Business and Organizational Communication Blog

For my final portfolio, I choose 5 of my free creations from class that I really liked, and I also wanted to choose each from different category to reflect everything that I learned from this class better.  1.      communication, meaningful work, identify (Journalistic question)  2.      Difference at work (free-write) 3.      telling tales (story-telling)  4.      is silence killing your company (visual creation) 5.      Image (visual Rhetoric) story: My name is Ayesha Umar, and I am a first-year student at Canadian Mennonite University. Welcome to my blog for business and organizational communication class, I will be posting all of my work here as well as my final portfolio. A few things about me are that I like to play soccer a lot and read some books in my free time. I like the rain but not when it's to a point where soccer games have to be cancelled. I admire the natur...

Who? Organizations and managers should all know about meaning full work and identify the broken loops.  What? Pinpointing problems in areas such as frequent misunderstandings, information blocks, information lacks, information duplication, misrepresentation.  Where? This can be used everywhere within and outside of an organization.  When? It should be used daily, in order to identify a problem to solve it before it’s too big.  How?  Most effective way to fix a broken loop, allows people to stay within their current loop. Asking questions, storytelling can also be useful. Why? To fix the problems that are preventing the organization from being successful and peaceful. 

Maslow's hierarchy of needs come into action when it comes to branding. It’s the theory of motivation that states five categories of human needs dictate an individual’s behavior. Branding is a daily thing, and in order to make the new product appealing to buy, organizations should use Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to connect on a personal level with their customers. Starting with the very first needs that are important to humans and then gradually going down the pyramid can help motivate customers to buy the product. Future of branding is personal, people do business with people that they know, trust and like and branding is very crucial when to comes to it. The way an organization brands its products really shows the environment of the brand. Aristotle’s seven causes of human action are also good add on to creating a brand.  Chance, Nature, Compulsion, Habit, Reason, Passion, and Desire. Doing it better should not be a goal when creating a brand, it should be doing it different! Tha...

there are four steps to create a plan during a time of crisis. the first step is thinking of how you would notify your staff/team. second step would be giving information. third step is to give space for questions. and the fourth step is understand what you shouldn't be saying. Some ways staff can be notified of the situation going on can be through a group chat, email, organizer apps and through meetings that require the whole staff to be there. the staff should know exactly what's going on, so give them the information. allow the staff and the customers to being up questions because in a time of crisis, there can be many rumours going around that would be the best to get cleared up. there should be a communications team in place that allows for whether or not the information being shared is meant to be shared. avoid any promises and the spread of confidential information because that can cause problems in the future. staying silent in a time of a crisis is never the right thi...

  communication network refers to how information flows within the organization, information within an organization generally flows through a system rather than being a free flow. there are two types of communications networks formal and Informal. Formal communication network is the one which is created by the management and describes with the help of an organizational chart. Information in formal communication network is passed through official channels such as memos, bulletins, and emails. Informal communication is like a grapevine. It does not flow in a particular direction, and doesn't go through the official channels like bulletin, memos etc. It's based more on friendship, personal career interests.  For my free creation, I choose to do a visual meme about informal communication slapping the organized information away because of the nature of the communication that it uses. 

Conversations can be stressful for many different reasons. In this chapter of the book, we learn how to take the stress out of them. there are three types of conversations that can be stressful and what you can do to make it less awkward for yourself and the other party. there's breaking bad news which can occur if there a need to address an employee's performance, there's sudden confrontation that can happen from a sudden outburst where both parties are in need to save their face, and the last one is personal attack where your goal should be to fight the tactics of the person rather than the person them-self. all of these can be stressful and knowing the person, yourself and the situation will help with the smoothness of the conversation.   The three communication techniques that can come in handy in a situation like one of the above are identifying the problem, thinking ahead and see what could arise and how you will deal with it. the other one is being prepared which con...

In this chapter of the book, we learned about the many different ways you can develop international business behavior. In the study done in Columbia university school of business it shows that successful executives must have multi-environment and multinational experience to become CEOs in the 21 st  century. The ability to compete in the global economy is the single greatest challenge facing business today. Learning the proper etiquette, manners and intercultural communication is all important when it comes to conducting business into another culture. Some might even say that intercultural communication is no longer an option, but a necessity. Important business decisions usually affect citizens of more than one nation. Global business continues to bring people closer together and expand rapidly, however the most important element to successful global business is the appreciation and respect for the regional, country and the cultural differences.  The names of products can als...

