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ASSIGNMENT: SET-2

NAME: Chaitali A. Nayak

ROLL NO.: 520920472

SEMESTER: FIRST (I)

SUBJECT NAME: Business Communication

SUBJECT CODE: MB0023

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Q 1. Describe three specific situations at the workplace where positive non verbalcommunication could be used effectively to enhance verbal communication.

Answer:

Non-verbal communication: - It is defined as communication without words. Itrefers to any way of conveying meanings without the use of verbal language. The

game of dumb charades is a perfect example. Non-verbal communication isgenerally unintentional, unlike verbal communication. All of us tend tocommunicate silently and unknowingly send signals and messages by what we do,apart from what we say. Gestures, facial expressions, posture and the way wedress, are all part of non-verbal communication.

Non-verbal communication can have a greater impact than verbal communication,since how you say something is sometimes more important than what you say.Although non-verbal communication can affect both our personal and businessrelationships, it is particularly important in the workplace.

Non-verbal Communication is Powerful: Non-verbal communication helps usto form first impressions and make judgments of others. First impressionsgenerally tend to be lasting impressions.

Situation 1:- Once I had an interview. I wore professional suit that day. Timegiven to me was 8.30am but I went 8.00am. I was the first candidate for theinterview. Hr Executive came and said me to seat within 5 minutes he conductedmy personal interview. First I knocked the door and took permission to enter thanI set in attention. He asked me some personal questions. I answered all withperfect eye contact and with confidence. He told me to wait. I wait 3 minute. Again

he came and called for technical interview. My technical interview was also finish in20 minutes. Again I met Hr executive, he told me 1 day to reply. When I back Isaw 250 people for interview. After one day I got the mail mentioned that you areselected.

Due to my nonverbal communication and positive attitude, I made goodimpression and he judged me that I am punctual, sincere and hard worker girl.

Kinesics: This is the most often studied and important area of non-verbalcommunication and refers to body movements of any kind. Different body

movements can express inner states of emotion.

Situation 2:- In my previous organization there are so many training andpresentation organized. Once I prepared presentation to deliver.

I start my presentation. First of all, I well come all by my hands movement than Istart to give introduction to my presentation by perfect eye contact, hand andhead movement. All trainee listen me carefully in peace. After completion ofpresentation I gave feedback form to all. All had written good feedback.

Due to my nonverbal communication people took interest it enhanced and helpedin my verbal communication.

Non-verbal Communication Varies Across Cultures: While certain types ofnon-verbal behavior are universal, others may be different in different cultures.

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Situation 3:- There are different rules regarding the appropriateness of thehandshake in oriental and western cultures. Generally, in oriental cultures likeIndia, any form of physical contact is not common and is interpreted as beingintimate, while it is an accepted thing in western countries.

Similarly, a nod of the head means yes in some cultures and no in other cultures.

In this age of business communication across cultures, it is important for you tounderstand these differences, especially when doing business overseas. Failure todo this could lead to costly blunders.

Q 2. Lateral or horizontal communication is more important today than verticalcommunication. Do you agree or disagree? Justify your answer.

Answer:- Yes I am agreeing due to following reason.

Formal Communication Network A formal communication network is one

which is created by management and described with the help of an organizationalchart. An organizational chart specifies the hierarchy and the reporting system inthe organization. Therefore, in a formal network, information is passed on only

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through official channels such as memos, bulletins and intranet (email within theorganization).

The organizational chart implies that information can flow in any of three directions vertically, i.e., upward or downward, and horizontally.

Informal communication, generally associated with interpersonal, horizontal

communication, was primarily seen as a potential hindrance to effectiveorganizational performance. Most discussions of informal communicationemphasize how to manage organizational culture and climate to prevent informaland formal communications from being in opposition. DAprix (1996:39-40)developed a SAY/DO matrix managers say one thing but do anotheras a keyexplanation of how informal/formal communication issues can arise (see Figure).He locates ideal organizational communication in the High Say/High Do quadrant indicating that there is sufficient communication and that management actionsmatch their communications. An organization in the High Say/Low Do quadrant ismost likely to have a culture in which informal and formal communications conflict.

Other discussions of informal communication have focused on diversity training asa mechanism for sensitizing staff to potential issues associated with informal (aswell as formal) communication.2 Still others have emphasized conflictmanagement as a strategy for dealing with Issues that arise from informalcommunication and interactions between workers.

