Unit 5

Crisis, International and Group Communication

Negative News and Crisis Communication

Communication is constant therefore when an emergency arises; rumors can spin
out of control.
Emotions can run high, feelings can be hurt, and in some cases lives can tragically
be lost.
Negative news is something that an audience does not want to hear or receive.
However, in an emergency situation or a time when bad news must be delivered, it
is important that the news be shared as effectively and clearly as possible.
This delivery can help to maintain established relationships with employees, the
public, and other stakeholders.
Choosing how to deliver the message can influence its response a great deal. Some
people prefer their bad news to be direct and concise, at one shot. Others may
prefer a less direct approach with a little touchy language.
Feedback is a very helpful tool to expose the negative news so as to avert the
problems, safeguard the valuable relationships and achieve paradigm shifts.
Feedback may be qualitative or quantitative and may be requested through open-
ended or closed-ended questions.

There are seven goals to keep in mind when delivering negative news, in
person or in written form:
• Be clear and concise so that additional clarification is not required.
• Help the receiver understand and accept the news.
 • Maintain trust and respect for the business or organization and for the
receiver.
• Avoid legal liability or admission of guilt or culpability.
• Maintain the relationship, even if a formal association is being terminated.
• Reduce the anxiety associated with the negative news to increase
comprehension.
• Achieve the designated business outcome.

Crisis Communication Plan

The plan should include four elements:
i) Crisis communication team members with contact information: The team
members can decide what actions to take, carry out those actions and offer
expertise or education in the relevant areas.
ii) Designated spokesperson: A person needs to be designated as the
spokesperson that will listen to everyone and then speak the common point.
This prevents issues like egocentric behavior, chorus talking, indecisiveness,
etc.
iii) Meeting place/location: A place where un-disturbed meeting and planning
can be done is required for such a plan. This could be the place which is
comfortable to all the team members to reach.
iv) Media plan with procedures: Media is the one thing that needs to be taken
care of to avoid rumors passing on and to enable spreading of the correct and
confirmed news.

Intercultural & International Business Communication

Nation to nation and culture to culture the way the business is conducted
differs.
Hence in order to strengthen business communication across cultures and
across nations, some common ground has to be reached.
Consequently, business relations are enhanced when managerial, sales, and
technical personnel are trained to be aware of areas likely to create
communication difficulties and conflict across cultures.
Similarly, international communication is strengthened when business
people can anticipate areas of commonality.
Finally, business in general is enhanced when people from different cultures
find new approaches to old problems, creating solutions by combining
cultural perspectives and learning to see issues from the viewpoint of others.
In spite of trying hard enough to enhance business communication, problems
are bound to arise.
Ethnocentrism is the term that refers to the problems in business
communication conducted across cultures that arise when participants from
one culture are unable to understand culturally determined differences in
communication practices, traditions, and thought processing.
At the most fundamental level, problems may occur when one or more of the
people involved cling to an ethnocentric view of how to conduct business.
Ethnocentrism is the belief that one's own cultural group is somehow
innately superior to others.
Ethnocentrism is deceptive because members of any culture perceive their
own behavior as logical, since that behavior works for them. People tend to
believe that the values of the culture around them are absolute values.
International business practitioners must be careful in conducting business
communication across cultures. One needs to understand how the perception
 of a given message changes depending on the culturally determined
viewpoint of those communicating.

