Chapter 2: What is Communication, Anyway?

Summary
This chapter presents seven propositions about communication that provide a framework by which to judge the communication process. These propositions provide insight into what happens in the mind of the sender and receiver and why communication problems occur. The propositions, such as meaning construction is a product of the interaction of content and context, try to capture the highly fluid and dynamic nature of the communication process. Meanings are not simply the product of the actual words or behaviors of senders; they are influenced by the broader context of unwritten organizational rules and the corporate culture.

What can managers do to facilitate this process? Managers can explore the employees' context and think in terms of possible misinterpretations of their messages. Additionally, by carefully framing messages and being attentive to secondary messages, they can more accurately predict the probable interpretations.

Outline

1. Propositions
   1. The communication process can best be described in terms of probabilities
      1. Implication A: Typically the message sender sees only one possible interpretation
      2. Implication B: The message sender may purposely use language that has multiple interpretations
      3. Implication C: The receiver may purposely misunderstand
   2. Context shapes the probabilities by creating default assumptions that solidifies interpretations
   3. Context building is a dynamic process
   4. The context can become so powerful that it acts like a black hole
   5. Context construction is uniquely sensitive to time sequencing
   6. There are multiple messages in every communication event
   7. Communication content and context interact to produce meaning
      
      
2. Implications of the Propositions
   1. Explore the employees' context
   2. Carefully manage employee expectations
   3. Think about the possible interpretations (and misinterpretations) of messages, events and symbols
   4. Clarify potentially ambiguous comments with the "blackout" tactic
   5. Pay attention to secondary messages
   6. Be aware of the "law of large numbers"
   7. Carefully frame messages
   8. Sculpt the proper context
      
      
3. Conclusion