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For this activity, you will brainstorm the application of…
For this activity, you will brainstorm the application of communication theory to a specific workplace* communication problem that you have experienced or are experiencing. Before you tackle this activity, please make sure you have read the Week 1 course materials.
(*If you are not employed or cannot discuss your workplace, you may use a communication problem that you have directly experienced in another organizational setting in which you are involved, such as a school, church, or community group.)
Objective: This activity is designed to help you brainstorm a topic for your final project. You should be able to use material from your response to help you research relevant communication theories. A comprehensive list of communication theories is linked here.
Background: Please begin this exercise by reading the following information carefully.
In general, we use theories to approach knowledge, test it, and learn more about it. Your final project in this class will require you to apply communication theory to identify, describing, analyzing, and resolving a real-world communication problem that you are experiencing or have experienced in the context of the workplace.*In this discussion, you will begin the process of developing your final project by collaborating with your classmates on brainstorming communication problems in your workplace that a communication theory could explain and resolve.
Visualize your workplace for a few moments. Are there conflicts? Are there cliques? Do some managers engage in power trips? How does everyone get along? A workplace is the sum of many different formal and informal relationships that influence and define its communication channels. In most work settings, people are identified by titles and roles: accounting supervisor, intern, customer service representative, and so on. These roles combine to create formal communicationinteractions that follow officially established channels.
There are three types of formal communication within all but the smallest organizations (Adler & Elmhorst, 2002; Sanchez, 1999). In upward communication, subordinates communicate with their bosses. Topics for upward communication include progress reports, problems, and suggestions for improvement. In downward communication, managers address messages to subordinates, such as instructions and feedback. Horizontal communication occurs between people who do not have direct supervisor-subordinate relationships. These types of messages include task coordination, information sharing, and conflict resolution.
Informal communication in organizations grows out of friendships, shared personal or career interests, and proximity. The messages shared through these networks of relationships within an organization can confirm, contradict, expand upon, or help an employee circumvent information relayed through formal communication channels. Workers must navigate between formal and informal communication within a relationship. For example, your boss might drop by your desk to share some office gossip with youand a few minutes later take you aside to talk about a project underway. Modern employers are seeking job candidates who demonstrate communication competence, the knowledge of effective and appropriate communication patterns (Spitzberg, 2000), and the ability to use and adapt that knowledge in various contexts (Cooley & Roach, 1984).
To understand the dimensions of communication competence, consider how you might handle everyday communication challenges, such as declining an invitation or getting a co-worker to clean his dirty dishes in the break room. Effective communication will get the results you desire. Appropriate communication, on the other hand, would do so in a way that, in most cases, enhances the relationship in which it occurs (Wiemann et al., 1997). Imagine what happens when one of these criteria is satisfied but not the other. Effectiveness without appropriateness might satisfy your goals, but leave others unhappy. Conversely, appropriateness without effectiveness might leave others content but you frustrated. The competent communicator has a large repertoire of communicative skills, is empathetic and adaptable, cares about and is committed to the relationship, can see situations from multiple perspectives, can read the room, and is self-aware.
Activity:
Theories can be approached in a variety of ways, depending on what is being studied. Detail response to the following prompt. Your objective here is to gain a hands-on understanding of theory building by applying this week’s concepts to brainstorming a workplace* communication problem with your classmates that you can investigate for your final project.
(*Remember, if you are not employed or cannot discuss your workplace, brainstorm communication problems that you have experienced in another organizational setting, such as in school or as part of a church or community group.)
First, think about the communication phenomena that scholars study. Which aspects of communication intrigued you the most in this week’s readingsverbal or nonverbal behaviors? Oral or written messages? Interpersonal, small group, or organizational dynamics? Face-to-face or mediated contexts?
Then, reflect on the informal and formal communication channels in your workplace. What types of breakdowns have you experienced or observed in the flow of that communication which affected your work?
Finally, to begin learning about how communication competence can help you or your co-workers to effectively and appropriately handle challenging workplace communication situations, post a response that answers the following:
Describe your workplace* communication problem. What happened? How did it affect you or the workplace?
Describe the communication phenomenon involved in your workplace problem.
Explain the communication theory that you are considering using in your final project. How is this theory relevant to the communication phenomenon in your workplace problem?
Recall that communication theories seek to describe or understand, explain, predict, or control a communication behavior. What would be your goal in investigating your workplace communication problem? Conclude your post by explaining your goal in a sentence similar to ONE of the following:
My goal is to [describe/understand, explain, or predict] __________.
My goal is to persuade co-workers to do or think __________ .
My goal is to change people’s attitudes toward __________.
References Adler, R. B. & Elmhorst, J. M. (2002). Communicating at work: Principles and practices for business and the professions (7th ed.). McGraw-Hill. Cooley, R. E. & Roach, D. A. (1984). A conceptual framework. In R. N. Bostrom (Ed.), Competence in communication: A multidisciplinary approach (pp. 11-32). Sage. Sanchez, P. (1999). How to craft successful employee communication in the information age. Communication World, 16(7), 9-15. Spitzberg, B. H. (2000). What is good communication? (EJ603207) Journal of the Association for Communication Administration, 29, 103-119. ERIC. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ603207 Wiemann, J. M., Takai, J., Ota, H., & Wiemann, M. (1997). A relational model of communication competence. In B. Kovac (Ed.), Emerging theories of human communication (pp. 25-44). State University of New York Press. ©2023 University of Maryland Global Campus
