Mehrabian a 1972 nonverbal communication new brunswick aldine transaction

Running head: Communication and leaders in business 1

Communication and leaders in business 3

Communication and the Roles of Leaders in Business
Student 1

University of Phoenix

COMM/102

May 8, 2016

Carol J. Amato, M.A. Table of Contents

Introduction 3

Communication 3

Verbal Communication 3

Language and Meaning 4

Hacks for Speech 4

Nonverbal Communication 4

Misunderstood Meanings 4

Succeeding Without Speaking 5

Intercultural Communication 5

Unforeseen Opportunities 5

Adapting to Change 6

Conclusion 6

References 7

Communication and the Roles of Leaders in Business

Leadership requires a total understanding of the different types of ways people communicate with others. This is important to grasp because leaders encounter people who communicates in their own unique ways. Communication skills are crucial for the development of success in leadership roles which requires understanding relationship between verbal and nonverbal communication, intercultural communication, and improvement competencies.

Communication
Albert Mehrabian (meh-ray-bee-an) is responsible for the research study that broke down varying communication channels. Mehrabian and his partners, Ferris and Wiener, combined their research results to come up with the 55/38/7 formula. This study showed that 55% of communication is body language, 38% is tone of voice, and 7% is the actual words spoken. Being leaders, it’s important to know that communication takes on many forms; from the angry and joyous stares, to the lackadaisical or attentive posture. These communicators if not understood can leave a person in an awkward situation that they may not have intended to communicate. For a leader it’s important to know how people communicate and what people mean when they are doing or saying something a certain way.

Verbal Communication
Verbal communication is any form that involves words spoken, written, or signed. Verbal communication is important because it clarifies the intended message. Often communication is construed, so verbal communication is the bridge that clarifies misunderstandings and provides missing information.

Language and Meaning.

Language is the method of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way. For this reason having a diverse vocabulary is useful for relaying or receiving messages. Many times people respond in an inappropriate manner because of their own ignorance of vocabulary.

Hacks for Speech.

An easy way to fix vocab ignorance is by reading more. Reading allows a person to increase their vocabulary over time. Picking up on vocal tones is also a quick fix. If unsure of what a certain word or phrase is, being aware of the tone of speech when the message is received can help the listener decipher the cryptic message.

Nonverbal Communication

Misunderstood Meanings.

“Nonverbal communication is the process of using wordless messages to generate meaning. Nonverbal communication includes nonword vocalizations, such as inflection, and non-word sounds, such as “ah” and “hmm.”” (Pearson, p. 66) Mehrabian’s study showed that 93% of communication is unspoken. Since such a large part of communication is without words this makes sense that messages are easily confused and misinterpreted. Simple emails or phone calls can leave receivers with more questions than when they entered the conversation since nonverbal cues are unavailable. Receivers are left with their own biased interpretations of messages that can leave the original message construed.

Succeeding Without Speaking.

Since communication relies so heavily on nonverbal cues, it’s important to know how to be a good listener. In an academic paper published by Dr. Wertheim of Northeastern University, he stated some listening skills that would improve effective communication: Listening openly and with empathy, judging the content and not the messenger, using techniques to fully comprehend (ask, repeat, rephrase, etc.), validating, asking, and responding are just some of the useful skills one can use to become an effective listener.

Intercultural Communication

Census.gov publishes an analysis of demographics each year. Out of the 321,418,820 people in the U.S only 77.4% are white alone (as of 2014). This comes out to be that one in three people is of foreign decent. In a country as diverse as the U.S. it’s helpful for leaders to know who they are communicating with. Understanding the opportunities and challenges of communication can allow “competitive advantages of a diverse workforce that offers a broader spectrum of viewpoints and ideas, helps companies understand and identify with diverse markets, and enables companies to benefit from a wider range of employee talents” (Thrill, p. 67)

Unforeseen Opportunities.

The likelihood of working across international borders in one’s career is almost undoubted with a staggering 7.4 billion people on earth. Small business leaders recognize the competitive advantages of diverse workforces since it offers many ideas and viewpoints that would not have been recognized before because of cultural integration. “It just makes good business sense,” says Gord Nixon, CEO of Royal Bank of Canada.