ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION AND INFLUENCING SENIORS

Chapter 1: COMMUNICATION IN ORGANIZATION

COMMUNICATION IN ORGANIZATION

Managers have traditionally spent the majority of their time communicating in one form or another (meetings, face-to-face discussions, letters, e-mails, etc.). Today, however, more and more employees find that an important part of their work is communication. In the present economy, service workers have outnumbered production workers; although new production processes emphasize greater collaboration and teamwork among workers in different functional groups. Moreover, a vast change in communication technologies has contributed to the transformation of both work and organizational structure. The field of organizational communication is highly diverse and fragmented. It spans communication at the micro and macro levels; formal and informal communications; and internal organizational communication practices (newsletters, presentations, strategic communications, work direction, performance reviews, and meetings) as well as externally directed communications (public, media, inter-organizational). In addition to its fragmented nature, organizational communication, perhaps more than any other aspect of organizational theory and practice, has been subject to dramatic change. During pre-liberalization period in India, communication in organizations was largely informal. With the emergence of multinationals and big corporate houses, formal top-down communication became the main concern of organizational managers. Organizational communication in todays organizations has not only become far more complex and varied but more important to overall organizational functioning and success. While research used to focus on understanding how organizational communication varied by organizational type and structure, the emphasis has increasingly turned to understanding how new communication technologies and capabilities can help bring about new and more effective organizational forms and processes. Views of organizational communication can be categorized as those that view organizational communication as one aspect of an organization versus those that see it as the underlying basis of the organization itself. An example of the former stated by Drenth (1998), who define communication as the sending and receiving of messages by means of symbols and see organizational communication as a key element of organizational climate. The latter
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viewpoint is reflected by Myers who defines organizational communication as the central binding force that permits coordination among people and thus allows for organized behavior.

The organizations have evolved in directions that make the latter view more appropriate. Changes confronting organizations and the associated changes in organizational forms have made organizational communication increasingly important to overall organizational functioning e.g. Work is more complex and requires greater coordination and interaction among workers The pace of work is faster Workers are more distributed Simultaneous, distributed work processes are more common Knowledge and innovation are more critical to an organizations competitive advantage Communication technologies and networks are increasingly essential to an organizations structure and strategy.

Primary functions of Communication in Organization:

1) Coordination and regulation of production activities In traditional bureaucratic views of the organization, notices clearly communicating the expectations and consequences associated with complying or not complying with these expectations and monitoring, were considered to be the basis of organizational order and control. This function of organizational communication was seen as involving fairly procedural, rule-oriented, one-way, top-down communication. Tasks in many organizations have become more complex, less routine and repetitive, tightly coupled and interactive thus making traditional bureaucratic view of organizational communication no longer sufficient. Production activities of this nature require dynamic, reciprocal, lateral communication between production workers and twoway, vertical communications between production workers and managers.
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2) Socialization The socialization function of communication is stressed in the human relations perspective of organizations which asserts that capturing the hearts and minds of organizational members is necessary to effectively coordinate organizational action in the pursuit of collective organizational goals. Communicating organizational values and aligning individual goals with organizational goals. It is directed at establishing an appropriate organizational culture and climate. This form of communication cannot be one-way or topdown. It must occur reciprocally between organizational leaders and organizational members. 3) Innovation Communication to promote innovation is associated with strong communication within and beyond the organization. This approach focuses on the functional goals of organizational communication, rather than on the near-term outcomes of particular acts of communication, such as to make a decision, to persuade, or to resolve a conflict. The more specific functions or sets of communication exchange (decision-making, informing, persuading, negotiating, and problem-solving) are absorbed into each of the three objectives.

Classification of Organizational communication on basis of:

i) Levels ii) Formal versus informal iii) Direction (vertical, horizontal, diagonal) iv) Internal versus external focus.

i) Levels Communication is frequently divided into the following levels: Interpersonal communication Group level communication Organizational level communication Inter-organizational level communication Mass communication

Although interpersonal and group level communications reside at a lower level than organizational communication, they are major forms of communication in organizations. As organizations became more communication based, greater attention was directed at improving the interpersonal communication skills of all organizational members.

