The rationale that effective internal communication plays a crucial role in aligning employees to organisational goals, and in so doing, inculcate employee engagement and help an organisation to succeed, is remodelling internal communication management within organisations. At the core of the preceding rationale lies the fundamental realisation and acknowledgement that effective internal communication is not the function of the communication department, but in effect a basic prerequisite that must be understood, embraced and practiced by all levels of management. Managers without effective internal communication and employee engagement cannot execute the responsibility of strategic alignment. The challenge is now to ensure that the internal communication process is approached as a properly structured and efficiently managed system, rather than a collection of fragmented messages that often cause confusion among employees and compel disengagement. This study explores to what extent the senior managers at the North-West University understand their fundamental role in facilitating effective internal communication and employee engagement. An extensive literature study revealed that there is a correlation between effective internal communication and understanding of organisational strategy and objectives among employees. In addition, a strong correlation between effective internal communication, employee engagement, employee performance and organisational profitability has been identified in literature. The empirical findings were obtained by means of a qualitative research method in the form of semi-structured interviews with senior and middle managers. The semi-structured interviews explored and described how the managers perceive the nature of their role in facilitating and sustaining effective internal communication and employee engagement. In comparing the actual role of senior managers at the University in internal communication and employee engagement with the ideal state related to D'Aprix's (1996) manager's communication model, as well as the principles of a convergence model of communication, information richness of communication channels, a leadership communication framework and the impact of highest scoring manager activities and attributes, it was concluded that this communication role is still misunderstood by senior managers and not properly structured and executed. Consequently, internal communication is not adequately fulfilling its strategic potential as a means to establish positive relationships, diffuse information, motivate, and align employees' actions and behaviour to the set goals of the University. It is suggested that future studies measure and determine whether the engagement levels of employees at the North-West University have increased as a result of managers fulfilling their internal communication role effectively. Another study could also assess and measure the effectiveness of internal communication channels, with the view to develop an internal communication channel guide or toolkit for managers at the North-West University. The key drivers of employee engagement and related effect on the North-West University's performance could also be explored and measured in future research studies. / Thesis (M.A. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

The rationale that effective internal communication plays a crucial role in aligning employees to organisational goals, and in so doing, inculcate employee engagement and help an organisation to succeed, is remodelling internal communication management within organisations. At the core of the preceding rationale lies the fundamental realisation and acknowledgement that effective internal communication is not the function of the communication department, but in effect a basic prerequisite that must be understood, embraced and practiced by all levels of management. Managers without effective internal communication and employee engagement cannot execute the responsibility of strategic alignment. The challenge is now to ensure that the internal communication process is approached as a properly structured and efficiently managed system, rather than a collection of fragmented messages that often cause confusion among employees and compel disengagement. This study explores to what extent the senior managers at the North-West University understand their fundamental role in facilitating effective internal communication and employee engagement. An extensive literature study revealed that there is a correlation between effective internal communication and understanding of organisational strategy and objectives among employees. In addition, a strong correlation between effective internal communication, employee engagement, employee performance and organisational profitability has been identified in literature. The empirical findings were obtained by means of a qualitative research method in the form of semi-structured interviews with senior and middle managers. The semi-structured interviews explored and described how the managers perceive the nature of their role in facilitating and sustaining effective internal communication and employee engagement. In comparing the actual role of senior managers at the University in internal communication and employee engagement with the ideal state related to D'Aprix's (1996) manager's communication model, as well as the principles of a convergence model of communication, information richness of communication channels, a leadership communication framework and the impact of highest scoring manager activities and attributes, it was concluded that this communication role is still misunderstood by senior managers and not properly structured and executed. Consequently, internal communication is not adequately fulfilling its strategic potential as a means to establish positive relationships, diffuse information, motivate, and align employees' actions and behaviour to the set goals of the University. It is suggested that future studies measure and determine whether the engagement levels of employees at the North-West University have increased as a result of managers fulfilling their internal communication role effectively. Another study could also assess and measure the effectiveness of internal communication channels, with the view to develop an internal communication channel guide or toolkit for managers at the North-West University. The key drivers of employee engagement and related effect on the North-West University's performance could also be explored and measured in future research studies. / Thesis (M.A. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