Vertical Communication: - Vertical communication occurs between hierarchicallypositioned persons and can involve both downward and upward communicationflows. Downward communication is more prevalent than upward communication.Downward communication is most effective if top managers communicate directlywith immediate supervisors and immediate supervisors communicate with theirstaff. A wealth of evidence shows that increasing the power of immediatesupervisors increases both satisfaction and performance among employees.

This was first discovered by Donald Pelz (1952) and is commonly referred to as the

Pelz effect. He find out what types of leadership styles led to employee satisfaction(informal/formal, autocratic/participative, manage men oriented/ frontline-oriented). He found that what matters most is not the supervisors leadership stylebut whether the supervisor has power. One way to give supervisors power is to

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communicate directly with them and to have them provide input to decisions.Ensuring that supervisors are informed about organizational issues/changes beforestaff in general, and then allowing them to communicate these issues/changes totheir staff, helps reinforce their position of power. When the supervisor isperceived as having power, employees have greater trust in the supervisor,greater desire for communication with the supervisor, and are more likely tobelieve that the information coming from the supervisor is accurate

Downward Communication: - This may be defined as information that flowsfrom superiors to subordinates. The most common reasons for downwardcommunication are for giving job instructions, explaining company rules, policiesand procedures and giving feedback regarding job performance.

Based on a survey of 30,000 employees conducted by the OpinionResearch Corporation, Morgan and Schieman (1983) found that a majority of theworkers felt their organization did not do a good job of downward communication.As seen in below Figure satisfaction levels were especially low at lower job levels.

Employee Satisfaction with Downward Communication

A survey of 32,000 employees conducted by the International Association ofBusiness Communication and the firm of Towers, Perrin, Forster, and Crosby,

Foehrenbach and Rosenberg (1982) found somewhat higher satisfaction withdownward communication:

71 percent reported that their organization tried to keep employees wellinformed.

65 percent agreed that they had been given sufficient information to performtheir jobs.

51 percent agreed that their organizations downward communication wascandid and accurate.

They also found that employees want to hear more organizational news directly

from the top executives .Finally, they found that the two topics of greatest interestto employees were future organizational plans and productivity improvements, afinding that seemingly conflicts with what

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DAprix (1996) posits as the hierarchy of employees communication needs, asreflected in the pie chart in Figure below. This latter discrepancy could stem thefact that DAprixs hierarchy of communication needs is theoretical, as opposed tobeing based on empirical research, and/or the fact that DAprix does notdistinguish what employees what to hear from top executives versus what theywant to hear from their immediate supervisor.

Hierarchy of Employees Communication Needs

Although the content priorities of downward communication have not beendefinitively demonstrated, there is some level of certainty with respect to the bestapproach to downwardCommunication i.e. Top managers should communicate directly with immediate supervisors; Immediate supervisors should communicate with their direct reports; On issues of importance, top managers should then follow-up by communicating

with employees directly.

Perhaps the most tried and true rule of effective downward communication is to:Communicate orally, then follow up in writing.

Benefits and disadvantages:-

That provides regular feedback will be beneficial if the feedback or review ofperformance is constructive.

A constructive review is one where a manager counsels an employee, oradvises him on how to improve his performance.

Regular downward communication also creates a climate of transparency oropenness, where information is passed on through official channels, ratherthan through rumors.

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On the other hand, a destructive review that of message overload candestroy employee morale and confidence. This means that superiors manysometimes burden their subordinates with too many instructions, leading toconfusion.

Boosts employee morale, since it indicates that management is involved intheir progress.

Upward Communication: - This may be defined as information that flows fromsubordinates to superiors. Some of the reasons for upward communication includediscussing work related problems, giving suggestions for improvement and sharingfeelings about the job and co-workers. One consistent finding is that employeesatisfaction with upward communication tends to be lower than their satisfactionwith downward communication.

Low levels of satisfaction with all the strategies commonly used to enhance upwardcommunication, including employee surveys, suggestion programs, employee

grievance programs, and employee participation programs such as quality circlesand team meetings. Several management-based reasons for this lack ofsatisfaction, particularly that these strategies often do not involve two-waycommunication, are not packaged well, are poorly timed, and are apt to triggerdefensiveness on the part of managers.In addition, McClelland (1988) found a number of employee-based reasons whyupward communication tends to be poor, including:

Fear of reprisal people are afraid to speak their minds

Filters employees feel their ideas/concerns are modified as they gettransmitted upward

Time managers give the impression that they dont have the time to listento employees.

Benefits and disadvantage:-

Problem-solving. Once a subordinate has brought a problem to his superiorsnotice, chances are that the problem will not recur, since the subordinatelearns from his superior how to tackle it the next time. Thus, his ability tosolve new problems and therefore his managerial ability, improves.