ii) Formal versus Informal Communication In the past, the concern of managers of large bureaucratic organizations was formal, top to down communication. Informal communication, generally associated with interpersonal, horizontal communication, was primarily seen as a potential hindrance to effective organizational performance. This is no longer the case. On-going, dynamic, and non-formal, communication has become more important to ensuring the effective conduct of work in modern organizations. Most discussions of informal communication emphasize how to prevent informal and formal communications from being in opposition. DAprix developed a SAY/DO matrix; managers say one thing but do another, as a key explanation of how informal/formal communication issues can arise. He locates ideal organizational communication in the High Say/High Do quadrant indicating that there is sufficient communication and that management actions match their communications. An organization in the High Say/Low Do quadrant is most likely to have a culture in which informal and formal communications conflict.

iii) Vertical, Horizontal, and Diagonal Communications Communication can also be characterized as vertical, horizontal, or diagonal. Initially greater emphasis was directed at vertical organizational communication as compared to lateral communication but that is no longer the case. Diagonal communication is an even more prevalent in todays organizations. Vertical Communication: Vertical communication occurs between hierarchically positioned persons and can involve both downward and upward communication flows. Downward communication: It is most effective if top managers communicate directly with immediate supervisors and immediate supervisors communicate with their staff. Many evidences show that increasing the power of supervisors increases both satisfaction and performance among employees. One way to give supervisors power is to communicate directly with them and to have them provide input to management decisions at middle levels. Ensuring that supervisors are informed about organizational issues/changes before staff in general, and then allowing them to communicate these issues/changes to their staff, helps reinforce their position of power. When the supervisor is perceived as having power, employees have greater trust in the supervisor, greater desire for communication with the supervisor, and are more likely to believe that the information coming from the supervisor is accurate. Upward Communication: It is found that employee satisfaction with upward communication tends to be lower than their satisfaction with downward communication. Several management-based reasons for this lack of satisfaction, particularly that these strategies often do not involve two-way communication are: a) Fear of reprisal people are afraid to speak their minds b) Filters employees feel their ideas are modified as they get transmitted upward c) Time managers give the impression that they dont have time to listen to employees.

Horizontal Communication: Horizontal communication involves communication among persons who do not stand in hierarchical relation to one another. Recent trends to flatten organizations have enhanced the importance of lateral communications. Horizontal
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communication is less problematic within a functional area but becomes difficult between employees belonging to two different functional areas. However, with the greater importance of cross-functional teams, more attention is now being directed at communication between team members. These teams aim to increase the speed of production through simultaneous, as opposed to sequential, work processes.

Diagonal Communication: Diagonal communication refers to communication between managers and workers located in different functional divisions. Although both vertical and horizontal communication continue to be important, these terms no longer adequately capture communication needs and flows in most modern organizations. The concept of diagonal communication was introduced to capture the new communication challenges associated with new organizational forms, such as matrix and project-based organizations.

iv) Internally versus Externally Directed Communication Internal communication involves the communication that exists within a company and can take many forms. Key to the success of an organization is communication from within. Such communications may be carried out by the use of e-mail, posters, staff briefings, documents or meetings. Internal communication has become more prominent with the use of intranet, which can only be accessed by staff and members. External communication covers how a provider interacts with those outside their own organization. As organizations increase the range and centrality of their interactions with customers, suppliers, and the public preparing for and managing the communication competencies and resources of the organization becomes ever more important. This may be with the public, employers, community organizations, local authorities, job centers, careers offices, funding bodies, specialist agencies and other training providers.

SUPERIOR - SUBORDINATE COMMUNICATION

Superior-subordinate communication refers to the interactions between organizational leaders and their subordinates and how they work together to achieve personal and organizational goals. Satisfactory upward and downward communication is essential for a successful organization because it closes the gap between superior and subordinates by increasing the levels of trust, support, and the frequency of their interactions. In a workplace environment, orders given from superiors to subordinates are the most basic form of Downward communication. These are usually done via manuals and handbooks, oral communication or written orders. In order for downward communication to be effective, the superior should remain respectful and concise when giving orders, they should make sure the subordinate clearly understands instructions, and they should give recognition for admirable performance. Upward communication is the process of transmitting information from the bottom levels of an organization to the top levels. It includes judgments, estimations, propositions, complaints, grievance, appeals, reports, etc. from subordinates to superiors. It is very important because it serves as the response on the success of downward communication. Management comes to know how well its policies, plans, strategies and objectives are adopted by those working at lower levels of the organization. Upward information flow can be very beneficial for an organization, especially when it is encouraged by the management. When a manager is open to upward communication, they help foster cooperation, gain support, and reduce frustration. The channel of communication is a very significant variable in the upward communication process. Channel refers to the means of which messages are transported. It can be face-to-face, over the telephone, written, etc. Communication channel affects subordinate's overall satisfaction with upward communication. Certain channels are easily ignored, which can leave subordinates less satisfied with upward communication. A subordinate who is satisfied with his/her upward communication will be less apprehensive about communicating upward than a subordinate who is unsatisfied with his/her upward communication
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Openness in communication Employees who have an open communication with their superiors have been found to be more satisfied with their jobs than those who do not have this. Openness in communication requires both openness in message sending and openness in message receiving between superiors and subordinates. Achieving openness in message sending requires complete honesty whether the news is good or bad. Certain types of messages facilitate open communication better. Supervisory messages are preferable for both superiors and subordinates when they are encouraging or reciprocating, rather than responses that are either neutral or negative. Openness in message receiving requires a willingness to listen to the message without jumping to conclusions even when the message is not what you wanted to hear. Subordinates in a closed communication relationship with their superior are more likely to respond negatively to the superior's feedback than those who have more open communication with their superior.