This qualitative and interpretive study explores how young children experience humour and playfulness in their communication. Data were gathered in three early childhood education centres. The ethnographic method used was primarily participant observation, with the aid of a video camera and tape-recorder. Socio-cultural historical activity theory informs both the methodological paradigm of the research and the framework for data analysis. The research focuses on systems of interactions rather than individuals. The diversity and complexity in children's playful and humorous communication is illuminated by presenting 24 narrative-like "events" involving such communication. This presentation makes clear the dynamic qualities and artifact-mediated dialectical nature of playful and humorous communication activity. "Artifacts" include material and non-material tools, symbols, and semiotic signs (Wartofsky, 1979). Relationships between the roles, rules, and the community of children and teachers engaged in each event are discussed. Tensions and contradictions in these relationships (including children's playful subversion of adult rules) are explored. This thesis argues that humour, playfulness, and imagination are shared and distributed across groups of children. Thus children's imaginations, including their individual experiences, are dynamically shared with and connect the group. Playful and humorous communication involves words, sounds, gestures, posture, rhythm, and movement. At times the synchronous movements and speech of children having fun together are like a spontaneously improvised dance. Boundaries between children are blurred by the activity. The children become united by shared and distributed imagination in playful and humorous diversity. This study suggests that individual children in early childhood centres should be viewed as fundamentally connected to each other. Individuals exist in relation to others. Children's relationships with others, their environment, and artifacts are central to understanding children's experience of playful and humorous communication.

Thesis (PhD)--Macquarie University, Division of Linguistics & Psychology, Department of Linguistics, 2007. / Bibliography: 269-288. / Introduction -- Literature review -- Methodology/theoretical considerations -- Negotiation as a choice -- Initiating negotiation sequences -- The response and final turns in negotiation sequences -- Repetition in negotiation of understanding -- Management of talk through pauses -- Observations and conclusion. / The role of negotiation has been investigated in the field of second language acquisition for over twenty years, however, limited attention has been given to negotiated peer interaction with younger learners. Moreover, related studies sometimes include baseline data of the English native speaker in native and nonnative dyads, but negotiation and its relevance to the nonnative speaker's first language is usually not examined. This study investigates how children negotiate partial or non-understanding in their first as well as in a second language (LI and L2), allowing an identification of similarities and differences in intra- and inter-language negotiation. -- Drawing on a mainly qualitative analysis of task-based interaction by 24 Australian-English and 24 Japanese school children (11-12 year olds), this cross-sectional study looks in a comprehensive way at functions and forms of negotiated interaction in their LI and between LI and L2 speakers of English. It establishes a framework, which permits understanding of the negotiation process and its contribution to language learning. In addition, the study teases out the role of Same-speaker and Other-speaker repetition, showing that all repetition can facilitate the learner's language development. Another innovative contribution of the research is that it addresses pragmatic features such as silent and voiced pauses and their impact on negotiation. -- This investigation advances our understanding in regard to analyses of specific negotiation features that have received little consideration so far. Furthermore, comparisons of LI patterns and norms allow for a grounded and informed approach when addressing L1/L2 interactions. The findings reveal that LI interactions can vary quite considerably from L1/L2 interactions, which raises issues relevant to language learners, teachers and linguists. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / xii, 316 leaves ill

