

ur

ins

tin

cts

.

Mo

st

em

oti

on

s

are

diff

icu

lt

to

imi

tat

e.

For

ex

am

ple

,

wh

en

yo

u

are

trul

y

ha

pp

y,

the

mu

scl

es

us

ed

for

sm

ilin

g

are

co

ntr

oll

ed

by

the

lim

bic

sys

te

m

an

d

oth

er

par

ts

of

the

bra

in,

wh

ich

are

not

un

der

vol

unt

ary

co

ntr

ol.

Wh

en

yo

u

for

ce

a

sm

ile,

a

diff

ere

nt

par

t of

the

bra

in

is

us

ed

-

the

cer

ebr

al

cor

tex

(un

der

vol

unt

ary

co

ntr

ol),

he

nc

e

diff

ere

nt

mu

scl

es

are

us

ed.

Thi

s is

wh

y a

cle

rk,

wh

o

mi

ght

not

ha

ve

an

y

rea

l

int

ere

st

in

yo

u,

ha

s a

"fa

ke"

loo

k

wh

en

he

for

ce

s a

sm

ile.



Of

co

urs

e,

so

me

act

ors

lea

rn

to

co

ntr

ol

all

of

the

ir

fac

e

mu

scl

es,

wh

ile

oth

ers

dra

w

on

a

pa

st

em

oti

on

al

ex

per

ien

ce

to

pro

du

ce

the

em

oti

on

al

sta

te

the

y

wa

nt.

Bu

t

thi

s is

not

an

ea

sy

tric

k

to

pul

l

off

all

the

tim

e.

Th

ere

is

a

go

od

rea

so

n

for

thi

s -

par

t of

our

em

oti

on

s

ev

olv

ed

to

de

al

wit

h

oth

er

pe

opl

e

an

d

our

em

pat

hic

nat

ure

. If

the

se

em

oti

on

s

co

uld

ea

sily

be

fak

ed,

the

y

wo

uld

do

mo

re

har

m

tha

n

go

od

(Pi

nk

er,

19

97)

.



So

our

em

oti

on

s

not

onl

y

gui

de

our

de

cisi

on

s,

the

y

ca

n

als

o

be

co

m

mu

nic

ate

d

to

oth

ers

to

hel

p

the

m

in

the

ir

de

cisi

on

s -

of

co

urs

e

the

ir

em

oti

on

s

will

be

the

ulti

ma

te

gui

de,

but

the

em

oti

on

s

the

y

dis

co

ver

in

oth

ers

be

co

me

par

t of

the

ir

kn

ow

led

ge

ba

se.



Me

hra

bia

n

an

d

the

7%

-

38

%-

55

%

My

th



We

oft

en

he

ar

tha

t

the

co

nte

nt

of

a

me

ss

ag

e

is

co

mp

os

ed

of:

o 5

5

%





f

r

o

m





t

h

e





v

i

s

u

a

l





c

o

m

p

o

n

e

n

t





o 3

8

%





f

r

o

m





t

h

e





a

u

d

i

t

o

r

y





c

o

m

p

o

n

e

n

t





o 7

%





f

r

o

m





l

a

n

g

u

a

g

e







Ho

we

ver

,

the

ab

ov

e

per

ce

nta

ge

s

onl

y

ap

ply

in

a

ver

y

nar

ro

w

co

nte

xt.

A

res

ear

ch

er

na

me

d

Me

hra

bia

n

wa

s

int

ere

ste

d

in

ho

w

list

en

ers

get

the

ir

inf

or

ma

tio

n

ab

out

a

sp

ea

ker

's

ge

ner

al

atti

tud

e

in

sit

uat

ion

s

wh

ere

the

fac

ial

ex

pre

ssi

on,

ton

e,

an

d/o

r

wo

rds

are

se

ndi

ng

co

nfli

cti

ng

sig

nal

s.



Th

us,

he

de

sig

ne

da

co

upl

e

of

ex

per

im

ent

s.

In

on

e,

Me

hra

bia

n

an

d

Fer

ris

(19

67)

res

ear

ch

ed

the

int

era

cti

on

of

sp

ee

ch,

fac

ial

ex

pre

ssi

on

s,

an

d

ton

e.

Thr

ee

diff

ere

nt

sp

ea

ker

s

we

re

ins

tru

cte

d

to

sa

y

"m

ay

be"

wit

h

thr

ee

diff

ere

nt

atti

tud

es

to

wa

rds

the

ir

list

en

er

(po

siti

ve,

ne

utr

al,

or

ne

gat

ive

).

Ne

xt,

ph

oto

gra

ph

s

of

the

fac

es

of

thr

ee

fe

ma

le

mo

del

s

we

re

tak

en

as

the

y

att

em

pte

d

to

co

nv

ey

the

em

oti

on

s

of

lik

e,

ne

utr

alit

y,

an

d

dis

lik

e.



Te

st

gro

up

s

we

re

the

n

ins

tru

cte

d

to

list

en

to

the

var

iou

s

ren

diti

on

s

of

the

wo

rd

"m

ay

be,

"

wit

h

the

pic

tur

es

of

the

mo

del

s,

an

d

we

re

as

ke

d

to

rat

e

the

atti

tud

e

of

the

sp

ea

ker

.

No

te

tha

t

the

em

oti

on

an

d

ton

e

we

re

oft

en

mi

xe

d,

su

ch

as

a

fac

ial

ex

pre

ssi

on

sh

ow

ing

dis

lik

e,

wit

h

the

wo

rd

"m

ay

be"

sp

ok

en

in

a

po

siti

ve

ton

e.



Sig

nifi

ca

nt

eff

ect

s

of

fac

ial

ex

pre

ssi

on

an

d

ton

e

we

re

fou

nd

in

tha

t

the

stu

dy

su

gg

est

ed

tha

t

the

co

mb

ine

d

eff

ect

of

si

mu

lta

ne

ou

s

ver

bal

,

vo

cal

an

d

fac

ial

atti

tud

e

co

m

mu

nic

ati

on

s is

a

we

igh

ted

su

m

of

the

ir

ind

ep

en

de

nt

eff

ect

s

wit

h

the

co

effi

cie

nts

of

.07

,

.38

,

an

d

.55

,

res

pe

ctiv

ely

.



Me

hra

bia

n

an

d

Fer

ris

als

o

wr

ote

ab

out

a

de

ep

limi

tati

on

to

the

ir

res

ear

ch:

"T

he

se

fin

din

gs

reg

ard

ing

the

rel

ati

ve

co

ntri

but

ion

of

the

ton

al

co

mp

on

ent

of

a

ver

bal

me

ss

ag

e

ca

n

be

saf

ely

ext

en

de

d

onl

y

to

co

m

mu

nic

ati

on

sit

uat

ion

s

in

wh

ich

no

ad

diti

on

al

inf

or

ma

tio

n

ab

out

the

co

m

mu

nic

ato

r-

ad

dre

ss

ee

rel

ati

on

shi

p

is

av

ail

abl

e."

Th

us,

wh

at

ca

n

be

co

ncl

ud

ed

is

tha

t

wh

en

pe

opl

e

co

m

mu

nic

ate

,

list

en

ers

der

ive

inf

or

ma

tio

n

ab

out

the

sp

ea

ker

's

atti

tud

es

to

wa

rds

the

list

en

er

fro

m

vis

ual

,

ton

al,

an

d

ver

bal

cu

es;

yet

the

per

ce

nta

ge

der

ive

d

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