Lecture Notes
Chapter 8: Technology in the Workplace
Learning Objectives
8.1. Discuss the impact technology has on business and professional communication
8.2. Explain how emotion is expressed with technology
8.3. Discuss how the drawbacks of technology can prevent you from excelling as a professional
8.4. Explain how to use professional etiquette with technology
8.5. Apply the KEYS approach to achieve professional excellence regarding communication
and technology
Chapter Summary
Chapter 8 discusses the impact technology has on business and professional communication. It
explains how emotion is expressed with technology. It also discusses how the drawbacks of
technology can prevent you from excelling as a professional. In addition, this chapter explains
how to use professional etiquette with technology. Finally, it explains how to apply the KEYS
approach to achieve professional excellence regarding communication and technology.
Chapter Outline
I. Communication and Technology: Tools for Professionals
A. Maintaining Professional Excellence Online
1. Social networking can be a tool for sharing information and maintaining
professional connections.
2. Learn to assess and improve your effectiveness when utilizing technology in
your communication.
3. The way people present themselves online does matter in professional life.
B. Electronic Communication
1. Every change in technology brings new challenges.
2. Email can be used in negative and positive ways.
II. Drawbacks of Technology
A. Employee Surveillance
1. Know how privacy is managed in the workplace and organizational culture.
2. Workplace surveillance systems monitor and track employee behavior in
terms of the information they access or communicate while at work.
a. Purpose of workplace surveillance is to alleviate productivity concerns
and discourage viewing personal information or pornography at work.
b. Employees are sometimes asked to waive their privacy rights when it
comes to using work-related email.
B. Time Management
1. Chronemics is the study of time in communication and/or as a communication
function.
2. Communication technology can make employees more efficient while
simultaneously increasing their workload.
3. Technology helps professionals be more productive and stay connected with
clients, respond quickly, and accomplish tasks despite geographic distance and
travel time.
4. Unplugged—a term referring to the avoidance of checking email, sending text
messages, watching television, or answering the phone
C. Information Overload
1. Information overload occurs when information, requests for feedback, taking
on new projects, responding to questions, answering the phone, and dealing with
family matters leave us feeling as though things are spinning out of control.
2. Contributions to information overload include the following:
a. Email forwards like virus alerts, jokes, and pictures contribute to
overload.
b. Spam or junk email sent by “spammers” contributes to overload.
c. Phishing, meaning the sending of authentic-looking but fraudulent
emails designed to steal personal information, contributes to overload.
D. Electronic Aggression
1. Electronic communication allows people in workplaces to sit behind digital
devices and fire off responses.
2. Email dialogues, or exchanges of messages about a topic using electronic tools
like email, can lead to positive outcomes.
3. Electronic aggression is a form of aggressive communication filled with
emotionality when interacting on professional topics.
4. Email flame is a hostile message that is blunt, rude, insensitive, or obscene,
can fuel the aggression.
5. Aggressive messages might be posted to corporate blogs, listserv—a computer
service that facilitates discussions by connecting people who share common
interests, or on an electronic bulletin board.
III. Social Media and Technology: Key Challenges in the Communication Age
A. Common Challenges in the Information Age
1. Knowing when to use computer-mediated communication or face-to-face
communication can be challenging.
a. New media are inhibited in their ability to transmit nonverbal cues of
intimacy and familiarity.
b. When is it appropriate to use face-to-face or computer-mediated
communication?
2. Practicing cultural sensitivity can be difficult.
a. Intercultural communication involves the communication between and
among individuals and groups across national and ethnic boundaries.
b. Understanding this type of communication can put you head-over-heels
above other professionals in your organization.
3. Information overload can negatively affect your work and health.
a. The price we pay for convenience and immediacy with computer-
mediated communication is the difficulty of disconnecting from it.
b. Information overload is when you are exposed to more messages than
you can process.
IV. Professional Etiquette With Technology
A. Think About Professional Etiquette
1. Have you ever been distracted by other person’s use of technology?
2. Think about how the use of technology (e.g., talking, texting, tweeting, gaming,
online social networking) can disrupt the workplace experience.
V. KEYS to Excellence With Communication and Technology
A. Know Yourself
1. Professional excellence entails improving your communication.
B. Evaluate the Professional Context
1. Become aware of your professional context as well as how you come across to
people when sending information via email.
C. Your Communication Interaction
1. Work to become a more professional communicator.
D. Step Back and Reflect
1. Reflect on your communication as you meet new hires or send out information
to your team using technology.