Managerial
Communications
Business Management
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Goals of Effective
Communication
Communicates a
company’s vision
Empowers employees
to meet goals
Enhances teamwork
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The Communication
Process
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Forms of Communication
 Verbal – spoken language
 Non-verbal – gestures, posture,
facial expression, eye contact, body
language
 Oral – speeches, presentations
 Written – includes manual and
electronic or digital communication
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Employee Perceptions
 Customers – pleasant and welcoming
employees create a positive perception
for customers
 Other employees – stereotypes can
cause misunderstandings at work
 Management – dress and appearance can
create value judgments regarding
authority and create erroneous
perceptions
 Effective communication – critical to
developing positive perceptions
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Communication Barriers
 Lack of feeling of being able to provide
honest communication
− Fear of reprimanding
 Vagueness in the intent of the
communication
− Different meanings for different phrases
 Communication can get lost
− Due to too much information being transmitted
 Selective hearing
− Distorted communication
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Communication Barriers
(continued)
 Non-verbal and verbal messages saying
different things
− Usually non-verbal is followed
 Distractions
− Interruptions that can affect a sender’s ability
to send his/her message or a receiver’s ability
to hear or interpret a message
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Tips to Overcome Barriers
 Make your message clear before you communicate
it
 Think of your audience for appropriate wording as
you plan your message
 Face-to-face if possible
 Present your message in an organized manner
 Ask for employee feedback
 Visit with employees throughout the office
 Be truthful with employees
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The Importance of Listening
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Listening
Managers
Employees
Employees
Employees
Employees
Customers
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Reasons for Poor Listening
 We probably have not been trained
to listen well
 We speak slower than we think, so it
is easy to become distracted
 We only retain a fraction of what we
hear
 The older we get, the less effective
our listening skills are
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Listening Tips
 Identify speaker’s purpose
 Pay attention to the details of the
message
 Identify the conclusions of the
message
 Observe the non-verbal clues for
hidden meanings behind messages
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Communication Delivery
 Traditional
− Paper
− Face-to-face
− Telephone
 Contemporary
− Social media
− Online
discussion
forums
− Computer
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Formal Communication
Structures
 Formal structure - typically flows in an
official pattern of downward, upward, and
laterally
− Memos
− Reports
− Manuals
− E-mails
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Informal Communication
Structure
 Informal structure – usually
unofficially across groups, known as
the “grapevine”
− Text messaging
− Interpersonal (face-to-face)
communication
− Social media
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Formal/Informal Examples
Formal
Informal
Oral – conducting an
interview
Oral – talking casually
with employees about an
upcoming company
event
Written – letters,
reports
Written – company
blog, posting to social
network sites
Non-verbal – sitting up
straight in a meeting,
eye contact, standing
with weight on both legs
Non-verbal – slouching
in chair or sitting
comfortably, shifting
weight from one leg to
another while standing
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Communication Tools
Synchronous
At the same time
Asynchronous
Not at the same time
Teleconferencing – audio Discussion boards
and video
Chat features
Blogs
Instant messaging
Streaming audio and
video
Sharing of online
applications
Polls, surveys
Webinars, or web
conferencing
Online training
Telephone
E-mail
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Cross-Cultural Communication
Differences in:
Culture – communication issues can arise
from differences in values
Language – language training offered by
businesses, but approximately 20% gets lost in
translation by interpreters
Non-verbal – many differences in non-verbal
gestures and customs in other countries, differences
in meanings can cause miscommunication
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Independent Practice
Assignments

Formal/Informal Communication Assignment #1 –
After reviewing the different types of communication,
formal and informal, have students create a document
that matches up at least five different jobs to these two
different types of communication that would be most
frequently used in those jobs. Students may locate jobs
on bls.gov or other Internet sites with job openings.

Listening Report Assignment #2 – Have students
visit the University of Missouri website listed in the
References section. Have them review the list of the 10
listening habits. Students will create a one-page report
describing a situation where they followed one or more
of the poor habits listed. The situation can be a lecture
in school, a discussion at a part-time job, a story another
student was telling, or any other situation where
listening was the main activity of the student. The report
should follow proper writing conventions, explain
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Independent Practice
Assignments (continued)

the situation, identify the pertinent habit(s), and describe
the actions they can take in the future to improve the
negative habits.

International Communication Summary Assignment
#3 – Students are to assume the role of manager of an IT
(Information Technology) department of a large corporation.
There are several employees who work in different
countries. You would like to arrange a regular weekly
meeting with your team. Select three countries where your
employees are located and explain the issues you need to
address to arrange a meeting, including time zones,
customs, and other problems that may arise for each
member. Address synchronous and asynchronous
communication and explain how you resolve the issue and
the meeting day, time, and communication medium you
have selected. Students may display their information in a
one-page report, diagram, or other method that fully
explains the topic.
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