Thesis (PhD)--Macquarie University, School of Education, 1994. / Includes bibliography. / Introduction ; The research question and the professional context of the inquiry -- Literature review: substantive survey -- Literature review: methodological survey -- Research method -- The prgamatics of feedback -- An ethnographic portrait of supervision -- Perceptions of mitigation -- Conclusion. / This research project investigates the language of supervisory conferences. A grounded theory approach is taken to the analysis of data drawn from teacher educators in TESOL (Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages) in their feedback discussions with teachers following observed lessons.--Supervisory talk is investigated within a linguistic framework of politeness theory: while the supervisory role includes the obligation of criticism, the act of criticism is constrained by the face-to-face encounter of the supervisory conference. A central construct is the notion of fragility: the supervisory conference-an event which is equated with the talk that achieves it - is considered to be inherently fragile. The aim of the project is to investigate the language so as to uncover the source of the fragility.--Findings suggest that the perceived tension derives from a tug-of-war of essential elements: while the supervisory position affords discoursal power (the right to raise and pursue topics, take long turns, drive the discourse etc), the fa-threatening nature of the event obliges supervisors to resort to social/strategic skills to protect the teacher's face, as well as their own. The textualisation of this restraint takes the form of linguistic mitigation - devices rooted in syntax and semantics that allow supervisors to undercut the force of their own assertions. Mitigation is posited as the means by which supervisors resolve the clash-of-goals that is central to their role. However, mitigation is risky because it may interfere with message clarity.-- The product of the grounded study is a typology of utterance-level mitigation. The typology has three macro-categories (syntactic, semantic and indirectness) and fourteen sub-categories.-- The study was triangulated through an ethnographic investigation of supervisory concerns about feedback; and through an experiment designed to gauge teachers' perceptions of variously mitigated supervisory language. Findings from both studies corroborate the central tenet by contributing images of supervision that support the clash-of-goals thesis.--The projected applied outcome is in supervisor training where, it is suggested, strategic training delivered in a framework of politeness theory would reduce the unwitting dependence on mitigation and hence the risk of message distortion.--Suggestions for further research conclude the study. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / 413 leaves

Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Alberta, 2009. / A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Population Health, Department of Public Health Sciences. Title from pdf file main screen (viewed on November 8, 2009). Includes bibliographical references.

Communication is a central feature of human life. The ability to talk is the very feature that distinguishes us from our primate ancestors. Knowing how to use language effectively gives the bearers of this knowledge power over their environment and an upper hand in their dealings with others. Thus, understanding the importance of communication in management is an essential tool for managers who wish to build and develop their organisations and their staff within these organisations. This thesis takes a case study view of manager-staff communication at a South African university. In this study managers and staff members contribute their feelings on current communication practices at this organisation through an online questionnaire and in-depth interviews. In an interpretive paradigm this thesis answers three central questions: 1) what role do managers and staff think communication plays in their working relationships, 2) what do they perceive to be effective and ineffective communication strategies and 3) What strategies can they suggest to enhance effective communication? Through in-depth qualitative research and numerical data analysis this thesis discovers central themes that pertain to the effective flow of communication in this organisation. These themes include: motivation and praise, the role of listening, building relationships, respect, acknowledging others’ languages and cultures, building teams, communicating frequently and using email and technology effectively, as well as keeping notes of meetings and discussions. Challenges to effective communication include not having enough time, suffering from stress, and the challenges of physical space and distance. By paying attention to basic human principles, such as the fact that acknowledging people for a job well done encourages them to perform well in future, this thesis relates the general concepts of communication and management theory to the specific realities and individual, personal experiences of manager-staff communication. In this way it sheds a beam of light on management communication practices and points the way towards an ideal where managers and staff members use communication as a tool of empowerment and understanding.

Diploma thesis mainly deals with the phenomenon of the Internet in mening of its communication paradigm. It tries to describe and explain the function of Internet communication, to differentiate and describe the basic principles of communication on the Internet, defining the concept of virtuality and finally find a relationship between interpersonal and mediated communication. The larger section will be devoted to pedagogical communication and conclusion of the work will draw the consequences of online communication on communication in education.