Factors affecting cross-cultural business communication

The communication process in international business settings is filtered through a
range of variables. These include language, environment, technology, social
organization, social history, conceptions of authority, and nonverbal
communication behavior.
By assessing in advance the roles these variables play in business communication,
one can improve one's ability to convey messages and conduct business with
individuals in a wide range of cultures.
1. Language
Language is one of the most often cited barriers in cross-cultural business
communication.
This is the reason why business consultants counsel their clients to take the
necessary steps to enlist the services of a good translator.
Some unwanted attitudes toward accents and dialects also create barriers in
international business communication. The view that a particular accent
suggests loyalty or familiarity to a nation or region is very common in many
languages. The use of Parisian French in Quebec, of Mexican Spanish in
Spain, or sub-continental Indian English in the United States are all
noticeable, and may suggest a lack of familiarity, even if the user is fluent.
National prejudices and class discriminations are most often reinforced
through sociolinguistics—the social patterning of language. Some cultures
use sociolinguistics to differentiate one economic class from another. These
distinctions are often unknown by foreigners.
2. Environment and Technology
The ways in which people use the resources available to them may vary
considerably from culture to culture.
Many environmental factors like climate, topography, population size and
density, and the relative availability of natural resources contribute to the
notions of transportation and logistics, settlement, and territorial
organization are affected by topography and climate. For example, a
mountainous country with an abundance of natural waterways will almost
certainly develop shipping-oriented modes of transportation whereas a dry,
land-locked region marked by relatively flat terrain would concentrate on
roadways, railroads, and other land-oriented options.
Some people fail to modify their cross-cultural communications to
understand environmental differences because of inflexibility toward
culturally learned views of technology, while cultures have widely divergent
views of technology and its role in the world.
In some places technology is viewed as an innately positive means for
controlling the environment. In some other places the environment is viewed
as innately positive, and technology is viewed with some skepticism. While
in some other places a balance is attempted between the use of technology
and the existing environment. In these cultures, neither technology nor the
environment are innately good and members of such cultures see themselves
as part of the environment in which they live, being neither subject to it nor
master of it.

3. Social Organization and History

Social organization is often determined as per the culture.
Issues such as nepotism and kinship ties, educational values, class structure
and social mobility, job status and economic stratification, religious ties,
 political affiliation, gender differences, racism and other prejudices, attitudes
toward work, and recreational or work institutions arises because people
believe that the views held in their respective culture is universal.
All of these areas have far-reaching implications for business practice.
It is often difficult to prevent business communication from a judgmental
bias when social organization varies markedly. To conduct business on a
daily basis, it is necessary to work within the restraints of that culture to
succeed.
4. Conceptions of Authority
Every culture has its own distribution of authority in their society. Thought
process of the authority in a given society affect business communication
significantly, since they decide the way of working and transfer of messages
based on the relative status or rank of the message sender and receiver.
In some culture, the decision could be made independently or in some other
culture decision making could be relied on the authority.
5. Nonverbal Communication
Knowledge of a culture conveyed through verbal communication represents
only a portion of what that person has communicated. Whereas some other
portion of it is conveyed through nonverbal communication like body
language, clothing choices, eye contact, touching behavior, and conceptions
of personal space, no matter what the culture. Not understanding non-verbal
communication results in less understanding of cross-cultural business
communication.

Group Communication
As human beings, we tend to be social. Spend time around people. Communicate,
do friendships and make relationships.
When communication occurs between two persons, it is called interpersonal
communication.
On the other hand, when more than two individuals are involved, it is called group
communication. Groups such as families, work teams, friendship circles,
committees, and teams are some examples. Groups may overlap and share
common goals and objectives.
An individual may belong to one or many groups.
In a group, people around may strongly influence the thoughts, feelings, and
behaviors of an individual. In a group, an individual experiences and understands
the world.
A group is defined by the number of people sharing common goals which
distinguish them from other groups based on behavior patterns and interpersonal
relationships.
Similar to crowd, a group focuses/gathers to look a particular interest. While on the
other hand, dissimilar to the crowd, a group is more than just a collection of
people. There are common goals to accomplish.
Similar to an organization, a group has a particular set of rules that lead to the
accomplishment of common goals. But dissimilarly, members of a group usually
know each other, and there are developed informal rules.
A group is similar to an interpersonal pairing of two persons in a sense that group
members interact and are influenced by each other on a personal level. A group is
dissimilar to an interpersonal relationship in a way that three or more people in a
group may have typical relationship or goals which may be missing from an ideal
interpersonal relationship of three or more people.
Group communication is interaction and exchange of information between
culturally, geographically or linguistically alike people who are a member of a
group.
While running a business or an organization, there can be different groups based
upon their inclinations, job profiles, responsibilities, hierarchy, etc. With the right
use of Group Communication, an organization can channelize its resources towards
accomplishing goals in a more organized and result-driven manner.
In an organization, group communication may be defined as the mode by which
the employees and employers, team members communicate with each other. In
a market, it can be defined as how a business interacts with its targeted customers.