  Communicating gender in Workplace can be important to prevent many of these problems, like unequal pay, sexual harassment and abuse, and other types of discriminations that can take place when it comes to gender. Gender at workplace is very important, as sad as it is people do treat others different when it comes to one’s gender. The benefit of communicating gender at work can apply to both females and males. As the years go by, the percentage of women working is getting higher and this is an important factor to note because it shows us that the role of gender being played is being eliminated. This is also important because the number of women working in “men-based jobs” and the number of men working in “female-based job” is also increasing. They are breaking the stereotypes of what gender should work in what field of a job, which is a huge improvement from if we look at it about 10 to 15 years ago maybe even less. big organizations have only men hired and no females an...

In class we had a presentation about pitching a brilliant idea, and we were told to make a small video about a topic that we are passionate to talk about. It took me a long time to upload this video, not because it was hard to make but because it was hard for me to have a video of me seen by my whole class. To me presenting is easier than having a video that everyone can look back at any time they want, but I glad that we got to do something like this because it made me realize that in future I will need this sort of experience if I want to get my own business. I wish I had upload it sooner so that I would have gotten feedback on it. Even though the thought of having a video of me speaking was hard for me to process at first but as soon I uploaded it, my stress kind of went away. 

In the video there was an example given about the Hallowich family, they bought a plot to build their dream house on, but little did they know that there is gas beside their land which a company decided to build their infrastructure on. This caused health problems for the family, as well as disturbance throughout the day with all the noise coming from the factory. when they decide that they had enough and speak up against it on social media, the company wanting to save their business gave them a take it or leave it agreement to which the family said yes, and they took the money and the gas company made them promise to never mention their bad experience with the company or ever mention the health issues that were caused from the gas. This is one of the many things big industries like such do that the government pays no attention to. Government is supposed to be looking out for common goods, environment, and the health of their people, they are supposed to be the guardians of it, but the...

the video explains how saying no to a meeting or finding out what the meeting is about can help you like meetings more and feel more interested in attending one or say no to one in order for you to not waste your time on a meeting that brings no benefit to you in any way. My free creation is a visual creation that explains how it’s okay to say no to a meeting that you think won’t be in any way important to you. If saying no to a meeting seems rude, you could email the person in charge of the meeting and discuss with them what the meeting they are holding is about or if you can be excused from the meeting. This will be beneficial in the future not only for you to be saved from bad meetings but also help the person holding the meeting change the way they approach a new topic, and they could realize and that a meeting for certain things is not always necessary and instead send out an email with the information to the people that its relevant to.   

In August, I was unsure of where I wanted to go for university. At that time, I was working retail and wanted to keep working full-time so I thought I would do a couple of courses with Athabasca online, but that didn't last for long because I went to Brandon and played soccer against Assiniboine community college, and they told me to do a semester with them and also play soccer with them. I also had the option of Brandon university as well as providence because I knew of those places and was interested in going there the year before. August was gone and September was here, and I still hadn't decided if I wanted to do online or go to ACC. I was very confused and decided to go with ACC and just do a semester with them and was almost about to apply with them. All while this was happening my brother already had decided where he wanted to go and had applied to CMU, on the day he had his orientation meeting my parents called me and told me that they talked with the admission departme...

  from the presentation we had in class from chapter 7 about the Power of resistance at work from our textbook "organizational communication by Zink, Zink." It talks about how Power and Control go hand in hand, or how they are basically the same "picture" as it’s explained in my visual creation. when someone has power, they have control and when someone has control, they have some sort of power. I agree with this statement simply because many times I have seen it happen that if someone has power, they have control and if they have control that is because they have power over someone or something. An example of this that was given in class was of a personal assistant or a security guard, they have control over who can meet and speak to the person they are working for. they have the power to control that. There are many kinds of power and power can be good or bad. There can be situations where someone might not know their power and abuse it and there are times where t...

spontaneous speakers tend to lean more towards to a speech that has not been prepared. As shown in my visual creation. Being open to your audience is one of the best ways to become an authentic speaker, as well as connecting with your audience to better understand them. If you are passionate about your topic, you are more trusted by your audience, and they listen to you. Authentic speakers are likely to not be overly prepared and have everything they would like to say on the spot depending on their audience and the setting. Many political leaders or public speakers are very good at saying a speech that they don’t have to read from a paper which gives them the advantage of being trusted and more likely listened to by their audience. Practicing/ rehearing the speech at home while keeping in mind to connect with your audience will genuinely help you become a more authentic speaker. Expressing your feelings while rehearsing can also make it seem more natural to do so when you are ...

