Subject: Managerial

Communication
UNIT 7: Using Technology wisely:
Interacting with social
networking website
OBJECTIVES

After reading this unit, you will be able to:

Understand the role of technology in communication.
Assess the advantages and disadvantages of technology.
Understand various technologies and their classification.
Learn online and social media etiquettes
 INTRODUCTION
• Technology has a very important role to play in managerial communication today.
• Organisations are finding innovative ways of communicating with the employees and external
business world.
• Internet and various social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Whatsapp, Instagram etc. are
being used by organisations to reach out to their employees and external stakeholders.
• There are several new technology tools that are available and are being used, as well as misused,
by many.
• The dynamic business environment requires ‘collaboration’ and thus, advanced technological tools
are being used for many project environments.
• Understanding of technology-based concepts are essential to use it effectively.
• If your company/organization has not yet invested in technology, it is time for you to assess and
review the strategies to see if you can bring in efficiency with the help of technology. However,
you must remember one thing that technologies can never help in improving the quality of
communication unless you mix the traditional communication medium with electronic mediums. In
this unit you will also learn the ‘netiquette’ i.e. how to effectively use internet and other social
media platorms.
•
 INTRODUCTION…
• If your company/organization has not yet invested in technology, it
is time for you to assess and review the strategies to see if you can
bring in efficiency with the help of technology.
• However, you must remember one thing that technologies can
never help in improving the quality of communication unless you
mix the traditional communication medium with electronic
mediums.
• In this unit you will also learn the ‘netiquette’ i.e. how to
effectively use internet and other social media platorms.
Evolution of Communication
Technologies
Telephone –
• Alexander Graham Bell revolutionized the way people communicate with his patent on the telephone in 1876.
Over the past century, advances in technology have replaced the heavy hardware and metal wiring of the
original design with lightweight microcircuitry.
•These advancements have also allowed for the transition from landlines to wireless, freeing people to
communicate from remote locations. All over the world, millions of people can talk to each other, expanding
businesses and improving relationships that might not otherwise have survived across long distances.
Telephones also allow for instant communication, and new technology integrates video and Internet.
•The first telephones, as well as their modern counterparts, consist of a ringer, transmitter, dialer, switch hook,
power source and anti-sidetone circuit, all of which have been advanced by new technology.
Evolution of Communication
Technologies (Contd..)
Radio-
•In 1906, Reginald Fessenden, creator of the first sophisticated radio transmitter, expanding on the
ideas of Guglielmo Marconi, sent music and speech across the airwaves.
•This invention of the radio allowed sound and information to be broadcast to an extremely wide
audience. Radio reached its golden age during the 1920s, and companies advertised their products to
consumers around the world.
•During the 1930s radio expanded further into news, politics, vaudeville routines and sporting
events, broadcasting into millions of homes every day.
Evolution of Communication
Technologies (Contd..)
Television-
•Television was introduced to the public in 1946, even though it had been experimented with since
the late 1920s. Television exploded in homes around the world, going from 940,000 households in
the beginning to 20 million by 1953.
•Corporations suddenly had the opportunity to show their products, not just describe them. Over the
following decades, television became the predominant source of communication to a wide audience,
and it changed the political and cultural landscape forever.
•People were suddenly able to witness iconic events, such as the first moon landing and the
progression of the civil rights movement. A major criticism was that television reduced complex
events into simple entertainment, but television was here to stay, changing the way people received
their news.
Evolution of Communication
Technologies (Contd..)
Internet –
•The creation of the Internet allowed computer networks from around the globe to network with each
other, giving individuals access to an incredible wealth of information. In 2010, about half of the
world's population has access to the Internet, growing from only 6 percent of the population in 2000.
•Email, social networks, newsgroups and video transmission have connected the world like never
before.
•Privacy concerns have arisen with the proliferation of the Internet, especially with government
monitoring and certain social networking sites, but the Internet has woven itself into the fabric of
society and business.
•High-speed connections allow for an immense amount of information to be transferred in seconds.
 Advantages of Technology
• Reduced distances- Earlier we communicated through letters.
This method was very time-consuming and prone to information
loss in case the letter was misplaced during transit. Emails,
Instant Messaging, Whatsapp etc. are much faster.
• Collaborative- collaboration or teamwork is the key to success.
Teams are now required to work together on business projects.
Technology helps to fulfil the collaborative projects.
• Feedback- Response time has reduced due to technology. You
can now get instant response for your message now.
 Advantages of Technology…
• Better connectivity- Technology provides seamless connectivity, both
in terms of network connectivity and geographical connectivity. Now
you can anytime conduct a meeting through video conference without
having to travel.
• Simpler processes – Earlier, making correction in written
drafts/reports was a difficult task as you had to make changes
manually. Now word processor provides users with various features for
editing, proofreading, revising and updating the draft. Presentation of
data has also become simpler with the features in PowerPoint
presentations
• Reduced cost- Technology has helped in reducing costs. Earlier, you
had to send mailers to your stakeholders, and it cost a lot in terms of
time and resources. Now the same report or document can be sent vide
email at no cost at all.
 Disadvantages of Technology
• Information overload- There is information that is
flooded in your mailbox or laptop/mobile screen. You may
feel overwhelmed due to increasing number of tasks that
you are required to do or pay attention to. This makes it
difficult to manage tasks.
• Poor Work-life balance- Since you are connected all the
time through technology and continue receiving
notifications of an email/message or news flash, you are
unable to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
