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Kinicki/Williams, Management, 9e: Chapter 15 Interpersonal and Organizational Communication: Mastering the
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Nondefensive Communication
● Defensive communication is either aggressive, attacking, angry communication
or passive, withdrawing communication.
● Nondefensive communication is assertive, direct, and powerful.
● Table 15.9 describes antecedents of defensive and nondefensive
communication.
● Some steps to achieving nondefensive communication are: build relationships
first, frame your message into terms that acknowledge the receiver's point of
view, free yourself of prejudice and bias, practice full disclosure, and pick a time
and place conducive to communicating and listening.
SELF-ASSESSMENT 15.4
Does Your Organization Have a Supportive or Defensive
Communication Climate?
This 14-question self-assessment measures an organization’s supportive or
defensive communication climate. Questions on listening, expression of opinions,
and influence are presented.
Connect® Exercise
CLICK AND DRAG: Defensive and Nondefensive Communication
Summary of Activity:
In this Click and Drag exercise, students will properly categorize examples of
defensive and nondefensive communication.
Empathy
● Empathy is the ability to recognize and understand another person's feelings
and thoughts.
● Empathy is a reflective technique that fosters open communication.
● Being empathetic requires two key actions: mindfulness and incorporating your
understanding of another person's feelings and thoughts into your
communications.
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● Empathy leads to more effective communication and interaction because people
feel heard, and it sends the message that we care about others.
● Studies show that everyone can learn empathy with training and practice.
Being an Effective Listener
● Active listening is the process of actively decoding and interpreting verbal
messages.
● It requires full attention and processing of information.
● Listening is a cornerstone skill of communication competence.
Connect® Exercise
CLICK AND DRAG: Listening Styles
Summary of Activity:
In this Click and Drag exercise, students will match the various tips listening styles
with their appropriate examples
● Effective listening is a learned skill, though it takes energy and desire to develop
it.
● Table 15.10 has some suggestions for increasing your listening skills.
Connect® Exercise
CLICK AND DRAG: Tips for Effective Listening
Summary of Activity:
In this Click and Drag exercise, students will match the various tips for effective
listening with their corresponding descriptions.
SELF-ASSESSMENT 15.5 CAREER READINESS
Assessing Your Listening Style
CAREER
READINESS
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This 10-question self-assessment measures students’ listening styles at school,
work, and home. Questions on listening to speaker intent, understanding the
message, and biases are presented.
Being an Effective Writer
● Given that e-mail and texting have replaced the telephone in so much of
business communication, writing is an essential management skill.
● Recommendations for writing business communications more effectively include:
o Start by telling your purpose and stating what you expect of the reader.
● Table15.11 presents other recommendations for business writing, both online
and offline.
Being an Effective Speaker
● Being an effective speaker is one of the greatest skills you can have.
● One can do away with a great deal of anxiety about speaking in public by
knowing what and how to prepare.
● Dale Carnegie’s classic advice for the content of a presentation still holds: (1)
Tell them what you’re going to say. (2) Say it. (3) Tell them what you said.
o The introduction should prepare the audience for the rest of the speech.
Group Exercise #2: Observing Group Communication
There is a group exercise available at the end of this manual that provides students
with the opportunity to observe the communication process within a group.
Exercise Objectives
● To observe the communication process within a group, identifying strengths
and weaknesses.
● To get individual feedback on communication skills.
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Connect® Exercise
CASE ANALYSIS: Nokia Actively Uses Social Media to Communicate
Summary of Activity:
In this case analysis, students will first read a case on Nokia’s digital communication
strategy. Then, they will respond to 4 multiple choice questions to measure
comprehension.
Follow-Up Activity:
Instructor should break students into groups of four to five. Each group is tasked with
discussing how the internet changes the dynamics of relationships, policies and
procedures by answering these two questions:
1. What are the possible advantages or disadvantages? Groups should be
encouraged to share and discuss how the rapid development of technology
and how it is utilized affects the business.
2. What are the pros and cons of Nokia’s BlogHub and VideoHub?
PowerPoint Slides:
Section 15.6 describes techniques for improving the career readiness competency of
networking. Networking is the ability to build and maintain a strong, broad professional
network of relationships. The first step to improving your networking skills is to create a
positive mindset. If you have a negative attitude about networking, you are not likely to
have a favorable experience when you network. You should view networking as a way
to make more friends and connect with people with similar interests. The second step is
to identify a few people who would be able to help you achieve your short-term and
long-term career goals. These people should be the focus on your networking efforts.
