Student Essays

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Pages: 14

Chapter 1 -- The Role of Communication in Contemporary Organizations

Teaching Notes

There are two major ideas in this chapter that should be emphasized in class lectures:

1. Over the past one hundred years, the importance of managerial communication has increased as the role of the manager has evolved.

Contemporary managers are successful only if they have communication competencies. This concept can be explained by reviewing the history of the managerial role in the twentieth century, and identifying the communication behaviors that managers used in each era. Ask students to describe the communication patterns they have observed among their current managers and supervisors. Compare and contrast these with earlier
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5. This textbook states that it is not possible to review all contingencies. Elaborate on this statement.

Since effective communication is dependent upon each situation that may arise, and since each situation may require a different strategy, it would be impossible for anyone to give specific directions on how to handle any problem that might occur.

6. In which ways do you believe that women communicate differently than men?

Women have a tendency to show more social support and sympathy, to be concerned about relationships and group dynamics, to provide different types of feedback than men normally do, to use different persuasive and writing styles, and to use space and body language differently. Women's language is less powerful than men's -- women's sentences are longer, with qualifiers, modifiers, and requests for agreement added.

7. Why do you think that men and women may have difficulty communicating with each other?

In recent years, many social changes have taken place that have put women on a more equal footing with men. In business, women constitute almost half of the workforce, but hold far fewer management positions than do men. The reasons and explanations for this disparity vary widely. Research reveals one possible explanation: male and female communication behaviors continue to be different.

8. Give a specific example in which a demand for greater quality also increases the