Introduction
Communication is very fundamental to human life owing to the fact that it helps people establish relationships, express themselves, interact with other people and the world, accomplish tasks as individuals and as a team and also helps people manage others and lead an organization. This paper seeks to explore Managerial communication in a business membership organization The Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE). It explores the different ways of managerial communication like: verbal and non verbal which includes: gestures, written, body language amongst others. Managerial communication is an essential function which enhances smooth communication between managers and also with employees and other relevant authorities like the board members. At CIPE the management is made of the Chief Executive, Chief operations Officer, Public Relations and communication manager, CIPE consulting Manager, Chief Operations Officer, Membership Development Manager, Finance Manager and Advocacy Manager.
Non-verbal Communication
It is essential to note that effective managerial communication helps in the success of an organization since it facilitates timely flow of the right information to the right people. There are two types of managerial communication: The first one is interpersonal communication which refers to communication between two or more people in the work place and second, is the organization communication which takes place at every level in the organization. Managerial communication like the overall communication can take two directions: horizontal communication which entails downward communication which refers to communication from the top management to the management. For instance, in CIPE t is the communication from the Chief Executive to the other managers and upward communication which is communication from middle level managers to the chief Executive. For instance, communication from the PR and communication manager to the Chief operations officer is downward communication.
Vertical communication on the other hand refers to communication between or amongst managers of the same level. For instance, the communication from the Finance manager to the Advocacy Manager is vertical communication. Managerial communication can either be verbal or non-verbal. Verbal communication has no evidence and managers must be very careful about what they talk to their team members. Non-verbal on the other end entails a lot of aspects like: Voice, a manager is expected to use a pleasant audible voice when passing statements; they should use good tonal range and should avoid shouting at all cost even when angry. Managers also should maintain a professional and decent personal appearance. They should be modest in their grooming in such a way that their appearance would not destruct attention.
Inter-cultural Managerial Communication
According to.Managers are expected to be very culture sensitive in their communication owing to the fact that the manager is expected to deal with multi-cultural people and therefore it is essential for them to have an understanding of culture sensitivity. At CIPE which is an international institution there are people from every continent and therefore, it is a basic requirement for all the managers to be very sensitive and demonstrate this through aspects like the greetings they use, dressing, gestures, food and gifts. At CIPE the formal English dressing is highly adopted and the institution has highly borrowed from American business mannerisms in all aspects. This is wrong owing to the fact that it is an organization with people from diversified cultures and embracing the American culture introduces disparity in the sense that the American culture is viewed superior.
Conflict Management
CIPE borrows strongly from John Dewey’s method as far as conflict resolution is concerned. Conflicts are inevitable and may have either positive or negative impact depending on how they are handled. CIPE has a number of conflicts either with employees who feel hurt by decisions by leadership. For instance, a month ago the Human resource Committee removed the service fee and a number of employees who have worked for the organization for more than ten years felt offended and sued the organization. Other possible conflicts are with the members when they feel unrepresented or the Government when CIPE is advocating against a policy the Government is in support. Others are manufacturers or businesses e.g. business engaging in counterfeit or illegal production. Therefore there is need for the managers to come up with a strategy to manage the conflicts.
Managerial Negotiation and Networking Skills
At CIPE the core business is advocacy and therefore it is very essential for the management to have excellent negotiation skill. Networking is also very essential since it’s through the networks that lobbying is made easier. For negotiation it is essential for one to learn how to flinch i.e. learning to react to a situation, research on the aspect you are negotiating on to get all facts to build your argument and take your time and be patient while negotiating. It is recommendable for managers to sharpen the networking skills by preparing when meeting a new group of people, listening more than talking to ensure they gather enough information.
Recommendations
It is essential for the management team at CIPE to go for training on non-verbal communication to increase their level of awareness on the importance and use of non-verbal communication. According to the wall street journal on the power of non-verbal communication unconscious signaling behavior is extremely essential in determining the functioning of an organization and therefore managers should be experts in understanding the non-verbal language of their staff. This would ensure they grasp the un-recorded information. For instance, a greatly un-satisfied employee may not talk about it but his or her non-verbal communication can depict their dissatisfaction. The managers should also take note of how they use their body language, gestures, tone, grooming and also space. For instance, CIPE being a multi-cultural organization would require the managers to be really sensitive in the use of their non-verbal communication.
It is also recommended that the managerial team employs John Dewey’s method of conflict management as outlined in; conflict should not always be viewed as negative but as eye openers. John Dewey actually views conflict as necessary to increase performance and understanding of issues and therefore, it is essential for the managers to embrace this view. In addition the managers besides meeting on their own should have frequent formal and informal meeting with the rest of the staff members to increase the rapport amongst the employees. This in-return enhances performance.
References
Hynes. (2010). Managerial Communication: Strategies and Applications. NewYork: McGraw-Hill Education.
Pentland, D. (12). The Wall Street Journal. The Power of Nonverbal Communication, 2008.
Schein, E. H. (2010). Organizational Culture and Leadership. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons.
Verma, V. K. (1998). CONFLICT MANAGEMENT. Chicago: The Project Management Institute.
