TENETS OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
IN ORGANIZATIONS
(The Four C's)
by Lee McGaan
COMMITMENT - Members of the organization at all levels
must be committed to the idea that effective communication is a high
priority in their jobs. Organizations that view effective
communication as, "something we will work on when we can afford the
time/money, etc." will have communication problems. Support for good
communication from the top (e.g. rewards or corrections) is crucial. CONTEXT - The meaning of any message is always, in
significant part, determined by the context. Organizations that communicate
effectively work hard to insure that the sender and the receiver share
similar contexts for messages so that both understand them in the same
way. Openness is the way to shared contexts. Providing as much factual information as possible
and creating opportunities for staff at various levels to share their
perspectives as well as knowledge increases understanding and builds shared
meanings. Organizations that have relatively closed systems of communication
(in which subordinates and superiors do not share the same information or are
not aware of each other's perspectives) have communication problems (e.g. false
rumors, divisiveness and sniping, turf protection, etc.). CONSISTENCY - Even in small groups, and certainly in large
organizations, important themes, goals, facts, and perspectives
must be repeated often, in various forms and through a variety of
channels, if they are to be understood, remembered and acted upon. This is
especially true when channels of mass communication are used. Presenting the same themes, goals, facts and
perspectives over time is crucial to organizational success. If each message
presentation seems to alter the substance of the message, confusion and
suspicion can occur. Words and actions must be consistent or
cynicism will result; the organization will be thought of as hypocritical CONCERN - Communicators, especially leaders, must be
concerned with the receiver's point-of-view first. Only the sender of a message
can adapt it to improve its effectiveness. Organizations that communicate well
tend to place the primary responsibility for effective communication on
senders; those that blame receivers for problems have communication
failures regularly. Good communicators recognize that they must be concerned, not only
with the content of their messages, but with what those messages
say about their relationships with the receivers. Clear, accurately
conveyed information that allows receivers to infer that the sender does not
value them as persons will not be well received. |
Last updated 11/7/2003