La thèse porte sur la communication olfactive impliquant les individus, en position d’interactants, lors de situations de communication de « face-à-face ». Nous pensons que porter un parfum est une forme d’intention communicative sur ce que le sujet parfumé communicant aspire à être. Dans le champ des sciences de l’information et de la communication, la communication olfactive est étudiée dans un contexte théorique mobilisant des ressources issues de l’interactionnisme et de l’ethnométhodologie.Se parfumer, apparaissant comme une envie de communiquer sur son soi, nous essayons de mieux comprendre les processus de construction identitaire en articulation avec le soi. Cependant, comme l’odorat est un sens très intimiste, se référant notamment aux expériences olfactives passées, la qualité d’un parfum est une donnée très subjective. C’est pourquoi, sur le plan méthodologique, nous avons construit un protocole, axé sur la notion d’interaction (Goffman), afin de manipuler différents contextes d’échanges. L’objectif est de mieux comprendre quel rôle le parfum joue dans diverses situations de communication interpersonnelle.Une enquête qualitative a été menée sur 35 sujets, issus deux pays voisins, la Suisse et la France. Chaque interview en profondeur est basée sur un test projectif où le sujet est amené à construire la représentation d’un individu communiquant en fonction d’une senteur. Les résultats montrent que ne pouvant nous « réapproprier » la perception de l’autre, nous sommes contraints d’inférer, à partir de son comportement et de notre propre expérience, ce qu’il ressent. Le sujet infère des informations qu’il juge adéquates et pertinentes sur l’autre en se basant sur son vécu expérientiel en lien avec le parfum qu’il sent : l’odeur devient un dispositif d’information qui véhicule des données précédemment encodées. L’individu parfumé est alors un dispositif communicationnel exposé au nez de l’interactant. Ce dernier, récepteur de la communication olfactive, infère les intentions communicatives de l’individu parfumé à partir de l’odeur qu’il perçoit. L’odeur est un « marqueur moral » (Le Breton, 2006), révélatrice de ce que nous sommes intrinsèquement, en tant qu’individu, la bonté sent bon, tout ce qui est de l’ordre du malsain « empeste ». La thèse montre qu’hommes et femmes n’ont pas les mêmes impressions olfactives à propos des mêmes parfums, qu’il existe des formes de corrélations olfactives en termes d’imaginaire d’un individu à un autre, indépendamment de l’âge et du pays d’origine. Conduisant à construire une identité sociale, certains parfums inspirent plus de sympathie, voire de naïveté que d’autres. A l’inverse, certains provoquent du mépris et même du dégoût. / The thesis focuses on olfactory communication involving individuals in position of interactants during "face to face" communication situations. I believe that wearing a fragrance is one form of communicative intent on what the communicating subject aspires to be. In the field of information and communication sciences, olfactory communication is studied in a theoretical context which mobilises resources from interactionism and ethnomethodology. Since wearing perfume appears to be a desire to communicate about our self, I try to understand better the processes of identity construction in conjunction with the self. However as the sense of smell is very intimate, for instance it refers to past olfactory experiences, the quality of a fragrance is a very subjective data. Therefore, my methodology was built according to a protocol based on the concept of interaction (Goffman) in order to handle different contexts of exchanges. The aim is to understand better what role scent plays in various situations of interpersonal communication.A qualitative survey was conducted on 35 subjects from two neighboring countries, Switzerland and France. Each in-depth interview is based on a projective test for which the subject is required to build a representation of a communicating individual according to a scent. The results show that since we cannot "reclaim" the perception of the other, we are forced to infer what he feels according to their behavior and our own experience. The subject infers information on the other he deems appropriate and relevant, based on his experiential background in relation with the perfume he smells: the odor becomes an information device that conveys previously encoded data. The perfumed individual is therefore a communicative device exposed to the nose of the interactant. The latter, receiving olfactory communication, infers the communicative intentions of the fragranced individual from the smell he perceives. The odor is a "moral marker" (Le Breton, 2006), revealing who we truly are as an individual, kindness smells good, everything dodgy "stinks." The thesis shows that men and women have different olfactory impressions about the same scents, that there are forms of correlations in terms of olfactory imagination from one individual to another, regardless of how old they are and where they come from. Some perfumes inspire more sympathy or even more ingenuousness than others in order to lead us towards building a social identity. However, others on the contrary can cause contempt and even disgust.