 Disadvantages of Technology…
• Lack of human touch – When you are given an option of
having audio-video conference over meeting someone
face-to-face, you tend to lose the human touch. Every
information exchange that is taking place because of
technology, humans have gradually isolated themselves
from making personal contact.
• Technology abuse- Virus threats, spam, phishing
attacks, hacking of system etc. are some of the
technology abuse you are prone to in today’s time. People
are casual and sometimes violate the etiquettes one is
required to follow.
 DYNAMIC ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN
COMMUNICATION
• Internet revolution- Internet has brought about revolution the way
business is done. Internet ensures speed and faster access to
information. Customers can purchase products/avail services at the
click of a mouse or touch on screen.
• Lower cost of technology- Earlier the incoming calls to mobile
phones were changeable now its free. Any call that you make at
national or international level is almost negligible if you use mobile
data or broadband data. Applications like Whatsapp, Skype,
Facebook allow you to send messages and make audio-video calls
which results in transmission of information at almost no cost at all.
 DYNAMIC ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN
COMMUNICATION
The role of technology is very important in managerial communication
today. Earlier communication was carried out face-to-face or
telephonically or through print media but now the needs of business
have changed, and technology has a vital role to play in it. Some of
the driving forces are:
•Needs of business have changed- Competition is growing after
economic liberalization. Need for real-time information for team based
and virtual work culture plays a critical role now.
•Need for collaboration – While earlier work was done within
departments/functional areas, now teamwork and collaborated
projects are encouraged. This approach reduces time, cost and also
improves quality of work. Technology comes handy when employees,
who may be geographically placed at different locations collaborate.
 CLASSIFICATION OF TECHNOLOGIES
AVAILABLE
Technology may be categorized in four categories as
follows:
•Internet
•Collaborative tools
•Technology tools
•Technology for daily use
1. Internet
• Considered as one of the biggest inventions in communications.
The whole dynamics of how business is done in current times has
changed because of the internet. When your boss asks you to
prepare a report on HR Analytics for its probable implementation in
the organsiation, you will search for detailed information and
trends in HR Analytics. If you have to visit your regional office
based in Mumbai, you will book tickets for flights and hotel online.
• You will not only search for information on the internet but also do
business, save data, promote the company and its products and
use other applications over the internet
 1. Internet…
Some of the tools/facilities available on the internet are:
Email- The etiquettes associated with email and format have
already been discussed. Some important points to remember
when using emails are:
•Use firewall to protect from spam, spyware and other data
security issues.
•Ensure that emails do not look unsolicited. Give a personal
touch to your emails.
•Your email id must give a feel of professionalism.
•All internal communication that takes place over email
should not be casual
 1. Internet…
Searching- You can access information using search engines like
Google and Yahoo. You can search using keywords, titles, quotations,
or text. Some tips to make search easier are:
•Know fully what you wish to search for. Use keywords that would help
to refine search.
•Choose accurate words to get better results. For example, if you are
searching for information on visual-aids to make effective
presentations, then your keyword should be `visual aids’ instead of
‘making presentations’ to get accurate results.
•Search engines are not case-sensitive so you may use uppercase or
lowercase letters.
•Avoid using verbs, articles, pronouns, conjunctions and prepositions in
your keywords.
1. Internet…
• Browsing- The term ‘browsing’ is used to describe our act of
looking over a document on the internet or any document that is
available to use on our desktop. Some essential tips for using the
internet/while browsing are:
• Do not multitask while surfing or browsing.
• Be very specific with your query.
• Individual search engines have their own databases. Meta search
engines do not compile their own databases.
• Use the words ‘and’, ‘or’ and ‘nor’ in search engines. You can also
use “(double inverted commas) or the + (plus) or the – (minus)
sign.
 1. Internet…
RSS Feed- There is lot of information available on the Internet.
•You may keep track of some websites and blogs that give you
updated information that will help you in your business.
•For ease of access of instant and updated information, you can
use ‘RSS’ tool. RSS stands for `Really simple syndication’ and is
used to publish blog, audio, video and news updates. With RSS
you receive continuous feeds.
•The feeds are headlines and summaries of information that you
follow in the website you keep track of. This saves a lot of time.
You must keep visitors interested in your business and will
enhance website traffic.
2. Collaborative Tools
Collaborative tools are also referred to as ‘groupware’. It
helps the team to achieve a common task or goal.
Groupware consists of the following:
•a. Communication tools – Include emails. Voice
mails, wikis etc. Wikis help the user to create and edit
web pages with the help of a browser. This mean that
anyone involved with a project can change the contents
of a webpage. With Wikis, you can put in sounds,
movies, pictures. Although this tool helps in
collaborating, it can be misused also.
2. Collaborative Tools…
• Conferencing tools – Conferencing tools include
instant messengers, audio, video conferences and
telephones/mobile phones. There are several tools that
help to facilitate conferencing. You can use Skype,
Zoom, Google Meet etc. for audio-video conferencing.
Whatsapp/Facebook Messenger allows you to send
instant messages and even make conference calls.
Some important tips while using audio-video
conferencing are:
2. Collaborative Tools…
3. Technology Tools
• Various technology tools are available to the employees
in an organsation which might very in their usage.
• Most employees are provided with mobile phones and
laptops by the companies these days.
• The technology keeps changing and the tools that were
extremely popular are not in use now.
• For example, pagers, floppy disks, CDs, Fax machines,
Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) are not used anymore.
3. Technology Tools
 3. Technology Tools…
• Computers/Laptops – Computers and laptops are the
most popular devices in any organization. You must
ensure that you keep your desktop computer/laptop
updated with latest softwares and anti-virus
applications. Laptops are handy as you can use them
anywhere. Both computers and laptops must be
maintained properly and used effectively.
 4. Technology for Daily Use