Managing relations

Maintaining the relationship between superior and subordinate will differ greatly, depending on the expectations of the individual parties. Some will settle for nothing less than a close friendship with their superior, others may be just focused on maintaining a professional relationship, while those may not get along with their superiors may be focused on just maintaining a civil relationship. The unusual relationship between superior and subordinates requires specific maintenance strategies since some typical ones, like avoidance, are unacceptable. There are four common types of relationship maintenance strategies for this variation of relationship. First there are informal interactions, such as joking and non-work related conversations that emphasize creating a friendship. There are also formal interactions, such as politeness and respect for the superior's authority, that help to create a professional superior-subordinate relationship. There are also tactics to appear impressive to the superior, such as a hesitancy to deliver bad news or being enthusiastic. The final relationship maintenance strategy includes open discussion about the relationship with the superior, including explicitly telling them how they want to be treated in the workplace.

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Major Barriers to Upward Communication Upward communication channels may face significant barriers for employees attempting to send feedback or other communication to higher-level management. Some of them are: a) Communication Medium Upward communication channels may be crippled by the communication mediums available to lower-level employees. Directors or managers often use multiple communication channels, such as telephones, letters, memos, meetings and other methods. However, employees may not have as many mediums at their disposal to send messages to directors or managers. Limited communication mediums can force employees to deliver messages using potentially ineffective methods. Inappropriate upward communication mediums can create confusion for individuals receiving the messages. b) Filtering Filtering occurs when messages pass through an intermediary in the communication channel. Filtering often can alter the original message, limit its effectiveness or make it incomprehensible. Upward communication filtering occurs when employees pass a message intended for upperlevel management through an immediate supervisor. The employees immediate superior may change information in the message to reflect the supervisors opinion or understanding of the situation. Filtering also occurs when the message's recipient allows the message to pass through multiple individuals before reaching its final, intended party. c) Education or Experience Upward communication faces barriers when lower-level employees have different educational backgrounds than the individual requesting feedback. Lower-level employees also may lack the specific business experience to allow them to reply with terms that are readily understood by the receiving parties. Employees also may have misunderstood the original message from a lack of understanding, education or experience. Misinterpreting the original message allows incorrect or unnecessary information to flow through the upward communication channel.

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d) Cultural Differences Business organizations face cultural differences when sending messages through the companys communication channels. Cultural differences can affect the language in messages flowing through upward channels to managers. This barrier can be more prevalent in companies with global operations, large international work forces or diverse local economic labor markets. Companies may need to employ managers who have an understanding of cultural differences and can translate messages through the upward communication channel to higher-level managers.

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Chapter 2: WAYS TO INFLUENCE SENIORS IN ORGANIZATION

