Communications Theory Flashcards
What are the four functions of communication?
- Control member behaviour
- Fosters motivation by clarifying what employees must do, how well they are doing it and how they can improve
- Provides for emotional expression
- Provides information
What directions of communication are there?
Upward, downward or lateral
What are the types of a formal small-group network?
- Chain
- Rigidly follows the formal chain of command
- Wheel
- Relies on a central figure to act as the conduit for all the group’s communication
- All channel
- Permits all group members to actively communicate with each other
- Grapevine
- The informal communication network in a group
What types of non verbal communication are there?
- Kinesics
- Haptics:
- Proximics
- Paralinguistics
- Chronemics
- Artefacts
- Physical appearance
What are kinesics?
body language (gestures, posture, facial expressions)
What are haptics?
touching behaviour
What are proximics?
use of space
What are paralinguistics?
use of linguistic features other than words (rate, pitch, intonations)
What are chronemics?
time associated with communication (length of a response or pause, punctuality)
What are artefacts?
personal belongings that communicate who were are (items of office decorations, wallets and bags, cars)
How is physical appearance a non verbal communication?
physical characteristics that communicate individuals’ capabilities (formal clothing, makeup)
What is the spiral of silence theory?
- Noelle - Neumann’s (’74)
- Ability to express opinions is fundamental to a democratic and egalitarian workplace, yet there are employees that rarely speak up
- Individuals that believe their opinion is shared by the majority will speak up
- Individuals that believe their opinion is not shared by many are likely to remain silent
- Silence can reduce creativity in problem solving
- Managers need to encourage all employees to speak up (in public, private or anonymously)
What are the communication theories?
- Social-Psychological Tradition
- Cybernetic Tradition
- Rhetorical Tradition
- Semiotic Tradition
- Socio-Culutral tradition
- Critical Tradition
- Phenomenological Tradition
- Objective to interpretive traditions
What is the social-psychological tradition?
- ‘53
- Looks at the interpersonal interaction in communication
- Cause and effect relationship
- Who - Source
- What - Content
- Whom - Audience
What is the cybernetic tradition?
- ’49, ‘67
- Communication is an informal processing phenomenon
- A mathematical system of transmitting the message
- Information source - transmitted - noise - receiver - destination
- Noise - non verbal or verbal, culutral
