LibGuides: MOE Life Skills: Communication and Engagement Skills: Library Resources

Communication Channels

Social Capital, Communication Channels and Opinion Formation. We study how different forms of social capital lead to different distributions of multidimensional opinions by affecting the channels through which individuals communicate. We develop a model to compare and contrast the evolution of opinions between societies whose members communicate through bonding associations (i.e., which bond similar people together) and societies where communication is through bridging associations (i.e., which bridge the gap among different people). Both processes converge towards opinion distributions where there are groups within which there is consensus in all issues. Bridging processes are more likely to lead to society-wide consensus and converge to distributions that have, on average, fewer opinion groups. The latter result holds even when the confidence bound that allows successful communication in the bridging process is much smaller than the respective bound in the bonding process.
Dynamics of Symmetrical Communication Within Organizations: The Impacts of Channel Usage of CEO, Managers, and Peers. Focusing on channels used by members of the organization in different positions, this study aims to examine the antecedents of two-way symmetrical communication in an organization. Using two-way symmetrical communication model and media richness theory as theoretical frameworks, this study investigates what communication channels (e.g., face-to-face, e-mail, print media, social media, etc.) within an organization are effective at communicating with peers, managers, and CEO of a company, respectively. Results of an online survey conducted with 407 full-time employees in large-sized corporations in the United States showed that communication channels usage by different sources had distinct impacts on employees' perceived symmetrical communication as well as the organization-employee relationship. Face-to-face meetings and videoconferencing are shown to be significant for symmetrical communication practices with managers and peers, while other communication channels (e.g., print media, e-mail) turned out to be more significantly related to symmetrical communication practiced by CEO. Theoretical and practical implications for corporate communication are discussed.
Digital communication channels in industry 4.0 implementation: the role of internal communication. Industry 4.0 describes a phenomenon which augments business models and also communication channels in commercial enterprises. This paper analyses scientific publications related to the business model changes driven by Industry 4.0, and also digital internal communication channels used to reduce risks in the process. The paper is based upon a systematic review of scientific publications and evaluation by experts. The research revealed a gap between internal communication through digital channels and the change process in Industry 4.0-driven business models. Each channel has its mission and contributes to reducing risk during the change process. Since there is no universal digital channel for internal communication, different digital communication channels are efficient at different stages of change. The paper makes recommendations for enterprises, related to the effectiveness of digital communication channels during the business model transformation. It further contributes to existing knowledge by expanding the change process model and aligning the change process with features of digital communication channels. The research focused on the manufacturing sector, exploring digital communication channels used to reduce risk during the change process, which is a limitation of this study, along with assumption of a basic level of digital competences in the enterprise

Questioning Techniques

Challenging Learning Through Questioning by Martin Renton Better questioning for better learning Questioning is a process that sparks discussion and encourages deeper thinking. Effective questioning builds on students' natural curiosity, moving them out of their comfort zone and into the learning zone in a purposeful, accessible way. It also models the process of good thinking and fosters a culture of high expectations. Like any skill, questioning takes practice. With this insightful guide, you'll reframe your thinking and fine-tune the three essential questioning skills--know your intent, plan your responses, and stay purposefully silent--to elicit noticeably improved responses from students. Features include ·         Questioning sequences that work in any discipline ·         Techniques for deepening learning through questioning ·         Organizational strategies for pair, small-group, and whole-class dialogues ·         Best practices for balancing questioning, thinking tools, and strategic silences ·         Exercises, activities, and review and reflection sections High-quality questioning supports a culture in which students are not only challenged, but expect to be challenged, and where they flourish intellectually. Through your questioning, you'll give them the tools they need to become thoughtful, confident, and independent learners.
ISBN: 1506376576
Publication Date: 2020-06-05