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Positive Attitude

An efficient employee needs to have a positive attitude and a clear mind. His voice is extremely important when he talks to his boss. It has to be polite and it has to show him the respect that is kept for him. On the other hand, if an employee is asking for a personal favor, such as a few days off, his boss needs to know the reasons he has for such a necessity but will also be requiring some details. The employee must honestly answer to all his questions because if the boss feels that his subordinates absence wont affect the functioning of work, he will allow. If he cannot replace the junior with someone, the junior must keep a positive attitude and not try being impolite to him. It would be healthy if the discussion is ended in a positive manner. One should never look down on his or focus on his negative aspects. He might be a great person but probably an employees negative attitude may keep him from seeing his good qualities and virtues. The subordinate must try to understand his senior and his manner of working and make an attempt to adjust accordingly. It is better to find about aspects of work which the boss is particular about and pay extra attention to those. When an employee wins confidence and trust of his boss, he learns many things from him and gain from his experience and exposure to work. A positive minded employee is proactive and is always willing to help his boss to make his current project successful. The boss will definitely value an offer which makes his task easier without him having to ask his junior to help him out. On the other front, if a subordinate thinks that he won't be able to accomplish a project in the given time frame, he shouldnt surprise his boss by letting him find out that commitment to a deadline is not met. He should say that he is close to getting it put together, but it looks like he won't be able to complete this by given time. So he requires an extension with his permission. A junior must think of his boss not as "the boss," but as a person. Once both build an understanding, the employee will be able to work better and communicate more effectively. The junior will have to make ongoing adjustments to the needs and moods of his boss. Bosses can have bad days; know when to give him/her space until the storm clouds clear. Its like doing a weather check. Ask the boss how the day is going. If it is not a sunny day, ask if he needs help but respect the closed door when a storm is brewing.
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Listening to Seniors

The two way nature of communication; so that both sides understand each other is widely ignored. Listening techniques are vital in organization, since how a subordinate listen conveys meaning to his boss and helps to make the exchange successful. When an employee is in search of information or being assigned a project, the more obviously he listen attentively, the better. Before entering the bosss cabin, the juniors mind must not be preoccupied with other tasks. When the junior enters the cabin, he should wait for his turn if the boss is busy with his stuff. During conversation, the subordinate may need to speak to get a response, but must not interrupt the boss while he is speaking. After the boss finishes his part, the junior can ask open questions, which may lead to discussion but he should keep his responses brief. The junior can use analytical questions to discover the reasons behind the boss's statements, especially if he needs to understand a sequence of facts or thoughts. He should ask questions carefully, so that he can pick up clues from the answers and use the responses to help him frame his next set of questions. One effective way to remember whatever the boss said is to repeat key words silently as you hear them and note it down somewhere whenever you leave his cabin. Some of the practices which should be avoided while listening to seniors are: a. Interrupting the senior b. Not looking at him. c. Rushing the conversation and making him feel that he or she is wasting the listener's time. d. Showing interest in something other than the conversation. e. Getting ahead of the boss and finishing his thoughts. f. Not responding to the speaker's requests. g. Saying, "Yes, but... indicates partial disagreement before the speaker has completed his or her statement. h. Topping the speaker's story with "that reminds me..." or "that's nothing, let me tell you about..." i. Forgetting what was talked about previously. j. Asking too many questions about details.

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When to speak up; when to keep quiet

Sometimes the subordinate manager knows best despite what senior management may think. Whatever the issue the go/no-go decision on a project, a budget issue, a personnel assignment or any conversion, junior managers is typically well versed on the details of a project and are in the best position to make the right decision. But there are times when the decisionmakers above don't agree with their strategies and propose an alternative solution that could put their efforts in vain. There are a number of areas where a seniors mistake legitimately opens the door for a subordinate to comment. Before getting excited to correct him, the subordinate must ask himself following three questions: 2) Is there a down-line consequence to seniors decision, involving my department or work, which negatively affects the bottom line? 3) Does this mistake have a negative impact on my department or the works productivity? 4) Does it somehow obstruct me from pursuing my work agenda? He should step in if the answer to any of these three questions is yes. These scenarios put him in a position where he has a legitimate interest in the decision or action because of the negative effect the directive may have on his work. He must then work to persuade his senior to choose another course. However in other cases, the subordinate should not press the issue. He should hold it back if: 1) Seniors decision is centered on a shift in company mission. 2) The decision represents a decisive change in operational philosophy and affects more than the department. In these situations, the junior should offer input only if asked. Changes or decisions motivated by shifts such as these in a companys direction or mode of operation generally should be accommodated, not only by junior, but also by the managers who are lateral to him, even if it means coping with inconvenience.

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Delivering a persuasive message