Este estudo teve como objetivo caracterizar referenciais de competências comunicativas interpessoais e propor bases teórico-metodológicas para o aprendizado da comunicação interpessoal no ensino da Enfermagem. Abordando questões norteadoras sobre competência em comunicação interpessoal, utilizou-se referencial teórico de comunicação e método de análise de conteúdo em 13 discursos de professores de Enfermagem, especialistas em comunicação. Os resultados obtidos representam que a competência em comunicação é um processo interpessoal que deve atingir o objetivo dos comunicadores, pressupor conhecimentos básicos de comunicação, ter consciência do verbal e do não-verbal nas interações, atuar com clareza e objetividade, promover o autoconhecimento e, conseqüentemente, ter a possibilidade de uma vida mais autêntica. Os sujeitos relatam que a expressão da competência comunicativa está, necessariamente, no vivenciar o cotidiano profissional e pessoal, ouvindo o outro, prestando atenção na comunicação não-verbal, validando a compreensão das mensagens, sendo capaz de eliminar as barreiras impostas à comunicação, demonstrando afetividade e investindo no autoconhecimento. O desenvolvimento da competência comunicativa verifica-se pelo estímulo recebido desde a graduação, pelas leituras de aprofundamento do tema, pela prática profissional e realização de pesquisas e publicações na área. O ganho alcançado com a competência em comunicação interpessoal resulta em relações profissionais e pessoais mais significativas, maior autoconsciência e aceitação das diferenças do outro, ampliação dos caminhos do ensino e da pesquisa e conquista de um bem-estar. Os teóricos mais citados como referenciais, pelos sujeitos do estudo, foram: Stefanelli MC., Silva MJP., Travelbee J., Littlejohn SW., Davis F., Rogers CR., Sullivan HS., Ruesch J., Peplau HE., Bales RF. e Moscovici F. As bases metodológicas propostas para o aprendizado e ensino da comunicação interpessoal em Enfermagem, são: assumir a comunicação como base para o cuidar, ensinar os fundamentos teóricos da comunicação no início da graduação, desenvolver a competência de todos os professores em comunicação, vincular a prática assistencial com o ensino da comunicação, acompanhar a progressão da competência comunicativa no aluno e vivenciar a comunicação efetiva com as pessoas na escola. Os resultados que emergiram deste estudo permitem considerar a competência em comunicação interpessoal, como uma habilidade fundamental a ser adquirida pelo enfermeiro, sabendo que esta lhe possibilitará um cuidar consciente, verdadeiro e transformador. / This study aimed at characterizing references of interpersonal communicative competence and proposing theoretical methodological bases for interpersonal communication learning on nursing teaching. Through guiding questions about competence on interpersonal communication, the theoretical reference of communication and the method of the content analysis in thirteen communication expert nursing teachers’ speeches were used. The results show that competence in communication is an interpersonal process which must reach the communicator’s objectives, require basic knowledge of communication, have verbal and non-verbal perception in the interactions, act clearly and objectively, develop self-knowledge and, therefore lead to the possibility of a more legitimate life. The subjects report that the communicative competence expression is necessarily, in the living of the professional and personal every day life, listening to the other, perceiving nonverbal communication, validating the message understanding, being able to break communication barriers, showing affection and developing self-knowledge. The development of a communicative competence has been reached by the stimulus received since the undergraduation course, by reading deeply the theme, by professional practice and by accomplishing research as well as publishing in the field. The benefits originated from competence in interpersonal communication lead to a more significant professional and personal relationship, a better self-knowledge and acceptance of the other’s differences, a widening on ways of teaching and researching as well as an achievement of welfare. The most cited theorists as reference by the study subjects were as follows: Stefanelli MC., Silva MJP., Travelbee J., Littlejohn SW., Davis F., Rogers CR., Sullivan HS., Ruesch J., Peplau HE., Bales RF. E Moscovici F. The target methodological bases for interpersonal communication learning and teaching in nursing are: assuming communication as the basis for caring, teaching the communication theoretical principles in the beginning of the undergraduation course, developing the communication competence of all teachers, linking assistance practice to communication teaching, following the student communicative competence progression and living the effective communication with people in the school. The results coming out from this study allow us to consider competence in interpersonal communication as a major ability to be acquired by the nurse, being aware that it will enable a conscious, true, and transforming care.