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Message Design Logics and Effectiveness of Corrective Feedback

Message Design Logics and Effectiveness of Corrective Feedback. Association for Business Communication Southwestern U.S. Annual Conference. Kathryn S. O’Neill, Geraldine E. Hynes, & Heather R. Wilson Sam Houston State University March 14, 2013. Background.

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Message Design Logics and Effectiveness of Corrective Feedback

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  1. Message Design Logics and Effectiveness of Corrective Feedback Association for Business Communication Southwestern U.S. Annual Conference Kathryn S. O’Neill, Geraldine E. Hynes, & Heather R. Wilson Sam Houston State University March 14, 2013

  2. Background • Organizations spent $133.4 billion in 2011 to train employees (ASTD, State of the Industry Report, 2012) • 12.6% is for training managers and supervisors • 7.9% is for training in interpersonal skills • Premise: Skilled communicators of corrective feedback improve employee performance and productivity

  3. Agenda • Theoretical Framework • Purpose • Methodology • Results • Discussion and Implications

  4. Theoretical Framework • O’Keefe and McCornack (1987) • Asked why some communication situations elicit wide variation in messages’ content and effectiveness • O’Keefe’s (1988) Theory of Message Design Logics • Suggested messages are designed according to three fundamental premises in ends-to-means reasoning about communication

  5. Expressive • Fundamental Premise: Language is a medium for expressing thoughts and feelings • Example: “You have not done your share of the group’s work. I am going to have to remove you from the group. I know you have done some work, though. Can you bring it to my house so I can use it? Maybe I can salvage something from this situation.”

  6. Conventional • Fundamental Premise: Communication is a game played cooperatively by social rules • Example: “I am going to have to ask you to rewrite this report. The things I want you to do are listed on this page of comments. Please turn the work around as quickly as possible.”

  7. Rhetorical • Fundamental Premise: Communication is the creation and negotiation of social selves and situations • Example: “Things have gone well on our project, and we have another whole day before it must go to the typist. Your part was good, but I think it could be strengthened with some minor additions. What would really help is some statistical support. I bet a couple of hours at the library would do the trick. I know you are as eager as the rest of us to get a good grade, and I think the investment of a little more time would really pay off. What do you say?”

  8. Purpose Apply O’Keefe’s theory • To the workplace • To interactions between supervisors and their subordinates

  9. Research Methods • Pilot study: collected messages in response to a typical corrective feedback situation • Sample: 14 Supervisors in communication training program • Task: To deliver corrective feedback to a chronically tardy employee • Procedure: Supervisors wrote what they would say to their employee • Analysis: • Authors used a rubric to analyze each message independently • Came to consensus for each message

  10. Results: Distribution of Message Types • 21% of the sample composed Rhetorical messages • 64% composed Conventional messages • 14% composed Expressive messages

  11. Results: Experience And Message Type

  12. Discussion • Theory is supported in workplace settings • Developmental aspect of the theory is supported • Theory supports a strategy of formal training for supervisory communication skills • Case-based exercises may be a valuable tool for predicting supervisors’ communication skill level

  13. Next Steps • Expand study to include supervisors in multiple industry settings • Expand study to consider more demographic factors • Test perceived effectiveness of message design logics

  14. Thank you! • Kathryn O’Neill <oneill@shsu.edu> • Gerry Hynes <hynes@shsu.edu> • Heather Wilson <hrw004@shsu.edu> • PowerPoint <www.shsu.edu/~gba_geh>

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