The message itself has an effect on the extent to which persuasion occurs. Both the form and content of the message is important. In terms of form, research has revealed the relative merits of one sided versus two sided messages, the effect of sequencing on different parts of the persuasive message, and the value of repetition. Under most circumstances, the boss will obtain greater effect with a two sided message, that is, one that mentions arguments both for and against the conclusion the subordinate is advocating e.g. If you are trying to persuade your boss to consider another supplier for raw materials, then you probably should mention both the advantages and disadvantages which could be faced with new supplier. Most people in organization today are relatively well educated and well informed and not likely to be convinced by a simplistic one sided argument. An added advantage of two sided argument is that they tend to immunize the seniors against subsequent counter arguments, since the original persuasive message has taken opposing views into account. In terms of sequencing, the research on the topic offers some suggestions about the placement of supporting and refuting arguments in a two sided message, whether to present problems or solutions first, and where to place points of common agreement. Researchers suggest that positive arguments be given first, followed by denial of opposing arguments. This tends to establish the senior on the side of subordinate before they discuss counter arguments. When a persuasive message proposes a solution to a problem, the persuader should first state the problem then the solution. This sequence is usually more interesting to the listener who having first heard the problem described can better understand the proposed solution. In most cases, the junior agrees with his boss in some respects and disagrees in some. Research indicates that it is best to first agree with the point of agreement and then move onto disagreement. If all goes well, discussing agreed on points will heighten the bosss evaluation of the persuader, making him more receptive to juniors claims in disputed area. Repetition increases the receivers opportunity to consider a messages persuasive content. Varying the content of message should make repetition more effective. However, while repetition helps strong arguments by allowing the senior to process them more fully, it can hurt weak arguments by expressing their flaws.

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In terms of message content, one factor that almost always aids persuasion is novelty. The superior is more willingly to change when given facts that they have are not considered before. Even if information is not new, it is more persuasive if the employee can make it seem new. Another content factor concerns the discrepancy of message. Generally more discrepant the message, greater the change in attitude up to a point beyond which increased discrepancy results in less change. Greater credibility of source should allow subordinate to advocate more discrepant message. By the same token, a lower credibility source should make it easier for the boss to reject the message causing his change in attitude to peak at a lower level of discrepancy. A final point about the message is that an employee who states a conclusion is almost certain to be more successful than one who simply presents the facts and leaves the conclusion up to the seniors.

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While asking questions

The right questions open the door to knowledge and understanding. The art of questioning lies in knowing which questions to ask and when to ask them. The junior should address his question to himself first. The answer will help him compose the right questions. If he is planning a meeting, he should prepare a list of all answers needed to obtain. As the meeting progresses, he should check off the answers he receives. If a new question occurs, the junior should not abruptly raise his query and interrupt others. He can note it down and raise it later. When preparing questions in advance, one should always look at the type of question that best meets his aims. When asking prepared questions, the junior can watch out for clues in the answers that he can follow-up later with a new set of questions. People naturally become defensive of their point of view. This situation is the last thing a junior may think if its against the senior management. The junior may feel that a bad decision has been implemented or he is aware that it might come. In the meeting, the question should be presented for discussion, along with various alternatives, including both senior managements proposed course and employees solution. It is important to remain neutral on the decision in a moment like this, however. And the focus should be on the flaws of a proposal and not on the merits of his alternative. If no definite conclusion occurs, then junior can follow up his verbal argument with a written one in formal report form or as an informal e-mail. He mustnt get into any competition but simply offer an analysis that objectively looks at both benefits and consequences in a way that clearly identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the options under review. The boss may review it better and if it satisfies him, he will surely acknowledge it. When a junior faces a complex situation whose solution he doesnt know, he will surely consider going to his senior and asking him what to do. Instead of it, the subordinate should think about the problem and try to find at least two solutions even if they seem impractical to him. When he states the problem before his senior, he should also tell him about what solutions he has thought of. The senior will feel that the junior has really worked upon the solution but he still needs his sincere guidance. So the senior would willingly answer his queries and guide him.

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Appreciating people

Giving credit to boss

All human beings like to be recognized for their performance and need psychological strokes. Bosses are prone to self-doubt, lack of assertiveness, insecurity, fear, confusion, and paranoia, just like everyone else in the organization. Positive feedback alters behavior more consistently and more reliably than negative feedback. Positive feedback must recognize very specific behaviors that are expected (such as clear directions, good listening, thoughtfulness, effective decisions, etc.) Credit shared is credit multiplied. It may well have been a subordinates work, his decisions, his creativity, and his efforts that brought the project to a successful conclusion, but he is never a total solo act. The subordinate should make the boss look good by speaking highly of him, supporting him and showing respect. When a junior talk good about his boss it raises his status among his peers. Even if he is not getting along with his boss talking like he does, is good move to prevent any future troubles.

Taking others help

If a subordinate has any contractors or consultants on board who are in a position to offer supporting comment, he must add their views to the written assessment. Some senior managers put more value on a consultant's opinion than they do on the opinions of their in-house staff. Adding view of such people certainly pleases the boss. Collecting success stories from other industry players will lend credence to our alternatives. Here again, senior management often places an exaggerated emphasis on what seems to work elsewhere. Copying the other guy doesnt bother most executives if what the other guy is doing has him pulling ahead of the pack. If the junior can offer some model that demonstrates success, and it supports his thesis, by all means he must offer it.