That could arise from upward communication is that valuable ideas andsuggestions may sometimes come from lower level employees. Thereforeorganizations should encourage this kind of communication.

Employees learn to accept the decisions of management and thereby workas a team.

That it may lead to handing down of decisions by superiors. Whensubordinates frequently seek the superiors guidance, the latter may adoptan authoritarian approach and merely give instructions, disregarding thesubordinates opinion completely.

Horizontal or Lateral Communication: - It may be defined as communicationthat takes place between co-workers in the same department, or in differentdepartments, with different areas of responsibility.

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Lateral communication involves communication among persons who do not standin hierarchical relation to one another. Organizations have enhanced theimportance of lateral communications; studies on lateral communication still lagbehind those on vertical communication. One fairly limited study found rather highlevels of satisfaction (85 percent) with lateral communication among humanresource managers, but lateral communication across managers of dissimilarfunctional divisions, while often cited as a major source of organization

dysfunction, has not been subject to much empirical research. It has beenassumed that lateral communication at the worker level is less problematic, atleast within a functional area. However, with the greater importance of teams,more attention is now being directed at communication between team members.Lateral communications between workers in different functional areas is alsobecoming a bigger concern as greater attention is being directed at increasing thespeed of production through simultaneous, as opposed to sequential, workprocesses. And there is greater emphasis on communication across distributedworkers and geographically separated work groups doing similar kinds of work inan attempt to promote learning and the sharing of expertise, best practices, and

lessons learned.

The reasons for this type of communication are for coordination of tasks, sharingof information regarding goals of the organization, resolving interpersonal or workrelated problems and building rapport.

The biggest potential benefit of horizontal communication is the sense of teamworkthat is created. Regular communication of this type ensures that all co-workerswork together towards achieving a common goal in the overall interest of theorganization. The biggest potential problem is that conflicts such as ego clashesare bound to arise, when co-workers at the same level communicate on a regularbasis.

In spite of these problems, horizontal or lateral communication has become moreimportant in todays business scenario than upward or downward communication.This is because the organizational pyramid indicating the different hierarchies orlevels in an organization has flattened. This is illustrated by the diagrams givenbelow.

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The first diagram illustrates the previous organizational pyramid which was amulti-layer pyramid.In this type of pyramid, vertical, i.e., upward and downwardcommunication still plays an important role. This is still the case in manytraditionally run organizations today.

However, this has been replaced by a compressed or flattened pyramid wherethe hierarchy has diminished, as shown in the second diagram. He or she cansupervise and control more number of people than before. This in turn has led togreater empowerment, which means that even lower level employees are nowbeing given decision making authority. Therefore, in the absence of several layers,there is greater lateral communication than before.

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Q 3. Imagine that you have to make an oral presentation on the featuresof the EduNext portal to new students of the SMU MBA program. Preparean outline of the presentation and specify the following a) Purpose ofthe presentation b) Key idea c) Audience analysis d) Delivery style.

Answer:

OUTLINE: after completion of my presentation student aware about EduNext portaland its support. How to use it like login and what contains inside like model test

paper, practice paper for each unit, online chat session for any query regardingany subject, assignment, impotent announcement, notice board etc.

Steps in Making Oral Presentations:

1. Definition of the Purpose of the Presentation: Guideline on the features ofthe EduNext portal to new students of the SMU.

2. Development of the Key Idea: This will help to new SMU students. At the endof the presentation they are fully aware of the EduNext feature means howto use and how it will help to them. In each area and whenever they wish itcan support.

3. Audience Analysis: it contains following:

Job Designations and Areas of Expertise: I have to check who aresuppose to attend my presentation and them level of knowledge becausemy students are MBA so probably they have done PGDBA, or graduation.So I have to make my presentation that include technical aspects and

jargon, which they would be able to understand. If not, you may have tomake the presentation simpler, or explain some of the terms elaborately.

Preferred Style of Presentation: I also have to know the personalpreferences of my audience, with regard to the style of presentation that

they are most comfortable with. So I may prefer a more informal orconversational style with some humor thrown in, to a more formal style.Others may like the presentation to be made at a slower pace.

Demographic Characteristics of the Audience: The gender, age,cultural background and economic status of the audience also need to bestudied.

Size of the Audience I have also check that how many students aregoing attend my presentation because it will help me for presentationstyle, the time set aside for questions and answers, the size of visuals andso on. With a smaller group, the presentation could be made less formal,

the time for questions and answers less and the visuals smaller, than fora larger group.

