Managers Should Make Effective Communication a Priority

Running head: MANAGERS SHOULD MAKE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION A PRIORITY
MANAGERS SHOULD MAKE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION A PRIORITY
Name of the student
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MANAGERS SHOULD MAKE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION A PRIORITY
Executive summary
The chief purpose of the report was to make the managers aware about the need for prioritizing
effective communication by examining three issues. The first issue was the personal and
interpersonal aspects of communication that included the art of persuasion and grapevine
communication as well. The second issue was the formal and informal communication channels
used in the organization as a whole and the different directions in which these communication
channels work. These three directions were upward, downward and horizontal. The third issues
that the report examined was crisis communication and the communication strategies managers
must create to ensure effective management of crisis by protecting the organization’s reputation.
the discussion on these three issues revealed that communication is one of the most important
aspects of an organization’s overall strategy. The report also provided communication strategies
that could help organizations deal with crisis and maintain their reputation. Examples from the
real world were also given to make the point clearer to the managers that successful
organizations prioritize effective communication. The report concluded with a reiteration of the
statement that managers should give equal importance to communication as they do to other
aspects of the organization.

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MANAGERS SHOULD MAKE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION A PRIORITY
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Personal and interpersonal aspects of communication....................................................................3
Personal communication..............................................................................................................3
Interpersonal communication......................................................................................................4
Practicing the art of persuasion – key points...............................................................................5
Channels of communication – downward, upward and horizontally..............................................8
Formal communication channels...............................................................................................10
Informal communication channels............................................................................................11
Downward communication........................................................................................................12
Upward communication.............................................................................................................13
Horizontal communication........................................................................................................14
Crisis communication and development of strategies to resolve crisis.........................................15
Communication strategies to manage crisis..............................................................................16
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................19
References:....................................................................................................................................21

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MANAGERS SHOULD MAKE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION A PRIORITY
Introduction
The report aims to provide a detailed analysis of the need for managers to consider
effective communication as an important aspect of the organizational strategy. The report will
first provide explanation of personal and interpersonal communication. This would include
communication used for persuasion and influencing others. In addition, the report will highlight
the personal communication networks and grapevines used by organizations for communicating.
Further, the formal communication channels of the organization and the ways to maintain those
channels shall also be discussed. It will also include the upward, downward and horizontal
communication patterns followed in an organization. Thirdly, the report will include an
explanation and discussion of crisis communication and provide strategies to safeguard the
organization’s reputation in times of crisis. The analysis of the various aspects of communication
will help in understanding the need for managers to prioritize effective communication.
Personal and interpersonal aspects of communication
Communication has many types among which are the personal and interpersonal forms or
aspects. Personal communication may refer to the aspect of communication where the
communicators engage in colloquial or informal conversation. Personal communication could be
seen in contrast to professional communication because professional communication requires the
communicators to use words and sentences carefully. Interpersonal communication on the other
hand, refers to the communication process that takes place between two individuals. The process
could be undertaken either face-to-face, through telecommunication channels or via online
platforms.
Personal communication

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MANAGERS SHOULD MAKE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION A PRIORITY
Personal communication, as mentioned above, is the opposite of professional
communication and takes place commonly between family and friends. It can be intense at times
but mostly casual and casual communication might also happen with people who are not part of
the family of friend circle. Personal communication takes place using numerous methods starting
from written such as letters, verbal such as face-to-face and the more recent, online methods.
Communicating through letters used to be the old, traditional methods, which gradually were
replaced by methods like emailing and messaging through Facebook and such. Park, Reber and
Chon (2016) note that the newer methods of personal communication have changed the way
people actually behave while communicating. However, it must be noted that one form of
personal communication has remained the same and will continue to be the same – the face-to-
face communication. It is also one of the most effective forms of personal communication as it
allows the communicators to understand not only the tone but also the body language of each
other. In the context of business, personal communication has equal importance, as does the
professional communication. Jameson (2014), talks about the blurring of boundaries between
personal and professional communication in the age of Twitter and Facebook. The author
suggests that business communicators must realize and utilize the benefits of integrating personal
communication into professional communication because it is the age of technology and social
media platforms are the most dominant forms of communication.
Interpersonal communication
Interpersonal communication, as previously mentioned, takes place between two
individuals. Although interpersonal communication traditionally meant face-to-face
communication only, its connotations changed to non-verbal and other forms involving two
individuals. Many definitions and perceptions of interpersonal communication have been

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MANAGERS SHOULD MAKE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION A PRIORITY
developed over the years. Some regard it as the “process of exchanging messages between
people whose lives mutually influence one another in unique ways relating to social and cultural
norms” (Berger 2014). In others’ views, it does not have to have people with mutual connection,
interpersonal communication take place without people having any relation with each other.
Lolli (2013) however, has found that majority of college graduates “tend to be deficient in
interpersonal skills when entering the business world” despite knowing that it is crucial to
become a successful leader. Therefore, it is important that the managers prioritize the
interpersonal aspect of communication.
Practicing the art of persuasion – key points
Personal and interpersonal communication if done effectively could enable individuals to
persuade or influence others. The art of persuasion, as Mai and Hoffmann (2014) hold, is the key
to effective communication especially in business. It refers to the ability of a person to influence
others to see or perceive things as he or she perceives. A powerful interpersonal communication
could benefit the communicator to persuade the receiver. Business leaders utilize this art of
persuasion almost every day to influence customers into buying or opting for the products or
services over others. However, one must possess certain qualities to be able to influence or
persuade people. Jensen et al. (2013) view that establishing credibility at first is important
before attempting to persuade people, which include the relationship one has with others and the
experience or expertise one possesses. In addition, persuading others require the individual to
establish a common ground from where the persuader could successfully convey the benefits of
the message to both. To acquire these skills, it is important for communicators to have a strong
hold at the various aspects of interpersonal communication. In the absence of effective
interpersonal communication, people could not persuade or influence others to think or do, as