7 ways to ask better questions. Former US Navy captain David Marquet is the author of bestseller Turn the Ship Around!, which describes how he transformed a substandard submarine into the fleet's top performer. In this edited extract from his new book, Leadership Is Language (Penguin), he explains the seven sins of questioning -- and how to avoid them.
The More You Ask, the Less You Get: When Additional Questions Hurt External Validity. Researchers and practitioners in marketing, economics, and public policy often use preference elicitation tasks to forecast real-world behaviors. These tasks typically ask a series of similarly structured questions. The authors posit that every time a respondent answers an additional elicitation question, two things happen: (1) they provide information about some parameter(s) of interest, such as their time preference or the partworth for a product attribute, and (2) the respondent increasingly "adapts" to the task—that is, using task-specific decision processes specialized for this task that may or may not apply to other tasks. Importantly, adaptation comes at the cost of potential mismatch between the task-specific decision process and real-world processes that generate the target behaviors, such that asking more questions can reduce external validity. The authors used mouse and eye tracking to trace decision processes in time preference measurement and conjoint choice tasks. Respondents increasingly relied on task-specific decision processes as more questions were asked, leading to reduced external validity for both related tasks and real-world behaviors. Importantly, the external validity of measured preferences peaked after as few as seven questions in both types of tasks. When measuring preferences, less can be more.

Attentive Listening

Mindfulness Training at Google. The case study aims to bring to light the growing importance of emotion regulation trainings in organizations. In 2007, Chade Meng Tan, a software engineer at Google, started the “Search Inside Yourself” (SIY) program at the company in collaboration with experts in the fields of neuroscience and Emotional Intelligence (EI). The program aimed to teach EI to Googlers through the mindfulness meditative technique. The two-day program teaches Google employees the methods of mindfulness, self-awareness, selfregulation, motivation, and empathy and leadership skills. The SIY program at Google has been very successful, with many employees registering for the program that generally has a long waiting period. Numerous Googlers have attributed their new-found calmness, resilience to demanding situations, empathy, and attentive listening skills to the SIY program. The SIY team went on to set up the “The Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute,” in 2012 as an independent nonprofit organization to offer EI courses to Googlers and non-Googlers. Many multinational companies, including AT&T, Philips Electronics, and Autodesk, conduct EI workshops on a regular basis for their employees. Aetna, a US-based health insurance company; General Mills, a global consumer goods company; and computer chip maker Intel have also implemented mindfulness courses for their employees.
The Value of Responsiveness. Top performing salespeople know the value of responsiveness. Here are just a few: Be open and receptive Listen from the first sentence Analyze what is being said Never interrupt, but always be interruptible Ask questions Log important points that are said Block out distractions Be responsive (involving your body in showing that you are paying attention) Stay cool no matter what the prospect says or does. Attentive listening is much the same as active listening, and if you follow the nine tips to becoming an attentive listener, you will surely improve in this department. [Extracted from the article]
Deep Listening. Deep listening is foundational to understanding stakeholder and community needs. The approach—also referred to as active listening, reflective listening, or radical listening—is characterized by how the listener enters and engages in a conversation. Their curiosity, empathy, respect for the speaker, and self-awareness about their own beliefs and biases all influence their ability to listen deeply and connect authentically with the speaker, such that they can intuit the speaker's emotions and true meaning of their words.

Digital Communication

Digital Communication Techniques by Christian Gontrand There have been considerable developments in information and communication technology. This has led to an increase in the number of applications available, as well as an increase in their variability. As such, it has become important to understand and master problems related to establishing radio links, the layout and flow of source data, the power available from antennas, the selectivity and sensitivity of receivers, etc. This book discusses digital modulations, their extensions and environment, as well as a few basic mathematical tools. An understanding of degree level mathematics or its equivalent is a prerequisite to reading this book. Digital Communication Techniques is aimed at licensed professionals, engineers, MasterÂs students and researchers whose field is in related areas such as hardware, phase-locked loops, voltage-controlled oscillators or phase noise.
ISBN: 1119705193
Publication Date: 2020-02-25
Perspectives on Design and Digital Communication by Nuno Martins (Editor); Daniel Brandão (Editor); Daniel Raposo (Editor) This book shares new research findings and practical lessons learned that will foster advances in digital design, communication design, web, multimedia and motion design, graphic design and branding, and other related areas. It gathers the best papers presented at the 3rd International Conference on Digital Design and Communication, DIGICOM 2019, held on November 15-16, 2019, in Barcelos, Portugal. The respective contributions highlight new theoretical perspectives and practical research directions in design and communication, aimed at promoting their use in a global, digital world. The book offers a timely guide and a source of inspiration for designers of all kinds (Graphic, Digital, Web, UI & UX Design and Social Media), for researchers, advertisers, artists, entrepreneurs, and brand or corporate communication managers, and for teachers and advanced students. 
ISBN: 3030496465
Publication Date: 2020-07-10