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Non Verbal communication signals

Our body language is a huge range of unconscious physical movements which can either strengthen communication or damage it. Even if we are sitting completely still, even unknowingly, we are communicating powerful message about our real feelings. Because of its subtlety and range, body language is difficult to read and to control. However a broad understanding of body language is one route to understanding the real opinions of others. For instance, if people are inwardly feeling uncomfortable because they are lying, their awkward body language will reflect their lie.

Body Posture Posture is all-important in body language. The positive posture might have the best effect on the outcome by encouraging open communication, while a negative one would make communication difficult. The nervousness subordinates feel before making a presentation before a senior is very natural. Their minds prepare them for action via their nervous system, so nervousness is experienced due to the hormone adrenaline into their blood. They can appear more confident than they feel by making a conscious effort to smile and relax their arms. They should look their senior confidently in his eyes while they are talking or listening to them, keep their posture comfortably straight and not fiddling with hands.

Maintaining a fair distance Leaving an acceptable distance is essential when a subordinate is talking to his senior. He should stand around 30 40 inches away from his senior thus respecting his privacy. Standing face to face with the boss is what should be his posture and not standing sideways unless he has something to clarify if he is showing him any report. The subordinate should never try to peep into bosss cellphone when he is using it. But he should not stand at such a distance which could affect his audibility. Controlling the decibels is also an important factor as a loud voice may irritate the boss straight away.
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POSITIVE Body facing front and open posture show confidence Hands on hips indicate determination and ability to take control

NEUTRAL

NEGATIVE

Direct gaze shows attention

Indirect gaze is evasive

Relaxed arms & legs show lack of tension

Ear pulling indicates doubt

Direct gaze and broad smile show friendly attention

Body turned away signifies rejection of what other person is saying Slight slumping shows lack of confidence

Creating a daily impression First interaction for every day between boss and junior is very important. Greeting boss every morning creates a special place in mind of the boss for junior. He will always give him priority than other subordinates whenever he makes any decision. In an organization grooming, appropriate clothing, dynamic posture catches everyones praise including the boss. A neat appearance always makes an employee presentable before his senior. The visitors coming to office can sense the culture of organization when they look at the employees. The look should be subtle but not too eye catchy as it could become a problem if things dont go in favor.

Giving Body Signals Supportive gestures, such as making eye contact, and nodding while the boss is talking can create empathy. Everyone can control his or her body language to an extent, but not totally. One should choose the words with care, being as honest as possible; otherwise, his body language may contradict him.

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Some of the body signals are mentioned as follow. Open palms: sincerity, openness, receptivity Leaning closer: interest, comfort Leaning away: discomfort with the facts being presented by boss Nodding: interest, agreement and understanding A relaxed posture: openness to communication Arms crossed over chest: defensiveness, guardedness, resistance Gesturing warmly or talking with hands: interest and involvement in the conversation Hand to cheek: evaluating, considering Hands clasped behind back: frustration , anxiety Tapping or drumming fingers: impatience, annoyance Fidgeting: boredom, nervousness or impatience Hand over mouth: generally negative; often denotes disapproval or reluctance to speak openly Clutching objects tightly: anxiety, nervous anticipation Pen biting: Fear and lack of confidence Closed eyes and nose pinching: reveal inner confusion and conflict about what is being heard. Indirect gaze: suspicion, sense of uncertainty.

These gestures may seem insignificant, but they can actually be quite important. That's because while juniors strategically watch their seniors or colleagues body signals, they may be keeping just as close an eye on him.

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References:
1. Dalmer Fischer, Communication in organization (2006) 2. K.A. Baker, Organizational Communication (2002) 3. Merna Skinner, Communicating Better With Your Boss, Public Relations Tactics (2000) 4. Scott Robinson, How to influence senior management , Tech republic articles (2003) 5. Julie Barrett, Communicating in Style: Discover How to Communicate with Everyone ,PinnacleOne (2003) 6. Alexia Oppegaard, Tips for Communicating Effectively With Your Boss, Cigna Behavioral Health (2005) 7. Polly Schneider Traylor, Enhance your listening skills and your management success, Tech Republic articles (2003) 8. http://www.melbabenson.com/articles.html July 2005 E-Newsletter 9. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1608/is_n7_v14/ai_20946890/

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