Roll of Communication in Management

Communication is the process of transmitting information and meaning. It is important for managers to develop their communication skills, because it is one major skills needed by managers. The management roles, which are interpersonal, informational, and decisional and the management functions, which are planning, organizing, leading, and controlling all require communication. There are many types of communication. 1. vertical communication. The definition of vertical communication is the flow of information both downward and upward through the organizational chain of command. Some also refer to it as formal communication. Downward communication kind of speaks for itself; top-level management produces decisions that are communicated down to tell employees how to perform their job. 2. upward communication. This is when employees send a message threw the chain of command, to the managers. This type of communication is very good for employees because they feel they are being noticed in the organization. Managers also benefit from this because they learn more about the organization. 3. horizontal communication. Horizontal communication is defined as the flow of information between colleagues and peers. Although it is a form of formal communication, it does not follow a chain of command. Horizontal communication happens when persons of equal rank, if you will, communicate to each other. 4. grapevine communication. It is defined as the flow of information in any direction throughout the organization. This is a form of informal communication. This can flow in any direction, at anytime. Rumors get spread this way. Managers can correct situations by sending correct information down the chain of command. The next term I would like to define and describe is the communication process. The communication process consists of a sender who encodes a message and transmits it through a channel to a receiver who decodes it and may give feedback. There are four steps in this process. One, the sender encodes the message and selects the transmission channel. Two, the message is transmitted through a channel. Three, the receiver decodes the message and decides if feedback is needed. Four, feedback, response, or new message may be transmitted through a channel. In defining the first one that is, the sender encodes the message and selects the channel, we must define the different parts of that phrase. Encoding is defined as the sender's process of putting the message into a form that the receiver will understand. When selecting a channel there are three primary communication channels, which are oral, nonverbal, and written. The sender should choose the most appropriate one to warrant the needs of the situation. The second step in the communication process is, the sender transmits the message. After the sender has encoded the message, and selected a channel it is transmitted to the receiver. There are many barriers one being noise. This can confuse the receiver and he or she may not be able to understand it correctly. The third step in the communication process is, the receiver decodes the message and decides if feedback is needed. Decoding is defined as the receiver's process of translating the message into a meaningful form. The receiver decides if there is something needed in return, such as feedback, a response, or a new message. There are many barriers to mess up this step. Some of these are trust, credibility, not listening, and emotional barriers. The forth step in the communication process is feedback: a response or a new message may be transmitted. The role of the receiver and sender can change at anytime during this communication process. There are three different channels to communicate through, oral, non-verbal, and written. Oral communication is verbal communication. You can communicate fast with a one on one oral communication. The amount of time it takes to communicate this way to many persons is where it lacks. Nonverbal communication is messages sent without words. Body language is included in nonverbal communication. Facial expressions and vocal quality are both parts of body language. Written communication provides a record and is usually more accurate then oral communication. Some examples of this are memos, letters, reports, and posters. I would now like to discuss and define feedback. Feedback is the process of verifying messages. You can use feedback to describe the fact that didn't understand the sender's message this is referred to as paraphrasing. The definition of paraphrasing is the process of having the receiver restate the message in his or her own words. Communications management focuses on the efficient and effective management of all ex-change relations between an organization and its stakeholders. Corporate communications as part of the communications management process is about presenting corporate policy, and creating a positive relationship with an organization's environment. Promoting the relationships with all the relevant stakeholders acts as an extremely important tool to gain corporate success and competitive advantage