«Managing Communications» - Great Essay Sample

Key information and knowledge requirements for stakeholders:

1. High education;
2. Detailed information about activity of the company;
3. Information about economic and financial indicators such as amount of profit, organizational and other costs, rates of different risks;
4. Special knowledge about investments and company attractiveness.

Systems for communicating information and knowledge:

1. Internet – website of the company;
2. Written statements and reports from the head of the company;
3. General meetings of shareholders.

Barriers to effective communication at the workplace:

1. Subjective interpretation of the meaning of information;
2. Psychological perception of the communicator;
3. Barriers of social and cultural differences;
4. Phonetic, semantic barriers;
5. Emotional barrier.

How communication is influenced by values and cultural factors:

Different values and cultural views may lead to a different interpretation of certain concepts and ideas in the transmitted message.

How technology can be used to benefit and hinder the communication process:

An Internet helps to make time costs shorter, to make transmitting of the information faster and easier.

Computer programs help to structure and optimize information. Negative aspect: there is too much information nowadays and it can come from unchecked sources.

How policies and procedures can impact on the communication processes:

1. Positive sides: official policies develop special rules and conditions of effective communication, rules about relations between workers and colleagues.
2. Negative sides: policies and procedures make the connection between worker and superior longer. Policies may develop an excessive bureaucracy and hinder flexibility of the workflow inside the company.

My own report

The findings from my own communication audit include the following:

• Messages should be maximally short and simple;
• Cultural and social differences between people should not prevent their effective communication at the work;
• There should exist certain rules and procedures concerning communication between colleagues.

A plan for improving communications within the organisation

1. Analyzing existing problems connected with communications and their causes;
2. Creating a method of preventing these causes;
3. Controlling the process of preventing the causes of communicating problems;
4. Feedback and recommendations.

Measures of evaluation of the success of the improvement plan:

1. Concreteness and simplicity of the plan;
2. Percentage of feasibility;
3. Understanding of the plan by all workers involved in its implementation.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of my own communication skills

My strong sides are: the ability to explain the idea clearly and concisely; understanding of the actions necessary to implement the idea.

My weaknesses: impatience, inattention.        

There exist several theories of interpersonal communications: theory of exchange, theory of management of impressions, mental and analytical theory.

The nearest theory for me is the theory of exchange. This theory tells that people exchange information with each other and get benefits from this exchange. Every person strives to maximum win. People strive to establish agreements, any rules.

Sources used:

1. Management communication by Arthur H. Bell and Dayle M. Smith – third edition
2. Management Communication. A case-analyses approach (5th Edition) by James S. O'Rourke

3.     Mastering Communication at Work: How to Lead, Manage, and Influence by Ethan F. Becker and Jon Wortmann 

4.     Communication: Communication Skills You NEED To Know In Order To Scientifically Influence and Control Anyone!... by Derek Stanzma

5.     Strategic Management Communication for Leaders by Robyn Walker

6.     Assessing Organizational Communication: Strategic Communication Audits (Guilford Communication Series) by Cal W. Downs and Allyson D. Adrian

7.     A Communication Audit Handbook: Helping Organizations Communicate by Seymour Hamilton

8.     Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach by R. Edward Freeman

9.     Stakeholder Relationship Management by Lynda Bourne

10.  Breaching Communication Barriers [Article] by M. A. Berry and Kathy Parker