Organizational Communication Flashcards
Communication within an organization in which the direction of communication is from employees up to management
Upward communication
Communication passed consecutively from one person to another
Serial communication
The idea that people prefer not to pass on unpleasant information, with the result that important information is not always communicated
MUM (minimize
unpleasant messages)
effect
The medium by which a communication is transmitted
Communication channel
Physical distance between people
Proximity
A form of upward communication in which a survey is conducted to determine employee attitudes about an organization
Attitude survey
A form of upward communication in which employees are asked to place their suggestions in a box
Suggestion box
A form of upward communication in which employees are asked to place their complaints in a box
Complaint box
A person who acts as an intermediary between employees and management, or the type of employee who both sends and receives most grapevine information
Liaison
A person who investigates employees’ complaints and solves problems
Ombudsperson
An employee who serves as a liaison between unionized employees and management
Union steward
Communication within an organization in which the direction of communication is from management to employees
Downward
communication
A method of downward communication in which informal or relatively unimportant written information is posted in a public place
Bulletin board
A formal method of downward communication in which an organization’s rules and procedures are placed in a manual; legally binding by courts of law
Policy manual
A method of downward communication typically used to communicate organizational feedback and celebrate employee success
Newsletters
A computer-based employee communication network used exclusively by one organization
Intranet
The transmission of business-related information among employees, management, and customers
Business communication
Communication among employees in an organization that is not directly related to the completion of an organizational task
Informal communication
An unofficial, informal communication network
Grapevine
A pattern of grapevine communication in which a message is passed in a chain-like fashion from one person to the next until the chain is broken
Single-strand grapevine
A pattern of grapevine communication in which a message is passed to only a select group of individuals
Gossip grapevine
A pattern of grapevine communication in which a message is passed randomly among all employees
Probability grapevine
A pattern of grapevine communication in which a message is passed to a select group of people who each in turn pass the message to a few select others
Cluster grapevine
An employee who receives less than half of all grapevine information
Isolate
Employees who receive much grapevine information but who seldom pass it on to others
Dead-enders
Poorly substantiated information and insignificant information that is primarily about individuals
Gossip
Poorly substantiated information that is passed along the grapevine
Rumor
Communication between two individuals
Interpersonal
communication
Any variable concerning or affecting the channel that interferes with the proper reception of a message
Noise
A distance zone within 18 inches of a person, where only people with a close relationship to the person are allowed to enter
Intimacy zone
A distance zone from 18 inches to 4 feet from a person that is usually reserved for friends and acquaintances
Personal distance zone
An interpersonal distance from 4 to 12 feet from a person that is typically used for business and for interacting with strangers
Social distance zone
Distance greater than 12 feet from a person that is typical of the interpersonal space allowed for social interactions such as large group lectures
Public distance zone
Communication inferred from the tone, tempo, volume, and rate of speech
Paralanguage
The things people surround themselves with (clothes, jewelry, office decorations, cars, etc.) that communicate information about the person
Artifacts
An office arranged so that a visitor can sit adjacent to rather than across from the person behind the desk
Open desk arrangement
An office arranged so that a visitor must sit across from the person behind the desk
Closed desk arrangement
Describes a message from which unimportant informational details have been removed before the message is passed from one person to another
Leveled
Describes a message in which interesting and unusual information has been kept in the message when it is passed from one person to another; see Leveled
Sharpened
A description of a message in which the information has been modified to fit the existing beliefs and knowledge of the person sending the message before it is passed on to another person
Assimilated
A response to communication overload that involves the conscious decision not to process certain types of information
Omission
Deviation from a standard of quality; also a type of response to communication overload that involves processing all information but processing some of it incorrectly
Error
A method of coping with communication overload that involves organizing work into an order in which it will be handled
Queuing
A response to communication overload in which the employee leaves the organization to reduce the stress
Escape
A person who screens potential communication for someone else and allows only the most important information to pass through
Gatekeeper
A strategy for coping with communication overload in which an organization reduces the amount of communication going to one person by directing some of it to another person
Multiple channels
A test developed by Geier and Downey that measures individual listening styles
Attitudinal Listening
Profile
The listening style of a person who cares about only interesting information
Leisure listening
The listening style of a person who cares about only the main points of a communication
Inclusive listening
The listening style of a person who pays attention mainly to the way in which words are spoken
Stylistic listening
The listening style of a person who cares about only facts and details
Technical listening
The listening style of a person who cares primarily about the feelings of the speaker
Empathic listening
The listening style of a person who cares about only information that is consistent with his or her way of thinking
Nonconforming listening
A method of determining the readability level of written material by analyzing sentence length and the average number of syllables per word
Fry Readability Graph
A method of determining the readability level of written material by analyzing average sentence length and the number of syllables per 100 words
Flesch Index
A method of determining the readability level of written material by analyzing sentence length and the number of three-syllable words
FOG Index
A method of determining the readability level of written material by looking at the number of commonly known words used in the document
Dale-Chall Index