The elementary forms of digital communication. Although a tremendous amount of modern interaction is electronic, our understanding of everyday digital communications—including what they look like and how their properties vary by medium and relationship type—is still growing. In this paper, we examine digital exchange in two of its simplest forms: email and SMS. Specifically, our data consist of 2,004 messages provided by a diverse sample of college students, supplemented by in-depth interviews with their authors. These data were collected in 2010—a time when both mediums were widespread but devoid of most of their modern complexity. Based on these data, we make two contributions: First, we develop an empirically grounded typology of the basic properties of text-based digital communication; second, we document the distribution of these properties across five common relationship types. Respectively, these findings provide a starting point to understanding the substance of digital exchange in all its many forms and an empirical benchmark for comparison.
Nonverbal content and trust: An experiment on digital communication. We experimentally study the effect of the mode of digital communication on the emergence of trust in a principal‐agent relationship. We consider three modes of communication that differ in the capacity to transmit nonverbal content: plain text, audio, and video. Communication is pre‐play, one‐way, and unrestricted, but its verbal content is homogenized across treatments. Overall, both audio and video messages have a positive (and similar) effect on trust as compared to plain text; however, the magnitude of these effects depends on the verbal content of agent's message (promise to act trustworthily vs. no such promise). In all conditions, we observe a positive effect of the agent's promise on the principal's trust. We also report that trust in female principals is sensitive to the availability of nonverbal cues about their partners.
Digital communication in Swiss cities: A closer look at the low adoption and usage of social media platforms in a technologically advanced and innovative country. While a vast majority of local governments in Europe are communicating on social media, the situation differs in few states. Although Switzerland is often depicted as a technological advanced and innovative country, cities are still largely resisting the temptation to share information on social media platforms. In this study, we rely on a survey distributed to the communication managers of all cities over 10,000 inhabitants in Switzerland to uncover the reasons explaining this behavior. This approach is preferred to understand what motivates or prevents cities from communicating on social media, focusing mainly on perceptions of risks related to these platforms. Results indicate that some factors identified in the literature on public sector organizations slow down the social media adoption and usage at the local level; but interestingly, the conservative approach to social media preferred by numerous cities also plays a major role in explaining cities' absence on these platforms.

Digital Etiquette

Zooming Away. The article discusses the proper etiquette in online videoconferencing and meetings and how to best prepare for a Zoom call. Among the tips are logging on the site around five minutes before the meeting and make sure the audio and video are working, close out all unneeded application to ensure the quality of video chat, and requesting participants to mute their microphones when not speaking.
Getting the tone right. The article discusses business-related electronic mail (email) etiquette tips. Topics explored include the prevention of email rudeness through the use of positive language, the importance of showing recognition to the recipient of the email, and the possible use of other forms of communication in addition to emails such as video and telephone calls.
Drawing the Line - Turning Social Practices of Smartphone Use Into (In)formal Rules and Regulations. Today's workplace is strongly influenced by digital information and communication technologies (ICT). Remote work raises new demands regarding employees' availability as well as work engagement and requires new rules. However, how social practices regulate smartphone use in organisations has seldom been investigated. This paper explores the use of smartphone technology in organisations and how to implement formal rules. The analysis of 12 qualitative in-depth interviews with employees in a profit-oriented and a public service organisation confirms and enriches the types of usage as suggested by Orlikowski's work on information technologies in organisations. In addition, we suggest reframing the non-enactment of smartphone technology as a constructive practice of ensuring productivity and employee well-being instead of being caused by a lack of technical know-how, or fear of losing power. In addition, three different types of practices for formally governing work-related smartphone use in new work arrangements have been identified: a) formalising the implicit communication etiquette, b) designing rules for specific organisational contexts and c) making use of technical resources. From a practical point of view, we recommend managers introduce a participatory process to design a formal policy that builds on established social practices.

Gartner research

Quick Answer: How Can the Digital Workplace Cultivate Team Unity? Promoting team unity is challenging at the best of times, and with the hybrid model of work picking up steam, team members are stretched across geographies, timezones and projects. Digital workplace leaders can help organizations cultivate high-performing teams by delivering five key elements.
Quick Answer: How Can the Digital Workplace Connect Employees to Organizational Culture? An organization’s culture influences employee workplace perceptions. With only one in four employees feeling connected to their organization, application leaders responsible for the digital workplace must partner with relevant business groups to improve awareness of cultural activities and value.