The Level of Knowledge on the Subject I need to know how familiarmy audience is with the subject of the presentation. For that I have to

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thoroughly go through the EduNext portal. If the audience comprises ofexperts in that particular area, basic explanations may not be needed. Onthe other hand, if the level of familiarity is not so high, a lot ofbackground information and explanation will be required.

The Attitude of the Audience The attitude of my listeners, bothtowards me as a speaker and towards the topic of the presentation, needsto be studied in advance. If the audience is prejudiced towards me for

some reason, I may have to alter my style of presentation considerably. Ifthe presentation happens to be on a sensitive topic, I may have toproceed very tactfully. This is especially true of presentations that aim topersuade.

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Q 4. Write a letter to your distributor, conveying the bad news of one ofyour product lines being phased out or discontinued, offering some formof compensation in return.

Answer:

5868 Maple Wood StreetFairfield, PA 37626November 5th, 2009

Mr. Joseph Bicman358 Noncook RoadJohn's Town, PA 57323

Dear Mr. Bicman:

I apologize for the mix-up of order #: 26429782. We have just implemented a newproduct system that still has a few days to be worked out, and old product will bediscontinued from last week, but we did fix your order and sent it out thismorning. For your trouble, we have enclosed a $500 gift certificate which can beused at any of our stores. Once again I would like to apologize for the mix-up inyour order and any inconveniences this may have caused you.

Sincerely,

Chaitali NayakCustomer Service Manager

Q5. As a Sales Manager, prepare a one page report in memo formataddressed to the VP Marketing, providing sales updates for a newlylaunched FMCG product.

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Steps In Report Preparation

1. Planning the report The first question to be asked before gatheringinformation and writing the report, is regarding the type of report that is required.We classified reports into four main types, based on the purpose, the audience to

whom they are addressed and the frequency of the report.

Secondly, it must be remembered that most reports are required by managementto solve aproblem, or to make a decision. Therefore, the basis, or starting pointfor a report is a problem. Reports are written after a problem is analyzed and asolution to the problem is found. The problem may be of a day-to-day nature, suchas determining which brand of overhead projector to recommend for purchase. Or,the problem may be a negative one, such as sales of the company showing adecline. In any case, the problem is the single fundamental issue to be addressedin the report and should be clearly determined, right at the outset.

Once the problem has been defined, it must be broken up into sub issues or subproblems, by asking the questions what, why, when, where and who?.

Asking the above questions determines the exact scope of the study and reducesthe problem to a workable size.

The next step in planning the report is to do an audience analysis. We have seenthat reports may be addressed to internal or external audiences of an organization.Some of the questions to be asked about the audience, or the reader of the report

are

Is the audience internal or external to the organization?

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Who is the specific audience or reader? - for example, top management,customers or the government? Reports written for the government and fortop management should be more formal than for other audiences.

Is the audience known to you? What is the level of knowledge of the audience? Is the topic familiar to the

reader? If the report is of a technical nature and the reader is a layperson,the technical terms may need detailed explanation.

What is the level of interest of the reader? If the report has been solicited orauthorized, the readers level of interest will be high. On the other hand, ifthe report is voluntary or unsolicited, it may have to sustain reader interest.

The tone, length, complexity and degree of formality of the report will dependlargely on the readers characteristics. For example, reports addressed to peerswould adopt

a more conversational tone, while reports on company policies and proceduresaddressed to subordinates would adopt an emphatic tone.

2. Selecting a Method to Solve the Problem After defining the problem anddoing an audience analysis, a method has to be selected to collect the necessaryinformation to solve the problem. Broadly, information may be gathered usingsecondary research methods, such as books, magazines, newspapers, internet andother available sources, or through primary research methods, such as surveysthat provide first hand information.

3. Gathering and Organizing Data - Once the method of gathering informationhas been selected, the actual process of gathering the information begins. Sincethis is time consuming and expensive, only information that is relevant to the

report and the study must be gathered. The raw data should be evaluated for itsusefulness and organized in a form that is meaningful to understand. Tables,charts, graphs and summaries should be used to do this.

4. Arriving at a Conclusion Once the information has been checked for itsvalidity and reliability, it must be interpreted and conclusions drawn. Correctinterpretation of the data is needed for the success of the report. Soundconclusions cannot be made if the interpretation of the data is faulty. A commonmistake made in the interpretation of data is the tendency of the researcher to usesubjective judgments, instead of objective reasoning based on facts.

5. Writing the Report The actual process of writing the report should beginonly after a satisfactory solution to the problem has been found. As pointed outearlier, a well written report that contains a bad answer is worse than a badlywritten report that contains a good answer.