 Verbal and Non-Verbal Group Communication

Communication using both verbal and non-verbal mode is equally important
because it is through this communication that group members can participate
in determining goals, making decisions and solving problems.
For example, in a soccer game, a referee uses both his words and hand
gestures to communicate the status of the game to the players at various
points of time.
 Quality Group Communication
Quality of communication between the members of a group is an essential
factor in making decisions and achieving goals. To achieve this, the group
members must possess a sense of belonging and mutual respect to each other
along with common goals. The quality of messages can also determine the
roles played by each member of the group.
 Group Norms in Group Communication
Group norms are standards, customs, and behavioral expectations. These are
self and group imposed expectations.
 Psychologies associated with Group Communication
The more a group discusses, the more, it tends to polarize into two extreme
opinions.
The group either takes cautious decisions, or it takes risky decisions.
It is typical human behavior that a person wants to appear to have made the
right choices. Therefore the group members may shift their stand in the
position that the whole group favors. More communication, in that case,
becomes harmful than less communication.
 Advantages of Group Communication
The primary purpose of group communication is to share information.
A group may communicate to manage conflicts or make decisions to
overcome the difficult circumstances. The exchange of ideas decides the
future of the group and the goals which a group can achieve.
For example, the way the family members share problems and discuss them
to solve decides the kind of bond they have and the respect they show to
each other.
Group communication helps in generation of ideas because of the different
viewpoints that create a valuable knowledge pool for the organization.
Group Communication helps the organization come up with more
comprehensive solutions.
A group interacting with superior authorities about some common issues like
pay raise, chances of favorable outcomes compared to an individual
interacting with top management for similar issues
 Disadvantages of Group Communication
In the cases, where a few dominate over others, sharing of actual and
accurate points of view may not take place.
Personally related group members of may get involved in personal
discussion leading them to deviate from the company goals, thus affecting
personal goals.
Teamwork and Leadership
Two very important aspects of group communication, especially in the business
environment, are teamwork and leadership.
Sometimes you are working in a team. Some other times, observing your
communication skills, you may be called on to lead. You may emerge to that role
as the group recognizes your specific skill set in relation to the task, or you may be
appointed to a position of responsibility for yourself and others.
Your communication skills will be your foundation for success as a member and as
a leader. Listen and seek to understand both the task and your group members.
Know that leading and following are both integral aspects of effective teamwork.

Teamwork
Teamwork is a compound word, combining team and work.
Teams are a form of group normally dedicated to production or problem
solving. That leaves us with the work. Each member of the team has skills,
talents, experience, and education. Each is expected to contribute.
Work is the activity, and while it may be fun or engaging, it also requires
effort and commitment, as there is a schedule for production with individual
and group responsibilities.
Teamwork is the collaborative effort of a group to achieve a common goal or
to complete a task in the most effective and efficient way.
Group communication is the base of teamwork.
While talking about the significance of teamwork, Andrew Carnegie says-
“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. It offers
the ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational
objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon
results.”
Teams can often achieve higher levels of performance than individuals
because of the combined energies and talents of the members. Collaboration
can produce motivation and creativity that may not be present in single-
contractor projects.
Following things should be considered while setting a good team.
 Select team members wisely
 Select a responsible leader
 Promote cooperation
 Clarify goals
 Elicit commitment
 Clarify responsibilities
 Instill prompt action
 Apply technology
 Ensure technological compatibility
 Provide prompt feedback