Next, you want to network with a purpose. When at an event where the main focus is
networking, you want to spend time interacting with people who you already know,
people with whom you have ‘weak ties,’ and aim to meet new people. You don’t have to
spend all of your energy trying to meet strangers with whom you don’t have any
common interests and who can’t help you. Next, you want to focus on having
meaningful conversations by asking questions that will build personal connections. Ask
good questions such as “What excites you right now?” or “What are you looking forward
to?” rather than “Where do you work?” Next be present and mindful in your current
conversation rather than scanning the room for the person who you would like to meet
next. Finally, follow up with those individuals you found particularly interesting or would
like to see again. Ask them to join your LinkedIn network, or send them a text, e-mail or
handwritten notes.
15.6 Career Corner: Managing Your Career Readiness
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One way that you could begin your coverage of these topics is to have the students
watch the Wall Street Journal video “A CEO's 5 Tips to Becoming a Better Networker.”
In this approximately 2-mintue video, Pradeep Aradhya, CEO of Novus Laurus,
discusses his personal best practices which have help him, an introvert, become an
excellent networker. For a supplemental activity, you could have the students do a
classroom “speed networking” exercise. Similar to a “speed dating” event, have a
student talk to another student for three minutes with the goal of creating a comfortable
Topics and Tips for Discussion:
Why is networking an important skill for managers?
Even though most people understand the value of networking while looking for a job,
it is also very important in helping managers do their jobs. By networking, a
manager may gain insights into new perspectives or different ideas on how to handle
Why do so many people seem to have negative attitudes about networking?
People often find networking intimidating and inauthentic. They may doubt that they
have anything interesting to say about themselves or have fears that the people they
How can you best engage in social networking, using platforms such as LinkedIn?
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want to nurture your LinkedIn connections and check for messages often and
respond to them quickly.
Section 15.6 Key Concepts:
Communication is a career readiness competency that requires the application of 12
competencies from the model of career readiness.
• We are going to focus on the competency of networking because it plays a key
role in getting a job after graduation and requires good communication skills.
• Networking is the ability to build and maintain a strong, broad professional
network of relationships. It typically requires developing and using contacts from
one context in another.
Improve Your Face-to-Face Networking Skills
1. Create a Positive Mindset - Pursue a more positive attitude by eliminating the
2. Identify Your Career Goals - Before doing any networking, you need to be clear
3. Network with a Purpose - Have a purpose for attending networking events.
4. Build Personal Connections - The key is to draw people into meaningful
5. Be Mindful - Maintain eye contact with those with whom you are conversing, and
6. Follow-Up - Be sure to follow up with those individuals you found particularly
7.
Connect® Exercise
CLICK AND DRAG: Improving Your Face-to-Face Networking Skills
Summary of Activity:
In this Click and Drag exercise, students will match the different tips for improving
face-to-face networking with their appropriate examples.
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Career Corner Group Exercise #1: Giving and Receiving Feedback
Learning Objective
To improve student ability to give and receive feedback.
Click to view activity.
CAREER
READINESS
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Problem-Solving Perspective
1. What is the underlying problem in this case from an event-planning perspective?
2. What were the causes of this problem?
3. What recommendations would you make to someone trying to execute a similar idea in
the future?
Application of Chapter Content
1. What kinds of vertical and horizontal communication errors did McFarland make while
attempting to plan the festival?
2. What do you see as the biggest barriers to communication in this situation?
MANAGEMENT IN ACTION: Fyre and Fury
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Copyright © 2020 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of
McGraw-Hill Education.
and others refused to tell attendees about the deal-breaking issues (even though they told
performers about them in advance).
3. How did McFarland’s background and lack of experience affect the way he processed the
messages he received during planning?
4. Would you say McFarland was ultimately effective or ineffective at using social media?
Explain.
5. Do you think McFarland could have successfully executed this event if he had been a
better communicator? What, specifically, would have to change?
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Was the Firing of Curt Schilling for His Social Media Post Fair?
SOLVING THE CHALLENGE
Do you think it was fair for ESPN to fire Curt Schilling for expressing his views on social
media?
1. No. ESPN was displaying political correctness rather than supporting one
of its employee’s rights to express his views about transgender bathroom
rights. He should be reinstated.
2. Yes. ESPN told its employees not to make political statements, and
Schilling clearly ignored this recommendation. People in the broadcasting
industry need to be very careful when communicating.