Certain procedures for writing should be followed:-

Set a date for completion of the report and get started early-

Start with an easy section

Write quickly, with the intention of rewriting Set aside uninterrupted writing time

Review and rewrite where necessary

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Reports should also be written in a convincing manner, so that the reader acceptsthem as valid and reliable. Some suggested techniques of conviction include thefollowing

State facts in an objective manner

Provide expert opinions

Use documentation

Q 6. Case Study:Problems with Email communication

StratAssemble, leading developer of web-based project and detail management

services that improve communication and increase productivity, has released awhite paper chronicling the growing problems associated with email--"Can YourBusiness Survive Email?"

The paper recounts the history of email, its changing role in business, and theemergence of new Web 2.0 collaboration tools, such as StratAssemble's PlanDone,that offer new and better ways for companies to manage their workflow.

Email usage drains workplace resources and hinders the timely completion ofprojects of all types. Given today's fast pace of business, communication in real-time and keeping staff on the same page are crucial to staying ahead. Yet delayscaused by using email to coordinate business-critical data between individuals,departments, and remote locations actually slow productivity.

Top 10 critical email problems:

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1. Lack of security

2. Attachment problems

3. Reliability problems

4. Spam clutter

5. Document version confusion

6. Scattered data

7. Unclear project direction

8. Project status confusion

9. Next step priority uncertainty

10. Lack of accountability

"Email has become a barrier to effective communication and productivity.StratAssemble's PlanDone encourages participation from everyone involved with aproject's outcome and is available anytime and anywhere," said StratAssemblefounder AJ Wacaser. "As email problems escalate, the PlanDone solution willbecome the method of choice for managing day-to-day operations of companieseverywhere."

Transferring project and task functions from email to PlanDone's interactiveplatform helps teams build on each other's work. Ideas and opinions are shared,documented, and refined in constructive ways. Two powerful tools--priority rankingand deadline analysis--help staff focus precisely on first things first each day,ensuring last-minute changes and course corrections don't turn into unmanageablebusiness fires. Unlike most other software, PlanDone supports both individualstyles and team methods rather than forcing everyone to conform to one rigidsystem.

StratAssemble's motto is "Work smarter. Live happier!" We believe in teamcreativity and sharing ideas, and are passionate about the collaborative process.Our purpose is to enable and inspire our customers to better manage theirknowledgebase and workforces by providing a simple, open platform where everystaff member can assemble, participate and contribute--revolutionizing corporatecommunications and strategic planning.

Questions

1. Evaluate email communication as a tool for internal communication,based on the facts mentioned in the case.

Answer:

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Internal communications is the process where the business owners interact withthe employers to know what they feel about the company. Employee cancommunicate with each other for work done. By organizing internal communicationsystems within the company, owners of the company provide the opportunity to itsstaff members or employees to share their opinions regarding the workings of thebusiness. That improves communication and increase productivity, reduces paperswork.

This is because e-mail is instantaneous and allows you to send messages thatothers can pick up at their convenience. Besides, e-mail also makes it possible tosend messages to people anywhere.

While the other forms of written communication are highly formal in nature, e-mailis more informal and spontaneous. It is therefore easier to write an e-mailmessage than it is to write a business letter or a report, where greater attentionhas to be paid to the language, style and tone. Since e-mail is quick, easy to useand spontaneous, it can also help to improve personal relationships in the

workplace

2. How will you adapt email communication to overcome some of theproblems mentioned in this case?

Answer:

we can use plandone software to over come the problems mentioned in this casebecause it reduce papers, its changing role in business, and the emergence of newWeb 2.0 collaboration tools, such as StratAssemble's PlanDone, that offer new andbetter ways for companies to manage their workflow.

Transferring project and task functions from email to PlanDone's interactiveplatform helps teams build on each other's work. Ideas and opinions are shared,documented, and refined in constructive ways. Two powerful tools 1. Priority

ranking 2. Deadline analysis, help staff focus precisely on first things first eachday, ensuring last-minute changes and course corrections don't turn intounmanageable business fires. Unlike most other software, PlanDone supportsindividual styles and team methods rather than forcing everyone to conform to onerigid system.

StratAssemble's motto is "Work smarter. Live happier!" We believe in teamcreativity and sharing ideas, and are passionate about the collaborative process.Our purpose is to enable and inspire our customers to better manage theirknowledgebase and workforces by providing a simple, open platform where every

staff member can assemble, participate and contribute--revolutionizing corporatecommunications and strategic planning.

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