Page 110 - DENG401_Advance Communication Skills

Unit 5: Improving Informal Communication

channeled via the official channels. It satisfies the people desires to identify what is happening Notes
in the organization and offers an opportunity to express dreads, worries and complaints. Informal
communication also facilitates to ameliorate managerial decisions as more people are involved
in the process of decision-making. In spite on many advantages, informal communication has
certain disadvantages.

5.1 Communicating Informally

Informal communication arises out of all those channels that fall outside the formal channels
and it is also known as grapevine.
Because you communicate informally most of the time, it is easy to forget that any conversation
on the job is still professional communication. Even if you are not making a formal presentation,
you are on stage when you communicate with others in the workplace. Much of your informal
communication is one on one, meaning that you are speaking with a single person as opposed
to a group. This underscores the need to identify your purpose and audience. Take extra steps to
make sure that your message is clear and understood. Listen carefully and be empathetic when
expressing your ideas. Keep in mind that, like all business communication, the purpose of
informal communication within an organization is to inform, persuade, and promote goodwill.

5.1.1 Use informal communication opportunities to

1. You form and enhance relationships through communication. Taking time to make a
personal telephone call, briefly visiting colleagues at their desks when they are free, or
discussing business over lunch help to foster goodwill among colleagues and decision
makers. Business is built on friendships, connections, trust, and personal relations. Take
advantage of opportunities to connect and communicate with other people in and outside
of your organization.
2. As you communicate with other people, you make yourself more visible and let others
know what you are doing and accomplishing. In particular, let your managers and other
decision makers know about your contributions to the organization. Decisions about
raises, promotions, and other opportunities are often based on information that is gathered
informally.

5.1.2 When communicating informally

1. Be professional: Others form opinions of you based on what you say and do, and these
opinions change frequently. When you interact with others, you are influencing their
impression of you, whether you encounter them during the work day or afterwards.
Consistently act and communicate with others in a professional manner. Be clear, objective,
unbiased, and honest in your dealings, and people will want to do business with you.
2. Emphasize the positive: Businesses are often stressful environments where people overcome
barriers to reach challenging goals. Don’t add to stress by being negative, cynical, or
critical in your communication. Professionals are optimistic and energetic when they
speak. People feel better about themselves and their circumstances when you communicate
with them in a positive way.

3. Overcome obstacles: Informal communication is often personal communication and
directly connects you with other people. To maintain this direct connection, recognize the
obstacles to effective communication so that you can minimize or overcome them. Table
D-1 lists typical obstacles to effective informal communication and offers suggestions for
working around them.

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