3. Invent other options.
LEGAL/ETHICAL CHALLENGE
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EXAMPLE: Secrecy and Silence
This Example profiles the Volkswagen and Theranos scandals. It seems that a lot of
what happened at these organizations can be attributed to a culture of silence.
YOUR CALL
In terms of the communications process modeled in figure 15.1, do you think a
“culture of silence” can constitute a form of noise? What about the “silo”
effect? At what other point or point in the communication model do you think
silence and secrecy can interfere with communication?
Students should easily be able to identify the “culture of silence” and “silo”
effects as types of noise in the communication process. Remind them that
Noise is “any disturbance that interferes with the transmission of a message.”
Have them identify at which point in the communication process each of these
interfered with effective communication. Then have them consider each of the
other elements in the process and discuss how secrecy or silence at each
point could interfere with effective communication.
Additional Activities:
A fun way to reinforce the importance of “noise” in miscommunication is to show the
“200 Oxen” commercial produced by Sprint Communications in the early 2000s. This
video is only 30 seconds long but can start a fruitful discussion of noise issues in
digital communication. After your students have stopped laughing, consider asking
• Can generational differences in communication preferences increase the
possibility of communication failures?
• Can the medium you choose contribute to noise?
EXAMPLE: Personal and Cross-Cultural Barriers to Communication Can
Adversely Affect an Organization
This Example details culturally based miscommunication by Dove Soap, Wendy’s,
and Tesco Markets. It demonstrates how easily a company’s marketing and
advertising can rebound and cause reputational problems for organizations.
TEXTBOOK EXAMPLES
Kinicki/Williams, Management, 9e: Chapter 15 Interpersonal and Organizational Communication: Mastering the
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YOUR CALL:
How would you attempt to recover from a personal or cross-cultural gaffe?
Students will probably start by saying they would apologize. Then they will
suggest they should try to understand “why” the gaffe occurred and try to
assure the other person that they will try to be more sensitive and careful in the
future. You can point out that this may be easier to accomplish in a one-to-one
situation than in an organizational situation. When an organization makes such
a gaffe, it can be extremely difficult to apologize. On the internet such gaffes
are repeated frequently months even years later, yet the apology may not be.
being stationed overseas.
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES:
cultural communication, norms, and expectations in business. Among the
many concepts Smit examines are humor, organizational structure, power
distance, stereotypes, and uncertainty avoidance. .He shows how these can
impact business dealings across cultures. Lead a discussion utilizing questions
such as:
a. Why do people use stereotypes when talking about people from other
cultures? Tell me some cultural stereotypes you have heard about your
culture. How does it make you feel?
b. What is the greatest insight you got from this talk? What do you think is
the most important thing to understand about other cultures to avoid
misunderstandings?
c. Smit talks about culture as the “collective programming of the human
mind.” How can organizations protect themselves from making cross-
cultural mistakes due to this “collective programming?”
2. Have students access “Hall of shame: More multicultural brand blunders,”
and/or Some Humorous Cross-Cultural Advertising Gaffes! These two articles
detail some quite bad marketing blunders around the world. Have students
identify the types of blunders being made based on the sections in the text on
Personal Barriers and Cross-Cultural Barriers. If you use these articles along
with the TEDx talk in part 1, consider asking students to identify which
elements in Smit’s talk explain why these misunderstandings occur.
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EXAMPLE: TD Bank Dominates Social Media
This Example focuses on how on particular bank, Toronto-Dominion – the 11th largest
bank in the US—is leveraging social media to remain connected with customers. The
Example points out that with ever increasing numbers of customers banking online
and through ATMs rather than in person in local branches, banks need to find new
ways to connect with customers. TD Bank gives individually customized gifts to
customers to show how TD knows and values them. TD also maintains a rapid
response online presence to answer questions and conducts online financial
management seminars.
demonstrate their competence at developing and maintaining the site for
customer service and interaction. Sloppy website or websites that are not kept
up to date can damage their brands as well as their customer relationships.2)
For a company to have a successful online presence, they need customers
who are tech savvy and able to take advantage of the site.
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES:
One way to expand on this Example is to have your students read “The Digital
for an individual (see the Practical Action: Building Your Own Personal Social Media
Brand), but also as an organization. This article advises on mistakes to avoid when
developing and maintaining your online brand. It emphasizes putting forth the effort
and resources to develop and fully realized digital identity.