Group dynamics involve the interactions and processes of a team and

influence the degree to which members feel a part of the goal and mission.
Too much or too little control over individual members has its own impacts
over the productivity.
The balance between motivation and encouragement, and control and
influence, is challenging as team members represent diverse viewpoints and
approaches to the problem.
Teamwork involves teams and work, and group dynamics play an integral
role in their function and production.
Leadership
Leadership comes in many forms and representations.
Leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act toward achieving
a common goal. In a business setting, this can mean directing workers and
colleagues with a strategy to meet the company's needs.
Leaders take on the role because they are appointed, elected, or emerge into
the role. The group members play an important role in this process.
An appointed leader is designated by an authority to serve in that capacity,
irrespective of the thoughts or wishes of the group. They may serve as the
leader and accomplish all the designated tasks, but if the group does not
accept their role as leader, it can prove to be a challenge.
As Bruce TuckmanTuckman, B. (1965). Developmental sequence in small
groups. Psychological Bulletin, 63, 384–399. notes, “storming” occurs as
group members come to know each other and communicate more freely and
an appointed leader who lacks the endorsement of the group may experience
challenges to his or her authority.
A democratic leader is elected or chosen by the group. The democratic
leader involves the group in the decision-making process, and insures group
ownership of the resulting decisions and actions as a result. Open and free
discussions are representative of this process, and the democratic leader
acknowledges this diversity of opinion. If the democratic leader fails to
bring the group together, or does not represent the whole group, subgroups
may form, each with an informal leader serving as spokesperson.
An emergent leader grows into the role, often out of necessity. In this case,
leadership develops over time as a result of group’s interaction. The
individual acquires emergent leadership through the support and acceptance
of other people in the organization and it is the “emergent leader” who is
most respected and most followed in any leadership setting.
Types of Leaders
The autocratic leader is self-directed and often establishes norms and
conduct for the group. They control all the decisions and takes very
little inputs from other group members. They have earned their role
through time, effort, and experience and know their job.
In contrast to the autocrat is the laissez-faire, or “live and let live”
leader who recognizes this aspect of working with professionals and
may choose to focus efforts on providing the professors with the tools
they need to make a positive impact. Balancing the need for control
with the need for space is the challenge of the laissez-faire leader.
Apart from these, we have some other categorization of leaders.
Thomas Harris and John Sherblom Harris, T., & Sherblom, J.
(1999). Small group and team communication. Boston, MA: Allyn &
Bacon specifically note three leadership styles that characterize the
modern business or organization, and reflect our modern economy.
We are not born leaders but may become them if the context or
environment requires our skill set.
A leader-as-technician role often occurs when we have skills that
others do not.
The leader-as-conductor involves a central role of bringing people
together for a common goal.
A leader-as-coach combines many of the talents and skills we’ve
discussed here, serving as a teacher, motivator, and keeper of the goals
of the group. A coach may be autocratic at times, give pointed
direction without input from the group, and stand on the sidelines
while the players do what they’ve been trained to do and make the
points. The coach may look out for the group and defend it against bad
calls, and may motivate players with words of encouragement.
Writing Effective Routine and Positive Messages

It is very crucial that you being a leader know how to write an effective message.

Routine messages are considered positive in situations when the reader will be
pleased, interested, or feel neutral about the message. They provide information
regarding who, when, what, where, why and how of daily happenings in the work
place.

Positive message is a type of communication that provides good news, acceptance

or congratulations in the work place.

It’s a three step process to write routine and positive messages.

Step 1: Planning: Analyze the situation, gather information, and select the
right medium for the messages.

Step 2: Writing: Adapt to the audience. Open by stating the request or main
idea, give necessary details in the body, close with a cordial request for
specific action.

Step 3: Completing: Revise, produce, proofread and distribute it.

Strategy for writing routine replies and positive messages

 An opening, a body and a close

 Place your main idea in the body, use the body to explain all relevant
details, and close cordially
 Use the direct approach for positive messages
 Prepare your audience for the detail that follows by beginning your
positive message with the main idea or good news.
 Look for ways to present negative information in a positive context.
 Make sure audience members understand what to do next and how
that action will benefit them.