We use various technology tools when we prepare

documents or make presentations. Some of the features
in word processors that you can use are given below:
• Security- You can increase the safety of the document, limit its access
and encrypt the document.
• Spelling and Grammar Check- If you want to do a spelling and
grammar check, you can go to ‘Review’ and click on the tab ‘Spelling
and Grammar’. You can check your document for spelling and
grammar. You can also use the `Review’ option to check or review the
changes made. Also, you may use the ‘Compare’ button to find out the
differences with the original documents.
4. Technology for Daily Use…

• Design – You can use the templates available to make your document
or presentations vivid and professional. Using the ‘Insert’ tab you can
insert tables, charts, pictures and outlines of various shapes. The
smart art can also be used to make images and diagrams presentable.
You can insert headers, footers, bookmarks etc to bring clarity to your
document.
• Managing and Preparing a Document- Microsoft software is
commonly used software for document preparation, editing and
proofreading. The ‘Reference’ function will provide several features to
you when you are managing a document or preparing a report. When
you are working on Excel, creating tables, columns, charts etc. can be
used effectively.
 ONLINE ETIQUETTES

• The use of the internet and technology sometimes leads to

misuse as well. Thus, it is important to handle etiquettes
also called `Netiquettes’. Some of the guidelines are:
• Before posting/sharing any information, make sure it is
true and factually correct.
• Do some background check and research before you ask
for information.
 ONLINE ETIQUETTES

• Check for your company policies related to using the

internet, especially those on browsing certain websites or
downloading/uploading media.
• Keep your emails/systems safe and virus protected.
• Do not share confidential information over email or intranet.
• Keep your website updated with correct information. Do not
make false claims.
• When you post any comment, do not use language that can
be offensive.
•
 SOCIAL MEDIA ETIQUETTES
Organisations use social media platforms like Facebook,
LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter etc. to attract customers and
build customer loyalty. It helps organization to increase their
market reach, including international markets. Social media
platforms also help employees to conduct market research
and reduce marketing costs. It helps to increase revenue by
building customer networks and advertising. It is important
to understand that whatever social media platform you may
use, there are few etiquettes that one must follow:
•Research about your audience’s preferences, needs.
•Identify the best time to post.
 SOCIAL MEDIA ETIQUETTES…
• Use appropriate product/service images.
• Use the right words and avoid jargons, slangs.
• Don’t send bulk messages or spam your customers with
messages.
• Be prompt in responding; 53% of the customers who post
their queries on Twitter expect a response within an hour.
In case of complaint, 72% customers expect immediate.
• Respond respectfully because your response will be seen
by everyone who visits your organisation’s social media
page/handle. Your audience should know the real story.
 SOCIAL MEDIA ETIQUETTES…
• Never get into mud flinging with your competitors. It will
leave your customers baffled and unsure about your
credibility.
• Use hashtags that help people search for, and find, you
and your brand. Don’t get overboard using hashtags; be
specific about the keywords.
• Use a secure account for all your posts and think before
posting.
• Follow brands carefully because following everyone will
dilute your brand and saturate your news feeds with
unnecessary posts.
SOCIAL MEDIA ETIQUETTES…
SUMMARY

• Technology is all pervasive in our lives now. Various technology tools are
playing a crucial role in every area of managerial communication. However,
the misuse of technology is also increasing with the increase in use of
technology. You have to understand that etiquettes associated with usage of
internet and social media platforms.
• The biggest advantage of technology is its ability to cut down costs and save
time. These two advantages have made organisations adopt technology.
Organisations are now using technologies like audio-video conferencing, blogs
etc. to communicate. Internet and social media have changed the way
business is done these days. Ease of accessing information has increased
many folds now. Searching, browsing and emails are amongst the useful
features of internet; and social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn,
Instagram, whatsapp are helping organisations tremendously in today’s
business environment.