After your students have read the article, have them meet in groups to develop
answers to the following questions. Then lead a class discussion comparing the
answers developed by the groups.
• What is the difference between Pay Per Click (PPC) campaigns and Search
• Why is it important to focus on your digital identity as a firm? Discuss the
advantages of a-well managed digital identity.
• How can companies optimize their online presence? What do they need to
enable access by the greatest number of potential customers?
• Imagine you are starting your own business, where would you start in
developing a digital identity? What are the most important first steps you would
take? Why are these the most important steps?
Kinicki/Williams, Management, 9e: Chapter 15 Interpersonal and Organizational Communication: Mastering the
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EXAMPLE: A Sampling of Social Media Policies
This Example provides selected provisions from some prominent companies' social
media policies. Organizations include Adidas, Best Buy, and HP.
YOUR CALL
One writer says that since employees today are unable to fully separate their
personal posts from the reputation of their organization, each one is, in effect,
“a mouthpiece, a critic, a supporter, a case in point, and endorsement, a
walking billboard.” Do you agree or disagree? Do you think having a social
media policy can effectively mitigate the dangers of allowing employees to fill
these roles?
Student agreement on the statement may vary. Whether or not a student
agrees, it is important to understand that social media policies are important.
On the one hand, they should not overly limit social media use or statements,
as you then get into freedom of speech rules. On the other hand, they should
also defend an organization’s reputation, and when commercial interests are at
stake, employees should have some limitations, especially on trade secrets
and other matters. All employees should not be mouthpieces for an
organization, only certain ones should be authorized to do this. This is just
another reason why sound social media policies are important.
Additional Activities:
One way to build on this Example is to have the students read The Wall Street
Journal article “What Celebrities Can Teach Companies About Social Media.” This
article and its corresponding 4-minute video profile how the social media strategies of
celebrities can help businesses as they build and maintain their brands online.
Consider using the following discussion questions:
Thinking of your current or most recent employer, provide recommendations for
social media to drive sales without being “overly promotional.”
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PRACTICAL ACTION: How to Streamline Meetings
This Practical Action sets out clear guidelines for both meeting leaders and
participants so they act before, during, and after meetings in ways that make
meetings more productive.
YOUR CALL
Do you think it makes sense to have a policy that all meetings must end in five
minutes? Why?
Students will most likely think limiting meetings to such a short amount of time
would not be very productive. They will wonder how much can really be done
in such a short amount of time. Ask them to think of when 5-minute meetings
might be appropriate.
Do you have any additional suggestions about making meetings more
effective?
Have students consider meetings they have attended, at work or as part of
student teams. What frustrated them in these meetings? Ask them to try to be
specific. Then have them think of a way to avoid such a situation. Have them
link their fix to the specific problem. Then ask them if they can generalize from
This Practical Action includes some great advice for running meetings. Does it apply
to virtual meetings? Here is a way to introduce students to this topic. Have them
watch “A Conference Call in Real Life.” This 4-minute video demonstrates the pitfalls
of a virtual meeting. Next, have them go online and find tips for running a virtual
meeting. Lead a discussion based on questions such as these:
• What communication problems did you see in the video? Would these same
types of problems occur in face-to-face meetings? Explain.
• Did the tips you found online for running effective virtual meetings address the
issues you saw in the video? Would they have helped prevent or alleviate
them?
• Would the behaviors suggested in the Practical Action translate into effective
behaviors for virtual meetings?
PRACTICAL ACTION: Improving Communications between Men and Women
TEXTBOOK PRACTICAL ACTIONS
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Copyright © 2020 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of
McGraw-Hill Education.
This Practical Actions describes four ways in which men and women can improve
their cross gender communication. These include making sure task instructions are
clear, balancing how much you need to say, striking a happy medium between
relationships and power, and recognizing that people don’t all listen in the same way.
YOUR CALL
What do you think are the biggest challenges in cross-gender communication?
Do you think both males and females should flex to the tendencies of the other
gender?
These questions are sure to lead to a spirited discussion. Ask students to give
detailed examples of miscommunications they have had with the other gender.
Ask students for examples both from their personal experience and from their
work experience. You might also ask if they see any differences in how male
and female professors communicate. Do those differences reflect any of the
differences discussed in the Practical Action?
Additional Activities:
One way to build on this Practical Action is to ask students to read the seminal article
on differences in gender communication by Deborah Tannen: “The Power of Talk:
Who Gets Heard and Why.” This article appeared originally in the Harvard Business
Review in September, 1995. It is just as powerful today. Consider asking students:
• What is meant by being in a one-up versus a one-down position? Does
this explain why men never seem to want to ask for directions?
