COM00207: Communication in Organizations - Theories and Event Report

This report provides an in-depth analysis of communication theories within an organizational setting. It begins with an introduction to communication, highlighting its importance and the key theories of facial expressions, gestures, and active listening. The report then describes a communication event involving a salesperson and a customer in a shopping mall, detailing the interaction and applying the communication theories to the scenario. It explores how gestures, facial expressions, and active listening were utilized during the interaction and their impact on the outcome. The report concludes by emphasizing the significance of effective communication in daily life, both inside and outside of organizations, and reiterates the importance of the discussed communication theories. The reference list includes various sources used to support the arguments and concepts discussed throughout the report.

1
Communication in Organization

2
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Event................................................................................................................................................3
Theories and Application.................................................................................................................3
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................5
Reference List..................................................................................................................................6

3
Introduction
Communication involves two or more people who come together to commune, share and
dialogue. The modern definition of communication implies that it is a procedure that increases
commonality however also needs certain commonality elements in order to occur (Summers and
Smith, 2010). Communication helps people in performing their jobs as well as responsibilities in
a well manner (DeVito, 2014). There are mainly three theories of communication, namely, facial
expressions that are related to movements or variations made by the aspects of a face of an
individual; gestures which are movements of the hand and arms; and active listening. In this
assessment, these theories of communication have been explained. A communication event has
been described in details and related arguments are provided.
Event
For this assessment, the event of an interaction between a sales person and a local resident,
Choco at a shopping mall, has been selected. On April 1, 2019, Choco went to the south city mall
for shopping where he decided of buying a mobile phone. He went to a mobile store and the
sales person started having a conversation with him regarding which mobile phone he could buy.
Choco informed him about his needs in specific, in response to which the sales person
recommended various phones. Finally he arrived at a decision and bought a mobile phone he
thought fulfilled all his needs.
Theories and Application
Some forms of communication are usually not discussed much since they do not seem to have
any kind of problems. It refers to the gestures, poses and movement made by a person
intentionally. For instance, smiling, imitating actions, moving hands, making general movements
with partial or full intention of making the same (Russell, 1995). It can be applied on various
forms of soundless communication such as formalized gestures. Gestures are simply hand and
arm movements which help an individual in communicating non-verbally. There are various
kinds of gestures, namely, adaptors, regulators, illustrators and emblems. Emblems are the
gestures which have a distinct verbal translation. For instance, when an individual waves hands
as another individual leaves, it resembles good-bye. There are several identifiable gestures which
are present in different cultures. All the cultures have their own emblems. Emblems are

4
considered to be the easiest gestures of being understood cross-culturally since they are quite
easy to be reproduced. The sales man talked to Choco with a smile during the whole
conversation, which showed an attitude of greeting and positivity towards Choco. He also
showed several gestures like arm and hand movements as non-verbal communication which
characterized the communication very well. Both of the individual’s body languages were quite
positive which ultimately turned into a positive outcome. The conversation included emblem
gestures such as shaking of the head and hands. When the sales man showed some mobile
phones to Choco which were not desirable, he used emblems like slight waving of his hand,
depicting he did not want those mobile phones. When Choco asked about some specific features
he wanted, the sales man nodded his head in affirmation, implying a positive feedback.
Some forms of communication applies to involuntary movements which provides the observers
with cues regarding what another person might be feeling or thinking. The ability of interpreting
such movements might be unconscious in itself. Various elements of communication theories
like facial expressions can be easily tested and understood just by having knowledge about them
(Martin and Nakayama, 2014). For instance, the general tendency of people raising their
eyebrows when a person approaches them usually indicates esteem. Facial expressions are
important for recognizing that there are possibility of variations in several aspects of the
expressions of an individual’s face. A frown is universally considered to be an indication of
madness whereas a smile is considered to be a symbol of happiness and pleasure. Using different
facial expressions during a conversation can completely change the situation. For instance, in
countries such as the United States, it is better to smile when an individual meets another for the
first time. However, in other countries it might be better to have a serious look on the face. Facial
expressions are regulated by various which also vary. Eye contact is considered to be very
important while having a conversation. Not making proper eye contact is considered to be very
disrespectful in many countries (Bitti and Garotti, 2011). During the conversation between
Choco and the sales person, the sales man greeted Choco in the Indian greeting style, to which he
responded positively. This initiated a positive beginning to the communication between them.
The sales man was very polite and humble throughout the conversation which made Choco feel
very comfortable about sharing his thoughts and needs. The patterns of eye contact were almost
similar between both since both of them were North Indians and had the same culture (Russell,
1994). In their culture, avoiding eye contact means not paying attention and showing disrespect

5
towards another person. It is quite important to understand that the aspects of facial expressions
of people have many aspects.
Listening is an active procedure where a conscious decision is taken by an individual of listening
carefully to another individual and understanding what is being said. Active listening is an
essential manner of bringing about changes within people. Listening is considered as the
“Cinderella skill” of language which eclipsed by the other sister skills of reading, speaking and
writing (Jalongo, 2010, p.11). The people who listen to others actively, have a more democratic
attitude, are less defensive and are well open to new experiences. For instance, post a cricket or
football match, an on-field player could be called by a journalist for being interviewed about the
game. Being present in the middle of the stadium, there could be a lot of noise from the crowd.
As such, the player would need to actively listen to the interviewer’s questions before answering.
It would also be applicable the other way. The journalist would need to actively listen to the
feedback of the player and accordingly prepare for the next question. The conversation between
the Choco and the sales man was characterized with active listening. It initially came from the
side of salesman, as he listened carefully to all the specifications and needs which Choco
expressed while informing about the type of mobile phone he needed. Now from the customer’s
side, he listened to the sales man carefully as he explained the detailed specifications of every
mobile phone he demonstrated to Choco.
Conclusion
It can be concluded that communication is an integral part of daily life. It helps people at
workplace as well as outside the organization to share ideas, thoughts, views and opinions of
each other. With the help of effective communication they are able to take daily decisions.
Gestures are hand and arm movements which help an individual in communicating non-verbally.
They are the easiest forms of communication to be understood. Facial expressions are integral
for recognizing that there are chances of variations in several aspects of the expressions of an
individual’s face. Finally, active listening is that form of communication which is the essence to
the success of the communication procedure. It is the most effective communication form
because it helps in understanding and interpreting thought, ideas and opinions of one person,
only after which the same aspect of another person can be released.

6
Reference List
Bitti, P.E.R. and Garotti, P.L., 2011. Nonverbal communication and cultural differences: issues
for face-to-face communication over the internet. Face-to-face communication over the internet,
pp.81-99.
DeVito, Joseph A., 2014. The interpersonal communication book. Communication in
organizations. 13th edition. New York, USA: Pearson Education Limited.
Jalongo, M. R., 2010. Listening in early childhood: An interdisciplinary review of the literature.
International Journal of Listening, 24, 1-18.
Martin J. and Nakayama T., 2014. 'Non-verbal communication issues', in M. Witsel (ed.) 2017,
Communication in Organizations, 7th edition. Sydney, Australia: McGraw-Hill Custom
Publishing, pp-24-54.
Russell, JA., 1994. Is there universal recognition of emotion from facial expression? A review of
the cross-cultural studies. Psychol. 1994; 115: 102–141.
Russell, JA., 1995. Facial expressions of emotion: What lies beyond minimal universality?
Psychol. Bull; 118: 379–391.
Summers, J and Smith, B., 2010. Communication skills handbook: How to succeed in written
and oral communication. (pp. 17–38) New South Wales, Australia: John Wiley & Sons.