Effective organisational communication Perspectives, principles and practices second edition

Cover......Page 1
Effective organisational communication......Page 2
Contents......Page 6
List of figures......Page 11
List of tables......Page 13
List of mini-cases......Page 14
List of case studies......Page 16
Contributors......Page 17
Preface to the second edition......Page 19
Acknowledgements......Page 23
Introducing communication......Page 26
Communicating in organisations: issues and challenges......Page 27
Stage one: a simple model of the communication process......Page 29
Feedback, expectations and subjectivity......Page 33
Organisational communication: key dimensions......Page 34
Different perspectives on communication......Page 36
Summary......Page 41
Practical exercises......Page 42
References......Page 46
Principles of communication......Page 48
Introduction......Page 50
Barriers to communication?: identifying underlying causes......Page 51
Physiological and neurological factors......Page 52
Social, cultural and ethical barriers......Page 59
Overcoming the barriers......Page 68
Summary......Page 71
Practical exercises......Page 72
References......Page 76
Introduction......Page 78
Clear and concise language: using plain English......Page 79
The technicalities: spelling, grammar, syntax and punctuation......Page 83
Beyond plain English? Using language creatively......Page 84
Spoken English: additional communication issues......Page 89
Using the language – it is a matter of style......Page 90
Language and organisation: narrative and discourse analysis......Page 91
Summary......Page 93
Practical exercises......Page 94
Further reading......Page 97
References......Page 98
Introduction......Page 100
Using ‘pictures’ at work......Page 101
Potential benefits of non-verbal communication......Page 103
Potential problems with visual media......Page 107
The use and abuse of graphical data......Page 109
Visual aspects of corporate identity: an introduction......Page 116
Human signals: from eye contact to appearance......Page 117
Summary......Page 121
Practical exercises......Page 122
Further reading......Page 125
References......Page 126
Introduction......Page 128
Persuasion in organisations......Page 130
The essential principles: introducing rhetorical argument......Page 131
The challenge of persuasion: audience, message and context......Page 133
Persuasive practices: securing attention and arguing well......Page 138
The ethics of persuasion......Page 141
Summary......Page 143
Practical exercises......Page 144
References......Page 148
Introduction......Page 150
Organisational feedback: an initial overview......Page 151
Securing stakeholder feedback: the case of employees......Page 155
Practicalities of feedback: designing a form......Page 159
Feedback, knowledge and organisational learning......Page 161
Summary......Page 163
Practical exercises......Page 164
References......Page 167
Introduction......Page 169
Five ‘classic’ organisational challenges......Page 170
Emerging challenges: organisations in the twenty-first century......Page 177
Organisational communication: reflecting on the challenges......Page 185
Practical exercises......Page 186
References......Page 190
Communication in practice......Page 194
Introduction......Page 196
Business letters: principal uses and channel characteristics......Page 197
The mysteries of page layout and structure......Page 200
The style and content of a letter......Page 203
Business stationery and letterhead design......Page 206
The decline of the humble ‘memo’......Page 208
 E-mail: channel characteristics, formats and applications......Page 209
Text messaging and beyond: emerging communication issues......Page 213
Practical exercises......Page 215
References......Page 220
Introduction......Page 221
Reports: principal types and purposes......Page 222
Obtaining a clear specification......Page 223
Report writing: drafting stage......Page 226
Report writing: completion stage......Page 233
Summarising written material: the vital art......Page 238
Reflecting on the process of report writing......Page 239
Summary......Page 240
Practical exercises......Page 241
Further reading......Page 244
References......Page 245
Introduction......Page 246
Advertising and sales promotion: an overview......Page 248
Planning an advertising and promotional campaign......Page 249
Communicating with an advertisement......Page 251
Public relations – an overview......Page 256
Successful PR: long-term commitment v short-term fix......Page 257
Media relations – planning a news release......Page 261
Exhibitions and events......Page 263
Practical exercises......Page 266
Further reading......Page 271
References......Page 272
Introduction......Page 274
Types of interview......Page 275
Listening techniques......Page 279
Questioning techniques and related behaviours......Page 284
The interviewee’s perspective: making the best of it?......Page 289
Counselling techniques and the manager......Page 291
Summary......Page 292
Practical exercises......Page 293
Further reading......Page 296
References......Page 297
Introduction......Page 298
What makes presentations different?......Page 299
Preparing the presentation materials......Page 300
The presenter: posture, appearance, voice and memory......Page 301
Audio-visual equipment and communication practices......Page 308
On the day itself – final preparations......Page 313
The presentation: four key elements......Page 315
Summary......Page 320
Practical exercises......Page 321
References......Page 324
Introduction......Page 325
Meetings: principal types and purposes......Page 326
Advantages, disadvantages and channel characteristics......Page 327
The formal meeting......Page 328
On being a successful chair......Page 334
Informal meetings – the benefits of team-working......Page 337
The rise of the virtual team......Page 342
Negotiation: applying persuasive communication......Page 344
Practical exercises......Page 351
References......Page 355
Introduction......Page 357
Five questions for organisational communicators......Page 358
Summary......Page 364
Questions for discussion......Page 365
References......Page 369
Index......Page 372