• After reading this article, what do you understand about communicating
with the other gender that baffled you before?
• As a manager, how would understanding the differences in gender
communication help you?
• What elements of the Practical Action reflect what you learned in this
article?
PRACTICAL ACTION: Building Your Personal Social Media Brand
This Practical action gives four more important pieces of advice for developing and
promoting your individual brand: 1) optimize your profile; 2) follow companies that
interest you; 3) Participate in industry-related chat rooms and discussion groups; and
4) edit your general online social presence.
Students will frequently have two or three companies they are interested in.
Ask them why? What is it about a company’s image (brand) that attracts them?
What is it about themselves that would fit into the company’s image? What
wouldn’t? The answers to this Your Call will be extremely specific to each
student. Encourage them to think both broadly and specifically about their
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chosen companies’ brand images. What is the broad, overall feel of the
company? How is that broad image shown in smaller, more specific ways by
the company? Have them connect their responses to why the company attracts
them.
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES:
Here are two ways to expand this Practical action. You may want to use the first idea
in conjunction with the Your Call feature.
1. Have you students go online and locate the websites of several companies
which they may be interested in working for. You can start them by
recommending they think in terms of industries first. Are they interested in
sports? Movies? Accounting? Financial advising? Consulting? New product
generation? Online gaming? Retail? They can begin by searching the industry,
then narrow their search down to a few specific companies to research. Once
they have several possibilities, consider asking questions such as:
• What specifically interests you about this company?
• How do you think you could contribute to this company?
• How can you change your resume to be more interesting to these
companies? Think specifically about each?
• What types of items will you need on your resume that are not yet
there?
2. A second way to expand on this Practical action is to have the students look
critically at their online presence. As of December 2018, the top social media
sites for job applicants are LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google+,
YouTube, and Pinterest.
• Start students off by having them read Keep It clean: Keep It Clean:
Social Media Screenings Gain in Popularity. Based on a 2018
CareerBuilder survey, this article points out the 70% of employers look
at applicants social media accounts when deciding whether or not to
hire them. This short article gives students some concrete ideas about
how to improve their online presence. Including a section on what
specifically to avoid online.
• After students have read the article, have them take a critical look at
their own online postings. Consider asking them:
i. How many of you found things on your social media accounts
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SELF-ASSESSMENT 15.1 CAREER READINESS
To What Extent Are You Effectively Using Online Social Networking
at Work?
This survey was designed to assess how well students are using social networking in
their jobs.
Student Questions:
1. To what extent is social media helping or hurting your performance at work?
Student responses will differ based on assessment results. The assessment
will cover positive and distracting online social networking use. Some students
will be surprised at how distracting their usage of online social networking is in
the workplace.
2. Based on your survey scores, what can you do to more effectively use social
media at work? Be specific.
Generally, employees should use social media to solve work-problems, not
3. What things might you say during an interview to demonstrate that you
possess the career readiness competency of new media literacy?
Candidates should discuss how they use social media in a positive way (i.e.
Supplementary Activity:
Instructor should open class discussion with the following questions:
a. If so, what are some of the rules?
SELF-ASSESSMENTS
CAREER
READINESS
3) What elements should definitely be included in a social media policy to
balance employee and employer needs?
SELF-ASSESSMENT 15.2
Assessing Social Media Readiness
This Self-Assessment encourages students to reflect on their leadership’s attitude
toward social media.
Student Questions:
1. To what extent is the organization ready for capitalizing on social media?
Student responses will differ based on assessment results.
2. Based on the results, what recommendations would you make to
management about improving the value of social media within the company?
Managers should not only be developing effective social media policies, but
also understanding the value of social media. Students may refer to Section
15.4 for some of the benefits social media brings for employers, when used
effectively.
Supplemental Activity:
placed together, and those with a low score should be placed together.
2) Groups should analyze if organizations they work for, or have worked for in
the past, utilize the social media readiness dimensions provided below.
Specific examples should be written down to share with the class.
o Leadership attitudes toward applying social media in the enterprise
describe both the level of their support and the degree to which social
media is incorporated into enterprise strategy.
• Management
o Management in a social organization supports a spirit of working within
collaborative communities to create open participation to achieve a
• Culture
o The culture in social organizations demonstrates a propensity to