One way to understand communication is to view it as a people process rather than a language process. If one is to make it fundamental improvement in communication, one must make changes in interpersonal relationships. Defensive behavior is defined as that behavior which occurs when an individual perceives threat or anticipates threat in the group. The person who behaves defensively, even though he or she also gives some attention to the common task, devotes an appreciable portion of energy to defending himself or herself. The behavior characteristic of supportive and defensive climates. Defensive climates: evaluation, control, strategy, neutrality, superiority, and certainty. Supportive climates: description, problem orientation, spontaneity, empathy, equality, and provisionalism.

  For the imagery that we had to choose, I searched for it on google and found this under business related images. This image will be used to talk about the different characterises of it and what argument we can interpret from this image. Firstly, the colors used in this image are all very dull and boring, there are no bright colors involved which gives us the message that it’s very serious and there’s going to be a message behind it. It’s a very serious environment and from the looks of it, it looks like it would be very quiet in there except for some chats going on here and there and some typing happening but otherwise very silent, not comforting but serious.  Modality: The visual itself is either a sketch or a drawing because we cannot see every detail in the way we would with a photograph. Verisimilitude: the verisimilitude is high because we can the visual properly, there are colors used and there are faces which as well automatically makes the quality higher. Claim about...

Silence is and can be associated with many virtues, modesty, respect for others, prudence, decorum, and Rules of etiquette. People silence themselves to avoid embarrassment, confrontation, and other perceived dangers. Silence often starts when we choose not to confront a difference. Staying silent in hopes to preserve the relationship you have with someone in the first place could be the reason you do not have any relationship with them later on. By not confronting the person you have a problem with can make you lose trust in that person and never want to talk to them again. when you do not confront someone when something happens and solve the problem, you are more likely to go home or to your friends, colleagues, and gossip about it. which makes the problem bigger and damages the relationship you have with them; this is toxic behaviour, because Every time you silence yourself you are getting filled wit...

In an organization, the manager or the supervisors should make sure to have a system/ communication team in place that will help with the communication throughout the organization. For Example, a system that the staff can adapt to use quickly and easily, don’t use multiple sources for information, have a reliable source that can carry all the information in it to make it easier for the staff to access. Don’t make it a behind the scenes kind of thing, do everything in a way so that the organization is aware of. In many cases the systems are too outdated for the staff to easily access and operate, so avoid that.  the 10 principles of management that can help with communication around the organization. Recognize (don’t offer simplistic solutions to complex issues and processes.) Focus on adoption (all key files should be stored in the documents and management system.) Deliver tangible and visible benefits (should not only benefit information mangers.) Prioritize ac...

In chapter 2 of the text, it says “lucky few have it; most of us do not. A handful of gifted “naturals” simply know how to capture an audience, sway the undecided, and convert the opposition. Watching these masters of persuasion work their magic is at once impressive and frustrating. What’s impressive is not just the easy way they use charisma and eloquence to convince others to do as they ask. It’s also how eager those others are to do what’s requested of them, as if the persuasion itself were a favour they couldn’t wait to repay.”  There are six fundamental principles of persuasion.  Liking: The desire to agree with a person who resembles you or shares the same value as you. Reciprocity: The desire to give back when you received an unexpected gift or feedback. Social proof: The desire to follow the lead of those who are similar to you. Consistency: People fulfill written, public, and voluntary commitments. Authority: The desire to trust and agree with an ...

the human relations management theory is a researched belief that people desire to be part of a supportive team that facilitates development and growth. Therefore, if employees receive special attention and are encouraged to participate, they perceive their work has significance, and they are motivated to be more productive, resulting in high quality work. The following human relations management theory basics became evident during human relation studies. this is from chapter 4 of the text, and it explains the importance and significance of HR school theory.  In order to be satisfied there are many factors that need to take place, for example co-workers and peers, bonuses, money, appraisal. Elton Mayo began his experiment to prove the importance of people for productivity and not machines. He believed that people are motivated by social needs, and if they are provided those needs, they are most likely to work better and thrive. This is good both for th...