Essentials of Business Communication, Second Edition Ch. 1–1

Essentials of Business Communication, Second Edition Ch. 1–2

Communication Skills

Why do you need good communication skills?

Essentials of Business Communication, Second Edition Ch. 1–3

Communication Skills

Communication skills are essential for• Job placement• Job performance• Career advancement• Success in the new world of work

Essentials of Business Communication, Second Edition Ch. 1–4

Trends in the New Workplace

• Flattened management hierarchies• More participatory management• Increased emphasis on teams [community]• Heightened global competition• Innovative communication technologies• New work environments• Focus on information as a corporate asset

Essentials of Business Communication, Second Edition Ch. 1–5

The Process of Communication

Receiver

“understands”

message

Sender

has

idea

Possible additional

feedback to

receiver

Sender

encodes

message

Receiver

decodes

message

Channel carries message

Feedback

travels to

senderNOISE

NOISE

Essentials of Business Communication, Second Edition Ch. 1–6

The Process of Communication

How may the sender encode amessage?

Verbally or nonverbally. By speaking,writing, gesturing.

What kinds of channels carrymessages?

Letters, e-mail, memos, TV,telephone, voice, body. Others?

How does a receiver decode amessage?

Hearing, reading, observing.

When is communication successful? When a message is understood as thesender intended it to be.

How can a communicator provide forfeedback?

Ask questions, watch responses,don’t dominate the exchange.

Essentials of Business Communication, Second Edition Ch. 1–7

Barriers to Effective Listening (1)

• Physical barriers - hearing disabilities, noisy surroundings

• Psychological barriers - tuning out ideas that counter our values

• Language problems - unfamiliar or charged words

• Nonverbal distractions - clothing, mannerisms, appearance

Essentials of Business Communication, Second Edition Ch. 1–8

Barriers to Effective Listening (2)

• Thought speed - our minds process thoughts faster than speakers express them

• Faking attention - pretending to listen• Grandstanding - people rather talk than listen;

talking all the time or listening only for the next pause

Essentials of Business Communication, Second Edition Ch. 1–9

Tips for Becoming anActive Listener (1)

• Stop talking.• Control your surroundings.• Establish a receptive mind-set.• Keep an open mind.• Listen for main points.• Capitalize on lag time.• Listen between the lines.

Essentials of Business Communication, Second Edition Ch. 1–10

Tips for Becoming anActive Listener (2)

• Judge ideas, not appearances.• Hold your fire.• Take selective notes.• Provide feedback.

Essentials of Business Communication, Second Edition Ch. 1–11

Nonverbal Communication (1)

• The eyes, face, and body send silent messages.• Eye contact• Facial expression• Posture and gestures

• Appearance sends silent messages. • Appearance of business people• Appearance of documents

Essentials of Business Communication, Second Edition Ch. 1–12

Nonverbal Communication (2)

• Time, space, and territory send silent messages. • Time (punctuality and structure of)• Space (arrangement of objects in)• Territory (privacy zones)

Essentials of Business Communication, Second Edition Ch. 1–13

Tips for Improving Your Nonverbal Skills (1)

• Establish and maintain eye contact.• Use posture to show interest.• Improve your decoding skills.• Probe for more information.• Avoid assigning nonverbal meanings out

of context.

Essentials of Business Communication, Second Edition Ch. 1–14

Tips for Improving Your Nonverbal Skills (2)

• Associate with people from diverse cultures.

• Appreciate the power of appearance.• Observe yourself on videotape.• Enlist friends and family.

Essentials of Business Communication, Second Edition Ch. 1–15

Culture and Communication

Good communication demands special sensitivity and skills when communicators are from different cultures.

Essentials of Business Communication, Second Edition Ch. 1–16

US Cultural ValuesIndividualism• Initiative, self-assertion,

personal achievement

Informality• Little emphasis on rituals,

ceremonies, rank; preference for informal dress

Asian Cultural Values

Membership• Japan: Harmony is the key

value of the society• Singapore: Group-oriented

culture

Formality• Japan: Conscious of age and

status

A Comparison of Key Cultural Values

Essentials of Business Communication, Second Edition Ch. 1–17

US Cultural ValuesDirect communication style• Impatient, literal / genuine,

suspicious of evasive

Importance of time• Precious, correlates with

productivity

Asian Cultural ValuesIndirect communication style• China and Japan: high-

context culture societies, nonverbal communication

Importance of time• Unlimited, never-ending

resource to be enjoyed

A Comparison of Key Cultural Values

Essentials of Business Communication, Second Edition Ch. 1–18

Improving Communication With Multicultural Audiences (1)

Oral Messages• Use simple English.• Speak slowly and enunciate clearly.• Encourage accurate feedback.• Check frequently for comprehension.• Observe eye messages.

Essentials of Business Communication, Second Edition Ch. 1–19

Improving Communication With Multicultural Audiences (2)

Oral Messages• Accept blame.• Listen without interrupting.• Remember to smile!• Follow up in writing.

Essentials of Business Communication, Second Edition Ch. 1–20

Improving Communication With Multicultural Audiences (3)

Written Messages• Adapt local styles.• Consider hiring a translator.• Use short sentences and short paragraphs.• Avoid ambiguous wordings.• Cite numbers carefully.

Essentials of Business Communication, Second Edition Ch. 1–21

Effective Communication With Diverse Workplace Audiences (1)

• Understand the value of differences.• Don’t expect conformity.• Create zero tolerance for bias and

stereotypes.• Practice focused, thoughtful, and open-

minded listening.• Invite, use, and give feedback.

Essentials of Business Communication, Second Edition Ch. 1–22

Effective Communication With Diverse Workplace Audiences (2)

• Make fewer workplace assumptions.• Learn about your own cultural self.• Learn about other cultures and identity

groups.• Seek common ground.

Essentials of Business Communication, Second Edition Ch. 1–23

End